PERT Chart: What It Is and How to Create One

Quick answer

A PERT chart is a network diagram with three-point estimates — the tool that models schedule uncertainty; PERT’s expected duration = (O+4M+P)/6.

The chart

Network diagram of tasks/dependencies with durations — the logic map.

The formula

Expected duration = (Optimistic + 4×MostLikely + Pessimistic)/6 — the weighted estimate.

What it gives

Expected duration + variance per path — a probabilistic schedule, not a point.

Today

Monte Carlo simulation generalizes it — PERT’s idea survives in modern tools.

Bottom line

A PERT chart is a network diagram with three-point estimates — the tool that models schedule uncertainty; PERT’s expected duration = (O+4M+P)/6.

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