Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Business
Lesson Topic: network diagrams as tools to plan operations
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the purpose and components of a network diagram in operations planning.
  • Explain how to construct a network diagram, including activity sequencing and duration estimation.
  • Apply forward and backward pass calculations to identify the critical path.
  • Analyse capacity requirements using the critical path and propose adjustments to meet forecast demand.
  • Evaluate the advantages and limitations of network diagrams for capacity planning.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Printed handout of the smartphone activity table
  • Network‑diagram template worksheets
  • Laptops with spreadsheet software
  • Calculators
 Introduction:
Begin with the question, “How do managers decide the order and timing of production steps?” Review prior learning on operations planning and capacity concepts. Explain that today students will build network diagrams and use them to assess capacity, with success measured by correctly identifying the critical path in a sample scenario.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑Now (5’) – Students list the activities required for a familiar household process.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Introduce network‑diagram symbols, precedence relationships, and forward/backward pass concepts.
  3. Guided practice (15’) – Construct the smartphone production network diagram using the provided template.
  4. Pair work (10’) – Calculate ES, EF, LS, LF for each activity and identify the critical path.
  5. Capacity analysis discussion (10’) – Relate the critical‑path duration to forecast demand and suggest resource adjustments.
  6. Check for understanding (5’) – Quick quiz/exit ticket on identifying critical activities.
Conclusion:
Recap how network diagrams visualize operation flow and support capacity decisions. Students complete an exit ticket stating one way to shorten the critical path. For homework, they draft a network diagram for a process in their own life and estimate its capacity implications.