Cambridge A Level Information Technology (ICT): Project management (9626) – Revision Notes

For full explanations and worked examples, use the project management study guide. These notes condense topic 15, Project management (sections 15.1–15.3) of the Cambridge International AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (version 3). It is A Level only content, and the syllabus states that Paper 3 (Advanced Theory) questions are based on sections 12–21. Calculators are not allowed in Paper 3.

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15.1 The stages of the project life cycle

The four stages at a glance

Stage	Key activities (syllabus terms)	Typical output
Initiation	Identify objectives; resources required; success criteria; stakeholders and their needs; project scope; high-level schedule	Approved project outline
Planning	Detailed planning of resources; scheduling of tasks	Detailed plan, Gantt/PERT charts, budget
Execution and monitoring	Implement the plan; monitor progress against time, cost and quality; report to stakeholders	Deliverables, progress reports
Close	Completion and review; reasons for reviews	Sign-off, review report, lessons learned

Definitions

• Objective: what the project must achieve. Make it specific and measurable.
• Success criteria: the measures used at the end to judge whether the objectives were met.
• Stakeholder: a person or group affected by, or with an interest in, the project (client, managers, users, customers, team).
• Scope: the boundary of the project, what is in and what is out. Uncontrolled growth is scope creep.
• High-level schedule: main phases and key dates only.
• Resources: people, skills, hardware, software, money, time, premises.

Must-know distinctions

• Initiation vs planning: initiation decides what and whether; planning decides how and when, task by task.
• Objective vs success criterion: “launch online booking” is an objective; “60% of bookings online within two months” is a success criterion.
• Monitoring the three constraints: time (against the schedule), cost (against the budget), quality (against agreed standards, for example by testing).

Why projects are reviewed at close

1. Check objectives and success criteria were met.
2. Compare actual time and cost with the plan.
3. Find what went well and what went wrong.
4. Record lessons to improve future planning.
5. Confirm the client and other stakeholders are satisfied.

15.2 Project management software

Types

Type	One-line definition	Key plus	Key minus
Desktop	Installed on one computer	Works offline	Hard to share
Web-based	Runs in a browser, data online	One live version anywhere	Needs internet; ongoing fees
Mobile	App on phone/tablet	Instant updates on the move	Small screen, fewer features
Personal	Manages one person’s own tasks	Simple	Not for teams
Single-user	One manager controls the plan	Cheap, easy	Others depend on the manager
Collaborative	Many users share a live plan	Everyone sees current status	Training and permissions needed

Uses (learn all six)

Use	What the software does
Planning	Stores tasks, durations, dependencies; draws charts
Scheduling of tasks	Calculates dates and critical path; moves dependent tasks automatically
Allocation of resources	Assigns people and equipment; flags over-allocation
Costings	Totals budgets; compares actual with planned cost
Communication	Notifications, messages, shared files, automatic reports
Collaborative working and decisions	Several users edit one plan and decide from the same live data

Using software overall

• For: automatic recalculation, fewer errors, clashes flagged, quick reports, shared information.
• Against: cost, training, set-up and update time, only as good as the data entered, overkill for small projects, dependence on the system.

15.3 Tools and techniques

Gantt chart

Tasks down the side, time along the top, one bar per task from start to end. Read off: start and end dates, tasks running at the same time, project length, milestones, and progress against today’s date.

Method in steps: creating a Gantt chart

1. List every task with its duration and the tasks it depends on.
2. Draw the time scale (days or weeks) along the top.
3. Start each bar no earlier than the end of every task it depends on.
4. Mark milestones and the current date.

Reading progress: if a 4-week task is planned for weeks 2–5 and today is the end of week 3, it should be half done. If a quarter is done, it is about one week behind. Check whether any later task depends on it: if so, that task will also start late unless resources are added.

PERT chart and CPM components

Component	Meaning
Activity/task	A unit of work with a duration
Work breakdown structure (WBS)	The project split into smaller and smaller pieces of work
Timings	Duration, EST, EFT, LST, LFT
Float	Delay allowed without delaying the project
End points	Start and finish of the network
Milestone	A significant point, zero duration
Dependency	An activity that must wait for another to finish
Deliverable	A product of an activity or phase

Method in steps: creating a PERT chart

1. Draw a start node.
2. Add a box for each activity, showing its duration.
3. Draw an arrow from each activity to every activity that depends on it.
4. Join the final activities to a finish node, then add EST, LST and float to each box.

