Network diagrams
• A network is a flow diagram consisting of
– activities and events, connected logically and sequentially.
– In the network diagram, an activity is represented by arrows while event
are represented, usually, by circles/boxes.
• Networks are of two types
– PERT network and CPM network.
• Network diagrams can help with:
– Project management
– Task management
– Stakeholder communication
– Project workflow
• Basic components
– Activity
– Event
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Elements of Network
• It is always possible to break up the entire project into
– a number of distinct, well defined jobs or tasks (called activities).
– The beginning or end of each such activity constitutes an event of
the project.
• PERT network
– is event oriented
• CPM network
– is activity oriented.
• Fundamentally, both CPM and PERT networks are
techniques of project management
– involving graphical and diagrammatic representation
– management can use as an aid in planning, scheduling and
controlling of operations in a project.
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Elements of Network
Consider the project of purchasing a new heavy duty lathe and disposing of the old lathe. The project consists of the
following activities:
• Await delivery of lathe
• Remove existing lathe
• Install power supply
• Install lathe
• Connect to power
• Test
• Dispose of existing lathe.
• The above project can be represented by a network
– (a) showing activity oriented diagram
– (b) showing an alternative network which is event oriented.
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Elements of network
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Elements of network
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Event
• The commencement or completion of an activity
– is called an event.
• More specifically an event is
– a specific definable accomplishment in a project plan
– recognizable at a particular instant of time.
• Representation of Events:
– In a network diagram, events are represented by nodes.
– The shape of the nodes may be
• circular, square, rectangular, oval, or any other regular geometrical
– Generally, events have been represented by
• a circular node.
– Events are numbered for their identification.
– The number of an event is written inside the node or circle.
– Events may also be given verbal description whenever meaningful.
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Specifying events
• Specifying the events
– A particular event out of various events on the network diagram
may be specified as:
• Tail event
• Head event
• Dual role event
– Tail event
• A tail event is the one which marks the beginning of an activity.
• If a particular tail event represents the commencement of the
project, it is known as the initial event.
– (a) shows a tail event (No. 10), representing the beginning of a certain
activity
– (b) shows an initial event (No. 1) representing the commencement of
the project.
– (c) shows a tail events marking the beginning of three activities A, B
and C.
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Specifying events
– Head event
• Also known as the terminal event, this is the point at which
an activity ends.
• It is called as head event, because in a network diagram, it
is connected to the head or barbed end of an arrow.
• If a particular head event marks the completion of the project
it is known as the final event or end event.
– (a) shows a head event
– (b) shows a final or end event ; in each case they mark the
completion of the activity.
– (c) shows a head event, marking the completion of three
activities.
– (d) shows a final or end event, having two activities ending in it.
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Specifying events
– Dual role events
• Actually, most of the events serve dual function i.e., they are head event to some activity and tail event to
other activity.
• All events except initial and final events are dual role events.
– (a) event 11 is head event for activity A and tail event for activity B.
– (b) event 26 is head event for activities A, B and C, while it is tail event for activities P and Q.
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Inter-relationship between events
• Successor events
– The event or events that follow another event are called successor events to that event.
– Also, the event or events that immediately follow another event without any intervening ones are
called immediate successor events to that event.
– In most of the cases, the successor events that are of greater concern are the immediate
successor events ; some authors prefer to call the ‘immediate successor event’ simply as
‘successor event’.
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Inter-relationship between events
• Predecessor events
– The event or events that occur before another event are called predecessor events to that event.
– Also, the event or events that immediately come before another event without any intervening
ones are called immediate predecessor events ; some authors prefer to call these simply as
predecessor events.
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Activity
• An activity is
– the actual performance of a task.
– It is the work required to complete a specific event.
• An activity is a recognizable part of a work project
that requires
– time and resources (manpower, material, space, facilities
etc.) for its completion.
• Representation and Identification
– A network diagram, activities are represented by simple
arrows, usually drawn from left to right.
– It is thus not a vector quantity.
– The length of the arrow is chosen to suit the drafting
convenience.
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Activity
– The identification or description of an activity can be done in
either of the following ways:
• The activities can be identified in terms of the events they connect,
by the use of event numbers.
