Network is basically a graphical representation or description of a
problem situation.
Network analysis is a technique used for planning, scheduling,
monitoring and coordinating large and complex projects
comprising a number of activities.
It involves the development of a network to indicate logical
sequence of work content elements of a complex situation.
Identifying jobs, events or activities.
Arrange the jobs in logical sequence.
Network analysis can be used to:
Minimization of total time
Minimization of the total cost
Minimization of time for a given cost
Minimization of cost for a given total time
Minimization of idle resources
Minimization of production delays, interruptions, and conflicts.
Common applications of network analysis are:
Construction of a bridge, highway, power plant, etc.
Assembly line scheduling
Research and development
Inventory planning and control
Shifting of manufacturing plant from one site to another
Development and launching of new products and advertising
campaigns
Control of traffic flow in cities
Budget and audit procedures
Launching space programs
Organizing large conferences
Installation of new equipment
Merge and Burst Event
One or more activities can start and end simultaneously at an event.
(a) Merge Event (b) Burst Event
Preceding and succeeding activities
▪ Activities performed before given events are known as preceding
activities and activities performed after a given event are known as
succeeding activities.
C
A
Activities A and B precede
activities C and D
B D respectively.
Dummy activity
▪ An imaginary activity which does not consume any resource and
time is called a dummy activity.
▪ Dummy activities are simply used to represent a connection between
events in order to maintain a logic in the network.
▪ It is represented by a dotted line in a network
No single activity can be represented more than once in a network. The
length of an arrow has no significance.
The event numbered 1 is the start event and an event with highest number
is the end event. Before an activity can be undertaken, all activities
preceding it must be completed. That is, the activities must follow a logical
sequence or interrelationship between activities.
In assigning numbers to events, there should not be any duplication of
event numbers in a network.
Dummy activities must be used only if it is necessary to reduce the
complexity of a network.
A network should have only one start event and one end event.
Activity B can be performed only after
completing activity A and activity C can be
performed only after completing activity B.
Activities B and C can start simultaneously
only after completing A
Activities A and B must be completed before
start of C
Activity C must start after completing
activities A and B. But activity D can start
after completing activity B.
a. Two activities starting from a tail event
must not have a same end event. Use
dummy activity to solve this as shown in
Fig. 1.
b. Looping error should not be formed in a
network as shown in Fig. 2. Because it
represents the performance of activities in a
cyclic manner.
c. In a network, there should be only
one start event and one ending event as
shown in Fig. 3.
d. The direction of arrows should flow
from left to right avoiding mixing of
direction as shown in Fig. 4.
Step 1:
▪ Number the start or initial event as 1.
Step 2:
▪ From event 1, strike off all outgoing activities. This would
have made one or more events as initial events. Number that
event as 2.
Step3:
▪ Repeat step 2 for event 2, event 3 and till the end event. The
end event must have the highest number
Draw a network for a house construction project. The sequence of
activities with their predecessors are given in Table 1.
Draw a network for a house construction project. The sequence of
activities with their predecessors are given in Table 2.
