pjm-project-management-orderings

name	pjm - Project Management Orderings
description	Orderings from formal project management — PERT, CPM, Critical Chain, Agile — for scheduling and resource management.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Project Management Orderings

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Overview

Formal project management has developed sophisticated methods for ordering work across teams, managing dependencies, and handling uncertainty. These work for any multi-step project with dependencies and resource constraints.

Ordering Rules

Rule 1: Critical Path Method (CPM)

• Map all tasks and dependencies
• Find the longest path through the network (critical path)
• Critical path tasks have zero slack — any delay delays the project
• Non-critical tasks have float — can be delayed without affecting completion
• Order: Critical path tasks get priority in scheduling and resources

Rule 2: PERT — Account for Uncertainty

• For each task, estimate: optimistic, most likely, pessimistic duration
• Expected = (O + 4M + P) / 6
• Use expected durations for scheduling
• Variance tells you where uncertainty lives
• Order: high-variance tasks earlier (reduce uncertainty sooner)

Rule 3: Critical Chain (CCPM)

• Remove individual task padding
• Add a single project buffer at the end
• Add feeding buffers where non-critical paths join critical
• Order: schedule aggressively, monitor buffer consumption

Rule 4: Agile/Sprint

• Break work into time-boxed iterations (sprints)
• Each sprint delivers working increment
• Prioritize backlog each sprint by value
• Order: highest-value items each sprint, adjust between sprints

Application

Step 1: Map Dependencies

• What depends on what?
• → INVOKE: /de [tasks] for dependency extraction if needed

Step 2: Identify Critical Path

• Which sequence of tasks is longest?
• Those tasks determine the minimum project duration

Step 3: Schedule

• Critical path tasks scheduled first with full resources
• Non-critical tasks scheduled in float periods
• Buffers placed at merge points

When to Use

• Multi-person projects with dependencies
• Deadline-driven work
• Resource-constrained scheduling

Verification

• All tasks and dependencies mapped
• Critical path identified
• Buffers placed (not padded individual tasks)
• High-uncertainty tasks addressed early