• Thus, in (a), the activity connecting events 2 and 3, is designated as
activity(2,3)
• Activity can be identified by use of English alphabets, such as
activity P in (b). Such an identification must clearly ‘define or
describe the activity.
• For example :
» ACTIVITY A : excavate trench
» ACTIVITY B : fix side boards
» ACTIVITY C : concrete foundations
» ACTIVITY P : construct roof.
• Activity can also be described by writing actual job over the arrow.
• For example, in (c) the activity joining events 2 and 3 may be
described as ‘install machine’ by writing on the arrow.
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Inter-relationships of activity
• Parallel activities
– Those activities which can be performed simultaneously and
independently to each other are known as parallel activities.
– For example
• (a), activities A and B are parallel activities since they can be
taken up concurrently and executed simultaneously.
• Serial activities
– Serial activities are those which are to be performed one after
the other, in succession.
– These activities cannot be performed independently to each
other.
– For example
• (b) activities P and Q in are serial activities. Activity Q cannot be
started, unless activity P is complete
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Inter-relationships of activity
• Predecessor activity
– Activity or activities that are required to be
performed before another activity are called
predecessor activity.
– The activity that are required to be performed
immediately before another activity, without an
intervening activity are known as immediate
predecessor activities to that activity.
• Successor activity
– Activity that can be performed after the other
activity are known as successor activities to that
activity.
– The activity that immediately follows another
activity, without any intervening activity are known
as immediate successor activities to that activity.
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Dummy
• A dummy is
– a type of operation in the network which do not requires
any time or resources but is merely a device to identify a
dependence among operations.
– A dummy is a connecting link for control purposes or for
maintaining uniqueness of activity.
• A dummy is represented by dashed arrow
– since it is not an activity
• A dummy is identified by
– the numbers of the terminal node.
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Dummy
– For example, consider the two sets of activities.
– Set 1
• A. Await delivery of new machine.
• B. Install new machine.
– Set 2
• C. Remove existing machine.
• D. Dispose of existing machine.
– Activities A and B are to be performed serially.
– Activities C and D are to be performed serially.
• Both the sets are performed simultaneously.
– Activity D of set 2 cannot be performed unless activity A
of set 1 is completed.
– Hence a dummy link is used, joining node 2 to node 5,
indicating that
• activity D cannot be started unless event 2 is over.
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Dummy
• Uses of dummy
– Dummies serve two purposes in a network :
• Grammatical purpose
• Logical purpose.
– Grammatical purpose:
• A dummy is used to prevent two arrows having
common beginning and end points.
• For example
– Consider (a) the arrows of activities A and B; both
start from node 1 and end at node 2.
– Due to this an inconvenience results when the
network is used for computations, i.e., uniqueness in
the identification is lost. This inconvenience frequently
leads to mistakes.
– This trouble can be avoided by using a dummy link as
illustrated in (b), giving thereby a grammatically
correct and clear representation.
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Dummy
– Logical purpose
• Dummies are also used to give logical clear
representation in a network having an activity
common to two sets of operations running
parallel to each other.
• For example
– Consider two activities Q and R having common
end node. Activity Q has O and P as predecessor
activities, while activity R has P and N as
predecessor activities.
– (a) shows the illogical representation of the
activities, because activity P cannot have dual
identity.
– It should have unique identity.
– This uniqueness can be maintained by introducing
two dummies P1, and P2, as shown in (b).
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Rules for providing dummies
– Rule-1
• If a dummy job is the only one emanating from its initial node, it can be removed.
– Rule-2
• If a dummy job is the only one terminating into a node, the dummy can be removed.
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Rules for providing dummies
– Rule-3
• If two or more activities, emanating from different nodes, have an identical set of predecessors which also
appear in different sets of other activities, the two activities should start from a single node.
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Rules for providing dummies
– Rule-4
• If two or more activities, terminating into different nodes have identical set of successors, the later having
other predecessors as well, the two activities should terminate into single node.
– Rule-5
• Dummies which are used to show predecessor relations already implied by other activities are known as
redundant dummies and can be removed.
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Rules for providing dummies
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Network rules
• The following network rules
– Initial node has only outgoing arrows.
– There must be only single initial node in a network.
– An event can occur until all the activities leading to it are
completed.
