PERT and CPM in Project Management

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM)

• PERT and CPM are network-based project scheduling procedures used to plan and schedule projects.

Activities and Project Network

• Activities are specific jobs or tasks that are components of a project.
• Activities are represented by nodes in a project network.
• A project network is a graphical representation of a project that depicts the activities and shows the predecessor relationships among the activities.

Critical Path and Path

• A path is a sequence of connected nodes that leads from the Start node to the Finish node.
• The critical path is the longest path in a project network.
• Critical activities are the activities on the critical path.

Activity Timing

• Earliest start time is the earliest time an activity may begin.
• Latest start time is the latest time an activity may begin without increasing the project completion time.
• Earliest finish time is the earliest time an activity may be completed.
• Latest finish time is the latest time an activity may be completed without increasing the project completion time.

Forward and Backward Pass

• Forward pass: moving forward through the project network to determine the earliest start and earliest finish times for each activity.
• Backward pass: moving backward through the network to determine the latest start and latest finish times for each activity.

Slack and Activity Time

• Slack is the length of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project completion time.
• Optimistic time is the minimum activity time if everything progresses ideally.
• Most probable time is the most probable activity time under normal conditions.

This quiz covers the basics of Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) in project management, including activities, immediate predecessors, and project networks.