In SAP R/3, the network is a special kind of work order, which uses a common structure with production or maintenance orders, for example. Each network has a unique identification that is assigned either automatically by the system depending upon the network type (internal number assignment) or by the
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The network header of a network contains default organizational assignment data and control data that applies to the entire network (similar to the project definition for WBS elements). In the network header, you can assign a network to a work breakdown structure, a sales order, or a higher-level network (if you work with subnetworks).
Activities form the basis for planning and executing networks. Each activity can be assigned to any WBS element (as long as it is an account assignment element). The network is scheduled at the activity level. Relationships determine the order in which activities are carried out. Consequently, relationships – and the duration of the activities – are essential for scheduling networks. You use activity elements to split activities into more detail or enhance them.
Figure 31: Network Structure
Networks can be header-assigned or activity-assigned, depending on order type or plant. Normally, activity-assigned networks are used, where costs are gathered in each activity. Header-assigned networks are only significant for the assignment of networks to sales orders (without WBS).
The SAP Project System has the following activity categories:
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• Internally processed activities contain a work center at which the work is to be carried out. They contain the working time and the duration of the activity. The assignment of the work center to a cost center provides an activity type and a rate so that planned costs can be calculated for the activity.
• External activities are used for procuring activities or services that are not procured within your company. Purchase requisitions are generated for externally procured activities that are processed in Purchasing.
A differentiation is made between external processing and service for externally procured activities.
• General costs activities enable you to plan costs that can be planned by neither internal nor external activities. For example, you can plan expenses or insurance costs using general costs activities.
The control key of an activity stipulates the activity type (internal processing, external processing, service, general costs activity). The control key also determines how an activity is handled during calculation, scheduling, capacity planning, and shop paper printing.
Figure 32: Network Activities
You define the control key in Customizing for the SAP Project System. You can define control keys in the network profile or standard network profile as default values for activities and activity elements to be created.
Normally activities are not organized in a random order in a network.
There are usually technical or content-stipulated dependencies between
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individual activities in a network (or standard network) or different networks.
You can enter additional data (such as a time interval of the relationship or reference to a particular factory calendar) in the detail screen for each relationship. The type of relationship defines how the individual activities are linked to each other.
Figure 33: Relationships
Explanation of the example above:
• The activity "assembly" begins with the end of the predecessor activity
"production."
• The activity "purchase order" begins with the start of the activity
"Engin./Design."
• The activity "work scheduling" ends with the end of the activity
"Engin./Design."
• The activity "test run" ends with the start of the activity "approval."
In addition you can define time intervals for the relationships, allowing you to control, for example, that the activity "assembly" begins two days after the end of the activity "production" or that the activity "purchase order" begins, according to the plan, if 20% of the design phase has been completed.
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In the network structure graphic you can display relationships dependent on time to illustrate the logical process chain. All relationships in the network structure graphic are displayed as FS relationships by default. You can access the network structure graphic from various transactions in the SAP Project System, such as the Project Builder, time scheduling, or the structure info system. The network graphic provides all of the functions needed to process a network (the functions for inserting activities or relationships, for example).
The cycle analysis is a function that you can perform only in the network structure graphic. A cycle is a closed sequence of relationships and activities ("closed" means that when you start out from one activity, you end up back at the same activity with relationships). If the activity-relationship-activity path is cyclical, you will not be able to schedule the network. Cycle analysis is a tool that enables you to detect cyclical relationships and correct them.
Figure 34: Network Structure Graphic
There are several reasons why activities are assigned to WBS elements.
First, dates can be exchanged between activities and WBS elements during scheduling. Second, this assignment is used for cost planning purposes.
Third, it is possible to define a settlement rule automatically for the activities.
For example, you might define a rule whereby settlement is made for the corresponding WBS element, or you might specify that the settlement rule of
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Figure 35: Assignment to WBS
Detailing Options
Activities are given detail by activity elements. For example, it is possible to complement an activity, which describes the transport of a material, with a cost element, which describes the insurance for that transport process. Or you can assign an external element to an internally processed activity for design services, if, for example, a specific detail design should be carried out by an external provider. Activity elements have almost the same functionality as activities. Types of activity elements include internal processing elements, external processing elements, and general costs elements. All activity elements have a date reference to the activity to which they are assigned. In this way you are sure that each activity element can be planned independently, while remaining bound by time to a superior activity. The activity elements themselves do not affect scheduling. For this reason, they do not have any relationships or durations. Materials and relationships are assigned to the superior activity. Activity elements can be assigned to WBS elements as well (see figure "Assignment to WBS"). The assignment has the same function as in the case of the activities, but has no influence on time scheduling of WBS elements.
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Figure 36: Activity Elements
Resource planning in networks includes the planning of internal and external activities, the procurement of materials, the assignment of texts and documents, and the planning of milestones. When you plan milestone dates or determine the dates on which materials are required, you can reference the dates of the superior activity (you can of course also enter definite dates without referencing the activity). You plan material requirements by assigning material components to activities. Material requirements form the basis for procurement: whether the material is produced in-house (production) or procured externally (purchasing).
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Figure 37: Resource Planning
Along with activity elements, PS texts, documents, material components, and production resources/tools, you can assign milestones to activities (see the
"Work Breakdown Structure" lesson). If you want to use particular milestones several times in project planning, you should create standard milestones and use them as templates to copy from. Milestones assigned to activities or WBS elements are used in the SAP Project System for the following tasks and functions (it is possible to use the milestones more than once):
• For informational and reporting purposes in the information system and in the project planning board
• For milestone trend analyses
• For the milestone technique of progress analysis
• For milestone dates in billing plans and milestone billing
• For defined milestone functions in activities (only for activity milestones)
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Figure 38: Activity Milestones
Milestone functions in a network are predefined by SAP. You can use them to trigger a sequence of steps that carry out a business process. The following milestone functions exist:
• Release subsequent activities
• Release up to release milestone
• Include a standard network
• Create a network
• Include a subnetwork
• Start a workflow task (user-defined workflow task or standard tasks) You can trigger a milestone function automatically, when you change the system status or user status in the activity, or manually, if an actual date is defined in the milestone.
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Figure 39: Milestone Functions
Subnetworks (along with activity elements and the option of including standard networks in an existing network) are one way to detail a network in the project flow. You can define subnetworks for subnetworks (until you have achieved the level of detail you require). You can create maintenance orders as subnetworks for a superior network. Since SAP R/3 4.6 it is possible to schedule these maintenance orders from the SAP Project System as well.
Data is exchanged between the network and the subnetwork. The assignment to the WBS, sales order, and possibly configuration data is transferred from the header of the superior network. The basic dates of the activity are copied as the basic dates of the header of the subnetwork. It is also possible to copy the settlement rule, the profit center, and the business area. You can also copy the relationships of the higher-level activity to the subnetwork. The control key of the higher-level activity is changed on the basis of the network type of the higher-level network and of the subnetwork. This determines which tasks are carried out by the higher-level activity (relevance for costing, relevance for scheduling, and so on.)
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Figure 40: Subnetworks