Decision CPM: A Method for Simultaneous Planning, Scheduling, and Control of Projects

DCPM is a method for formally considering the interaction between the scheduling and the planning phases of a project. Thus, if there are a number of competing methods of performing some of the jobs, each method having a different cost, a different time duration, and different technological dependencies, these possibilities are included in the project graph. Then in the scheduling phase, consideration is made of the effects of the alternate methods of performing tasks on the total cost of completing the project. The alternatives that minimize this cost are then selected. The same method can also be applied to the control of the project during its completion, to revise previous decisions in light of actual performance observed.