A Project Network Diagram (PND) is a very effective tool in the Project Management Process (PMP). In the project management process, a PND helps the managers to think and visualize the relationships between the tasks and the deliverables.
A project network diagram gives a clear picture of the work flow from the point of conception to the completion point. Through the provision of detailed and up-to-date information on the work units, a PND gives the project managers an opportunity to analyze every task, the resources, and the time allocation for each task. In so doing, the project managers can determine the work flow and forecast the completion date.
In a Project Management Process, the Project Network Diagram is essential as highlighted in the following manner hereunder.
1. Project planning – a PND allows for detailed planning, especially for large projects whose completion requires a long time duration. The network diagram correlates every task to the scope of the project. With the help of a PND, the management team and the project manager can visualize the entire plan of the project and then narrows down to a specific plan.
2. Resource control – In the project management process, a network diagram indicates the work flow and the effects of the completed tasks on the entire project. The project manager can control the project completion time through the addition or removal of resources from the given task to fasten or delay the completion. This is made possible through utilization of the Gantt chart’s resource assignment to a given work unit.
3. Contingency planning – With the network diagram, the project manager can try out several scenarios with a given work unit in the project plan. By adjusting the units of time, the project manager can visualize the impacts of work units on the whole project.
4. Implementation tracking – The time units, as tasks get completed, accurately show the impacts on the dependent tasks of the project. For instance, if the completion of a task with several dependencies is delayed, the completion of the dependent tasks must also be delayed by the same factor. A Project Network Diagram accurately illustrates this impact gives the project manager an opportunity to react to the changes through adjusting either the resources or the dependent tasks.
Reference
IT Project Management. (2010). Creating a Project Network Diagram. Retrieved at http://www.super-business.net/IT-Project-Management/
Project Management Institute. (2009). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK Guide. Chapter 1
Project-management-knowlegde.com. (2010). Project Schedule Network Diagram. Retrieved at http://project-management-knowledge.com/definitions/p/project-schedule-network-diagram/
Schoening, H.M. (2005). Business Management of Telecommunications. 1st ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
