Question

Are PERT and CPM both official tools of operations management? Also, each formalized project management plan has a stakeholder management plan embedded in it. This is key (and confidential) as specifics to each person is needed in terms of engagement (how, when, frequency, etc.). Additionally, not all stakeholders are equal. Do operational plans require a stakeholder management plan as well?

Answer 1

PERT is a review method that is commonly used as a statistical tool that is quite commonly utilized in the project management. This is mainly designed to evaluate and present the different tasks and activities which are involved in a certain project. Both PERT and CPM are the commonly used management methods that have been found out because of the requirements of Western industrial and military establishments so that they can have better planning, scheduling, and controlling over the trivial projects. These can be termed as official tools as they are widely used in project management.

When we talk about the stakeholders then these are the different types of individuals and organizations that can be affected by the operations of the organization directly and indirectly. In the case of project management, there are entities that can be affected by the different activities of the project management. It has to be noted that different entities get affected by the project management differently and thus all the stakeholders are not equal. Some will have greater importance and some will be given lesser importance.

For the effective management of the project, it is advisable and important to have the stakeholder management plan as this can be seen as the lifeblood of effective project management activities. This will include not only having the broad knowledge of the different stakeholders but to also use the special communication methods to address their specific requirements.