Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) helps project teams plan complex work when activity durations are uncertain. This lesson introduces its purpose, origins, and relationship to the Critical Path Method (CPM).
PERT is a project-management method for representing and analyzing the tasks needed to complete a project. It focuses particularly on activity durations and the minimum time needed to complete the overall project. Its estimates allow planning even when the precise duration of every activity is not known.
All flashcards
How is a PERT path's expected duration calculated?
Add the expected durations of all activities on that path.
What is a successor event in a PERT network?
An event that immediately follows another event in the network.
How does total float differ from free float?
Total float concerns delaying project completion; free float concerns delaying a subsequent activity.
How is the standard deviation of a PERT path estimated?
Assuming independent activity durations, take the square root of the sum of their variances.
What is an activity in a PERT network?
Work performed between events that consumes time and requires resources.
Quiz questions
In a forward pass, how is an activity's early start determined when it has multiple predecessors?Answer: Use the greatest early finish among its immediate predecessors.
In a backward pass, how is an activity's late finish determined when it has multiple successors?Answer: Use the smallest late start among its immediate successors.
What does the critical path represent in a project network?Answer: The longest-duration path, which determines the shortest possible project completion time.
What does fast tracking mean in project scheduling?Answer: Performing eligible critical activities in parallel to shorten the schedule.
What can a dependency loop such as A → B → C → A do to a scheduling algorithm?Answer: Cause it to repeat indefinitely while trying to resolve the dependencies.