Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3868218 in Books
• Published on: 1969
• Binding: Unknown Binding
• 100 pages

Customer Reviews

Short, simple and still valid
Although this book was published over 20 years ago it remains a valuable resource. One of the reasons this is so is most project managers today gloss over project planning and jump right into scheduling. Part of the reason is most PM software packages are really GANTT chart-oriented. The shortcoming from starting with a GANTT chart is sequence and dependencies are nearly impossible to manage. On the other hand, the common tools used for sequencing and dependency analysis are CPM (critical path method) and PERT (program evaluation and review technique), both of which are complex and for most projects are overkill.

This book takes a simpler approach based on the activity-on-node precedence diagramming method (PDM). At 100 pages this book is a focused, but thorough, guide to using PDM as a key part of the project planning process. Benefits include easier identification of schedule compression or simplification opportunities, spotting bottlenecks before a schedule is created and the ability to perform a realistic dependency analysis - all of which will pay big dividends from having a properly planned schedule.

Do not let the age of this book put you off. If you are not using PDM and were intimidated by CPM and PERT you'll be glad you bought this book. I also recommend Nuts and Bolts Series 1--How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure by Carl Pritchard if you are not using work breakdown structures as the start of your project planning process.