Developing the Project Network

IMSE-372
Project Management and Control

11/21/2021
Dr. Ayedh Almutairi 1
Dr. Ayedh Almutairi 2
 Developing the Project Network
The project network is a tool used for planning,
scheduling, and monitoring project progress
It is developed from information collected for the WBS
and is a graphic flow chart of the project job plan
Work packages from the WBS are used to build the
activities in the project network
A network consists of activities

Dr. Ayedh Almutairi 3

 Developing the Project Plan
The Project Network
 A flow chart that graphically depicts the sequence, interdependencies, and
start and finish times of the project job plan of activities that is the critical
path through the network
 Provides the basis for scheduling labor and equipment
 Provides an estimate of the project’s duration
 Provides a basis for budgeting cash flow
 Highlights activities that are “critical” and should not be delayed
 Help managers get and stay on plan

Dr. Ayedh Almutairi 4

 WBS and Network
 A network provides the project schedule by identifying
 Dependencies
 Sequencing
 Timing of activities
 However, dependency, sequencing, and timing of each of these
factors are not included in the WBS.
 A network activity can include one or more work packages.

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 From Work Package to Network
WBS/Work Packages to Network

FIGURE 6.1

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 From Work Package to Network (cont’d)
WBS/Work Packages to Network (cont’d)

FIGURE 6.1 (cont’d)

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 Constructing a Project Network
A
 Terminology
• Activity: an element of the
project that requires time. B D
• May Or may not require resource
• Merge activity: an activity
that has two or more preceding C
activities on which it depends.
• Parallel (concurrent)
activities: activities that can take place at the same time, if the manager
wishes. However, the manager may choose to have parallel activities
not occur simultaneously.

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 Constructing a Project Network (cont’d)

 Terminology
• Path: a sequence of connected, dependent activities.
• Critical path: the longest path through the activity network that allows for the
completion of all project-related activities;
the shortest expected time in which the entire project can be completed.
Delays on the critical path will delay completion of the entire project.

A B D

Dr. Ayedh Almutairi (Assumes that minimum of A + B > minimum of C in length of times to complete activities.) 9
 Constructing a Project Network (cont’d)

 Terminology
• Event: a point in time when an activity is started or completed. It does
not consume time.
• Burst activity: an activity that has more than one activity immediately
following it (more than one dependency arrow flowing from it).
 Two Approaches B

• Activity-on-Node (AON)
• Uses a node to depict an activity
A C
• Activity-on-Arrow (AOA)
• Uses an arrow to depict an activity

D
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 Basic Rules to Follow in Developing Project Networks

 Networks typically flow from left to right.

 An activity cannot begin until all of its preceding connected activities
are complete.
 Arrows indicate precedence and flow and can cross over each other.
 Identify each activity with a unique number; this number must be
greater than its predecessors.
 Looping is not allowed.
 Conditional statements are not allowed.
 Use common start and stop nodes.
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 Activity-on-Node Fundamentals

FIGURE 6.2

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 Activity-on-Node Fundamentals (cont’d)

FIGURE 6.2 (cont’d)

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 Network Information

TABLE 6.1

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 Koll Business Center—Partial Network

FIGURE 6.3

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 Koll Business Center—Complete Network

FIGURE 6.4

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 Network Computation Process
 Forward Pass—Earliest Times
• How soon can the activity start? (early start—ES)
• How soon can the activity finish? (early finish—EF)
• How soon can the project finish? (expected time—ET)
 Backward Pass—Latest Times
• How late can the activity start? (late start—LS)
• How late can the activity finish? (late finish—LF)
• Which activities represent the critical path?
• How long can it be delayed? (slack or float—SL)
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 Network Information

TABLE 6.2

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 Forward Pass Computation
• Add activity times (duration) along each path in the network
• Calculate the early finish (ES + Duration = EF).
• Carry the early finish (EF) to the next activity where it becomes its
early start (ES) unless…
• The next succeeding activity is a merge activity, in which case the
largest EF of all preceding activities is selected.

