PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

4 Project Management Techniques are generally used:

1. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a way to organize the work into smaller, more
manageable pieces.

Divide and Conquer

Using a work breakdown structure lets you divide the scope of the project into smaller parts that
can be worked on by the project team. As the levels go further down on the WBS, there is more
definition and detail.

The WBS is created by the whole team who identify the major deliverables and then subdivides
them into smaller and smaller sub-deliverables. This process continues until the team reaches a
point where the task can be accomplished.

A WBS defines and organizes a project, but it can also be used to break down more than just
tasks. Budgets can be calculated based on the breakdown

2. Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a visual project management technique. Making a Gantt chart is a technique, that
can be combined with other Gantt chart tools to make the technique much easier to execute.

Gantt charts can help with more than planning and scheduling tasks over one or multiple
projects. You can also plan and schedule entire projects, plan in sprints and milestones,
scheduling teams’ work and compare planned versus actual timelines in your project.

If you’re using the online Gantt chart in the Project Management Software, you have the freedom
to adjust schedules as needed and even link dependent tasks, by just click and drag. Task
dependencies are used when there are tasks that can’t get started until another is complete. They
can be linked on Project Management Software, so that there is no downtime or blocking of team
members.

Each task can be assigned to individual team members and Project Management Software can
automate notifications on upcoming deadlines to keep the project on track. When the team

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updates its status, that information is instantly reflected throughout Project Management
Software, so everyone is always on the same page.

Project Management Software has Gantt charts that are powerful enough to meet the needs of
your projects.

3. Program Evaluation And Review Technique (PERT)

PERT is an acronym that stands for Program Evaluation And Review Technique. It’s a
project management technique to help with time estimates. Scheduling is critical to getting a
project completed on time, obviously, but also within the set budget. The longer you work, the
more you pay.

So, how does PERT work? It manages probabilities by using many simple statistical methods.
PERT breaks down tasks into detailed activities, by using the WBS discussed above, then adds
these to a Gantt chart to identify those activities that are interdependent. From that data, you
create an illustrative map of the network of activities and their interdependencies.

4. Critical Path Method (CPM)

Critical Path Method (CPM) is a cornerstone of project management techniques. CPM requires
that you construct a project model that includes a list of all tasks or a WBS, the duration to
complete of each of those tasks, what dependencies if any link the tasks and the endpoints, such
as milestones and deliverables, for the project.

With this information, you can calculate the longest path from the planned tasks to their
completion, including the earliest and latest time these tasks can start and finish without
impacting the project schedule. Now you know what tasks are critical to the project and which
have float or can be delayed without lengthening the project timeline.

Therefore, as a project management technique, CPM is a sequence of tasks that add up to the
longest overall duration, whether there is float (whether free float, which is a dependent task or
total float, with is the overall project) or not. With this information, you can figure out the
shortest time needed to complete the project.