All language subtitles for 3. Examples – Generic, Shed, Supper, Standards, Process

So let's look at some example
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precedence diagrams.
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Here's a generic example with deliverables A through J.
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According to the logic of this project,
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we can start A and B in parallel
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immediately after the start.
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We can start C when both A and B are finished.
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As soon as B is complete,
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we can start D.
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When C is finished,
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we can start E and F.
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When both C and D are finished,
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we can start G.
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When E is finished,
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we can start H.
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We need both F and G finished to start I.
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When H and I are finished,
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we can start J.
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And when J is finished,
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we've completed the project.
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As you can see,
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the precedence diagram is a very natural,
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intuitive structure,
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communicating a great deal of information
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quickly and easily.
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Here's a precedence diagram for building a shed.
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We saw a WBS for this earlier.
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According to the logic of this project,
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we need the design before we can do anything,
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which makes sense.
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With the design in hand we can purchase the materials.
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Once we have the materials,
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always assuming we have as many people as we need,
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we can lay the cement,
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assemble the walls,
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and assemble a roof in parallel.
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Remember we assume infinite resources at this point,
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since we are just working out
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the logic of the project itself.
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We'll take realistic resource constraints
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into account later
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but we want to figure out one thing at a time.
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If it can be done in parallel from a logical standpoint,
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if we had enough resources,
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then we diagram it that way.
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Then once the cement is laid,
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we have a waiting time for the cement to harden.
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When the cement has hardened and the walls assembled
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we can install the walls.
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Once the walls are installed and the roof assembled
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we can install the roof.
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With the roof in place we can install the door.
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And then with the shed complete we can do a cleanup.
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The diagram clearly shows the inherent logic
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of this project.
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Here's a precedence diagram for making supper.
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We saw the WBS earlier.
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According to the logic,
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first we need the menu.
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Then we can buy the food.
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Then assuming we have as many assistants as we need,
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logically we could prepare the soup,
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prepare the vegetables,
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prepare the main course,
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and set the table in parallel.
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Once the soup, vegetables, and main course are prepared,
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they can be cooked.
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When everything is cooked and the table's set
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we can serve the food.
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The meal can then be eaten.
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Then the table cleared.
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And then the kitchen cleaned.
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The diagram simply and clearly shows
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the inherent logic of preparing the supper.
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Here's a bit more complicated precedence diagram,
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for a real project to help
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the United Nations come up with a single agreed standard
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for which small arms should be cleared
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out of high conflict areas.
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We won't walk through the whole project.
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But if you review the diagram,
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the takeaway should be
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that it displays a tremendous amount of information:
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the deliverables that need to be produced,
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the relationships between them,
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and the various streams that can be done in parallel,
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all in one page.
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You can actually see and understand the project
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from the precedence diagram.
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The Gantt chart we will produce later,
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which is built from the precedence diagram,
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is invaluable for showing how the project maps
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onto the calendar,
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and for calculating the critical path
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and the effect of project delays.
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But the Gantt chart is a reporting tool,
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it should not be your main tool
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for actually managing the project.
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The precedence diagram is what enables you to see,
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understand,
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communicate,
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and manage the project.
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A key success imperative:
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always make sure you produce the precedence diagram
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with your core project team
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before taking any further steps in project planning.
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Here's a precedence diagram
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for our department process improvement project,
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to develop more efficient processes
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and an improved floor plan.
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A real project I went through once,
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and that we saw the work breakdown structure for earlier.
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The team has prepared the precedence diagram
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and now we can see the logic of the project.
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We start with a kickoff meeting,
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a standard best practice.
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Then in parallel,
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again assuming at this point
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we have as many resources as we need,
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we prepare a draft of the new floor plan,
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a draft of the new department processes,
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and a plan for how we are going to train the staff.
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Once the draft floor plan and processes are complete,
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we can get some executive feedback
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and then prepare the second drafts
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and the first version of the training manual.
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Once the second draft of the processes are complete
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we can prepare a one page FAQ
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and get final executive approval.
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With the approval in hand,
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we can prepare the second version of the training manual.
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We put the risk buffer
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before the new floor plan implementation,
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since that is the customer event we want to protect,
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as we will see further in the risk section.
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Then when the new floor plan is implemented,
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we can train the staff in the new processes,
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and the project is complete.
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We will use this example project
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to illustrate the critical path process later.