Comparative Study of University Courses on Critical-Path Method Scheduling

There is a growing need for project controls on today’s construction projects. Delivering a project on time does not mean just signing a contract and hoping that the required contract completion date will be met. More often than not, the majority of today’s constructed projects encounter events and/or changes that affect the original plan of executing a project. A key to monitoring a project’s progress is a critical-path method (CPM) schedule. However, the methods and techniques of CPM scheduling vary widely on any construction site. In light of this difference, a growing need has emerged for standards for CPM scheduling, a common foundation from which terms, definitions, and applications can be universally understood. In determining what recommendations might be reasonable in establishing scheduling standards, one area to be examined is how CPM scheduling is being taught in the universities. In this examination, the writer conducted a survey of university CPM curriculums in the United States, Europe, and Asia. This paper reflects the findings of this survey focusing on the base guideline of time management as presented by the Project Management Institute’s Project management book of knowledge (PMBOK) as compared to how the concepts in the PMBOK are taught in university courses in CPM scheduling in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Data obtained from the study will then provide a basis for recommendations to both industry and academia relative to potential changes which would bring the world closer together in commonality in the area of CPM scheduling.