RDM: relationship diagramming method

Fredric Leigh Plotnick

doi:10.17918/etd-2934

The Critical Path Method of Planning and Scheduling (CPM) was developed in the mid to late 1950s to improve upon the Gantt Chart or bar-chart, by using the recently developed digital computer to perform much of the tedium of the process. The methodology developed was therefore largely dependent upon and constrained by the limits of digital computers of that era, which initially lacked what is now called "random access memory." The enhancement of adding RAM in the mid 1960s led to a variant in the original methodology. To make the distinction the original method was now named the Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM) variant, while the newer variant was named Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM.) However, due to the still limited computers of the 1960s, the methodology utilized for PDM was less rigorous than that theorized by leaders in the field. Commercialization of personal computers in the 1980s exacerbated these issues, as initial models had less capability than the large mainframe computers for which most software had previously been developed. In considering the industry application of CPM, a side effect of the dispersion and convenience of personal computing was that simplified software was mass marketed. Many individuals with lesser training and experience with CPM now have access to sophisticated scheduling software. Such individuals may unwittingly misuse the software and possibly obtain erroneous output. The further advancements in power and memory of desktop computers to the present day has largely been used to provide superior graphics, but not to resolve these issues, nor to provide additional functionality beyond that developed in the 1950s. The purpose of this research has been to revisit the simplifications of the developers of the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s, and then to develop a more robust and accurate methodology utilizing the capabilities of modern computers. This led to development of a third variant, named RDM (or Relationship Diagramming Method.) This dissertation discusses the problems related to the initial development of CPM, limitations of the ADM and PDM variant, and how these have been addressed using the new RDM variant.

RDM: relationship diagramming method

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RDM: relationship diagramming method

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