Precedence Networks

• Syntax the same as for On Arrow networks

– Except there are no dummy activities
– Precedence networks must start with a start node and end with a end node

Simple precedence network

The same information is presented as on-arrow network below

Example:
Drawing a precedence network and on-arrow networks given the data -
Tasks Precedence Time
a - 5 days
b - 4 days
c a 6 days
d b 2 days
e b 5 days
f c,d 8 days
 • Another on precedence network to draw
Tasks Precedence Time
a - 6 weeks
b - 4 weeks
c a 3 weeks
d b 4 weeks
e b 3 weeks
f - 10 weeks
g e,f 3 weeks
h c,d 2 weeks
• Adding more information to the node
Example:

Activity Precedence Duration

A Hardware selection
B Software design
C Install hardware
D Code & test software
E File take-on
F Write user manual
G User training
H Install & test system
- 6
- 4
A 3
B 4
B 3
- 10
E,F 3
C,D 2

Basic network diagram

A C

B D H End
Star
t
E

F G
A

0 6 6 6 3 9

A C

2 2 8 8 2 11

4 4 8 9 2 11
0 4 4
Star D H End
B
t 7 3 11 11 2 13
3 3 7

4 3 7
E
7 3 10
10 3 13
0 10 10
G
F
10 0 13
0 0 10
Forward pass
- Activities A, B and F may start immediately, so that their earliest start dates for their start is zero
- Activity A will take 6 weeks so that the earliest it can finish is week 6 (0+6= 6). Likewise for the
other activities, the latest finish time is the sum of the earliest start time and duration of the activity:
EF = ES + D
- Activity C can start as early as A has finished so its earliest start date is week 6. It will take 3 weeks
such that the earliest it can finish is week 9. The same logic applies for activities D and E
- Activity G cannot start until both E and F have been completed. It cannot start therefore until week
10, the later of the two (Activity E = 7 and F= 10). The same logic applies for activity H wich can not
start until activity C is completed (C takes 9 weeks while D takes 8).
- The project will be complete when both activities H and G have been completed. Thus the earliest
project completion date will be the later of the two activities H and G, i.e. 13 weeks.

Backward pass
The backward pass calculates the latest date in which the activity may be started and completed without
delaying the end date of the project. It is assumed that the latest finish date for the project is the same as
the earliest finish date.
- The latest completion date for the activities G and H is assumed to be week 13.
- Activity H must therefore start at week 11 at the latest (13-2) and the latest start date for activity G is
week 10 (13-3).
- The latest completion date for activities C and D is the latest date at which activity H must start – that
is week 11. They therefore have latest start dates of week 8 (11-3) and week 7 (11-4) respectively.
Same logic applies for Activities E and F and A.
- Activity B must be completed by week 7 (the latest start times for both activities D and E) so its latest
start is week 3 (7-4). In cases where say D and E have different start dates, then B should be
completed in the earliest start date of the two.
- The latest start date for the project start is the earliest of the latest start dates for activities A, B and F.
This is week zero.
Critical Path
There is at least one path through the network that defines the duration of the project known as the critical
path. Any delay to any activity on this critical path will delay the completion of the project.
The difference between an activity’s earliest start date and its latest start date is known as ithe activity’s
float – a measure of how much the start or completion of an activity may be delayed without affecting the
end date of the project. Any activity with a float of zero is critical in the sense that any delay in carrying
out the activity will delay the completion date of the project as a whole. There will always be at least one
path through the network joining those critical activities – the critical path.

The significance of the critical activity is two-fold.

 In managing the project, we must pay particular attention to monitoring activities on the crotical
path so that the effects of any delay or resource unavailability are detected and corrected at the
earliest opportunity.
 In planning the project, it is the critical path that we must shorten if we are to reduce the overall
duration of the project.

If the predicted date of the schedule is later than the promise date we must compress the schedule.
Crashing or fast tracking must be used. Crashing a schedule is doing anything at all to reduce the
scheduled completion of the project. Examples of crashing would include reducing the scope of the
project, adding additional resources for selected activities, eliminating activities, and changing the process
to eliminate steps.