1. What is the Cost Slope?

The Cost Slope is defined as the increase in the cost of the activity per unit decrease in the time. It helps in project management to determine the cost-effectiveness of crashing activities.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Cost Slope formula:

Where:

• \( CS \) — Cost Slope (units/day)
• \( CC \) — Crash Cost (units)
• \( NC \) — Normal Cost (units)
• \( NT \) — Normal Time (days)
• \( CT \) — Crash Time (days)

Explanation: The formula calculates the additional cost incurred per day of time reduction when crashing an activity.

3. Importance of Cost Slope Calculation

Details: Cost Slope is crucial in project crashing decisions, helping project managers optimize project duration while minimizing additional costs.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter all cost values in the same currency units. Normal Time must be greater than Crash Time. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a higher Cost Slope indicate?
A: A higher Cost Slope indicates that reducing the activity duration is more expensive per time unit.

Q2: When should project crashing be considered?
A: Project crashing should be considered when there's a need to reduce project duration and the benefits outweigh the additional costs.

Q3: Can Cost Slope be negative?
A: No, Cost Slope should always be positive as crash cost is typically higher than normal cost, and normal time is greater than crash time.

Q4: What are the limitations of Cost Slope analysis?
A: It assumes linear relationship between time and cost, which may not always hold true in real-world scenarios.

Q5: How is Cost Slope used in critical path method?
A: In CPM, activities with the lowest cost slopes are typically crashed first to minimize the total cost of project compression.