Comparison Of CPM And PERT

Introduction: In this assignment I will be providing apprentices and readers with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management in the efficient and effective production of goods and services.

Chase, R. B., Jacobs, F. R., Aquilano, N.J. Operations management for competitive advantage (11th ed). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

There are tools that are used by project managers, one of which was developed by the United States Navy. Satterlee (2013), tell us about “a common tool used in project management is Program (or Project) Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). First developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it is used to represent and analyze tasks involved in a project” (p.234). Tools like this are essential to aid the project manager during the planning phase, when considering if the project can be completed under budget without jeopardizing the quality of work.

| a) Using the traditional method of assessing project performance, we would be able to see if we have been over or under budget and timelines, and we would only have this information once the project has been completed. However, with the traditional approach would not be able to effectively track project performance at a task level and at any given point in time. Due to this, decisions that may need to be taken during the project or identifying issues or project health during project execution is more difficult using traditional approaches than using the EVM process. b) The EVM process is based on tracking the schedule and cost performance at a task level on an on-going basis, that will help determine project task level and overall status with effective indicators that would help make project related decisions. In the EVM process, a baseline plan is made for project costs and timelines and then these are tracked against actual costs and work completion to find out the cost variances and schedule variances and cost and schedule indexes, that will help determine how the project is performing on these parameters. If the variances are in negative or if the indexes are less than 1, it means that the task or the project is behind on cost and schedule and

‘Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements’ (Project Management Institute, 2009, p12). Once a project has been approved a project manager is assigned to the project, and ‘is expected to integrate all aspects of the project, ensure that the proper knowledge and resources are available when they are needed, and ensure that the results are produced in a timely, cost-effective manner’ (Meredith and Mantel, 2010, p5). In order to allow this to happen there are several key aspects of a project which need to be carefully thought out and controlled.

There are many types of project management tools. From proprietary licensed tools such as Smartsheet for Salesforce, Oracle Project Planning and Control and Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management; to theoretical project management tools such as Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Gantt charts and Critical Path Method (CPM). All of these tools aim to streamline the planning,

Next to first-hand experience, case studies are one of the best ways to learn project management skills. In The Crosby Manufacturing Corporation case study, Harold Kerzner reports on the executive-level exchange between the company president and other department heads regarding a new Management Cost and Control System (Kerzner, 2009). This paper will give a synopsis of the case, analyze the case study communications issues and risks, and evaluate Livingston’s selection of a project manager. It will also discuss the possible reactions from the employees, the impact on the cost and time on the

Operations Management in an organisation is repsonsible for managing and in making decisions concerning the activities that convert inputs into outputs , that is goods and services. This covers both short term actvities as well as longer term activities to meet strategic goals. Inputs can be the raw materaials need to manufacture goods such as furniture or the computers needed to create a service like online shopping site. Operation management’s role is to make decisions to improve how operation activities function, for example, to improve the final quality of the output or to change production methods to be more efficient in terms of cost and in time.

Operations management (OM) is that phase of an organization where inputs are put into operations to acquire required output (services) without compromising on quality. In other words operations management is also described as combining and transforming various resources in the operations sub-system into value added services in line with formulated policies of the organization. (Kumar and Suresh, 2009)

Without success there is no business. The goal for any organization is be successful. In order to be a successful business, it is essential to explore the use of process management functions within the operations management (OM) processes. Nissan, like most companies, has had their high and low moments. Fortunately, they have been able to explore the use of process management functions to help reach their goals and keep their business successful. Nissan has used the five steps associated with Theory of Constraints (TOC ) and Total Quality Management (TQM) tools to help improve quality overall within the business. Nissan has also been able to analyze data through cause-and-effect diagrams, time-function maps, and weighted averages to incorporate OM functions such as new products and future expansions.

Projects are temporary endeavors with a beginning and an end and are initiated to solve a particular need of the organization. Operations, on the other hand, are the activities associated with the ongoing business of the company for as long as the company is in existence. While both activities use the organization 's resources and require planning to achieve the objectives, operations activities are repetitive in nature versus project activities which are unique to the particular endeavor. The approach required to manage each differs due to the nature of the activities.

After the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami that hit Japan, Nissan was able to recover faster than other leading automobile manufactures, such as Toyota and Honda. Nissan was able to recover so quickly because the company had a crisis plan already in place, which involved international connections, relationships and deals with suppliers. In this essay, Nissan’s operation management functions will be discussed, in addition to the critical path method (CPM) and the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and how these methods can be fused with the company’s project management.

In their empirical study, Hill and Westbrook (1997), the group members of operations management academics, analyzed 20 UK manufacturing companies in 1993-1994 on

In March of 2011, northeastern Japan was struck by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The magnitude 9 quake (Oskin, 2015) triggered a devastating tsunami, killing thousands, damaging the country’s infrastructure and paralyzing all private, public, and government entities. One of the businesses disrupted by the disaster was Nissan Motor Company LTD, a multinational auto manufacturer producing automobiles under the brand names of Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun. This paper will discuss how Nissan’s quick-thinking Operations Management (OM) team responded to the crisis with rapid efficiency, helping it to capture a competitive advantage over other Japanese auto makers and succeed in its recovery from this monumental natural disaster.

The case study illustrates the challenges met by a newly established company i.e. Rio Bravo IV in a high performance and quality demanding Industry. It shows how the best operations management strategy is important and how customer focus is a key feature in the success of an organization. We also see how building the right team for the right job will be key in the success of projects in today’s result oriented world.