3 PERT and GANTT Charts

11.1 What is Project Management?

• Encompasses all activities needed to plan and execute a project:

  • Deciding what needs to be done.

  • Estimating costs.

  • Ensuring suitable personnel to undertake the project.

  • Defining responsibilities.

  • Scheduling.

  • Making arrangements for the work.

11.2 Roles in Project Management

• Directing

  • Acting as a technical leader.

  • Reviewing and approving decisions made by others.

  • Building morale and supporting staff.

• Monitoring and Controlling

  • Coordinating work with managers of other projects.

  • Reporting.

  • Striving to continually improve the process.

11.5 Project Scheduling and Tracking

• Scheduling involves deciding:

  • The sequence of activities to be performed.

  • When activities should start and be completed.

• Tracking monitors adherence to cost estimate and schedule.

11.6 Basic Project Management Terminology

• Deliverable: A concrete item to be delivered to the client or within the team. Examples include:

  • Specifications

  • Reports

  • Executable programs

  • Source code

• Task/Activity: An action performed during the project. Examples include:

  • Defining user requirements

  • Coding a module

  • Conducting system testing.

• Each task has a duration, which can be:

  • Measured in days, weeks, or person-days.

    • Example: 12 person-days for coding can mean 1 person in 12 days or 4 people in 3 days.

11.7 Dependencies and Milestones

• A task may require other tasks to be completed first (dependency).

  • Example: Cannot start coding without completing design.

  • Denote dependencies between tasks.

• Milestone: An achievement that must occur, such as:

  • Delivering a deliverable.

  • Completing a task.

11.8 Setting and Making Deadlines

• Deadline: Time by which a milestone must be met.

  • Can be set by clients or project managers.

• Setting a deadline for a task involves considering completion times of dependent tasks.

• If a deadline is missed:

  • It is referred to as “the deadline has slipped.”

• Important for project managers to:

  • Monitor past and future deadlines.

  • Allocate or reallocate resources as needed.

• Tools such as PERT and Gantt charts assist in tracking project timelines.

11.9 PERT Charts

• PERT (Project Evaluation and Review Technique): Graphical representation of project scheduling.

  • Shows dependencies:

    • Task edges signify activities that need to be completed.

    • Nodes represent events or milestones.

• PERT chart components:

  • Task edge: Indicates relationships and dependencies between events.

  • Task duration: Total time required for completion.

11.10 Building a PERT Chart

1. List all project tasks and events.

2. Identify interrelated tasks and dependencies.

3. Draw an initial PERT without durations.

4. Estimate the duration of each task.

5. Fill in durations, ECTs, and LCTs.

Example: Generic Software Project

• Task ID and descriptions include:

  • A: Specification

  • B: High Level Design

  • C: Detailed Design

  • D: Code/Test Main module

  • E: Code/Test DB module

  • F: Code/Test UI module

  • G: Write test plan

  • H: Integrate/System Test

  • I: Write User Manual

  • J: Typeset User Manual

11.11 Dummy Tasks

• Dummy tasks use dashed lines to indicate dependencies when no activity is performed.

  • Example: Events indicating module compilations.

11.12 Estimating Durations

• Suggestions for accurate duration estimates:

  • Reference previous similar tasks for benchmarks.

  • Consider factors such as:

    • Task difficulty

    • Team experience

    • Management commitment

11.13 Gantt Charts

• Gantt charts graphically represent schedules, allowing for tracking and coordination of tasks.

  • Originated by Henry Gantt in 1917.

Example Gantt Chart Tasks

• Tasks include:

  • A: Study current email system

  • B: Define end-user requirements

  • C: Design Class diagram

  • D: Acquire computer technology

11.14 Building and Using a Gantt Chart

Steps to build Gantt charts:

1. Identify tasks and their durations.

2. List tasks vertically and create a timeline horizontally.

3. Shade bars to indicate task completion.

11.15 PERT vs. Gantt Charts

• PERT charts:

  • Show task dependencies and critical paths.

• Gantt charts:

  • Track progress and visualize overlapping tasks.

• Tools like MS Project can generate either type from inputted data.

11.16 Difficulties and Risks in Project Management

• Common challenges include:

  • Estimating costs accurately.

  • Measuring progress and meeting deadlines.

  • Lack of human resources or technology.

  • Effective communication in large projects.

Strategies for Mitigation

• Maintain a close relationship with team members.

• Use earned value charts for progress monitoring.

• Employ groupware technology for better information exchange.