Editing Project network

{{Short description|Diagram showing the order of activities}}
{{redirect|Network chart|the 1980s and early 1990s British radio show|The Network Chart Show}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2014}}

A '''project network diagram''', also known an '''activity network diagram''' ('''AND''') is a [[information graphics|graph]] that displays the order in which a project’s activities are to be completed. Derived from the [[work breakdown structure]], the [[Work breakdown structure#Terminal element|terminal elements]] of a project are organized sequentially based on the relationship among them. It is typically drawn from left to right to reflect project chronology.<ref>{{cite web | title=Project Network Diagram | url=http://www.projectauditors.com/Dictionary2/1.8/index.php/term/,62555d9cae535f6f685560ac5b5d.xhtml | publisher=projectauditors.com | accessdate= April 23, 2014}}</ref>

[[Image:project network.png|thumb|Activity-on-Node Diagram]]

== Techniques ==

=== Activity-on-Node ===
The Activity-on-Node (AON) technique uses nodes to represent individual project activities and path arrows to designate the sequence of activity completion.<ref>Kramer, S. W. & Jenkins, J. L. (2006). Understanding the basics of CPM calculations: what is scheduling software really telling you? Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2006—North America, Seattle, WA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.</ref> Nodes are labelled using information pertaining to the activity. According to Project Management, nodes should at least display the following information:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pinto|first=Jeffrey K.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1007502136|title=Project management : achieving competitive advantage|date=2019|isbn=978-0-13-473033-2|edition=Fifth|location=New York, NY|pages=316–319|oclc=1007502136}}</ref>

* Identifier
* Descriptive label
* Activity duration
* Early start time
* Early finish time
* Late start time
* Late finish time
* Activity float (slack)

[[File:AOA AON Diagram Charakteristika Ulohy.PNG|thumb|240x240px|Activity Node Labels]]

Start and finish times are used to determine the [[Critical path method|critical path]] of a project. [[Float (project management)|Activity float]], or slack, time is used in project crashing.

== Other techniques ==
The condition for a valid project network is that it doesn't contain any [[circular reference]]s.

Project dependencies can also be depicted by a predecessor table. Although such a form is very inconvenient for human analysis, [[project management software]] often offers such a view for data entry.

An alternative way of showing and analyzing the sequence of project work is the design structure matrix or [[dependency structure matrix]].

== See also ==
{{div col}}
* [[Bar chart]]
* [[Float (project management)]]
* [[Gantt chart]]
* [[Project management]] 
* [[Project planning]] 
* [[Program evaluation and review technique]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.pmhut.com/critical-path-mapping-with-activity-network-diagrams Critical Path Mapping with Activity Network Diagrams]
* [http://www.planningengineer.net/understand-scheduling-tools-worksdraw-network-diagram/ Understand how scheduling tools works-Draw network diagram yourself]

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Project management techniques]]
[[Category:Schedule (project management)]]


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