Explain the Limitations of Network Diagrams

Explain the limitations of Network diagrams

Network diagrams brings us a wide range of benefits and advantages such as the reflection of logic and constraint relationship of each activities, could calculate the timing, could finding out the critical path, could make optimization etc. However there are also limitations for the application of network diagrams.

The first one is that it is difficult to draw. Network diagram can be acted as a kind of complicated technique which asks for high level of technical knowledge. So it is not an easy job to figure out a network diagram right for a complex project.

The second on is that although the network diagram could reflect logical and constraint relationship of activities, it could not reflect rate of progress directly like Gantt diagram. So when we want to know the progress, we must put a network diagram and a calendar together.

The third one that is it is rather difficult make changes such as adding one more activity or changing the duration time. Because network diagram is a complex and integrated entity, a change somewhere would affects all networks.

The fourth one the logical relationship needs great investigation to figure out. The logical relationship is the fundament for network diagram, but sometimes it is not easy to make clear the logic relationship of a complex project as well.

The last but not the least one is that the duration of each activity can never be accurate before it is really finished. Because all the arrangements and calculations of network diagram are based on the duration estimation, the estimation of duration of each activity becomes a real headache for network planning.

Faculty of Business and Law

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Task 2: Report on the planning of opening a new store for Jimaga Ltd

For the purpose of expansion, Jimaga Ltd wants to open a new store to satisfy its large global organisations' demand; this report is going to give a brief planning on how this project should be conducted so that it could be finished on time, on budget and on quality.

1.0 Scope of the project

Defining the scope of a project is the first step to conducting project planning and unless one knows the aim and the ultimate purpose or goal of a project, otherwise he/she could not finish the project at all（Andersen, E.S., Grude, K.V., and Hang, T. ，1995） So the first job is scope analysis on this new project through talking with the owner, the existed staff, and the potential customers. Based on the information, a project description diagram could be given as is shown in Figure 1. Project Name Opening a new store Project No. 001 Customer Jimaga Ltd Project Priority First Steering team Jimaga Ltd Project Manager ABC Project Team Function Support team Function Task Company Task Company Milestones