Stochastic network planning method

Abstract

The success of the realisation of a project depends greatly on the efficiency of the planning phase. This study presents a new technology supporting the planning phase. While projects can differ greatly from one to the other and thus require separate models and considerations, there are some questions that are always applicable. Is this the most efficient realizing sequence of tasks? Have all the possible solutions been taken into consideration before the final schedule was identified? In the course of our work, we searched for answers to these questions. The method under review (SNPM: Stochastic Network Planning Method) is a general technique which is adaptable to solve scheduling tasks. The advantages of the SNPM over already known methods (e.g. PERT, GERT, etc.) are that it identifies possible solutions with the help of stochastic variables and that it takes into consideration all of the possible successor relations. With this method, the parameters can be changed if the impacts on the project change (e.g. due to tendencies of the market, changes of technological conditions). Thus the SNPM could be useful as a module of an expert system. The steps of the SNPM are introduced through a few examples to show how it works. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.