Dummy activity definition
/What is a Dummy Activity?
A dummy activity is an activity added to a project schedule as a placeholder. It has no activity time associated with it. A dummy activity is intended to show a path of action in a project activity diagram and is employed when a logical relationship between two activities cannot be linked by showing the use of arrows linking one activity to another. It typically appears as a dashed line that links two tasks.
Example of a Dummy Activity
As an example of a dummy activity, picture a project with the following tasks:
Task A: Conduct Research
Task B: Write Report
Task C: Review Report
Task D: Approval Meeting
Task E: Publish Report
The workflow looks like this:
Task A (Conduct Research) must be completed before Task B (Write Report).
Task C (Review Report) depends on Task B (Write Report).
Task D (Approval Meeting) requires both Task A (Conduct Research) and Task C (Review Report) to be complete.
Task E (Publish Report) depends on Task D (Approval Meeting).
In this example, Task D (Approval Meeting) depends on both Task A and Task C. However, if we only show Task C as its dependency, we miss the fact that Task A is also required. Adding a dummy activity between Task A and Task D ensures clarity by showing that Task D depends on both Task A and Task C, without adding any time or resource cost.
In a network diagram, this dummy activity could be represented as a dotted arrow connecting Task A and Task D.
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FAQs
What Happens if Dummy Activities are Omitted?
If dummy activities are omitted, the logical relationships between tasks may be misrepresented. This can lead to incorrect sequencing, misleading critical path calculations, and flawed dependency mapping. As a result, project scheduling and resource planning may become inaccurate or unreliable.