
Relaxing your activities, or relaxation, is the opposite of crashing. CrashingĬrashing is also used to speed up the project but instead of restructuring task scheduling, it is done by shifting resources to certain tasks. Fast trackingįast tracking is what you can do to speed up the project by green lighting several tasks from different stages to be done more simultaneously. Dummy activityĪ dummy task or dummy activity is not a real task but a tool of the diagram to show an indirect relationship between other tasks. Critical path activityĬritical path activity refers to the most necessary steps in the project that are fundamental to its completion, and taken together make up the entire project duration of the critical path. The critical path is the longest amount of time projected to complete all the tasks in the entire project, taking into account all the most important tasks and their dependencies. Slack time is all about the amount of time that a task can be put off or delayed without affecting the completion date of the project, or negatively, how much time must be saved or won back. Constraints are also related to start and end dates, for example: ASAP, ALAP (“as late as possible''), MSO and MFO (“must start/finish on”). ConstraintsĬonstraints are like dependencies but add more detail to individual tasks. Lag time is how much time the project team members can delay a successor task without affecting the predecessor task. Lead timeĪ lead time is a measure of how long a successor task can be moved up in the project scheduling in relation to its predecessor. Like the predecessor, the successor, or succeeding task, is the later task in a task-dependency relationship along a project timeline. PredecessorĪ predecessor, or preceding task, is a task in a dependency with a later task, meaning this predecessor must either be completed or started before the next one begins or ends. It refers to the relationship between tasks and whether any task must be started or completed before another task can be completed or started. DependenciesĪ task dependency is a crucial concept in all project planning. As we’ve said regarding network diagrams with nodes and lines, the PERT chart often uses arrows for lines to show the direction that work must take as well as any task dependencies. ArrowsĪrrows represent tasks, and often display the estimated time to complete them. In these charts, PERT events and milestones are the nodes. In the PERT method, a milestone is the end result of a task, or the competition of work activity. When you look at any wireframe chart or network diagram such as the PERT chart, the nodes are the icons, often squares or circles, which represent events and are connected by lines. It is a wireframe diagram which connects events to one another with lines. Now onwards.Ī network diagram is the kind of chart that PERT uses. Below you’ll find the key terms and definitions related to the PERT method in project management.Īnd if you’d like to take a step back and ask: what does project management mean in general? We have an article about that. It’s always wise to brush up on the lingo of anything you are learning about. PERT method project management terminology Whoa!Įver since then, PERT has been popular for complex project planning. Navy’s Polaris project in the 1950s for managing the construction of nuclear submarines. It was developed by the special projects office for the U.S. You know PERT is a fantastic project management tool for complex projects because of its dark origin story. PERT is generally implemented by various types of PMO (project management office), whether that be supporting, controlling, or directive. Our PERT project management definition centers on the fact that it’s one of many project management techniques for understanding the sequence and dependency relationships between tasks as part of a larger complex project. A PERT technique offers tools for planning for the best-case scenario, the worst-case scenario, and everything in between. PERT techniques are especially effective at time management. So, what is the program evaluation and review technique? Our definition


That is, it is a method for planning, evaluating and reviewing a project or program based on time estimates and task dependencies.

#NETWORK DIAGRAM PROJECT MANAGEMENT FULL#
So, the big question, what does PERT stand for in project management? The PERT full form stands for program evaluation and review technique (PERT).
