PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) – managerial benefits Which statements describe what PERT provides to project management?

Introduction / Context:
PERT is a probabilistic network technique that models uncertain activity durations using three-point estimates to forecast likely project completion times and identify schedule risks.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Activities have optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic time estimates.
• Dependencies among activities are known.
• Management wants early warning of schedule variance.

Concept / Approach:
PERT computes expected activity times and variances, performs forward/backward passes, and yields a distribution for project duration. Continuous re-estimation enables rolling-wave updates.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Collect three-point times for each activity.Compute expected time te = (to + 4 * tm + tp) / 6 and variance = ((tp − to) / 6)^2.Find expected project duration and identify critical path.Monitor progress; update estimates; assess variation impacts quickly.

Verification / Alternative check:
Comparing forecast distributions to actual progress helps gauge realism of estimates and highlights where corrective action is needed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
PERT provides schedule insight first; cost can be integrated but is not its sole focus, so option (e) is incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
Overconfidence in three-point estimates, ignoring resource constraints, or failing to update the network undermines PERT’s value.

Final Answer:
All of the above