Essay on Navigating Project Dynamics: PERT, CPM, and Strategies for Efficient Duration Management

Project Activities and Duration

Project management is managing its various aspects through monitoring, execution, scheduling, and planning. Project management, therefore, aims at reaching the goals and objectives of the plan. Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Management and Review Technique (PERT) are techniques in project management to show the flow of events and activities in a sequence. PERT is useful, especially if there is no specific timeline for completing the project, while CPM is essential when the actions have strict guidelines on time management.

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Differences between PERT and CPM

PERT is a useful method in project management for controlling, coordinating, organizing, scheduling, and planning activities that may be uncertain in the plan (Archibald, 1987). CPM, on the other hand, is statistical, and it is essential in project management for controlling, coordinating, organizing, scheduling, and planning activities with strict guidelines like timeline and specific scope (Archibald, 1987). PERT is a method for controlling the timeline of the project and planning the activities, while CPM regulates the total time costs for the plan (Project Management Institute, 2017). CPM follows a construction basis in project development, while PERT is more of research and gradual development (Archibald, 1987).

PERT organizes the process in events while CPM in activities. Therefore, the scope of the two techniques vary. PERT is probabilistic, while CPM is deterministic (Archibald, 1987). It means that the final result in PERT is not specific, while CPM aligns with clear goals and objectives. CPM has one estimate of time, while PERT uses pessimistic time, most likely time, and optimistic time to estimate duration (Archibald, 1987). CPM, therefore, creates a general estimation of time while PERT looks for an exact time estimate using the three probable durations. Activities in CPM are, therefore, easy to predict, but PERT requires precise estimation to get the prediction of the timelines of activities (Project Management Institute, 2017).

CPM hosts repetitive activities, while PERT events only happen once in the sequence. PERT does not demarcate between activities depending on how critical they are, but it is the case in CPM (Archibald, 1987). CPM deals mostly with non-research projects, while PERT is useful in the development and research plans. PERT does not apply the crashing technique, but it is helpful in CPM to reduce the time for the activities in the project (Archibald, 1987). I would use PERT in a research or development project over CPM because it is more flexible in determining the duration and more comfortable to follow the process in sequence (Project Management Institute, 2017).

Multiple Critical Paths

If there is more than one critical path in the project, the first step I would take is to check the schedules in the activities. The next step is to identify if there is slack in the critical paths in the project. I would also analyze the dependencies of the project to check if they are consistent with the project needs (Pollack-Johnson & Liberatore, 2005). I would eliminate critical paths that have unrealistic schedules and restate them before analyzing and updating the others. Next is following each of the absolute essential tracks and check how they influence the timelines of the project (Pollack-Johnson & Liberatore, 2005). Multiple critical paths in a project are high risk, and they deter the success of a project as it may take a longer time to complete because of many vital tasks.

A critical path is a useful tool in creating an optimum sequence that the project can follow for the success of interdependent activities (Project Management Institute, 2017). It is normal for a project to have multiple critical paths, but they have to be correct and contain vital activities. A project can have multiple tracks in certain conditions (Pollack-Johnson & Liberatore, 2005). Different critical paths may result in one final action or result in the project; therefore, they are all useful. However, some tracks may be useless, and the project team should abandon it. Multiple critical paths occur when different groups in the project have to work on various activities that, in the end, contribute to the goal (Pollack-Johnson & Liberatore, 2005). Numerous critical tracks are essential when assessing the interrelated tasks in the project.

Essential Activities on the Critical Path

The critical activities represent the activities that are essential in meeting the goals and timelines of the project (Project Management Institute, 2017). It is typically the longest route of the project activities that affect the result and timelines of the project. Therefore, essential activities should be in the critical path unless they do not impact the project (Kelley et al., 1989). The essential activities to include are those that gravely affect the project's lifetime and success. It is, therefore, necessary to know that the critical path is not the ultimate blueprint of the essential activities in the project. Technically, the critical path represents the flow of activities under a specific timeline for completing the project. Therefore, the critical path does not have a slack that may elongate the project's lifetime.

