PERT vs. CPM

PERT and CPM are two quite famous managerial techniques.

PERT is an abbreviation of Program Evaluation and Review Technique. It has been developed originally for the United States Navy as part of the Polaris program as a 16 mathematical method for defining the minimum time for completion of a complex project.

So, the PERT main objective is to provide a tight and sufficient control of the management of complex projects through an integrated system of forced planning and evaluation. Thus, adoption of PERT in a company streamlines production, connects it with economic objectives and optimize the amount of men and material.

PERT is composed of four features : Critical path analysis; Program status evaluation; Slack determination (denotes how much an activity can be delayed beyond its earliest start date, without causing any problems in the completion of the project by its deadline) and Simulation.

In the PERT method, Tasks are connected in a network and each Task has tempo properties such as, the most pessimistic, the most optimistic and the most likely durations.

CPM is an abbreviation of Critical Path Method, and similarly to PERT aims in facilitating companies' management system to achieve corporate objectives.

Implementation of CPM requires: Identification of the activities and their sequence; Composition a network diagram; Estimation of the completion time for each activity; Identification of the critical path and Calculation of the total project period.

The main concern of CPM is cost optimization which directly influences the project deadline. Thus, activity duration may be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy and no probabilistic model is used.

So, in summary:

Both PERT and CPM are managerial techniques which aim at achieving companies' goals, but in case of PERT, uncertainty component is accepted and states as a part of the system.