Which method uses estimated timelines to plan and control complex projects?

Which method uses estimated timelines to plan and control complex projects?

• A. Program Evaluation and Review Technique
• B. Waterfall method
• C. Dependencies
• D. Stakhanovite Movement

Answer: (A)

Planning and controlling complex projects with estimates of how long tasks will take is what the Program Evaluation and Review Technique is built for. PERT models a project as a network of activities, assigns time estimates to each task (often optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic), and uses these to calculate overall duration and identify the critical path—the sequence that drives the finish date. This probabilistic scheduling helps you forecast completion, gauge risks, and focus on the tasks that most affect the timeline. The Waterfall method is a linear, stage-by-stage approach to development, not primarily defined by using probabilistic timelines to manage a whole project. Dependencies are about how tasks relate to one another, not a full scheduling framework. The Stakhanovite Movement is unrelated to project scheduling.

Planning and controlling complex projects with estimates of how long tasks will take is what the Program Evaluation and Review Technique is built for. PERT models a project as a network of activities, assigns time estimates to each task (often optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic), and uses these to calculate overall duration and identify the critical path—the sequence that drives the finish date. This probabilistic scheduling helps you forecast completion, gauge risks, and focus on the tasks that most affect the timeline.

The Waterfall method is a linear, stage-by-stage approach to development, not primarily defined by using probabilistic timelines to manage a whole project. Dependencies are about how tasks relate to one another, not a full scheduling framework. The Stakhanovite Movement is unrelated to project scheduling.