Page 156 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Software Project Management

Notes Introduction

In this unit, we think about what needs to be done first and what can be done at the same time.
We want to capture the logical relationships that exist between the tasks in our WBS. The
traditional technique used to capture these relationships is the network diagram.

8.1 Network Planning Model

A Network Planning Model is a pictorial representation of the sequence in which the project work
can be done. The whole idea here is look at your work visually and think about in what order
(sequence) the work needs to occur. This is an exercise in logic. In many cases, this step is an excellent
team activity. At this time, you don’t want to concern yourself with resource constraints: just focus on
logical sequence of the work. When you complete this task, you want to be clear on three things:
 For each task, what others tasks must be completed first?
 For the project, what tasks could be done at the same time (concurrently, in parallel)? For
the project, where are your external dependencies? What tasks need an external event or
task to complete, before it can start?

8.1.1 Benefits to Network-based Scheduling

There are two ways to build a project schedule:

 Gantt chart
 Network diagram

Figure 8.1: Example of a Gantt Bar Chart

Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is the older of the two and is used effectively in simple, short-duration types of
projects. To build a Gantt chart (see figure 8.1), the project manager begins by associating a
rectangular bar with every activity. The length of the bar corresponds to the duration of the
activity. He or she then places the bars horizontally along a time line in the order in which the
activities should be completed. There can be instances in which activities are located on the time

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