How Is a Network Scheduled? (SAP Library

How Is a Network Scheduled?

A network is always scheduled forwards and backwards.

Forward scheduling calculates the earliest start and finish dates of activities (earliest dates) and the scheduled finish date of the network. All activities without predecessors in the network are the starting activities. The date from which scheduling starts is the basic start date from the network header or the scheduled start date from backward scheduling, if no basic start date is specified.

Backward scheduling calculates the latest start and finish dates of activities (latest dates) and the scheduled start date of the network. All activities without successors in the network are the target activities. The date from which scheduling starts is the basic finish date from the network header or the scheduled finish date from forward scheduling, if no basic finish date is specified.

With the Scheduling Type in the network header, you determine whether the network is first scheduled forwards or backwards.

The graphic shows you how a network is scheduled. In the following example the network is first scheduled forwards, a basic start date has been entered in the network header. The basic start date from the network header is the earliest start date for the start activity (activity 10). The system uses this date to calculate all earliest start and finish dates.

The network is subsequently scheduled backwards. The system starts scheduling from the latest end date in activity 40 (scheduled finish). The system uses this date to calculate all latest start and finish dates.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text