Networking is a quality tool. With the help of it, planning is carried out, as well as work management. When
managing quality in practice, it is very often used exactly the network
diagram , or
the Gantt chart.Most often, the network diagram is used to design a variety of works that make up a set of various kinds of actions. The use of the network schedule allows you to determine the timing when the project will be completed, also helps to identify the possibility of reducing the time of work. This means that in the network schedule , time work is interconnected, and this is what provides a good opportunity to control their progress.
The network diagram is essentially a curve, a vertex that indicates events (the state of an object or work at a certain point in time), and the arcs of the graph (that is, connecting the vertices of an edge) reflect the work. The curve presented in this form is part of the PERT method (Program Evaluation & Review Technique). It was developed back in 1958 in an American company, and its initial goal was planning, as well as an objective assessment of the progress of the project.
Networking can be done in a different way. In this case, the vertices of the graph are works, while the arcs show the relationship between them. This option is used more often, and this is part of the CPM method (Critical Path Method), or the critical path method.
The order of plotting using the critical path method includes the following steps:
- Defining the main goal of planning
- Identification of boundaries that affect the network schedule, as well as planned work.
- Determining the composition of the tasks that are necessary to achieve the goal.
- Mark the duration of the execution using cards. It indicates the tools, resources and all those responsible for the implementation of the work.
- Consideration of tasks and determination of which will be carried out first.
- Assignment of the task to be performed after the first.
- Display links between tasks. Arrows are used for this, showing the sequence of actions. To build a network diagram, nowadays, for example, the MS Visio program is used.
- Determining the beginning and early end of each of the tasks.
- Determining the late start and late end of each task.
- Define a backup time for each task. This time is calculated as the difference between the late and early beginnings, as well as the late and early ends of tasks.
- Determining the path in which the time reserve for each task is zero. This path is called critical.
If necessary, the network is optimized, and first of all, it is necessary to analyze the tasks that are on the critical path.
If you use, for example, large-scale construction of a network diagram, you can easily build a graph of the number of employed workers, the cost of work, the consumption of materials, structures for each time interval. These graphs also provide an opportunity to reallocate resources to optimize the network diagram.