Name: Mohamed Khalid

Index: 202103010

Subject: Operation Research assignment

 Using modern business network models
in planning and monitoring projects

What is a network?
A network is a collection of people and / or things that are connected to each
other by some kind of relationship. Many kinds of entities can be part of a
network: people, projects, documents, events, organisations, cities,
countries, etc. And there are many kinds of relationships that can link such
entities, involving transmission or exchange of information, money, goods,
affection, influence, infection, etc.

In the narrowest sense, network analysis is the analysis of the structure of

relationships within a network. A wider and more useful view also considers
the attributes of the members of a network.

Examples of networks that can be seen in

development projects
 A network of international donors supporting various NGOs within a
particular country
 A network of NGOs within that country, who have contact with each
other, work with each other and who may also compete with each
other
 Within an NGO, a network of staff, who are connected formally and
informally
 Within an NGO, a network of activities which form different kinds of
business processes, that generate different types of services. Such as
workshops, training events and email newsletters
 A network of community organisations (formal and informal, modern
and traditional) linked by overlapping membership, or by authority
relationships.
  A network of enterprises, lined by their commercial relationships,
forming supply chains and networks within a specific industry.
 A network of families linked by kinship
 A network of donors and NGOs linked by common policy concerns,
such as specific objectives within a national poverty reduction strategy
 A network of policy documents, linked by overlapping sets of indicators
of achievement.
 A network of events, such as workshops, linked by overlapping sets of
participants

Pert Chart Definition

The Program Evaluation Review Technique, commonly known as PERT, is a
visual tool in project planning that helps organizations analyze and represent
the activity and evaluate and estimate the time required to complete the
project within deadlines. PERT allows planners to identify start and end dates
and ultimately reduce costs and time needed to complete the project.

Using pert network

Step 1: Identifying specific milestones

By listing all your tasks in the table, you get a clear overview of all the steps,
which you can subsequently expand by adding information on sequence and
the time necessary to complete each activity.

Step 2: Determining the sequence of activities

While it is easy to predict the order of some activities, other tasks may
require more in-depth analysis, which will help you determine their order
more easily.

Step 3: Constructing a network diagram

Once you have established the sequence of activities, you can represent
both serial and parallel activities in the diagram. Each event and milestone
should represent a node in the network, and you can use arrows to show
relationships between activities.

Step 4: Estimating the time necessary for each activity

What distinguishes PERT from other techniques is its ability to deal with
uncertainty in activity completion time. There are three-time estimates this
model typically uses for each activity:

• Optimistic time – the shortest time in which the activity can be completed

• The most likely time – the completion time that has the highest probability

• Pessimistic time – the longest time in which the activity can be completed

After you have identified the time estimates, you can calculate the expected
time for each activity by using the following weighted average:

Expected time = ( Optimistic + 4 x Most likely + Pessimistic) / 6

For example, imagine you are building a cottage. Drilling and planting the
posts have an optimistic duration of 7 hours, an expected duration of 10
hours, and a pessimistic duration of 12 hours. The optimistic duration is
counted once, the most likely time is counted four times, and the pessimistic
time is counted once. The entire sum is then divided by 6, and the weighted
average is 9,83. You perform this calculation for each event and then share it
by inserting it into the duration data column.

Step 5: Identifying the critical path

By adding the times for the activities and determining the longest path, you
create a critical path. The critical path involves the total amount of time
necessary to complete the project. The total project time doesn’t change if
activities outside the critical path speed up or slow down.
PERT Chart in Project Management
PERT helps project managers identify responsible departments, delegate
roles to their team workers, and track results. Gathering information from
multiple sources allows you to coordinate project activities and leverage
communication between departments easily. Through efficient planning and
decision-making, you encourage your team to truly invest their time and
energy into delivering the best results.

Critical path method (cpm)

The critical path method, or critical path analysis, is an algorithm for
scheduling a set of project activities. A critical path is determined by
identifying the longest stretch of dependent activities and measuring the
time required to complete them from start to finish.

How to calculate the critical path of a project

Step 1: Identify all tasks required to complete the project

Start by listing all the functions or activities that need to be completed for
the project’s successful conclusion, also known as a work breakdown
structure. When created thoroughly, the work breakdown structure is a
roadmap that guides a team when completing projects .

Step 2: Determine the sequence of tasks

Next, identify the order in which the tasks need to be performed. Some tasks
may depend on the completion of others before they can begin, while others
may be carried out concurrently. This step is crucial in understanding the
dependencies and relationships between tasks.

Step 3: Estimate the duration of each task

Assign a time estimate to each task. This should be the total time required to
complete each task from start to finish. Make sure to account for any
potential delays or issues that may arise by incorporating buffers or
contingency time into your estimates.

Two techniques that can help project managers accurately determine each
task’s duration are the forward and backward pass techniques:

Forward pass: Starting from the beginning of the project and moving forward
through the critical path diagram, calculate the earliest start time and finish
time for each activity. This helps determine the earliest possible project
completion date for the entire project.

Backward pass: Work your way backward from the project’s end date through
the CPM chart, calculating the latest start time and finish time for each
activity. This helps identify the latest possible project completion date for the
project and determines the amount of scheduling flexibility or slack time
available for each activity.

Step 4: Draw a network diagram of the critical path

Using the information from the previous steps, draw a network diagram. This
visual representation should depict all the tasks, their sequence, and their
dependencies. Each task is represented as a node on the diagram, and the
arrows between nodes represent the task dependencies.

Step 5: Identify the critical path

The critical path is the longest path from the start to the end of the project,
passing through all the essential tasks to the project’s completion. In other
words, the longest sequence of tasks determines the minimum time needed
to complete the project. On your network diagram, this is your critical path,
the longest duration from the initial to the final task.

Step 6: Calculate the float

The total float or slack is how long you can delay a task without postponing
the project’s completion. Tasks on the critical path will have zero float,
meaning they can’t be delayed without impacting the project timeline.
However, non-crucial tasks may have some float, allowing for some flexibility
in scheduling.

Within the overall float calculation is also free float, which is the amount of
time an activity can be delayed without delaying the start of its successor
activity.

Step 7: Monitor the critical path

Once the project is underway, closely monitoring the tasks on the critical
path is essential. Any delays in these tasks will directly impact the project
timeline. Regularly update and review the critical path to help identify
potential issues early and keep the project on track.