Guideline answers/notes to network analysis exercises
Section 1: Mandatory exercises
Exercise 1
Draw a network diagram for “sending a letter” including the following activities:
Write letter
Put in envelope
Address letter
Put stamp on letter
Post letter
One possible solution is shown below – but it’s arguable! The point is that the order
of events is not always linear or obvious.
Write Put in envelope
Address Post
Stamp
Exercise 2
Draw a Network diagram and determine the Critical Path and duration of the project
(in days) for the following data.
Activity Durations (Days) Preceding Activity
A 1 -
B 4 A
C 2 A
D 3 A
E 3 B,C,D
F 3 E
4
B
1 2 3 3
0 A 1 C 5 E 8 F 11
1 3 5 8 11
D
The critical path is ABEF, duration 11 days (1+4+3+3).
Exercise 3
Draw a network diagram for “writing a research paper” including the following
activities:
Agree subject area with supervisor
Review literature
Prepare section headings
Prepare first draft
Initial discussion of first draft with supervisor
Email first draft for per review
Collate email review comments
Prepare final draft
Discuss final draft with supervisor
Prepare final version
Disseminate
Review comments on final version
Present findings
This is basically linear – but you could see it differently! When does “Review
Literature” stop? What is dependant and what is advisable? Lots of possibilities
here depending on how you see things.
Exercise 4
Draw a Network diagram and determine the Critical Path and duration of the project
(in days) for the following data.
Durations Preceding
Activity Resources used
(Days) Activity
A 2 Designer A -
B 1 Fitter A A
C 2 Fitter B A
D 2 Fitter C B,C
E 3 Engineer A D
F 4 Engineer B D
G 2 Inspector E,F
If Activity C was increased by 2 days what would happen to the duration of the
project and why?
Could activity E be increased by 1 day and have no effect on the duration of the
project?
If the cost per day is £1000 what is the total cost of the project?
Produce a Gantt chart of the data
1 3
B E
2
0 A 2 4 2 6 10 2 12
D G
2 2 4 6 4 10 12
C F
The critical path is ACDFG, duration 12 days (2+2+2+4+2).
If C is increased by 2, project duration is also in creased by 2 because C is on the
critical path.
If E is increased by 1, the duration is not affected (E has a float of 1)
The cost would be £12,000 (duration x cost per day)
A GANTT chart shows resource useage (i.e. scheduling). There are no overlaps here,
so this is straightforward.
Exercise 5
Draw a network diagram for “putting on a half day seminar”.
It’s really as you see it! The real question is first – what is involved? Perhaps:
Pick topic
Identify papers/call for papers (By committee? Academic model?)
Chase speakers? Vet papers?
Bookings? Publicity? Invoices/money?
Follow-up?
Only when you have identified the constituent activities can you usefully address the
dependencies (and thus draw the diagram)…
Section 2: Optional exercises
Exercise 6
Draw the Network diagram and determine the Critical Path and duration of the project
(in days).
Durations Resources
Activity Activity Preceding Activity
(Days) used
A Cut material 1 Machine A -
B Drill material 3 Machine B A
C Cut material 2 Machine A B
D Shape material 3 Machine C B
E Cut material 1 Machine A D
F Polish material 4 Machine D C,E
What is the most that activity C could be increased by to have no affect on the overall
duration of the project? Could activity B be increased by 2 days and have no affect on
the overall duration of the project? What level of slack is available on activity D ?
1 3 2
0 A 1 B 4 C 6
1 4 7
3 7 1 8 4 12
D E F
7 8 12
C & E precede F, but C uses the same resource as E, therefore E is actually indirectly
dependent on C! As E precedes F and depends on C we don’t need to draw another
line to link C and F – the path, and hence the dependency, is already there.
The critical path is ABDEF, duration 12 days.
C could be increased by 1 (not 2!) without affecting the overall duration (it has a float
of 1, derived from the dependency of E, not F).
Any increase in the duration of B will have a direct impact on the overall duration as
it is on the critical path.
There is no slack (float) on D as again it is on the critical path.
Exercise 7
Durations Preceding
Activity Resources used
(Days) Activity
A 2 Machine A -
B 3 Machine B A
C 1 Machine C A
D 4 Machine D C
E 5 Machine A D
F 2 Machine E B
G 3 Machine C B
H 5 Machine B F,G
I 2 Machine A H
J 3 Machine E E,I
If the cost per day is £2000, what is the overall cost of the project? Could activity E
be increased by 2 days and have no affect on the duration of the project? What is the
most that activity D can be increased by to have no affect on the overall duration of
the project
2
F
3 5 8 5 13 2 15 3 18
B H I J
0 2 2 5 3 8 13 15 18
A G
2 1 3 4 7 5 12
C D E
4 8 13
Critical path: A B G H I J.
C and G both use machine C, therefore dummy dependency required: similarly I and
E with machine A. NB B and H, and F and J also have dependencies, but there is no
need for a dummy as a dependent path already exists for these.
NB a GANTT chart would help to show these dependencies as they would overlap.
Cost: 36,000 (18 duration).
If E+2, NO! (however E+1 would be OK – again, the dummy and the resource issue).
D similarly, 1.
Exercise 8
Draw a network diagram for your career development in the next five years...
Oh come on, you don’t seriously expect me to give you one for that, do you?
