Week 6 dated 21 July 2006 - Chapter 6 Developing a Project Plan

Developing project plan by network diagram

On 21 July 2006, we learn about developing a project plan by take activities in work package to draw network diagram. Usually, we familiar with bar chart or gantt chart because bar chart easy to do, can see overall of project such as timescale, all tasks, task relationship, and task period. Bar chart master plan will hold at top-level of project, functional level will make functional schedule conform to master plan, and lower-level will make details schedule conform to functional schedule.

We never interest to do network diagram, it meaning that we think about task and time by not realize to critical path of works in project. Then project always delay when problem occur because we not analyze task concern “what problem will occur, root cause of problem where come from and effect to, how to solve them, how to protect them” facing problem always solve and sometime take long time to find the solution. 

From learning (activity on arrow-AOA and activity on node-AON) or critical path method (CPM), diagram network may help us to find the way develop project planning because if we know where critical path of project, we can analyze and adjust task in such critical path by improve the sequence, put more resources, and preventive action for any problems, can find the solution to make schedule shorter and can manage resources to effectiveness. 

Network diagram can see from view menu of MS Project Software by click at network diagram but you must fill data to draw bar chart/gantt chart before see diagram network, on network diagram can modify some data such as number of WBS, % progress and also can insert new task. However, MS Project Software, you can draw both bar chart and network diagram.