– An event cannot occur twice.
– There must not be any dead-end left except the final node.
– No activity can start until its tail-end event (preceding event) has
occurred.
– Any arrow should represent singular situation
• i.e. individuality and separate entity if an activity should be
maintained.
– Representation of the network should be such that every activity
is completed to reach the end objective.
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Graphical guidelines for network
• Graphical guidelines for networks are
– Arrows are not vectors.
– Orientation or angle between arrows should be chosen to suit drafting convenience.
– Curved arrows are not preferred.
– Arrows should not cross each other.
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Common situations in network
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Numbering the events
• The numbering can be simplified if the rules devised
by D.R Fulkerson (Fulkerson’s rule) are followed:
– There is a single initial event in a network diagram. This
initial event will have arrows coming out of it and none
entering it. Number this event as 1.
– Neglect all the arrows, emerging out of the initial event
numbered 1. Doing so will apparently provide one or more
new initial events. Number these apparently produced new
initial events as 2,3,4 etc.
– Again neglect all emerging arrows from these numbered
events; this will create few more initial events.
– Follow step 3.
• Continue this operation until the last event, which has no
emerging arrows, is numbered.
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Numbering the events
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Numbering the events
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Numbering the events
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Cycles
• Cycle
– is a loop network or cycle is any path of activities that leads back into itself.
– In such a circumstance, an activity shows up a distant predecessor of itself.
– Cycles cause logical errors in the network.
– Such a situation may occur in a complicated network ; however, cycles should be removed before
network calculations are made.
Once a cycle is discovered, the person who compiled the project data must recheck for
accuracy of the stated predecessor relationships of jobs in the cycle
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Network development approach
• Forward Planning
– The planner starts from the initial event.
• What event comes next?
• Backward Planning
– The planner starts from the end event.
• For achieving this, what events or activities
should have taken place?
• Combined Planning
– Combination of both forward and backward
planning
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Modes of network construction
• There are basically two modes of network diagrams :
– Activity oriented diagrams (CPM).
– Event oriented diagrams (PERT).
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Steps involved in development of network
– OBJECTIVE
» set down in words.
– PLAN BREAK DOWN
» depending upon the management level of use, activities and events identified and listed in general list.
– SEQUENCING
» the activities and events thus prepared and sub grouped, i.e. marshalling the data.
– DEVELOPMENT
» of predecessor and successor relationship in events through location of nodes in rough layout, giving events usual relative
time effect through position.
– DRAWING
» activities by connecting pair of events with arrows.
– CHECK
» network diagram in respect of content, sequence and sense, and for degree of detail.
– REDRAW
» network diagram to eliminate errors and attain style.
– INTRODUCE For a good network
» uniqueness dummies for grammar of network. Event/Activity ratio = 1.0 to 1.6
– NUMBER
» events for identification.
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Development of network
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Work breakdown structure
• Work breakdown structure or schedule
– is a pictorial representation of the entire program.
– Such a breakdown structure is more essential in
complex projects consisting of hundreds of events
and activities.
– The development of the work break down structure
begins at the highest level of the program with the
identification of project end items.
– The major end items are divided into their sub-
component parts (i.e. systems, sub-systems,
components) and the component parts are further
divided into their more detailed units.
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Work breakdown structure
Write plan breakdown and prepare network for the project of ‘casting a concrete
beam over verandah opening’
The project will consist of the following activities :
A. Design of the beam
B. Order concrete material (cement, sand, aggregate)
C. Order Steel
D. Order timber
E. Design mix proportion
F. Make and fix form Bend reinforcement
G. Place reinforcement
H. Set mixer at site
I. Mix concrete
J. Place and compact concrete
K. Cure stage I
L. Strip off side forms
M. Cure stage II
N. Strip off bottom forms
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Hierarchies
• Large and complex networks contain
– more than two to five hundred work operations.
– If all of these operations are represented on one single network diagram, it will become clumsy.
• Since all of these work operations are to be represented, one can successfully use
– a hierarchy or family of networks of increasing detail.
• Hierarchy principle is used for large project
– to split it up, the first level or overall network should be prepared by the top administrator, in
consultation with the representatives of various divisions so that inter-departmental constraints are
introduced properly.
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