Calculating float in linear schedules with singularity functions

This paper presents an exact approach of calculating float for each activity in linear schedules. It is based on singularity functions, which have been used previously to determine the criticality of activities in said schedules. Singularity functions are versatile in that they can describe multiple changes of productivity within each activity, can be evaluated by hand if desired, and thus provide the basis for a complete schedule analysis methodology. Following a brief review of how activities and their buffers are modeled with singularity functions, this paper examines types of float that are commonly encountered in the critical path method of scheduling and develops an equivalent approach for linear schedules. An example from the literature is used to demonstrate the application of the new float analysis.