A dependent project evaluation and review technique: A Bayesian network approach

The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) dates back to 1959. This method evaluates the uncertainty distribution of a project’s completion time given the uncertain completion times of the activities/tasks comprised within it. Each activity’s uncertainty was defined originally by a unique two parameter beta PERT distribution satisfying what is known to be the PERT mean and PERT variance. In this paper, a three-parameter PERT family of bounded distributions is introduced satisfying that same mean and variance, generalizing the beta PERT distribution. Their additional flexibility allows for the modeling of statistical dependence in a continuous Bayesian network, generalizing in turn the traditional PERT procedure where statistical independence is assumed among beta PERT activity durations. Through currently available Bayesian network software and the construction of that PERT family herein, the coherent monitoring of remaining project completion time uncertainty given partial completion of a project may become more accessible to PERT analysts. An illustrative example demonstrating the benefit of monitoring of remaining project completion time uncertainty as activities complete in that Bayesian fashion shall be presented, including expressions and algorithms for the specification of the three prior parameters for each activity in the project network to adhere to classical the PERT mean and PERT variance and a degree of statistical dependence between them.