NET WORK ANALYSIS

Network analysis sometimes known as Project engineering is a process of drawing a sequence of

activities in a logical manner and in accordance to the lied down rules.

TERMINOLOGIES ASSOCIATED WITH NETWORK ANALYSIS

1. ACTIVITY
Activity is an occupation which has got its starting time, duration, ending time and cost
2. EVENT
An event is a time description of activity which is given a starting and ending time
3. FLOAT
A float is a spare time calculated on activities which do not exist along the critical path
4. SLACK
A slack is similar to float but a different is that a slack is a spare time of an event and not activity
5. CRITICAL PATH
A critical path is a path which contain sequence of activities and events that define the total
project duration. It is the longest path along the network that consumes more time and
resources
6. PRECEDING ACTIVITY
A preceding activity is an activity which occurs earlier than the other activities
7. SUCCEEDING ACTIVITY
A succeeding activity is an activity which comes later than the other activities
8. DUMMY ACTIVITIES
Dummy activity is an activity which appears simultaneously with a critical activities but does not
consume time or resources

USES OR IMPORTANCE OF THE NETWORK ANALYSIS

A net work analysis is important in the sense that

1. It is used in setting a computer programs

2. It is used in initiating different projects of organization and estimating time and cost
3. It is a tactful military methods
4. It is used in construction of bridges, Roads and highways
5. It is useful for management to evaluate project if completed in time

RULES GOVERNING NETWORK DRAWINGS

1. Network is drawn from left to right.

2. Network is represented by arrow
3. Activities are numbered and Events are shown by capital letters
4. Networks should not cross each other
5. The arrow used are straight lines
 6. Network should not be drawn with dangling
7. Do not construct a network in form of a loop.

EXAMPLE 1

A project Company has installed a project which has the following sequence in a network

ACTIVITY PRECEDIN
G ACTIVITY
A -
B A
C A
D B
E C
F D&E

REQUIRED

Draw a network to represent above mentioned activities

EXAMPLE 2

A project Company has installed a project which has the following sequence in a network

ACTIVITY PRECEDIN
G ACTIVITY
A -
B A
C A
D A
E B
F C
G C
H C&D
I E&F
J G&H
K I&J

REQUIRED

Draw a network to represent above mentioned activities

EXAMPLE 3

A project Company has installed a project which has the following sequence in a network

ACTIVITY PRECEDIN
G ACTIVITY
A NONE
B NONE
C A
D A
E A
F B &C
G D
H E, F & G

REQUIRED

Draw a network to represent above mentioned activities

DRAWING A NETWORK WITH TIME ESTIMATION

There are two ways of drawing a network with time estimation being

 CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM) and

 PROJECT EVALUATION AND REVIEW TECHNIQUE (PERT)

CPM

Under a critical path method the time is known

PERT

Under Project Evaluation and Review technique the time is not known but it is predicted.

DRAWING A NETWORK BY CPM

In drawing a network each node is divided into three parts which are The number which identifies the
event, the earliest start time and latest finish time

PRINCIPLES

You have to add each activity duration from left to right and pick the highest till you reach at the end of
the project (Ending node) which will give you the early finish time which again will be equal to late start
time. This process is known as FORWARD PASS.

Then you have to move back to the left while deducting a time duration and picking the lowest until you
reach at the start node. This is known as BACKWARD PASS.
Then you have to determine a critical path and identify floats. In determining a critical path there are
two options which are

a. Selecting the longest path or

b. Picking the path of which in every node Early start time and late finish time are equal

Float calculations

There are three types of floats which are also calculated as follows

 FREE FLOAT = EARLY FINISH TIME (EFT) – EARLY START TIME (EST) – DURATION (D)
 TOTAL FLOAT = LATE FINISH TIME (LFT) – EARLY START TIME (EST) – DURATION (D)
 INDEPENDENT FLOAT = EARLY FINISH TIME (EFT) – LATE START TIME (LST) – DURATION (D)

EXAMPLE 4

A project Company has installed a project which has the following sequence in a network

ACTIVITY PRECEDIN DURATION

G ACTIVITY WEEKS
A - 2
B A 3
C A 5
D A 8
E B 6
F C 1
G C 2
H C&D 3
I E&F 7
J G&H 4
K I&J 5

REQUIRED

a. Draw a network to represent above mentioned activities and find the duration of the project
b. Show the Critical path
c. Calculate Free float, Total float and Independent float