“Without logistics network we couldn’t have present day goods and services at affordable prices”
What is Networking ?
“Networking / Network Scheduling” is a
technique used for planning and scheduling large
projects . It’s a method of minimizing trouble spots
, such as production bottle necks , delays and
interruption etc. by determining critical factors and
coordinating various parts of the overall job .
“Network analysis” entails a group of
techniques for presenting information relating to
time and resources to assist in planning ,
scheduling and controlling the projects .
Objective of Network Analysis
Tools for Planning , Scheduling and Control.
Explains the interrelationship of the various
activities .
Minimization of total costs.
Minimization of idle resources .
Network
A Network is graphic presentation
of a project’s operations and is composed
of activities and events that must be
completed to reach the end objective of a
project , showing the planning sequence
of their accomplishments , their
dependence and their interrelationships .
Basic Components of a Network
Activity : An activity is task or item of work to
be done , that consumes time , effort , money or other
resources .
It is represented by an arrow with its head
indicating the sequence in which the events are to
occur .
Events : An event represents the beginning and
completion of some activities and as such it consumes
no time . It has no time duration and doesn’t consume
any resources .
It is also known as Node . It is generally
represented by a circle in a network diagram .
Categorization of Activities
Predecessor Activity : An activity which must
be completed before one or more other activities start
is known as Predecessor activity .
Successor Activity : An activity which started
immediately after one or more other activities are
completed is known as Successor activity .
Dummy Activity : An activity which doesn’t
consume either any resource or time is known as
Dummy activity .It is a hypothetical activity
( doesn’t exist practically.
Similarly a dummy event is an imaginary
event .
Categorization of Events
Merge Events :When more than one
activity comes and joins in an event , then the
event is known as Merge Event .
Burst Events : When more than one
activity leaves an event , then the event is
known as Burst Event .
Rules for Network Construction
For the construction of Network , generally the
following rules are followed :
Each activity is represented by one and only one
arrow .
Each activity must be identified by its starting and end
node .
Nodes are numbered to identify an activity
uniquely .Tail node should be lower than the head node
of an activity .
Between any pair of nodes there should be one and
only one activity .
Arrows should be kept straight not curved or bent .
Numbering the Events
Event numbers should be unique .
Event nos. should be carried out on a sequential
basis from L to R .
Initial event which has all outgoing arrows with
no incoming arrow is numbered either 0 or 1 .
The head of an arrow should always bear a
number higher than one assigned at the tail of
the arrow .
