SABA International Trading Co.

27/10/2024

27/10/2024

Leads, Lags & Float Times In Project Managment:
Leads, lags and float are concepts used in schedule development process. The process of schedule development includes: identification of all activities, sequencing all activities based on dependency, estimating duration of each activity and finalizing the schedule. Leads, lags and float are used as part of activity sequencing process. All activities once sequenced will form a schedule network diagram. Let us first look at the definition of all these three attributes.
Float
Float (also known as slack) is the amount of time by which the start of an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion time. Every task will have following set of start and finish time.
Earliest start time (ES) - The earliest time, an activity can start once the previous dependent activities are over.
Earliest finish time (EF) - This would be ES + activity duration.
Latest finish time (LF) - The latest time an activity can finish without delaying the project.
Latest start time (LS) - This would be LF - activity duration.
Float time of an activity can be calculated by taking the difference between Late Start (LS) and Early Start (ES) OR between Late Finish (LF) and Early Finish (EF).
Float = LS-ES OR
=LF-EF
A positive float time indicates the flexibility we will have in delaying the specific activity without delaying the project completion time.
Typically, while doing scheduling, the critical path tasks will have zero float and the non-critical path tasks will have a positive float. That means non-critical path tasks can be delayed to certain extent without compromising on the project completion time. Float time information of tasks is very useful to the project team for taking scheduling decisions when there will be resource constraints.
Lag:
Lag is the amount of wait time between two tasks. Or in other words, lag is the amount of time by which a successor activity will be delayed. Lag can be used in all the four logical relationships in scheduling, such as Finish-to-start (FS), start-to-start (SS), finish-to-finish (FS) and start-to-finish (SF).
In below example, Task A and B have a Finish to Start (FS) relationship. Ideally both A and B should get finished on the 12th day. But when we insert a waiting of time of 2 days before B can start, then both A and B will get completed only on the 14th day.

Lead:
Lead is the amount of time a successor task can be accelerated. Lead can applied only on finish-to-start relationship between two activities. We can see the below example. In the below example, task B can start 2 days before the completion of task A. Hence the start of task B, which ideally would have been on 6th day, will not start on 4th day.
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27/10/2024

What Is a Toxic Work Environment?
Ways to fix a toxic work environment:
Engage with Employees in Positive Ways
Have a positive presence. Don’t sit locked up in your office all the time. Let your employees know that you don’t place yourself on a pedestal by engaging with them regularly throughout the day.
Create a Safe Space for Healthy Discussions
Emotional intelligence is key to any great relationship. Create an excellent atmosphere for communication. Keep the door open for employees to express concerns or ask questions without fear of ridicule or losing their jobs.
Lead by Example
Be willing to teach employees procedures and policies by living them. Leaders that lead by example create a more favorable workplace vibe.
Express Gratitude for Your Staff Members
Show your staff appreciation and recognition where it’s due. Let them know that they’re valuable and without them, the company would fail. Be sincere and point out specific things that they succeed at.
Tap into the Unique Strengths of Each Team Member
Consider each person’s skill set by assigning projects or teams that will give them a chance to shine and use their strengths to the best of their ability.
Show Respect for Employees’ Needs
Respect each person’s boundaries and needs whether it be time off for a religious holiday or letting them communicate an HR issue.
Provide Constructive Forms of Criticism
Coach in a constructive and supportive manner. Ask powerful questions that help them formulate new ways of doing things if something isn’t working, and support their individual job growth and potential.
Establish & Maintain a Standard of Fairness
Be fair to all employees. Treat all of your employees with respect and equality. Honor their diversity and individualism.
Facilitate Opportunities for Inclusive Team Bonding
Create camaraderie between employees and leaders through socialization and sharing. For example, host a weekly or monthly event like Bagel Fridays where the company supplies everyone with breakfast and coffee to encourage a comfortable and communicative workplace setting.
Allow Team Members to Own Their Roles & Performance
Give your employees the freedom and flexibility to make decisions that best suit their projects or work goals. Within reason, this autonomy will help build trust and make employees feel more confident and valued.
The causes of toxicity and hostility in the workplace are generally linked to negative attitudes among employees regarding management procedures. Workplace environments can transform when employees feel safe, respected, and heard. Although these suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg, they can help and inspire you to be the change your fellow teammates need in order to fix a toxic work environment.

