The Dynamic Progress Method: A New Alternative to the Critical Path Method

Come learn about the newest innovation in project estimating and planning since the Critical Path Method (CPM) was introduced back in the 1950's.  CPM was a major improvement at that time, but now the simplistic approach of CPM is woefully insufficient.  Today's projects are larger and more complex, and they demand a more rigorous approach.  Using CPM, resources are disconnected from task durations, which makes it difficult or impossible to create realistic project plans.  With CPM, "duration" is an input.  However, in the real world, "duration" is an output.  We don't truly know how long a task or project will take until resources are applied and work is accomplished.  Using the current duration-based approach of CPM, today's project planning tools often provide estimates that are about 50% under the actual schedule for the project and about 25% under the actual cost of the project.  Of course, an unrealistic plan like this can cause a lot of problems down the road.  Eventually, all project work is done through the allocation of resources.  So, the Dynamic Progress Method (DPM) starts with resources as the foundation and builds upward from there.  With a resource-based approach like DPM, the project manager has much more flexibility and control to specify exactly what needs to be done on a project.  This leads to more realistic, more credible, and (most importantly) more successful project plans.