Networks

Node Nodes
Activity
i        j    
   Duration 
start/from/i  end/to/j 

Activity is represented by an arrow, Activity A

Nodes: Start node and End node

i and j

From and to nodes

1. Y is controlled by X. Activity Y cannot begin until activity X is completed.

X Y
                

2. Activity Z is controlled by X and Y. Activity Z cannot begin until activities X and Y

are completed.

Y
3. Activities Y and Z are controlled by activity X. Neither of activities Y and Z can start
unless activity X is completed.

4. Activities Y and Z are controlled by activities W and X. Neither of activities Y and Z

can start until both the activities W and X are completed. However, activities Y and Z
start independent of each other.

W Y

Z
X
5. Activity D is controlled by activities A and C. However, activity B is controlled by
activity A only.

A B

Dummy 
activity

C D

6. Activity Z is controlled by activities V and W, while activity Y is controlled by

activities U and V.

U Y

Dummy

Dummy

W Z
7. Activity D is controlled by A, B and C. However, activity E is controlled by B and C.
Activity F is controlled by C only.

D
A

Dummy

B E

Dummy

C F

8. Activity A controls C and D, while activity B controls D and E, D is controlled by both A

and B.

Dummy

Dummy

B E
9. Activity X is controlled by D and A; activity Y is controlled by A, B and C, while activity
Z is controlled by D only.

D D

Dummy

Dummy

A Y

C
Draw a network diagram for the project having 9 activities, with the following inter-
relationships:

• C follows D but precedes F.

• C follows B but precedes H.
• G follows F but precedes I.
• E follows A but precedes I.
• D follows A.
• H and I terminate at the same time.
• A and B start at the same time.

Event Immediate Event Immediate

  Predecessor   Predecessor
1  ‐‐  6 3,5
2 1 7 3,4
3 2 8 3, 7
4 2 9 7
 5 2 10 3,6,8,9

NUMBERING TH
HE EVENTS
S

It is esssential to nuumber the events

e or noode point. The
T activitiees joining thhe nodes caan better
be identtified on thee network by
b the eventt numbers oro node num mbers at the tail and heaad of the
activityy. The eventt numbering g should bee scientificaally done so
o that they rreflect theirr logical
sequencce. In a big network, th he problemm of numberring can be simplified iif the rules devised
by D.R R. Fulkersonn are followwed. The seqquential num mbering to the events m may be assigned in
the folloowing stepss:

1. There is a sinngle initial event in a nnetwork diaagram. Thiss initial evennt will havee arrows
cooming out of
o it and non ne entering it. Number this initial event
e as 1.

2. N
Neglect all the
t arrows emerging oout of the initial even
nt numberedd 1. Doing so will
appparently prrovide one or
o more new
w initial eveents.

3. N
Number thesse apparently producedd new initiall events as 2,
2 3, 4 etc.

4. A
Again neglecct all emerg
ging arrow s from thesse numbereed events; th
this will creeate few
m
more initial events.
e

5. Foollow step 3.
3
6. Continue this operation until the last event, which l. emerging arrows, is numbered.

Skip Numbering

As a rule, a tail event must have a lower number than the head event. In bigger networks,
where extensive modifications frequently required to be made, re-numbering can be avoided
by numbering the events in the multiple of 10, i.e., numbering the events as 10 (initial), 20,
30, 40 etc. If an event is added later, it can be assigned a number (such as 31, say) which lies
between the number of immediate predecessor event and immediate successor event. This
process of numbering is known as skip numbering. Alternatively, skip numbering can also be
achieved by leaving out successive number such as (8, 9), (18, 19), (28, 29) etc. from the
lumbering of initial network. These left out numbers can later be assigned to newly added
events arising out of the modification of the initial network.