by Carolyn Teasley

Created on: July 23, 2008

Techniques for Timely Project Completion

Timely project completion is important to the success of project management in an organization. Network planning is a technique that helps in planning, scheduling and controlling projects with multiple related project activities.

In order for network planning techniques to work, your project management team must prepare a plan to submit to the organization board that includes:

1) What the project objective is and a list of the team's assumptions about the project
2) A work breakdown relationship chart and a responsibility matrix
3) A list of the activities that are necessary to accomplish the project objective
4) A network diagram showing the interrelation of all activities in project

Two network planning techniques, program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and critical path method (CPM), were the first to be developed in the 1950's. Other forms of network planning have been developed since then. Precedence diagramming method (PDM) and graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT) are two of the newer forms. All the above mentioned techniques are classified in the general category of network techniques because they all use a network diagram to display the sequential flow and the interrelationships of activities of the project.

Today the PERT and CPM techniques are considered to be the generic forms of network diagrams. Another older planning and scheduling tool is the Gantt chart or bar chart which has remained popular because of its simplicity. The Gantt chart combines the two functions of planning and scheduling. Project activities can be listed down the left side of the chart and a time chart (days, weeks or months) is listed along the bottom. A line or bar is used to indicate the estimated duration needed to complete each activity. A "Person Responsible" column can be added to the chart.

An advantage of using the Gantt chart in some projects is the scheduling of activities happens simultaneously with network planning. The project team member drawing up the activity lines must be aware of the timetable of the project activities are to occur in. Today most software packages are able to produce Gantt charts that connect interrelated activities using connecting arrows.

The simultaneous scheduling and planning can be a disadvantage in other projects that may have a delay in the first activity planned. This would cause a further delay in all subsequent activities and the Gantt chart would have to be redone to show the updated timetable. A network diagram would have to be developed to separate the planning and scheduling functions. This makes planning revisions and scheduling updates easier.

To be able to establish a basis to use for calculating a schedule using duration estimates for each of the activities, it is necessary to choose an estimated start time and a required completion time for the whole project. The required completion time is usually a part of the project objective and should be stated in the contract.
Reference

Gido, J. & Clements, J. P., (2006) Successful Project Management (3rd ed.) Mason, Ohio: Thomas Higher Education (pp 113-115 & 143-145)

Learn more about this author, Carolyn Teasley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.