What does Early Start, Late Start Mean?
Definition of Early Start, Late Start in Construction
A term used within the CMP ( Critical Path Method ) of construction, that identifies the earliest start date that an activity can commence on a construction project.
The earliest start of any activity is based upon the CPM of scheduling. There are several construction activities that must be completed prior to the possibility of an early start on the next activity. The late start of an activity, is the latest that construction activity can start, without influencing the CPM. The difference in the two dates is the float time of the activity. The float time, between the early start and the late start ,is a critical portion of time ,that, if exceeded will influence the CPM. Professional scheduling consultants are hired to specifically schedule large projects. The proper use of the CPM and its early and late starts, are critical to the overall success of maintaining the construction schedule. Of course there are influences that occur on a project that will influence the early and late starts of each item as the schedule advances, this is why, on many larger construction projects, there is a full time CPM scheduler involved.