Phase 4 DB
Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) is a tool used by project managers to organize tasks within a project. It illustrates what needs to be done in the project and can tell when these tasks should be done by sequencing them. Some tasks need to be done before another one starts and some can run parallel to another and this can tell you by using nodes or milestones with directional arrows. The nodes are represented by circles or rectangles and the arrows are labeled to put them in order. The PERT formula gives an estimated date of completion of not just the tasks but of the whole project. A downside to the PERT chart is that sometimes the relationships between the tasks are not always obvious to someone who doesn’t know how to read it.
A Gantt chart is another tool project managers can use to plan, organize, and control a project. It is a bar chart that illustrates phases of a project and shows the starting and finishing dates of each activity. An advantage to using a Gantt chart is that it can be easier to read than a PERT chart. However, they are not very useful for larger projects and do not show how complex the project is. If shading is used it can be misunderstood as to what the schedule performance status is.
Critical Path Method (CPM) is yet another tool for the project manager to use to organize, plan, and control the development of a project. It calculates the longest path to get to the end of a project and tells which activities are critical. It ca be used for projects of any size and illustrates the dependencies between scheduled activities. However, it does not tell you anything about the resources or where they fit into the project.
References
MindTools.com (2014). Gantt Charts Planning and Scheduling Team Projects. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm
Nayab, N. (2011). Guide to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects Better Using PERT and CPM. Retrieved from
A Gantt chart is another tool project managers can use to plan, organize, and control a project. It is a bar chart that illustrates phases of a project and shows the starting and finishing dates of each activity. An advantage to using a Gantt chart is that it can be easier to read than a PERT chart. However, they are not very useful for larger projects and do not show how complex the project is. If shading is used it can be misunderstood as to what the schedule performance status is.
Critical Path Method (CPM) is yet another tool for the project manager to use to organize, plan, and control the development of a project. It calculates the longest path to get to the end of a project and tells which activities are critical. It ca be used for projects of any size and illustrates the dependencies between scheduled activities. However, it does not tell you anything about the resources or where they fit into the project.
References
MindTools.com (2014). Gantt Charts Planning and Scheduling Team Projects. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm
Nayab, N. (2011). Guide to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects Better Using PERT and CPM. Retrieved from
References: MindTools.com (2014). Gantt Charts Planning and Scheduling Team Projects. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm Nayab, N. (2011). Guide to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling Projects Better Using PERT and CPM. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubpm.com/methods-strategies/125462-guide-to-planning-scheduling-and-controlling-projects-better-using-pert-and-cpm/ Picariello G. (2010). Pros and Cons of using PERT and Gantt Charts. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubpm.com/software-reviews-tips/2791-pros-and-cons-of-pert-and-gantt-charts/ Tech Target. (2014). PERT chart (Program Evaluation Review Technique). Retrieved from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/PERT-chart