In this note, we are going to know about a topic called “PERT Vs CPM in Project Management” or Difference between PERT and CPM. Welcome to Poly Notes Hub, a leading destination for engineering notes.
Author Name: Arun Paul.
PERT Vs CPM in Project Management
Below we listed some Difference between PERT and CPM –
| Aspect | PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) | CPM (Critical Path Method) |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Estimate time required for project completion, with focus on variability and uncertainty. | Determine the critical path and shortest project duration. |
| Focus | Time-based analysis | Time and cost-based analysis |
| Variability | Accounts for uncertainty by using three time estimates: optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic. | Assumes deterministic time estimates. |
| Calculation | Uses Expected Time (TE) = (O + 4M + P) / 6, where O = Optimistic Time, M = Most Likely Time, P = Pessimistic Time. | Relies on a single time estimate for each activity. |
| Formula | TE = (O + 4M + P) / 6 | – |
| Path Determination | Doesn’t necessarily identify the critical path, instead focuses on estimating project completion time. | Identifies the critical path, which is the longest path through the network diagram and determines the shortest project duration. |
| Slack Time | Utilizes Slack Time to analyze the flexibility of non-critical activities. | Doesn’t typically calculate slack time as it focuses on the critical path. |
| Application | Suitable for projects with high uncertainty and where time estimates are variable. | Appropriate for projects with well-defined activities and deterministic time estimates. |
| Example | Research and development projects, where tasks may have varying durations due to research uncertainties. | Construction projects, where tasks have fixed durations and dependencies. |