Lesson Plan

• Calculate early start, early finish, late start and late finish for each activity in a CPA network.
• Determine total float and free float and explain their significance for project scheduling.
• Identify the critical path and use float analysis to make resource‑allocation and scheduling decisions.
• Interpret float results to support effective operations planning.

• Projector and screen
• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed activity tables and network‑diagram handouts
• Calculator or spreadsheet software (e.g., Excel)
• CPA worksheet template
• Sticky notes or index cards for activity sequencing

Start with a brief real‑world example of a project delayed because slack was not recognised. Review students’ prior knowledge of activity sequencing and early/late times. State that by the end of the lesson they will be able to compute total and free float and use the results for operations planning.

1. Do‑now (5') – Warm‑up worksheet on ES/EF calculations for a simple activity list.
2. Mini‑lecture (10') – Review key terminology (critical path, total float, free float) and formulas.
3. Guided practice (15') – Whole‑class work through the A‑F example: draw the network, forward pass, backward pass, compute floats, identify critical path.
4. Pair activity (15') – Students apply the procedure to the G‑L dataset using the CPA worksheet; teacher circulates for support.
5. Interpretation discussion (10') – Groups share their critical path and float insights; teacher highlights common pitfalls.
6. Check for understanding (5') – Exit‑ticket quiz with two short questions distinguishing total and free float.

Recap that total float shows project‑wide slack while free float indicates the slack before the next activity is affected. Collect exit tickets where each student writes one practical way to use float information in operations planning. For homework, assign students to create a CPA network for a simple school event and calculate the floats.