Mastering Complexity

16

Unwrapping Circuits

Standard project scheduling techniques make no explicit provision for handling dependency circuits—circular loops of tasks. So, how do we design project plans that we can schedule? A DSM spreadsheet can show us the way. By making assumptions that are both sensible and break loop structures, we can unwrap the elements in a circuit into sequences that can be scheduled and iterated as necessary.

Consider the design of an electric car. Element dependencies describe the car and how it is made. Together, these relationships form a descriptive statement of the design constraints. To design the car, our tasks will set values on these elements. The project to do this is a prescriptive process.

Most projects’ schedules will be ...