196 / 252
184
CHAPTER 8
PURCHASING ANALYSIS TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
3. Execute the plan: Carry out the plan according to the required tasks and
timing.
4. Monitor and control progress: Monitor and control progress to ensure that
the project stays on track and, if issues arise, to determine what needs to
be done to ensure that the project stays on track. If it looks as though the
project cannot be brought back on track, determine how the plan should be
modified to reflect new realities.
5. Close the project: Close the project on completion. This includes going
through all tasks to ensure that they have been completed, all issues have
been dealt with and closed out and so on. An integral part of the close-out
process is carrying out a ‘post mortem’ analysis with the team that worked
on the project to list the things that went well and those that did not go so
well and to record these for use on future projects [3].
8.6 PROJECT PLANNING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Various tools and techniques exist for planning project work. These allow
the project manager to plan the work being carried out and to subsequently
evaluate performance against time and budget. Two useful tools for planning
and controlling a project are Gantt charts and project network tools such as
Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique
(PERT). Both Gantt charts and project network tools can show what has to be
done, how long a particular activity will take, in what sequence each activity has
to occur, and who is responsible for completing the activity.
8.6.1 BAR CHARTS
Bar charts can be used to detail the critical path, aid in picking up variances
between planned and actual completion of tasks and illustrate dependencies,
relationships and duration of tasks.
Bar charts are relatively simple to construct and to read, and they provide a
good tool for communicating to team members. A bar chart visually displays the
tasks and times associated with a project. It comprises horizontal bars with the
activities to be completed listed vertically and times or dates listed horizontally [4].
An example of a Gantt chart is depicted in Figure 8.3.