In this video, we'll talk about a couple of important techniques that project managers can use to plan and keep their projects on schedule. Gantt charts and PERT charts. A Gantt chart is a graphical illustration of a schedule. It helps to plan, coordinate, and track specific tasks. It also provides a timeline that is used to illustrate how the project will run. You can view individual tasks, their durations, and the sequencing of those tasks. You can also see the overall timeline of the project and the expected completion date. As the project moves forward with actual performance, updated, a Gantt chart will adjust simultaneously, displaying an up-to-date project schedule with new start and finish dates for incomplete tasks and record the original baseline of your plan. If a task is delayed, any tasks that depend on it will be delayed as well and the overall timeline will be extended accordingly. A properly constructed Gantt chart aids communications with team members and enhances understanding of the project. It can also be used to show stakeholders the current status of the project and the progress made. Check out this example of a Gantt chart. The blue boxes indicate when each sequential task should start and how long they should take. Do you see how some tasks can be performed at the same time, like B and C, while others like A and D can't. The chart also makes it pretty clear that if some tasks are delayed, others will also be delayed. For instance, if task G takes an extra week, task H will start a week late and project completion will be delayed a week too. On the other hand, nothing depends on task E, so if it takes an extra week, nothing else will be delayed. You can make a Gantt chart with Microsoft Project, Google Sheets, and many other software products. If you do need to make one, you'll need to follow a few steps. First, list the necessary tasks in order from start to finish. Then estimate how long each will take and whether they're start depends on a previous task being completed. To finish up, enter all of that information into the software. Another useful project management tool is a PERT chart. PERT charts are used to schedule, organize, and coordinate tasks within a project. PERT stands for Program Evaluation Review Technique, which was developed by the US Navy in the 1950s to manage the Polaris Submarine Missile Program. Project managers use PERT charts before a project begins to plan, diagram and determine the duration of each task. When done properly, they'll show whether certain tasks need to be completed in order or if they can be completed simultaneously. They are often created to aid the construction of a Gantt chart. PERT charts map tasks in a flowchart pattern, which helps identify sequences of dependent activities. They show the most optimistic estimates of the time to complete the project under the best conditions and also pessimistic estimates of the performance under the worst conditions and the most likely scenario under normal conditions. The PERT process also determines the longest anticipated single line of activity from start to finish, which is called the critical path method. This path absolutely must be kept on schedule for the project to be completed on time. PERT and Gantt charts difference in key respects. Gantt charts focus on the time required to complete a task, whereas a PERT chart focuses on relationships between tasks. Gantt has linear representation or it is a Bar chart, whereas a PERT chart is a flowchart and has parallel networks of individual tasks. Check out this example of a PERT chart. Notice the flowchart pattern. The circles identify tasks that must be completed and arrows indicate paths to the next task in the sequence. Can you see the several paths to complete the project. The sequence of tasks and how long each is expected to take is also shown. In this example path A from task 10-20 takes three weeks and path C between task 20 and task 40 takes one week. More importantly, task 40 can't even be started until one week has been spent on task 20 and the critical path on this diagram, the longest path goes ACF and takes seven weeks. You can make a PERT chart by hand or with Microsoft Project, PowerPoint or Excel, Vizio, Google Sheets and many other software products. Whatever you choose, you'll need to follow a few steps. First, list all of the project activities and tasks from start to finish. Second, weigh out the tasks chronologically to identify which ones must be completed prior to others, which ones are dependent on the completion of others, and which ones are independent. Third, draw out the networks or paths that show their connections for all activities like in the graph. Fourth, estimate and assign the time frame associated with each activity and then determine the critical path.