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 Activity-on-Node Network

FIGURE 6.5

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 Activity-on-Node Network Forward Pass

FIGURE 6.6

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 Backward Pass Computation
Subtract activity times along each path in the network
(LF - Duration = LS).
Carry the late start (LS) to the preceding activity
where it becomes its late finish (LF) unless...
The next preceding activity is a burst activity, in which
case the smallest LF of all preceding activities is
selected.
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 Activity-on-Node Network Backward Pass

FIGURE 6.7

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 Network Calculations in

 Let
• D(j): Duration of activity j
• ES(j):Early starting time of activity j
• EF(j):Early finishing time of activity j
• LS(j):Late starting time of activity j
• LF(j):Late finishing time of activity j

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 Network Calculations in

 ES(i) = max { EF(j)}

 where j is immediately preceding activity of i
 EF(i) = ES(i) + D(i)
 LS(i) = LF(i) – D(i)
 LF(i) = min {LS(j)}
 where j is immediately succeeding activity of i

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 Determining Slack (or Float)
• Total Slack (or float) (TF)
• The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire
project
TF(i) = LS(i) – ES(i) = LF(i) – EF(i)
• If the slack of one activity in the path is used, the ES for all activities that
follow in the chain will be delayed and their slack reduced

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 Determining Slack (or Float)
• Free Slack (or Float) (FF)
• The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying connected
successor activities
FF(i) = min {ES(j)} – EF (i)
• where j is immediately succeeding activity of i

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 Critical Path (CP)
• The critical path is the longest path(s) in the project network from the starting
node to the ending node
• The critical path is the network path(s) that has (have) the least slack (or float) in
common in theory:
LS – ES =0 or LF – EF = 0
• The critical path is any path from the starting node to the ending node that
contains only activities with the smallest Total Float
• Each network must have at least one critical path (may have many critical paths,
all the paths might be critical)
• Critical activities typically represent about 10% of the activities of the project

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 Activity-on-Node Network with Slack

FIGURE 6.8

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 Sensitivity of a Network
 The likelihood the original critical path(s) will change once the project
is initiated.
 Function of:
 The number of critical paths
 The amount of slack across other activities in the other paths

 A sensitive network would be one or more than critical paths and/or

noncritical activities with very little slack.

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 Extended Network Techniques to Come Close to
Reality
• Laddering
• Relaxing the assumption of succeeding activities must start after preceding activities finish
specially when an activity has a long duration
• Activities are broken into segments so the following activity can begin sooner and not delay
the work.
• Lags
• The minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end
• Lengthy activities are broken down to reduce the delay in the start or finish of successor
activities.
• Lags can be used to constrain finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-finish,
or combination relationships.

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 Example of Laddering

FIGURE 6.12

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 Use of Lags: Finish–to-Start
Finish-to-Start Relationship

The next activity in a sequence must be delayed even when the

preceding activity is complete (finished)
Start-to-Start Relationship
Example, ordering material requires one day of placing the order and
20 days to receive the material

FIGURE 6.14

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 Use of Lags: Start –to-Start
Finish-to-Start Relationship

Figure A shows zero lag

Figure B shows a lag of 5 time units
Happens when you can perform a portion of one activity and begin a
following activity before completing the first

FIGURE 6.14

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 Use of Lags (cont’d): Start –to-Start

Use of Lags to
Reduce Detail

FIGURE 6.15

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New Product
Development
Process
FIGURE 6.16

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 Use of Lags (cont’d): Finish-to-Finish
• Finish of on activity depends on the finish
Finish-to-Finish
of other activity
Relationship
Example, testing a prototype: where testing cannot be completed
FIGURE 6.17 any
earlier than four days after the prototype is done
Note this is not a finish-to-start

FIGURE 6.18

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 Use of Lags (cont’d): Start-to-Finish
• The finish of an activity depends on theFinish-to-Finish
start of another activity
Relationship
Example, system documentation cannot end until three days FIGURE 6.17after

testing has started

FIGURE 6.18

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 Use of Lags: Combination Relationship
• For example, debug cannot begin until two time units after coding has
started. FIGURE 6.17

• Coding must be finished four days before debug can be finished

FIGURE 6.18

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 Network Using Lags

FIGURE 6.20

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 Key Terms
Activity Gantt chart
Activity-on-arrow (AOA) Hammock activity
Activity-on-node (AON) Lag relationship
Burst activity Merge activity
Concurrent engineering Network sensitivity
Critical path Parallel activity
Early and late times Slack/float—total and free

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