Ever wondered why some projects glide ahead of schedule while others struggle to meet their due dates? A common reason is how they handle the gaps and overlaps between tasks. When a team knows how to bring one task forward or delay the start of another, they can compress the schedule without cutting corners. These adjustments, called lead…
A Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) is a graphical representation technique. It shows the inter-dependencies of activities and is used in schedule development. The other name for this technique is Activity on Node (AON).
We use this method in drawing the project schedule network diagrams; for example, critical path network, critical chain network diagram, and others.
The Precedence Diagramming Method shows activity relationships. Hence, it is an important communication tool for stakeholders.
I never thought that total float and free float were different concepts before my PMP exam preparation. I used to think they were synonymous.
While reading the Head First PMP book, I came to understand the difference between these two terms.
Total floats and free floats have an important role in the development of a network diagram. A better understanding of these terms will help you draw a network diagram and analyze a critical path.
You will see a few questions on this topic in your exam; it is an important concept.
There are many reasons you may want to compress the schedule.
Your project could have been delayed and you have to bring it back on schedule.
Management may also ask you to compress the schedule. Often this happens when your resources are needed for a new opportunity.
Project delays can happen for many reasons. For example: an unrealistic schedule
This blog post was based on the 4th edition of the PMBOK Guide, and from the 5th edition of the PMBOK Guide, the PMI has changed the definitions of terms used in this blog post; therefore, this post is now obsolete.
I have re-written this blog post based on the current version of the PMBOK Guide (6th edition). Please visit: Work Performance Data and Work Performance Information. I am leaving this post in case someone wants to review the old post under the PMBOK Guide (4th edition).
Management is always interested in the status and progress of the project. They want to know:
Critical Path Method (CPM) is a project schedule modeling technique. Mr. Morgan R. Walker and James E. Kelly developed this technique in the late 1950s.
Project planners use this method to develop schedules for many kinds of projects including IT, research, and construction.
Critical Path Method is a lengthy and complex concept. Please follow each step in this blog post and don’t move on until you understand the previous steps. If you follow this advice and complete the blog post, you won’t have any problems solving the questions on Critical Path Method.
The Critical Path Method helps project managers develop and manage the schedule in the past.
This method makes the life of a project manager easy. They can plan activities with less effort, and this was a good communication tool.
However, there were many issues with the schedules developed by critical path methods. These schedules were not realistic, and projects started getting delayed, which caused crossing their cost baselines.
Many times these delays led to project termination, and this was hurting companies financially.
Project management dependencies play a key role in determining a project’s success. They provide the sequence in which tasks must be performed, which affects the project timelines, resource allocation, and project flow. So, you must effectively manage the dependencies to ensure tasks are completed logically, prevent bottlenecks, and minimize delays. In today’s article, I will…