NETWORK ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES WITH APPLICATIONS: Part 4 [Third Edition] of Fundamentals of Operations Research

by Venant R.N. Mutabihirwa

Consider the problems involving highway connecting two cities is to be constructed such that it interconnects and economically benefits a given number of villages between the two cities. Given the distances between the villages and the cities, the interconnection of the villages and the cities by the highway is to be such that the overall distance covered is minimised.The preparation of lunch on Wednesdays by students living together involve the tasks preparation of the stove [PS], cooking of ‘papa’ [CP], cooking of stew [CS], dishing and taking lunch [TL] and washing of dishes [WD]. They have determined that tasks CP and PS cannot start until task PS is complete while task TL can only start when tasks CP and CS are complete. Given the time duration of the tasks, they would like to schedule the tasks in such a way that the overall time taken in preparing and taking their lunch is minimised.Apparently the solutions to such problems [referred to as optimisation problems] are profoundly catered for through Operations Research/Management Science techniques, and the books in the Operations Research [unitus qum Management Scientists] Series are about these wonderful techniques. In particular the subject matter in this part 4 of the series [in its third edition with improvements from previous editions] caters for optimal solutions to the problems such as the above mentioned.The approach to the development of the subject matter in the book focuses on Operations Research modelling rather than mathematical-graph-theory approach to network optimisation models. There are four distinct features in the approach used in the book different from good number of textbooks on Network Analysis. First the epistemological formation of Network Analysis as a sub-discipline of Operations Research has been explicitly introduced and emphasised throughout the book. Second a clear distinction is made between for example a network [as a mathematical-graph-theory tool in network optimisation models] and the network optimisation problem represented by the network. Third emphasis has been made in differentiating the network optimisation models from the various network optimisation problems solved through the respective models. Fourth data and decision making are underscored as the underpinnings of the application of the models in solving the optimisation problems.The style of writing has been deliberately designed to make the book lecture Network Analysis techniques to the reader and in such a way that the reader enjoys the knowledge and its applications without fear of numbers, formulae and figures. And the sky is no longer the limit. After all, as much as the knowledge in basic algebra is needed, Network Analysis techniques deal with facts and not just with numbers, mathematical formulae and figures. The topics covered are as 1: FOUNDATION CONCEPTS IN NETWORK ANALYSIS1.1: EPISTEMOLOGICAL FORMATION OF NETWORK NETWORKS AND THEIR NEOPAMETS AND NETWORK OPTIMISATION EXERCISES2: PROJECT-MANAGEMENT OPTIMISATION FRAMEWORKS I 2.1: ACTIVITIES, EVENTS AND CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS (CPA) LINEAR OPTIMISATION MODELS FOR EXERCISES3: PROJECT-MANAGEMENT OPTIMISATION FRAMEWORKS II 3.1: ACTIVITY COSTS AND PROJECT PROJECT EVALUATION AND REVIEW TECHNIQUES (PERT) LINEAR OPTIMISATION MODELS FOR PROJECT EXERCISES4: OPTIMAL-INTERCONNECTIONS OPTIMISATION FRAMEWORKS4.1: SHORTEST-ROUTE OPTIMISATION MINIMUM-SPANNING-TREE OPTIMISATION FRAMEWORKS4.

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2022