Task Dependencies Importance When Building a Project Network Diagram

Task dependencies importance when building a project network diagram

The task dependency is the relation between more than one task, and that relation shows how a task/s dependent on another task/s, and the network diagram shows the "logical relations" between these tasks (Ralph L.Kleim and Irwin S.Ludin, 1998). Thus the task dependency is the way the project manager will logically order the tasks in the network diagram according to the relationships between tasks (i.e., dependencies between tasks). This logical ordering of the tasks in the diagram will used for the following:

• Decrease the risk of the task/s and hence decrease the overall project risk.

• Determine the minimum and, one may say an expectation for, maximum duration for the project execution time.

• Compresses the overall project time by modifying the tasks dependencies.

• Analyzing the initial project network schedule.

And hence, when understanding the dependencies between tasks, the project manager then can gain the needed value/s from the project network diagram.

Tasks constraints value in determining the task dependency type

According to Wysocki 2009, constraints defined as the constraints between tasks that form the relations (dependencies) between tasks, thus the constraints by itself one can say it’s the cause/s that result the dependency behavior between tasks, and so categorizing and understanding this cause/s will help the project manager know the dependencies limits she/he can modify without affecting the relation between tasks itself, Wysocki 2009 Categories the constraints in four types as follows:

• The technical constraint is the constraint that forms a dependency because the successor task needs an output from the predecessor task to start, an experienced example when I planned to connect port control tower VTS (Vessel Traffic Systems) to the ports headquarter, then this task compromises of installing new equipment at each port and connect those equipment to the network, the constrain here is that project manager can't connect equipment before install it.

• The management constraint is the constraint that forms a dependency because of management outside or inside