Modeling Project Milestones: Dependent Activities

The current methods of project planning by network analyses and the assumed relationships between activity duration, cost, start date and risk elements are reviewed. The concept of modeling the interdependencies between activities by means of milestone data achievement is presented. The Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) of structuring conditional branching and discrete probabilistic outcomes in scheduling networks are used to develop probable frequency distributions of project duration and cost. The role of the milestone model in project planning is illustrated by an example of a small highway construction project with weather sensitive operations.