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Practical PERT
Dr. Andrew Makar is an IT program manager and is the author of the Microsoft Project Made Easy series. For more project management advice, visit the website TacticalProjectManagement.com.
Any project manager who has prepared for the PMP examination or attended a project-scheduling course is familiar with the Program Evaluation Review Technique formula, better known as PERT. Putting aside the theory, network diagrams and standard deviations, here is a tactical application of PERT in schedule development that can help overcome “estimation hesitation.”
The Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) formula isn’t just a theoretical equation to estimate effort or a fact to memorize for the PMP exam. PERT has practical applications in effort estimation and can be a useful technique when historical work estimates are unavailable or team members are reluctant to commit to an estimate.
When building a project schedule, the task effort estimation is fairly simple for routine tasks with well-defined outcomes. Past project metrics, estimation templates and industry averages can be gathered to estimate common tasks. However, the PERT technique is most useful when standard estimates are unavailable or when project team members are reluctant to provide an estimate.
On several projects, I’ve worked with project team members who were reluctant to provide an estimate despite assurances that no one will be penalized for missing the estimate. It is a common to hear “tell me when you need it done and I’ll deliver it by that date.” This approach either over extends the …
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