Historical Development of Network Analysis: PERT and CPM

Historical Development of Network Analysis: PERT and CPM:

Before we get into the details, let’s take a look at how networks have evolved over time. PERT/CPM or Network Analysis as the technique is sometimes called, was developed by two different groups, one industrial and the other military.

♦ Historical Development of PERT (History of PERT):

PERT was developed originally in 1958 and 1959 for the “age of massive engineering,” when Taylor and Gantt’s techniques were no longer applicable.

After the technique was developed, the US Navy’s Special Projects Office implemented it on its Polaris Weapon System in 1958, with the help of the Lockheed Missile Systems division and the Consultant firm of Booz-Allen & Hamilton.

This was a large project involving many departments and there were many activities about which they had very little information about the duration of the project.

Since then, PERT has spread rapidly across almost all industries.

♦ Historical Development of CPM (History of CPM):

Around the same time that the Navy was developing PERT, the DuPont Company launched a similar technique known as the CPM.

CPM (Critical Path Method) was developed in 1957 by J. E. Kelly of Remington Rand and M. R. Walker of E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. to solve project scheduling problem.

CPM has also spread widely and is especially concentrated in the construction and process industries.

♦ Difference between PERT & CPM:

Both PERT and CPM are essentially time-oriented methods for determining a project’s time schedule. The major difference between these two techniques is,

• PERT is a Probabilistic approach for determining time estimates of different activities that are not exactly known to us. It is a technique of planning and control of time. It is suitable for Research and Development projects.
• CPM is Deterministic in nature because different estimates are known in the case of CPM. It is a method to control cost and time. It is suitable for Non-research projects like civil construction, shipbuilding etc.

But now a day both these techniques are used for one purpose. Initially, the PERT technique was applied to research and development projects while the CPM was used for construction projects.

(Source – Various books of college library)

• Tags: What is the development of PERT and CPM? What is the history of PERT? historical development of network analysis PERT and CPM

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