Manufacturing processes, scientific experiments, research programs, tax collection systems, are all endeavors once born as projects. Project engineering is the application of science to the development and analysis of project plans, and to the supervision of their realization. This book is a unified treatise on the technology of project planning and execution. It provides a systematic understanding of the different methodological approaches to the development and supervision of project plans. Readers are given a technical introduction to the main methodologies, such as graphs, activity networks, CPM, PERT, GERT, and Petri nets, and given guidance as to when and why to apply one technique rather than another.
The book deliberately emphasizes those techniques which are particularly suitable to exploiting the power of computation, and therefore supplies a solid platform for applying computer tools to the analysis and control of projects. The book also introduces ODM, a methodology based on the theory of fuzzy sets for supporting plan execution supervisors in making operational choices. The book is self-contained. It is designed to serve professionals and students in the fields of systems engineering, computer aided planning, and decision support systems.