Tool 6: ACTIVITY NETWORK DIAGRAM The Activity Network Diagram (AND) is also called an arrow diagram.

The arrow diagrams have been used in many projects in the form of Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT). Both these names are quite popular in project management. The names of Activity Network Diagram and Arrow Diagram are recent origin. The activity network diagram helps in planning complex projects with a sequence of events. It also enables to create a realistic project schedules. These tool will help the planners to identify the total amount of time needed to complete a project and the tasks that can be carried out in parallel and the critical tasks, which are to be monitored carefully. Steps Involved in Drawing AND: Step 1: Tree Diagram also gives the list of tasks that are to be carried out for completion of the project. If the tree is not available then a team should carry out brainstorming and find out all the tasks that are necessary to complete the project Step 2: Each tasks may be written on a post-it note or adhesive sheer and pasted in a white board. Step 3: Establish which task is the first one that must be carried out and place the card on the left hand side of a white board. Step 4: Determine whether there are any tasks that can be done at the same time, i.e. tasks that are not dependent on this first task finishing before they can be carried out. if there are, place the cards vertically above or below the first card. Step 5: Then decide which is the next task must be carried out and place its card on the right of the first card. Determine whether there are any tasks that can be done at the same time as this task, if it is place the respective cards vertically above or below. Step 6: Repeat the process until all of the cards have been arranged in sequence and in parallel. Step 7: Assign a number to each task and write it on the card. Step 8: Draw an arrow from each card to the one immediately follows it. Step 9: Estimate the elapsed time that it will realistically take to complete each job and write this length of time at the bottom of the card. Don't forget to agree on a standard time and use it throughout, e.g. days, weeks. Step 10: Determine the project's implementation time by working on its critical path. The critical path is the path of connected activities on the diagram that has longest completion time from start to end. The tasks on the critical path are to be monitored carefully. A delay in any one of these tasks will increase the project's total completion time and make it later. Conversely, if we want to reduce our project's completion time we need to reduce the elapsed time

of one or more of the tasks on the critical path. Step11: The project schedule can be calculated by simply adding the times of every activity in each path of connected activities on the diagram and finding the longest path. There is an alternative way of determining the critical path by calculating what is known as the 'slack' in the start times of each tasks. This identifies which tasks must be completed exactly as scheduled (these ones will be on the critical path) and those have some leeway. Earliest Start (ES) of tasks Step12: Beginning with the first task, calculate the earliest time each task could be started (ES). We do this by adding the duration of each task to the cumulative duration of its previous tasks. This is called the forward pass. Latest Start (LS) of tasks Step13: Starting the last task, calculate the latest time each task could be started and still finish the project on schedule step14: When we worked our way through every task on the diagram in this way we will notice that some ES will be lower than corresponding LS. In other words, we will have some leeway as to when exactly we can decide to start these tasks. This leeway is what is known as the slack time for those tasks. However,we will also find that for some tasks ES and LS are excatly the same. In other words, there is no slack. Those tasks for which the ES = LS from the critical path. There is no schedule flexibilty for these tasks. Step15: We can now schedule the date for our final plan. Lets us take an example to understand drawing an activity network diagram. The task in hand is preparing and announcing a seminar for public. If a tree diagram is available for the project, all the tasks required to be carried out will be visible from the tree diagram. If not, a team has to brainstorm and identify the tasks involved in implementing the project. The various tasks to be completed before announcing are listed below: 1. Identify target audience 2. Fix speaker 3. finalize course contents 4. Fix course fee 5. Fix venue Step 1: If a task list is not available from a tree diagram, carry out brainstorming and identify the tasks. Step 2: Write down each task on a post-it note

Step 3: Determine which is the first task and place it on the left hand side. Step 4: Determine parallel tasks, place the corresponding cards vertically above or below the first card. Step 5: Then decide which is the next task and place this card on the right of the first card. Dtermine any other parallel tasks and place their cards vertically above or below the card and repeat the process until all the the cards are arranged in sequence and in parallel. Step 6: Assign a number to each task and write it on the card. Step 7: Draw an arrow from each of the card to the one that immediately follows it. Step 8: Estimate the required for completion of each job. Step 9: Determine the time for completion of the job by working out its critical path. Step10: The critical path is the path connecting the activities in the diagram that has the longest completion time.