Network diagram project management is a useful tool in project management for illustrating the interdependencies between tasks and milestones. 

They provide a visual representation of the project's schedule and can help identify potential issues and areas of risk. Network diagrams are handy for complex projects with many tasks and dependencies. You can use them during the project’s lifecycle to:

• Plan
• Execute 
• Monitor progress

Businesses and entrepreneurs need to learn the ideal approach for a sequence of activities and complete it with the highest quality and at the right time to meet stakeholders' expectations.

This article covers creating a project schedule network diagram and all you need to know to apply it to your business.

Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)

The precedence diagramming method (PDM) uses nodes instead of circles to represent tasks. It uses lines and arrows to connect and prioritize obligations while helping schedule processes correctly.

It’s a great tool to illustrate paths and dependencies and has more visual presentation than the previous method.

Now, there are four possible relationships that you can express using this diagram. They are:

1. Finish-to-Start (FS): This indicates that an activity can’t begin before other finishes. They are connected one after another.

2. Start-to-Start (SS): You can initiate two activities without being connected.

3. Finish-to-Finish (FF): Two tasks must finish simultaneously to deliver results.

4. Start-to-Finish (SF): This dependency means that an activity can’t finish if another doesn’t start. It’s a rare condition in the business world.

Overall, this project schedule network diagram:

1. Defines the right sequences of project tasks.

2. Ensures the visualization of relationships between activities for successful completion.

3. Increases the chances to prioritize without spending hours on the diagram.

4. Represents a strong tool to show to stakeholders.

5. Boosts the possibility of finding missing dependencies.

As you can see, this is an important tool for project workflows, but it can still be dangerous under the wrong hands. After all, it can represent dummy activities with potential bottlenecks that aren’t important for your business.

In this example, the critical path is still represented by tasks A-B-E. The number in the parentheses indicates the duration of the task in days.

The PERT Chart also includes additional information such as expected time, variance, critical path, probability of completion in a specific time, etc. 

This allows project managers to plan better and control the project schedule, identify potential problems, and make adjustments as necessary.

Organize Each Task

Consider your tasks by importance and dependency. You can use a work breakdown structure to see if you don’t have any missing assignments – no matter how dummy activity it is – and improve the accurate estimation of each obligation.

After that, you can organize all into only one path to follow.

Draft Your First Project Management Network Diagrams 

After you’ve prepared your tasks, you can start drafting your diagrams.

Knowing what the arrows represent, use them for your network diagramming and prepare to change items around until you get the best diagram with effective scheduling.

After you have made the design, choose the type of diagram you want to use and other resources to connect it with—for example, Gantt charts, dotted lines, circles, etc. You can also add a legend to make an intuitive diagram.

To develop project schedule network diagrams, you need trustable software that works perfectly for your business and project team members. Your program should show all the designing and text tools available to create an intuitive chart correctly.

Some people claim that Dia or Google Draw are the best options. But the actual project network diagram tool is Microsoft Office 2021, which you can buy on RoyalCDKeys for a cheap price. The suite combines multiple productivity software to develop a great diagram.

Use Word, PowerPoint, or Excel to create charts with summaries and the right node diagrams.

You can get an original license on RoyalCDKeys for barely $10. Then you can officially activate the software with a lifetime permit and prepare an activity network diagram or any graphic to represent activities.

Network Diagram Templates

Google has some of the best templates you can find online if you don’t want to start your diagram from scratch.

We have gathered a few options you could use to improve your management process:

Template #1

Network Diagram Template - Download Link

Template #2

Critical Path Tracking Template -  Download Link

Template #3

Critical Path Construction Schedule Template - Download Link