Timing formulas

Quantity	Rule
EFT	EST + duration
EST (with several predecessors)	Largest EFT of the predecessors
Project duration	Largest EFT in the network
LST	LFT − duration
LFT (with several successors)	Smallest LST of the successors
Float	LST − EST = LFT − EFT = LFT − EST − duration
Critical activity	Float = 0

Method in steps: critical path

1. Forward pass from 0, taking the largest EFT where paths join.
2. Project duration = final EFT.
3. Backward pass from the project duration, taking the smallest LST where paths split.
4. Float = LST − EST for each activity.
5. Critical path = the chain of zero-float activities from start to finish. Check that its durations add up to the project duration.

Worked reminder

Activities (days): A 2; B 3 after A; C 5 after A; D 1 after B; E 1 after C and D.

Forward:  A 0-2   B 2-5   C 2-7   D 5-6   E 7-8   (E waits for larger of 7 and 6)
Duration: 8 days
Backward: E LST 7   C LST 2   D LST 6   B LST 3   A LST 0
Float:    B 1, D 1; A, C, E 0
Critical path: A -> C -> E   (2 + 5 + 1 = 8)

Critical path analysis in management

• Authorising work: approve an activity once its predecessors are complete; know its latest start.
• Costings: attach costs to activities to know when money is spent; release budget stage by stage.
• Allocating resources: move staff from activities with float to critical ones; delay non-critical work to avoid clashes.

Advantages and disadvantages

Tool	For	Against
Gantt	Easy to read; dates and progress clear	Dependencies and float not clear; cluttered when large
PERT	Dependencies and parallel tasks clear	Slow to draw; hard for non-specialists
CPM	Minimum duration, critical activities, float	Depends on accurate estimates; recalculate after changes

Quick self-test

1. State two items decided at project initiation.
2. Give the difference between an objective and a success criterion.
3. State the three things progress is monitored against during execution.
4. Give two reasons for conducting a project review.
5. Name the type of project management software that lets many users update one live plan.
6. State one disadvantage of mobile project management software.
7. State one thing a Gantt chart shows less clearly than a PERT chart.
8. An activity has EST 7, duration 5 and LFT 15. Calculate its float.
9. Two activities, ending at days 9 and 12, must both finish before activity K starts. State the EST of K.
10. What is the float of every activity on the critical path?
11. Explain why the critical path is the longest path.
12. State how critical path analysis helps with allocating resources.

Answers

1. Any two: objectives, resources required, success criteria, stakeholders and their needs, scope, high-level schedule.
2. An objective is what the project must achieve; a success criterion is the measure used to judge whether it was achieved.
3. Time, cost and quality.
4. Any two: check objectives and success criteria were met; compare actual time and cost with the plan; identify what went well or badly; record lessons for future projects; confirm stakeholder satisfaction.
5. Collaborative.
6. Small screen limits detailed planning, or fewer features, or the device can be lost.
7. Dependencies between tasks (or float).
8. Float = 15 − 7 − 5 = 3 days.
9. Day 12 (the larger EFT).
10. Zero.
11. Every activity on it must happen one after another, so the project cannot finish until the longest chain is complete.
12. Staff can be moved from activities with float to critical activities, so the project end date is protected.

Where marks are usually lost

• Using the smallest EFT in the forward pass where two paths join.
• Using the largest LST in the backward pass where paths split.
• Calling the critical path the “shortest route” through the network.
• Listing a critical path whose durations do not add up to the project duration.
• Writing “the software makes it easier” without naming a use such as rescheduling dependent tasks.
• Mixing up single-user (one person controls a whole project) and personal (one person’s own tasks).
• Describing initiation activities, such as setting scope, as part of planning.
• Giving only advantages when the question asks for advantages and disadvantages.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, version 3 (published July 2025), Cambridge International, part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Topic 15, Project management, sections 15.1–15.3.