6 Project Schedule Management Flashcards
The primary output of breaking down the
WBS work packages.
Activity list
The identification of more than one
solution. Consider roles, materials, tools,
and approaches to the project work.
Alternative analysis
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.
Analogous estimating
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.
Bottom-up estimating
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 .
Control account
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.
Control threshold
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.
Crashing
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.
Critical path
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.
Discretionary dependencies / Soft Logic
The earliest a project activity can finish.
Used in the forward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.
Early finish
The earliest a project activity can begin.
Used in the forward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.
Early start
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.
External dependencies
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.
Fast tracking
An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to be finished before
its successor can finish.
Finish-to-finish
An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to be finished before
its successor can start.
Finish-to-start
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.
Fragnet
This is the total time a single activity can
be delayed without affecting the early
start of its immediately following
successor activities.
Free float
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.
Mandatory dependency / Hard logic
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.
Internal dependencies
Positive time that moves two or more
activities further apart.
Lag time
The latest a project activity can finish.
Used in the backward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.
Late finish
The latest a project activity can begin.
Used in the backward pass procedure to
discover the critical path and the project
float.
Late start
Negative time that allows two or more
activities to overlap where ordinarily
these activities would be sequential.
Lead time
A percentage of the project duration to
combat Parkinson’s Law. When project
activities become late, their lateness is
subtracted from the:
Management reserve
These dependencies are the natural
order of activities. For example, you can’t
begin building your house until your
foundation is in place.
Mandatory dependencies / Hard Logic
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.
Monte Carlo analysis
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.
Parametric estimate
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.
Parkinson’s Law
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.
Planning package
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.
Precedence diagramming method
Calendars that identify when the project
work will occur.
Project calendars
This is the total time the project can be
delayed without passing the customer expected completion date.
Project float
A diagram that visualizes the flow of the
project activities and their relationships to
other project activities.
Project network diagram
An update to the work breakdown
structure.
Refinement
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.
Resource breakdown structure (RBS)
Calendars that identify when project
resources are available for the project
work.
Resource calendars
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.
Resource-leveling heuristic
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.
Rolling wave planning
A subsidiary plan in the project
management plan. It defines how the
project schedule will be created,
estimated, controlled, and managed.
Schedule management plan
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.
Soft logic / Discretionary Dependencies
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.
Start-to-finish
An activity relationship type that requires
the current activity to start before its
successor can start.
Start-to-start
A representation of a project network
diagram that is often used for outsourced
portions of projects, repetitive work within
a project, or a subproject.
Subnet / Fragnet
A previous project that can be adapted
for the current project and forms that are
pre-populated with organizational-specific
information.
Template
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.
Three-point estimate
This is the total time an activity can be
delayed without delaying project
completion.
Total float
The smallest item in the work breakdown
structure.
Work package
