PERT and the Polaris Missile
Program in the 1950s
STUDENT PAPER
By Evelyn Chao
Founder and President, PM Ready Inc.
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC, USA
Abstract
In the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy launched the Polaris Program to create the first solid-fueled, nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile system. Confronting immature technologies and intense schedule pressure, the Navy’s Special Projects Office collaborated with civilian contractors and created the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) as a statistical, network-based method for planning and controlling complex research and development projects. PERT did more than accelerate the Polaris schedule; it became a defining tool of modern project management following Polaris’s success. The story of PERT in Polaris highlights several management lessons for contemporary project professionals. PERT’s lasting value was not only technical but managerial – it created a shared language for uncertainty. Complex projects require transparent information flows, disciplined review rhythms, and probabilistic thinking. At the same time, PERT’s limitations show that management systems remain dependent on human judgment. These lessons are especially relevant in the age of artificial intelligence. Like PERT, AI helps project teams manage uncertainty; however, it should augment, not replace, managerial judgment. The history of PERT reminds project professionals that successful innovation depends not only on new tools, but also on the governance, culture, and trust that make those tools effective.
Keywords: Project Management; Risk management; PERT; Polaris Missile Program; U.S. Navy
Introduction
In the late 1950s, the U.S. initiated the Polaris Program to develop the first solid-fueled, nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). This program involved unfamiliar engineering challenges, intense schedule pressure, and complex contractor networks. To manage this pioneering program, the U.S. Navy’s Special Projects Office developed the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) – a network-based managerial method for planning large research and development programs. By drawing from a range of primary sources, including archives from the Navy’s Special Projects Office, oral histories, newspaper articles, and other contemporary documents, this paper explores how PERT evolved from a technical solution for Polaris in the 1950s to a revolution that shaped the project management field. The technical innovation of PERT accelerated the delivery of the Polaris Program, transformed how the program managed time, interdependence, and risks, and came to symbolize professionalism and modernity in project management.
Origins of the Polaris Program
In the 1950s, the U.S. adopted a strategy of deterrence against the Soviet Union. National security experts warned that early deterrent forces, such as strategic bombers and land-based missiles, became increasingly vulnerable to a first strike. The 1950 U.S. National Security Council report to the President stated that “It is estimated that, within the next four years, the USSR will attain the capability of seriously damaging vital centers of the U.S.” (U.S. National Security Council, 1950). A 1955 report from the Technological Capabilities Panel of the Science Advisory Committee also emphasized the need to meet the threat of surprise attack, noting that “They [the Soviets] might be so tempted to attack before we achieve a large multimegaton capability.” (U.S. Department of State, 1955, p. 43). Both reports alerted that U.S. bomber bases were increasingly vulnerable to surprise attack and drove the shift toward missile-based deterrence.
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How to cite this paper: Chao, E. (2026). From Technical Solution to Managerial Transformation: PERT and the Polaris Missile Program in the 1950s; PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue VII, July. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/pmwj166-Jul2026-Chao-PERT-and-Polaris-Missile-Program-student-research-paper.pdf
About the Author
Evelyn R. Chao
Washington, DC, USA
Evelyn R. Chao is a high school senior at Sidwell Friends School and passionate about learning, practicing, and advocating project management. At age 14, She earned the Project Management Ready Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Since then, she has channeled her enthusiasm for civic engagement into championing project management education and empowering young changemakers to serve.
Believing in the transformative power of education, Evelyn took the initiative to establish the nonprofit organization PM Ready Inc., accessible at www.pmready.org. PM Ready serves as a unique platform for fostering intergenerational conversations about project leadership and inspiring youth of diverse backgrounds to apply project management learning to achieve their full potential, take actions to promote community and global development goals. She published two books – Project ABCs for Aspiring Changemakers (2024) & Youth Voices of Change: Case Studies of Impactful Student-Led Projects (2026).
Beyond her academic pursuits, she is an active member of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets and a coxswain with TBC Rowing Club. Outside of school, she enjoys playing the violin, drawing, reading, watching movies with her family, and hanging out with her friends. A loving older sister to Elaine and Elise, Evelyn takes pleasure in nurturing their curiosity through fun, hand-on projects. Evelyn can be contacted at evelynchao.r@gmail.com
