What is computed during a forward pass in scheduling?

During a forward pass in scheduling, the early start and early finish dates for each activity in a project are computed. This is a crucial step in establishing a project timetable, as it allows project managers to determine the earliest time each task can be started and completed based on the project’s dependencies and sequence of activities.

The forward pass is initiated from the project's start date and progresses through to the project's end. As each activity is considered, the early start date is determined based on the completion of predecessor activities, and the early finish date is calculated by adding the activity's duration to the early start date. These calculations help in developing an accurate project schedule and are fundamental for further analyses, such as determining the critical path and understanding potential scheduling impacts.

Calculating late start and late finish dates, critical path analysis, or resource requirements summary are part of different phases of project scheduling or analysis, but they are not computed during the forward pass. Hence, understanding the specifics of what occurs during the forward pass is essential for effective project management and scheduling practices.