Establish a project plan (next)

4. Create a network diagram.

Network map, as the name implies is a network shape diagram, network map and called PND,PND is to complete the work flow chart, PND, Project Network Diagram, and Network diagram are the same content, but the name is not the same. Network diagrams are appropriate for a long-term project, and for short-term projects it is ideal to use a Gantt chart, but the Gantt chart has some drawbacks:

The L Gantt Chart does not display details for each unit of work.

The Gantt chart shows only the order of tasks,

L Gantt Chart does not clearly reflect the order of tasks in a multi-stage project

L Gantt Chart does not reflect the shortest path that can complete a project

L The Gantt Chart does not reflect resource usage.

PND makes workflow from concept to reality more intuitive. The Network Diagram provides detailed information to the unit of work that allows the project manager to analyze tasks, resources, and assign time to each task, using PND to determine the process of the work and to anticipate the earliest date of completion of the project. Using a network diagram is ideal for the following scenarios:

• Detailed project planning: Network diagrams are important for projects that last for months or even years. Because network diagrams can relate to each task related to the scope of the project, through the network diagram, project managers, management, and project teams can see the entire project plan at a higher level, and then enlarge the specific parts of the project plan.

• Real-time tracking: When a task is completed on time or overtime, the time unit used can accurately display the impact of the related tasks in the project, if the use of software to track the implementation of the project, then this effect can be automatically reflected to you through the software, if there are four tasks dependent on the same task, and the task was postponed for two weeks, then, The task, which was not completed on time, now defers the task associated with it for two weeks. Network diagrams can show this effect and enable the project manager to take appropriate action on this change by adjusting resources to live other dependent tasks.

• Contingency planning: The network map allows the project manager to take action in scenarios such as "What if" in any unit of the project plan. The project manager can adjust the time unit to understand the impact of the work unit on the entire project. For example, a work unit was postponed for two weeks, the impact on related tasks is obvious, but if it's two weeks ahead of schedule, what if the bonus system is based on the date of completion of the project, and for a series of work units, each unit of work is saved from the time they expect to complete, This has a direct impact on all successor tasks.

Resource control: The network diagram shows the impact of the workflow and the completed task on the remainder of the project. By assigning resources to a unit of work using the Gantt Chart, the project manager can add resources or remove resources that are assigned to a task, making the task's finish date advance or delayed. Resources may be staff or material objects such as broadband, high speed computers, and leased equipment.

Use the Precedence Diagram method:

You can start a PND by working on a whiteboard, just as it is for a WBS, but a project manager can use the priority Tufalai to create a flowing project structure, rather than an active, straight timeline. Each task uses an arrow to indicate that a section of the arrow is the beginning of the activity, and the other end of the arrow is the end of the activity. It is tedious to use such a method to represent a large-scale project. Replace this method with another alternative: PND,PDM requires the project manager to evaluate each unit of work and decide that those tasks are his successor, and those tasks are his predecessors, and once this message is obtained, the PDM maze can be grouped together in small slices, and the placement of each task must be carefully considered. Because all tasks are interconnected, even if they are arranged at the same time. Each unit of work in a network diagram that uses PDM is represented by a rectangular box called an active node. The precursor and subsequent nodes are connected by arrows and are always upstream of the successor. When you create a network diagram using PDM, the project manager must decide the order in which to complete the task. Basically the problem for the project manager is that those tasks must be completed before the next task starts, and the project manager decides on the smallest unit of work to be used on the network map, so that the unit of work is not too short to be used. Depending on the project, you can keep the work unit for a few days instead of hours.

A rectangle represents a separate task in a network diagram, and when you need to add a task to the Network diagram, the task is connected by the arrows, as we would imagine, to read the network diagram from left to right, from top to bottom. Each task in the diagram must have precursors and successors, except for the first and last. The whole picture is a unicom map, so that the project manager can follow the project according to the diagram.

The relationship between tasks describes the sequence of tasks in a project, and the project manager needs an accurate description of the relationship between the projects in order to analyze and adjust each task in the Network diagram. There are four of dependencies between tasks:

1. Completion to the beginning (Finish-start) This is a common relationship, requiring the successor to begin after the precursor has been completed,

2. Start to start (Start-start) These tasks are closely related and should start at the same time but not necessarily end at the same time.

3. Completion of the relationship to completion (Finish-finish) This relationship requires that both the predecessor and successor tasks must be completed simultaneously, such as developing an application and completing user training.

4. Completion to the beginning (Finish-start) This relationship is relatively rare and requires the successor task to be completed before the precursor task begins.