5. Schedule Management

Question 1

What is the process of schedule management?

Answer 1

Plan Schedule Management
Define Activities
Sequence Activities
Estimate Activity Durations
Develop Schedule
Control Schedule

Question 2

What is the key output of the Plan Schedule Management process?

Answer 2

Schedule management plan

Question 3

hat are the key outputs of the Define Activities process?

Answer 3

Activity list
Activity attributes
Milestone list
Change requests

Question 4

What is the key output of the Sequence Activities process?

Answer 4

Project schedule network diagram

Question 5

What are the key output of the Estimate Activity Duration process?

Answer 5

Duration estimates
Basis of estimates
Updates to project documents

Question 6

Describe the Develop Schedule process.

What are some of its key outputs?

Answer 6

An iterative process that creates a project schedule that is bought into, approved, realistic, and formal

Project schedule
Schedule baseline
Change requests
Schedule data

Question 7

What are the key outputs of the Control Schedule process?

Answer 7

Work performance information
Schedule forecasts
Change requests
Updates to the schedule management plan, performance measurement baseline, and project documents

Question 8

What is triangular distribution?

What is bets distribution?

Answer 8

Triangular distribution: A simple average giving equal weight to each of the threee-point estimates when calculating the expected activity duration or cost; it uses the formula (P+O+M)/3

Beta distribution: A weighted average that gives stronger consideration to the most likely estimate; it uses the formula (P + 4M + O)/6

Question 9

What is alternative analysis?

Answer 9

Alternatives analysis involves evaluating the impact of each option on project constraints, including financial investment versus time saved and level of risk

This process will result in the determination of the best approach to completing project work within the constraints

Question 10

What are the two types of reserves being evaluated in reserve analysis?

Answer 10

Contingency reserves and management reserves

Question 11

What is rolling wave planning?

Answer 11

Planning at a higher level and developing more detailed plans when the work is to be done

Question 12

What do network diagrams show?

Answer 12

The network diagram shows just dependencies (logical relationships)

If estimates and leads and lags are added to the diagram later in the schedule managemen process, it can also show the critical path

If plotted out against time (or placed against a calendar-based scale), the network diagram

Question 13

What are the four types of logical relationships between activities in the precedence diagramming method?

Answer 13

Finish-to-start (FS): An activity must finish before the successor can start

Start-to-start (SS): An activity must start before the successor can start

Finish-to-finish (FF): An activity must finish before the successor can finish

Start-to-finish (SF): An activity must start before the successor can finish

Question 14

What are mandatory dependencies?

What are discretionary dependencies?

Answer 14

Mandatory: The order in which activities must be done, due to the inherent nature of the work or as required by a contract; also called “hard logic”

Discretionary: The order in which the organization has chosen to have work performed; also called “preferred”, “preferential”, or “soft logic”

Question 15

What are external dependencies?

What are internal dependencies?

Answer 15

External: Dependencies based on the needs of a party outside the project

Internal: Dependencies based on the needs of the project; may be under the control of the project team

Question 16

What is a lag?

What is a lead?

Answer 16

Lag: Waiting time inserted between activities

Lead: How soon an activity can start before its predecessor activity is completed

Question 17

What tool can be used when creating complex project schedule network diagrams that include leads and lags (as well as other dependencies)?

Answer 17

An automated scheduling system that is part of the PMIS

Question 18

What are some inputs to Estimate Activity Durations?

Answer 18

• Activity list and activity attributes
• Assumption log
• Lessons learned register
• Resource breakdown structure
• Resource breakdown structure
• Resource requirements
• Project team assignments
• Resource calendars
• Risk register

Question 19

What does a resource breakdown structure show?

Answer 19

The categories of resources required for the project

Question 20

What is padding?

What is the problem with padding?

Answer 20

A pad is extra time or cost added to an estimate because the estimator does not have enough information

Padding undermines the professional responsibility of a project manager to develop a realistic schedule and budget

Question 21

What is analogous estimating?

