12. Schedule Management (Knowledge Area 3)

Question 1

iteration burndown chart

Answer 1

shows the work that remains to be completed in the iteration backlog

Question 2

WBS

Answer 2

Work Breakdown Structure

Question 3

precedence diagramming method

Answer 3

used to construct the project schedule network diagram showing the dependencies between activities

Question 4

fast tracking

Answer 4

a schedule compression technique in which activities are generally done in parallel

This technique generally increases the risk on the project but may not increase costs.

Question 5

“start to start” relationship

Answer 5

when a successor activity cannot start until the predecessor activity has started. This means that they both generally started the same time, but they may not finish at the same time.

Question 6

mandatory dependencies

Answer 6

one activity must be done in order for another activity to start

Question 7

activity attributes

Answer 7

can be used to identify the place where the work is to be performed

Question 8

critical path method

Question 9

rolling wave planning

Answer 9

planning technique in which future work is decomposed as the work gets closer

Question 10

crashing

Answer 10

adding more resources to the project to finish it faster; will increase costs

Question 11

contingency reserve

Answer 11

unknown and is usually added to the project management plan

Question 12

management reserve

Answer 12

an unknown-unknown and not added to the project management plan

Question 13

basis of estimates

Answer 13

indicates the range of possible estimates

Question 14

discretionary dependencies

Answer 14

the sequence of activities does not necessarily have to be done in that particular order, but is usually at the discretion of the person doing the work

Question 15

analogous estimating

Answer 15

based on historical information, generally from previous projects that were very similar; leads to a quick estimate, but may not be very accurate

Question 16

expert judgment (for scheduling)

Answer 16

using subject matter experts and trend analysis to see whether the project is staying on or off schedule

Question 17

lead

Answer 17

An overlap of work on a project

Question 18

lag

Answer 18

A delay between activities.

Question 19

external dependency

Answer 19

when the work is outside of the project team’s control, such as getting a permit

Question 20

schedule management plan

Answer 20

describes how schedule will be planned, developed, managed, executed, and controlled throughout the project,

as well as the level of accuracy, reporting formats, and schedule model

Question 21

decomposition

Answer 21

breaks down the deliverables and work packages into activities;

best done when the team members are involved, since they are considered subject matter experts and will generally lead to more accurate results;

should be done throughout the project as more work is done and understood

Question 22

The WBS is part of the ___.

Answer 22

scope baseline

Question 23

What type of activities have a duration of zero.

Answer 23

Milestones have zero duration because they represent a significant point or event on the project

Question 24

In developing the schedule management plan which tool will the project manager use?

Answer 24

data analysis tool

Question 25

What is a series of formulas that will tell you the status update on the project

Answer 25

earned value analysis

Question 26

While working on an agile project, what can the project manager do in order to track the work that remains to be completed on the project?

Answer 26

iteration burndown chart

Question 27

What identifies the working days and shifts that the project will follow?

Answer 27

project calendar

Question 28

Which method is used to construct a schedule in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked?

Answer 28

precedence diagramming method

Question 29

While conducting the process of define activities, a few of the team members have decided to use the lesson learned repository from previous projects.

Which of the following input describes this lesson learned repository?

Answer 29

organizational process assets

Question 30

While getting ready to manage the project schedule, the project manager would like to document how accurate the schedule must be and what model the team will use to create the schedule.

What document would have this information?

Answer 30

schedule management plan

= will describe how the schedule will be planned, developed, managed, executed, and controlled throughout the project, as well as the level of accuracy, reporting formats, and schedule model

Question 31

The project team has embarked on a very complex software development project and is currently having a difficult time decomposing work packages that will be done later; they have decided to decompose these work packages as they get closer to the work. What technique best represents the scenario?

Answer 31

Rolling wave planning

= planning technique in which future work is decomposed as the work gets closer

Question 32

The project team has completed all duration estimates for the activities on the project and has indicated that their estimates should be with in a -10 to +10% range.

Where should the project team store this range?

Answer 32

Basis of estimates

Question 33

While estimating the duration of activities on the project, the project team has decided to base most of their estimates on historical data from a project they completed a few months ago that is very similar to the current project. This would allow them to complete the estimate fairly quickly.

What technique best illustrates this scenario?

Answer 33

analogous estimating

Question 34

While working on a complex software development project, the project team has added an additional month to the project schedule due to the uncertainty of the work getting done.

What type of reserve does this represent?

Answer 34

contingency reserve = associated with a known-unknown and is usually added to the project management plan

Question 35

The project manager is constructing the project schedule and would like to know the minimum duration needed to complete the project.

What method can he used to determine the minimum duration?

Answer 35

critical path method

= used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility