6 Project Schedule Management

Question 1

The primary output of breaking down the

WBS work packages.

Answer 1

Activity list

Question 2

The identification of more than one
solution. Consider roles, materials, tools,
and approaches to the project work.

Answer 2

Alternative analysis

Question 3

A somewhat unreliable estimating approach that relies on historical information to predict what current activity
durations should be. It’s more reliable, however, than
team member recollections. It’s also known as top-down
estimating and is a form of expert judgment.

Answer 3

Analogous estimating

Question 4

The most accurate time-and-cost
estimating approach a project manager
can use. This estimating approach starts
considering every activity, its predecessor
and successor activities, and the exact
amount of resources needed to complete
each activity.

Answer 4

Bottom-up estimating

Question 5

A WBS entry that considers the time,
cost, and scope measurements for that
deliverable within the WBS. The
estimated performance is compared
against the actual performance to
measure overall performance for the
deliverables within .

Answer 5

Control account

Question 6

A predetermined range of acceptable
variances, such as +/–10 percent off
schedule. If the variance exceed, then project
control processes and corrected actions will be
enacted.

Answer 6

Control threshold

Question 7

A schedule compression approach that
adds more resources to activities on the
critical path to complete the project
earlier. Costs are added because the associated
labor and other resources cause costs to increase.

Answer 7

Crashing

Question 8

The path in the project network diagram
that cannot be delayed, otherwise the
project completion date will be late. There
can be more than one.
Activities have no float.

Answer 8

Critical path

Question 9

These dependencies are the preferred
order of activities. Project managers
should use these relationships at their
discretion and should document the logic
behind the decision. Allow activities to happen
in a preferred order because of best
practices, conditions unique to the project
work, or external events.

Answer 9

Discretionary dependencies / Soft Logic

Question 10

The earliest a project activity can finish.
Used in the forward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.

Answer 10

Early finish

Question 11

The earliest a project activity can begin.
Used in the forward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.

Answer 11

Early start

Question 12

As the name implies, these are
dependencies outside of the project’s
control. Examples include the delivery of
equipment from a vendor, the deliverable
of another project, or the decision of a
committee, lawsuit, or expected new law.

Answer 12

External dependencies

Question 13

A schedule compression method that
changes the relationship of activities.
Activities that would normally be done in
sequence are allowed to be done in parallel or
with some overlap. It can be
accomplished by changing the relation of
activities from FS to SS or even FF or by
adding lead time to downstream
activities. However, it does
add risk to the project.

Answer 13

Fast tracking

Question 14

An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to be finished before
its successor can finish.

Answer 14

Finish-to-finish

Question 15

An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to be finished before
its successor can start.

Answer 15

Finish-to-start

Question 16

A representation of a project network
diagram that is often used for outsourced
portions of a project, repetitive work
within a project, or a subproject. Also
called a subnet.

Answer 16

Fragnet

Question 17

This is the total time a single activity can
be delayed without affecting the early
start of its immediately following
successor activities.

Answer 17

Free float

Question 18

Logic that describes activities that must
happen in a particular order. For
example, the dirt must be excavated
before the foundation can be built. The
foundation must be in place before the
framing can begin.

Answer 18

Mandatory dependency / Hard logic

Question 19

Internal relationships to the project or the
organization. For example, the project
team must create the software as part of
the project’s deliverable before the
software can be tested for quality control.

Answer 19

Internal dependencies

Question 20

Positive time that moves two or more

activities further apart.

Answer 20

Lag time

Question 21

The latest a project activity can finish.
Used in the backward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.

Answer 21

Late finish

Question 22

The latest a project activity can begin.
Used in the backward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.

Answer 22

Late start

Question 23

Negative time that allows two or more
activities to overlap where ordinarily
these activities would be sequential.

Answer 23

Lead time

Question 24

A percentage of the project duration to
combat Parkinson’s Law. When project
activities become late, their lateness is
subtracted from the:

Answer 24

Management reserve

Question 25

These dependencies are the natural
order of activities. For example, you can’t
begin building your house until your
foundation is in place.

Answer 25

Mandatory dependencies / Hard Logic

Question 26

A project simulation approach, predicts how scenarios may work out, given any number of variables. The process doesn’t actually churn out a specific answer, but a range of possible answers. It can examine, for example, the optimistic completion date, the pessimistic completion date, and the most likely completion date for each activity in the project and then predict a mean for the project schedule.

Answer 26

Monte Carlo analysis

Question 27

A quantitatively based duration estimate
that uses mathematical formulas to
predict how long an activity will take
based on the quantities of work to be
completed.

Answer 27

Parametric estimate

Question 28

A theory that states: “Work expands so
as to fill the time available for its
completion.” It is considered with time
estimating, because bloated or padded
activity estimates will fill the amount of
time allotted to the activity.

Answer 28

Parkinson’s Law

Question 29

A WBS entry located below a control
account and above the work packages. Signifies that there is more planning that needs to be
completed for this specific deliverable.

Answer 29

Planning package

Question 30

A network diagram that shows activities
in nodes and the relationship between
each activity. Predecessors come before
the current activity, and successors come
after the current activity.

Answer 30

Precedence diagramming method

Question 31

Calendars that identify when the project

work will occur.

Answer 31

Project calendars

Question 32

This is the total time the project can be

delayed without passing the customer expected completion date.

Answer 32

Project float

Question 33

A diagram that visualizes the flow of the
project activities and their relationships to
other project activities.

Answer 33

Project network diagram

Question 34

An update to the work breakdown

structure.

Answer 34

Refinement

Question 35

This is a hierarchical breakdown of the
project resources by category and
resource type. For example, you could
have a category of equipment, a category
of human resources, and a category of
materials. Within each category, you
could identify the types of equipment your
project will use, the types of human
resources, and the types of materials.

Answer 35

Resource breakdown structure (RBS)

Question 36

Calendars that identify when project
resources are available for the project
work.

Answer 36

Resource calendars

Question 37

A method to flatten the schedule when
resources are overallocated. It can be applied using different methods to accomplish different goals.
One of the most common methods is to
ensure that workers are not
overextended on activities.

Answer 37

Resource-leveling heuristic

Question 38

The imminent work is planned in detail,
while the work in the future is planned at
a high level. This is a form of progressive
elaboration.

Answer 38

Rolling wave planning

Question 39

A subsidiary plan in the project
management plan. It defines how the
project schedule will be created,
estimated, controlled, and managed.

Answer 39

Schedule management plan

Question 40

The activities don’t necessarily have to
happen in a specific order. For example,
you could install the light fixtures first,
then the carpet, and then paint the room.
The project manager could use it
to change the order of the activities if so
desired.

Answer 40

Soft logic / Discretionary Dependencies

Question 41

An activity relationship that requires an
activity to start so that its successor can
finish. This is the most unusual of all the
activity relationship types.

Answer 41

Start-to-finish

Question 42

An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to start before its
successor can start.

Answer 42

Start-to-start

Question 43

A representation of a project network
diagram that is often used for outsourced
portions of projects, repetitive work within
a project, or a subproject.

Answer 43

Subnet / Fragnet

Question 44

A previous project that can be adapted
for the current project and forms that are
pre-populated with organizational-specific
information.

Answer 44

Template

Question 45

An estimating technique for each activity
that requires optimistic, most likely, and
pessimistic estimates to be created.
Based on these three estimates, an
average can be created to predict how
long the activity should take.

Answer 45

Three-point estimate

Question 46

This is the total time an activity can be
delayed without delaying project
completion.

Answer 46

Total float

Question 47

The smallest item in the work breakdown

structure.

Answer 47

Work package