Gantt Charts & Network Diagrams

Airplanes only make money when they’re in the air! Therefore, airline managers strive to achieve the shortest possible “turnaround time” through a carefully choreographed process. The chart below provides a general flow for turning an aircraft. Create a Gantt chart, draw an Activity on Node Network (AON) diagram and determine the critical path. Use Excel to produce a Gantt chart of the aircraft servicing process from the time the aircraft stops at the gate until it is ready for departure. Use this information to create your chart. Use the Gantt Chart project planner template to get started. In Excel, select New and then search for the planner. Assume that the PLAN START (earliest start time) begins as soon as the predecessor is completed. Set the ACTUAL START, ACTUAL DURATION, and PERCENT COMPLETE time to 0 (since we are only using this chart for planning the project). Once you have completed your Gantt chart, study it, and provide suggestions on ways to shorten the turn around time. Remember that some items must be completed before others can start (i.e., the jet bridge must be connected before you can offload the passengers). Be sure to place your suggestions on the presentation slide with your Gantt Chart. Create a slide to construct a diagram of activity on node (AON) network of the aircraft turnaround operation. Make sure to produce your graph as shown in the video and in your textbook (i.e. using the ES, EF, LS, LF, Act. name and duration notation). Use your AON network diagram to determine the critical path and calculate the total time of completion. Make sure to annotate the critical path and time of completion on the slide. Once you produce the AON graph, consider what would happen if activity E Refueling/Water servicing could be reduced to 15 minutes. Write a brief statement on the changes to the critical path and time of completion. Place your statement on the slide.