Activity Network: Examples

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When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to use it | Practical variations

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Examples

A project team in a chain store, working on a problem with the customer response process, came up with a solution that required careful implementation. They decided to use an Activity Network to plan and manage this stage, with the key objective of implementing the solution with no degradation of service to customers at any time.

They used cards with a Tree Diagram to identify the tasks that would need to be done, then transferred the bottom-level tasks, one at a time, to the Activity Network and completed this with effort estimations and dependency links between tasks. They then entered it into a computer system to calculate timings, perform resource smoothing and help reduce slack time.

The plan showed that the time and effort in implementation would fall outside their budgeted figure. They consequently took the plan to the steering committee to get authority to spend additional time on the project. The implementation went very smoothly.

Other examples

• A funeral director maps out the tasks involved in a funeral, paying attention to how multiple funerals might overlap. By rearranging tasks, he enables one more funeral to be fitted into a day, thus increasing customer responsiveness along with business volume.
• A production group in an electrical goods manufacturer measures and maps out the tasks required to build a toaster. They redesign and reallocate tasks to reduce the critical path time.
• A quality department team use an Activity Network to plan and agree with all departments the tasks for implementing a new quality management system.

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