When is it done?

Answer 21

Analogous estimating uses expert judgement and historical information to predict the future

It can be done at various times, and the level of accuracy depends on how closely the project or activity matches the past historical data used

Question 22

What is parametric estimating?

What tools might an estimator use to create parametric estimates?

Answer 22

Parametric estimating involves creating a mathematical equation using data from historical records or other sources, such as industry requirements or standard metrics, to create estimates

Regression analysis or a learning curve

Question 23

What is an example of a heuristic?

Answer 23

The 80/20 rule

A heuristic is a generally accepted rule, or best practice

Question 24

What is three-point estimating?

Answer 24

A technique where estimators give an optimistic (O), pessimistic (P), and most likely (M) estimate for each activity

Three-Point estimates can be used to calculate a risk-based expected duration estimate for an activity by taking either a simple average (triangular distribution) of three estimates

Question 25

How does a schedule model differ from a schedule?

Answer 25

The schedule model consists of all the project data that will be used to calculate the schedule, such as the activities, and leads and lags

The project schedule is the output of the schedule model - consolidates the schedule data that becomes the schedule baseline and part of the project management plan

Question 26

What is the critical path method?

What is near-critical path method?

Answer 26

Critical path method: Determining the longest duration path through the network diagram, the earliest and latest an activity can start, and the earliest and latest it can be completed

Near-critical path: The path closest in duration to the critical path; the closer in length the critical and near-critical paths are, the more the risk to the project

Question 27

Define total float, free float, and project float.

Answer 27

Total float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date or an intermediary milestone

Free float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of its successor(s)

Project float: The amount of time the project can be delayed without delaying the externally imposed project completion date required by the customer or management (also referred to as positive total float)

Question 28

What are the two formulas for calculating float?

Answer 28

Late start (LS) - Earily start (ES)

Late finish (LF) - Early finish (EF)

Question 29

How does the critical path help us manage the project?

Answer 29

Helps prove how long the project will take

Shows which activities have float and can therefore be delayed without delaying the project

Provides information needed to compress the schedule during project planning and whenever there are changes

Helps determine where to focus your project management efforts

Helps determine which activities have more risk associated with them

Helps determine if a delayed activity needs immediate attention

Question 30

What is crashing?

What is fast tracking?

Answer 30

Crashing: Adding or adjusting resources in order to compress the schedule while maintaining the original project scope

Fast tracking: Compressing the schedule by doing more critical path activities in parallel

Question 31

What is Monte Carlo analysis?

Answer 31

A technique that uses computer software to simulate the outcome of a project, based on the three-point estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely) for each activity and the network diagram

Monte Carlo analysis is also used as a risk a management tool to quantitatively analyze risks

Question 32

What is resource optimization?

Answer 32

Finding ways to adjust the use of resources

Question 33

What is resource leveling?

What is resource smoothing?

Answer 33

Resource leveling: A resource optimization technique that allows you to level the peaks and valleys of the schedule from one month to the other, resulting in a more stable number of resources

Resource smoothing: A modified form of resource leveling, where resources are leveled only within the limits of the float of their activities, so the completion dates of activities are not delayed

Question 34

What are the main presentation formats for a schedule?

Answer 34

Network diagrams

Bar charts

Milestone charts

Question 35

What do simple bar charts show?

What do milestone charts show?

Answer 35

Bar charts: Progress reporting and control; they are weak planning tools

Milestone charts: High-level project status; they only show major events

Question 36

What is the schedule baseline?

Answer 36

The schedule baseline is the version of the schedule model used to manage the project; it is what the project team’s performance is measured against

Question 37

What is reestimating?

Answer 37

Estimating the project again at least once during the life of the project to make sure you can still satisfy the project objectives within the schedule, budget, and other project constraints, and to adjust the project if you cannot

This is part of the monitoring and controlling process group