Network Analysis

By
Dr. Richard Tuyiragize

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 Networks are Everywhere
• Physical Networks
• Telephone networks
• Road Networks
• Railway Networks
• Airline traffic Networks
• Electrical networks, e.g., the power grid
• Abstract networks
• organizational charts
• precedence relationships in projects
• Others?

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 Overview:
• Networks and graphs are powerful modeling tools.
• Most OR models have networks or graphs as a
major aspect
• Typically all projects can be broken down into:
• separate activities (tasks/jobs) with associated duration
• precedence relationships -
• Each representation has its advantages
• efficiency in algorithms
• ease of use

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 Techniques for network analysis
1. CPM (Critical Path Method)

2. PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)

3. Shortest path problems

4. Maximum flow problems

5. Minimum spanning tree problems

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 Network Representation

• Tasks (or activities) are represented by arcs

• Each task has a duration denoted by tj
• Node 0 represents the “start” and node n denotes the “finish”
of the project
• Precedence relations are shown by “arcs”
• specify what other tasks must be completed before the task in
question can begin.
• A path is a sequence of linked tasks going from beginning
to end
• Critical path is the longest path

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 Basic Definitions
A graph or network is defined by two sets of symbols:
• Nodes: A set of points or vertices(call it V) are called
nodes of a graph or network.
Nodes
1 2

• Arcs: An arc consists of an ordered pair of vertices and

represents a possible direction of motion that may
occur between vertices.
Arc

1 2

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 Network representation rules

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 House-Building Example

Activity Description Predecessors Duration (days)

Activity A Build foundation — 5
Activity B Build walls and ceilings A 8
Activity C Build roof B 10
Activity D Do electrical wiring B 5
Activity E Put in windows B 4
Activity F Put on siding E 6
Activity G Paint house C, F 3

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 F
1 3 4
6
A G
5 E 3
4
0 B C 5
Start 8 10 End

D
5
2

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 Drawing a network
A small project with 10 activities A-J was recently identified by one of the
third year students at SSP. The third year class then helped the student to
logically set the precedence relationships among the activities of the
project as below.
Activities A & B do not have immediate predecessors, activity A is the
immediate predecessor for activity C while activity B is the immediate
predecessor for activities D & E.
Activity F is an immediate successor for both activities C & D, activity G is
an immediate successor for both activities E & F, while both activities C &
D must end before activity H can start. Additionally, it has been identified
that activities G & H are immediate predecessors to activity I while activity
J can only start after activities C & D have ended.
A consultant within the class has advised that activities I & J are both final
activities of the project.

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 C(3) 3
A(4) 3

J(7)
1 D(7) F(7) H(6)
B(2)
E(3) G(4) I(2)
3 5 6 7

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 Shortest Route algorithm
• The shortest route problem is usually common in
transportation networks.
• Assume the following simple directed network diagram.
2

Destination D
4
Source S 1

The shortest route problem deals with determining the

shortest route in a network starting from a source, S to a
destination, D.

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 Shortest Route algorithm
The nodes S & D are the source and destination
respectively.

The task therefore is to find the shortest route from S

to D such that the edge weight along a given route is
minimal.
A graph with a loop in it is called a cyclic graph and
one without a loop is called an acyclic graph.
Shortest route algorithm applies for an acyclic graph

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 Shortest Route algorithm
Illustration example: (Read Hamdy Taha on page 222)
Consider an acyclic graph with dij as distance between
adjacent nodes i and j.

Let Uj be the shortest distance from the source S to node j. By

definition, the distance from the source to itself is equal to
zero i.e. U1=0

The general convention for computing Uj is thus

Uj= min {Ui + dij}
i.e Dijkstra's Algorithm.

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 Shortest Route algorithm
Example: Consider the following network diagram.
5
2 5
2 11 8 6
4
1 10 7
4 3 7
9
3 1
6

Determine the shortest route from 1 to 7

Solution:
First assume that U1=0

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 Shortest Route algorithm
u=
2u+d= 0 + 2 = 2
1 12

u=
3u+d= 0 + 4 = 4
1 13

u=
4

u
Min+d ,u 1
+d u
, +
d=
14
2 24
3 34 Min 
0+10+
,211+
,43
=7

i = 1,2,3

=
u 
u+
Min
5 du
, +
d  2 254 45
2+5,7+8= 7
= Min
i = 2,4

=
u 
u+
Min
6 du
, +
d  3 364 46
4+1,7+7= 5
= Min
i = 3,4

=
u 
u+
Min
7 du
, +
d  5 576 67
7+6,5+9= 13
= Min
i = 5,6

Thus, the shortest route from 1 to 7 is the 1-2-5-7 route.