For example, if a project takes 20 days, and one entity in the critical path delays for two days, then it will be complete in 22 days, and differing from the initial plan. Activities in a critical path do not necessarily take a straight line as there are forward and backward passes in between the entities. They are more visible in the automation of project management (Kerzner, 2017). Therefore, the activities in the project may be essential but not in the critical path. It means that, for example, the project team should not ignore other activities that are not present in the critical path (Kelley et al., 1989). The activities on the critical path and the essential ones in the project should be separate.

Role of the Project Team and the Project Manager in Determining the Duration of Project Activities

A project manager makes the final decision after consultation with the project team on the duration of each activity. Therefore, the project manager is responsible for creation or signing in the definitive timelines of the project (Project Management Institute, 2017). They have to ensure that the project is complete in time and in the best way without errors. Therefore, in the delivery of the project, they must then set the durations for every activity in the project (Project Management Institute, 2017). During each activity, the project manager ensures the project team meets the timelines and acts as a champion. If the project fails or succeeds, all the criticism or credits fall on them, so they must be decisive and precise (Project Management Institute, 2017).

The project team consists of the individuals responsible for working on the project. The project team provides the project manager with the preliminary estimates of the duration of the project, and they can use various tools, including PERT or CPM, or based on their experience on similar prior projects (Toelle & Witherspoon, 1990). They can create the duration of the activities either in different metrics either in hours, days, weeks, months, or years for longer projects. The project team should work within the set duration of the project activities for the success of the project. Creating the course of the activities of the project is part of planning, which is a crucial process before commencing the project (Project Management Institute, 2017). Communication and collaboration between the project manager and the team are critical in creating the best duration for each activity.

Project Manager Opinion on Schedule Taking Too Much Time

Since the stakeholders complain that the project schedule takes too much time, there is a need to shorten the duration of particular programs whenever possible. One is by minimizing the lag in the period of the activities (Project Management Institute, 2017). If the activities sequence has a lag time between them, then it should be reduced. It is a low-cost move, it has less risk, and the project team does not need to add more input. Examples of lag time include waiting time for approval processes or delivery of specific resources necessary in the project (Warburton & Cioffi, 2014). Another way to shorten the duration of activities is to fast track the plan. It means taking more risk by doing some activities concurrently against the schedule and the sequence of the project. However, it makes the cost of the project unpredictable.

The project shareholders can invest more money or resources in the project to shorten the schedule. Some activities might run faster with more resources, for example, labor (Project Management Institute, 2017). Therefore the shareholders can negotiate with the project team to evaluate how the process will run. The method is crashing, and it may be the last option if cutting the duration is urgent, and the stakeholders are willing to invest more resources (Warburton & Cioffi, 2014). Another way is to narrow the scope of the project. It is a high-risk activity, as it requires an analysis to identify the events that the project team can skip. It ensures that the team saves more time and fast track the project.

Conclusion

The duration of the project activities is crucial for the success of the project. PERT and CPM come in handy for the estimation of the timelines of the activities in the project. In CPM, not all essential activities are present; therefore, the project team should not ignore the absent ones. A project can have multiple critical paths as long as they contribute to the objective of the project. The project team and the manager are responsible for creating the project duration of the activities; therefore, they should communicate and consult each other in the process. There are several ways to reduce the course of a project, including crashing, fast-tracking, minimizing lag time, and reducing the scope.

References

Archibald, R. D. (1987). The history of modern project management. Key milestones in the early PERT/CPM/PDM days: how did we get here—where do we go? Project Management Journal, 18(4), 29-31.

Kelley, J. E., Walker, M. R., & Sayer, J. S. (1989). The origins of CPM: a personal history. PM Network, 3(2), 7-22.

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Pollack-Johnson, B., & Liberatore, M. J. (2005). Project planning under uncertainty using scenario analysis. Project Management Journal, 36(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1177/875697280503600103

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). Newtown Square, Pa: Project Management Institute. Section 6.3.

Toelle, R. A., & Witherspoon, J. (1990). From "managing the critical path" to "managing critical activities". Project Management Journal, 21(4), 33-37.

Warburton, R. D., & Cioffi, D. F. (2014). Project management theory: deriving a project's cost and schedule for its network structure. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Research and Education Conference, Phoenix, AZ. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.