6 - Schedule Management Flashcards
Activity List
Primary output of breaking down the WBS work packages
Alternative Analysis
Identification of more than one solution.
Consider: roles, materials, tools, approaches to project work.
Analogous Estimating
Like an analogy.
Estimating approach that relies on historical information (expert judgement).
Unreliable but fast. More reliable than team member recollections.
aka top down estimating
Bottom-up estimating
Estimating approach where you start at the bottom and estimate time for each activity., its predecessor and its successor.
Most accurate time-and-cost estimating.
Control account
A management control point where scope, budget, and schedule are integrated and compared to the earned value for performance measurement.
A WBS entry that considers time, cost, scope meaurements for that deliverable. Above Work Package in hierarchy.
Estimated performance compared against actual performance to measure overall performance for the deliverables within that control account.
Specifics documented in control account plan.
Control Threshold
Predetermined range of acceptable variances e.g. +/- 10%.
If variance exceeds this, project control processes and corrected actions enacted.
Crashing
Scheudle compression where more resources are added to complete project earlier.
Added costs. Law of diminishing returns could apply here.
Critical path
The path in the network diagram that cannot be delayed otherwise project completion will be late.
Activities in critical path have no float.
Discretionary dependencies
Preferred order of activities.
PMs should use these relationships at their discretion and should document logic.
Allow activities to happen in preferred order because of best practices, conitions uniqyue to project, or external events.
AKA preferential or soft logic.
Early Finish
Earliest an activity can finish. Used in forward pass procedure to discover the critical path and the project float.
top right in network diagram node.
Early start
Earliest an activity can begin. Used in forward pass procedure to discover the critical path and the project float.
Top left in network diagram node.
External dependencies
Dependencies outside project’s control.
e.g. decision of committee, delivery of equipment, etc.
Fast-tracking
A schedule compression method that changes relatioships of activities.
Sequential activities allowed to operate in parallel or with overlap.
FS to SS or FF, or by adding lead time to downstream activities.
Added risk.
Finish to finish
FF
Activity relationship that requires current activity to be finished before the successor can finish.
Finish to start
FS
Activity relationship:
current activity must finish before successor can start.
Fragnet
Representation of project network diagram that is often used for outsourced portions of a project, repetitive work within a project, or a subproject.
AKA subnet
Free float
Total time activity can be delayed without affecting early start of its immediately successor activities.
Hard logic
Logic that described activities that must happen in a particular order.
e.g. excavate before foundation.
aka mandatory dependancy.
Internal dependencies
Internal relationships to the project or organization.
e.g. project team must create the software as part of hte project’s deliverable before software can be tested for quality control.
Lag time
Positive time that moves two or more activities further apart.
Waiting time between activities.
Late Finish (LF)
The latest a project activity can finish.
Used in backward pass procedure to discover the critical path and projcet float.
Lead time
Negative time. Brings two activities closer together (or overlaps).
Also thought of as an acceleration of the successor activity (only possible on finish-startl).
Management Reserve
A percentage of the project duration to combat parkinson’s law (work expands to time allotted).
When project activities become late, there lateness is subtracted from the management reserve.
Mandatory dependencies
These dependencies are the natural order of activities (e.g. foundation before house).
AKA hard logic.
Monte Carlo analysis
Project simulation approach that predicts how all scenarios will play out. Gives a range of possible answers (like a histogram)
Parametric analysis
Quantitatively based duration estimate that uses formulas to determine how long activity will take based on quantities of work to be completed.
Parkinsons law
Work expands to fill allotted time.
Planning package
WBS entry located below control account and above work package.
Signifies that there is more planning that needs to be completed for this specific deliverable
Precedence diagramming method
Network diagram that shows activities in nodes and the relationships between each activity.
Project calendars
Calendars that identify when the project work will occur.
Project float
Total time a project can be delayed without delaying customer-expected due date
Project network diagram
Diagram that visualizes the flow of project activities and relationship to other activities
Refinement
Update to the WBS
Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Hierarchal breakdown of project resources by category and resource type.
e.g. category for equip, human resources, materials - each with diff types.
Resource Calendars
Calendars that identify when project resources are available for project work.
Resource-leveling heuristic
Method to flatten the schedule when resources are overallocated.
e.g. to ensure workers are not overextended on activities.
Rolling wave planning
The imminent work is planned in detail, while the future work is planned at a high level.
Form of progressive elaboration.
Schedule management plan
Subsidiary PM plan.
Defines how scheudle will be created, estimated, controlled, and managed.
Soft logic
Activities don’t necessarily have to happen in a specific order.
PM could use soft logic to change order if so ddesired.
Start to Finish
Activity relationship. One activity needs to start so that it’s successor can finish.
Very unusual.
Start to start
Activity relationship that requires current activity to start before successor can start.
Subnet
Representation of project network diagram that is often used for outsourced portions of the projects, repetitive work with a projcet, or a subproject.
Also called fragnet.
Template
Prepopulated component.
Three-point estimate
Estimating technique that requires optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimate to be created.
Three estimates are averaged.
PERT is the one where the most likely is weighted higher.
Total float
Total time an activity can be delayed without delaying project completion
work package
Smallest item on the work breakdown structure.