21/10/2024

EBRD funds largest road project in Armenia
• EBRD to fund important infrastructure project in Armenia
• Project to support Armenia’s local and regional connectivity complemented by EU funds
• Project will improve land transport infrastructure
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €236 million to Armenia to finance the construction of the southern section of the Sisian-Kajaran road.

This is the largest road infrastructure project ever financed by the EBRD in Armenia. It was previously complemented by technical cooperation funding generously provided by the European Union (EU). These funds were used to undertake the feasibility study as well as the environmental and social impact assessment.


The funding will allow the Government of Armenia to build 24 kilometers of a new southern road section between Sisian and Kajaran, which is part of the North-South Road Corridor. The new road will enhance Armenia’s local, regional, and international connectivity, and the country’s access to international markets via the Black Sea. This important infrastructure project is aligned with EU flagship initiatives for improved land transport connectivity and building resilience in the southern regions of Armenia. The EBRD actively supports the EU Global Gateway strategy. The road will also enhance local and inter-regional connectivity by providing a faster and safer connection between the Syunik region and Yerevan, reducing the travel distance and time by half.

The EBRD is one of the largest institutional financiers in Armenia. For the past five years the Bank has invested €640 million in the country, supporting private sector development, infrastructure enhancement, renewable energy generation and rural digitalization.

To date, the EBRD has invested over €2.1 billion in 211 projects across Armenia.

21/10/2024

Armenia's trade statistics for H1 2024: export and import growth.
YEREVAN, September 2. /ARKA/. In the first half of 2024, Armenia's exports grew by 2.3%, while imports surged by 86.2%, according to a report by Armenian Finance Minister Vahagn Khachaturyan presented at a parliamentary session on financial and budgetary issues.
Khachaturyan highlighted the significant impact of gold on foreign trade statistics. Excluding gold, Armenia's export growth would have been approximately 4% lower. For the same period, while imports increased by 86.5%, the growth rate would have decreased to 6.7% without the influence of gold.
According to the Ministry of Economy's report "Armenia: Economic Outlook" dated August 30, 2024, Armenia's exports from January to June 2024 totaled $7.93 billion, an increase of $4.55 billion (2.3 times) compared to the same period last year. Key export products included gold ($4.12 billion, a 14.7-fold increase), jewelry and parts ($709.6 million, an 18.4-fold increase), diamonds ($397.3 million, a 55.7% increase), telephone and telegraph equipment ($333 million, a 55.5% increase), and copper ore ($267.6 million, a 17.1% increase). These five product categories collectively accounted for 73.5% of total exports, with unprocessed gold or semi-finished products alone comprising 52.0% of the total export volume.
Regarding imports, the total for January-June 2024 was $10.48 billion, marking an increase of $4.86 billion (86.5%) compared to the same period last year. Major imported goods included gold ($5.24 billion, a 21.3-fold increase), telephone and telegraph equipment ($419.7 million, a 26.8% increase), diamonds ($399.6 million, a 56% increase), natural and liquefied gas ($263.6 million, a 2.1% decrease), passenger cars ($260.6 million, a 2.9-fold decrease), and oil and petroleum products ($209.7 million, an 8% decrease).
The report indicated that these six categories accounted for 64.8% of total imports, with unprocessed gold or semi-finished products alone comprising 50.0% of the total import volume.

21/10/2024

Gyumri Dry Port Planned.
GYUMRI, Armenia — Change is in the air for Gyumri, with a project for a “dry port” which could bring numerous international companies and the potential to double the city’s population in the next five years.
A dry port is an inland terminal with surface transportation connecting it to a seaport which serves as a logistics center for getting cargo to inland destinations. The process of sorting and processing containers at seaports is time-consuming, and they can become overburdened, as you might recall the scenes of hundreds of container ships sitting outside major ports such as Los Angeles during COVID. The concept of dry ports was created about thirty years ago to take off some of this pressure through inland terminals where the cargo can be processed instead. As Malas described: “Dry ports are operated the same way as a regular one; they utilize the exact same documentation and infrastructure, just the cargo comes off trucks and rail wagons instead of ships.”