Microsoft Project and Charts

Objectives PERT Gantt Critical Path Basic info from MS Project

(Program Evaluation Review Technique) PERT Chart

PERT Charts

PERT stands for Program Evaluation Review Technique. A PERT chart is a project management tool used to schedule, organize, and coordinate tasks within a project. A PERT chart presents a graphic illustration of a project as a network diagram consisting of numbered nodes (either circles or rectangles) representing events, or milestones in the project linked by labelled vectors (directional lines) representing tasks in the project. The direction of the arrows on the lines indicates the sequence of tasks. The tasks between nodes 1 and 2, and nodes 1 and 3 are not dependent on the completion of one to start the other and can be undertaken simultaneously. These tasks are called parallel or concurrent tasks. Tasks that must be completed in sequence but that don't require resources or completion time are considered to have event dependency. These are represented by dotted lines with arrows and are called dummy activities. The PERT chart is sometimes preferred over the Gantt chart, another popular project management charting method, because it clearly illustrates task dependencies. On the other hand, the PERT chart can be much more difficult to interpret, especially on complex projects. Frequently, project managers use both techniques.

Gantt Chart
In the following example there are seven tasks, labeled A through G. Some tasks can be done concurrently (A and B) while others cannot be done until their predecessor task is complete (C cannot begin until A is complete). Additionally, each task has three time estimates: the optimistic time estimate (O), the most likely or normal time estimate (M), and the pessimistic time estimate (P). The expected time (TE) is computed using the formula: (O + 4M + P) 6. Once this step is complete, one can draw a Gantt chart or a network diagram.

Activity A B

Predecessor 2 3

Time estimates Opt. (O) 4 5 Normal (M) 6 9 Pess. (P)

Expected time 4.00 5.33

C
D E

A
A B, C

4
4 4

5
6 5

7
10 7

5.17
6.33 5.17

F
G

D
E

3
3

4
5

8
8

4.50
5.17

Critical Path
Basic technique The essential technique for using CPM [6] is to construct a model of the project that includes the following: A list of all activities required to complete the project (typically categorized within a work breakdown structure), The time (duration) that each activity will take to completion, and The dependencies between the activities. Using these values, CPM calculates the longest path of planned activities to the end of the project, and the earliest and latest that each activity can start and finish without making the project longer. This process determines which activities are "critical" (i.e., on the longest path) and which have "total float" (i.e., can be delayed without making the project longer). In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network activities which add up to the longest overall duration. This determines the shortest time possible to complete the project

Critical Path determined by PERT

PERT chart for a project with five milestones (10 through 50) and six activities (A through F). The project has two critical paths: activities B and C, or A, D, and F giving a minimum project time of 7 months with fast tracking. Activity E is sub-critical, and has a float of 1 month