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 Shortest Route algorithm
Revision Question:
A construction company has been contracted to construct a
road between towns A and G. The project engineer has
designed a network diagram joining the two towns, showing all
the other towns between A and G, with their distances as
below.
5
B E
2 11 8 6 Use the shortest route
10 algorithm to advise the
A D G
4 3 7 9 engineer on how to

C 1 F construct the road.

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 CPM and PERT
Network models can be used as an aid in the scheduling of large
complex projects that consist of many activities.

CPM: If the duration of each activity is known with certainty, the

Critical Path Method (CPM) can be used to determine the length
of time required to complete a project.

PERT: If the duration of activities is not known with certainty, the

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) can be used to
estimate the probability that the project will be completed by a
given deadline.

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 The CPM algorithm
The following information about activities is obtained.
• expected project duration

• activity slack or float time

• which activities are critical

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 Critical Path Definitions
Determination of the critical path requires the following
information:
• Earliest Start Time (ES) is the earliest time a task can feasibly
start

• Earliest Finish Time (EF) is the earliest time a task can feasibly
end

• Latest Start Time (LS) is the latest time a task can feasibly
start, without delaying the project at all.

• Latest Finish Time (LF) is the latest time a task can feasibly
end, without delaying the project all

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 Critical Path Method
• Forward Pass
• Go through the jobs in order
• Start each job at the earliest time while
satisfying the precedence constraints
• It finds the earliest start and finish times
• EFi = ESi + ti
• Earliest start time for an activity leaving a
particular node is equal to the largest of the
earliest finish times for all activities entering
the node.

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 CPM: The Backward Pass

• Fix the finishing time

• Look at tasks in reverse order
• Lay out tasks one at a time on the Gantt chart
starting at the finish and working backwards to the
start
• Start the task at its latest starting time
• LSi = LFi - ti
• Latest finish time for an activity entering a
particular node is equal to the smallest of the latest
start times for all activities leaving the node.
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 CPM and Critical Path

• Theorem: The minimum length of the schedule is the

length of the longest path.
• The longest path is called the critical path

• Look for tasks whose earliest start time and latest start time are the
same.
• These tasks are critical, and are on a critical path.

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 CPM and Critical Path

• Critical path are found by identifying those tasks where

ES=LS (equivalently, EF=LF)
• No flexibility in scheduling tasks on the critical path
• The makespan of the critical path equals the LF of the
final task
• Slack/Float time is the difference between LS and ES, or
LF and EF. An activity with a slack of zero is on the critical
path

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 An example for CPM
Widgetco is about to introduce a new product. A list of
activities and the precedence relationships are given in
the table below. Draw a project diagram for this
project.
Activity Predecessors Duration(days)
A:train workers - 6
B:purchase raw materials - 9
C:produce product 1 A, B 8
D:produce product 2 A, B 7
E:test product 2 D 10
F:assemble products 1&2 C, E 12
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 Project Diagram for Widgetco

C8 F 12
3 5 6
A6
D7
1 Dummy
E 10
B9 2 4

Node 1 = starting node

Node 6 = finish node

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 Project Diagram for Widgetco Forward Pass (ES,EF)
(9,17) (26,38)
C8 F 12
(0,6) 3 5 6
A6
D7
1 Dummy
E 10
(16,26)
B9 (9,16)
2 4
(0,9)
Node 1 = starting node
Node 6 = finish node

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 Project Diagram for Widgetco Backward Pass (LS,LF)
(18,26) (26,38)
C8 F 12
(3,9) 3 5 6
A6
D7
1 Dummy
E 10
(16,26)
B9 (9,16)
2 4
(0,9)
Node 1 = starting node
Node 6 = finish node

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 For Widgetco example ES(i)’s and LS(i)’s are as follows:

Activity ES(i) LS(i)

A 0 3
B 0 0
C 9 18
D 9 9
E 16 16
E 26 26
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 According to the table on the previous slide the slacks
are computed as follows:

Slack/Float time =LS -ES (equivalently, LF-EF)

Activity B: 0
Activity A: 3
Activity D: 0
Activity C: 9
Activity E: 0
Activity F: 0
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 Critical path

• An activity with a slack of zero is a critical activity

• A path from node 1 to the finish node that
consists entirely of critical activities is called a
critical path.

For Widgetco example B-D-E-F is a critical path.

The Makespan is equal to 38

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 Exercise
Activity Preceding Duration
Activity
J: negotiating distribution - 6

K: arrange publicity J 5
L: write screen play - 3
M: Hire Cast and Crew L 5
N: Shoot and edit M, K 4
P: Design Sets L 2
Q: Build Sets P 1

• Draw the network diagram for the above-mentioned project;

• Determine the critical path and its duration.
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