Seeking optimum project duration extensions

It is well-known that changes to a project's definition during the course o f the project can cause significant disruption, and greatly extend a projec t's duration if no extra resources are committed to the project. However, i t is also well-known that the opposite policy, of throwing as many resource s as possible at the problem to try to keep to the original schedule, can b e very expensive, and is often in fact counter-productive ($2000 hour). The underlying causes of the results for these two extreme policies are system ic, are often hard to quantify, and are often significantly under-estimated . This paper describes the system dynamics technique for modelling a projec t, using as a case-study a model drawn up for a delay and disruption claim; this model closely reflected the project both as budgetted and as actually occued. It then shows how this model could be used to find an optimum trad e-off between the two extreme policies, giving an optimal project extension .