Chapter 2 - Program And Personnel Management

Question 1

In project management, analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Answer 1

SWOT

Question 2

Document stating a detailed, measurable plan or proposal for provision of a product or service.

Answer 2

Specifications

Question 3

Maintenance operations scheduled to take place in advance of failure or other problems (contrast with reactive maintenance).

Answer 3

Preventive maintenance

Question 4

Maintenance operations that take place after a problem has occurred (contrast with preventive maintenance).

Answer 4

Reactive maintenance

Question 5

Type of preventive maintenance performed continuously or at intervals, using field data to diagnose and monitor a condition or system.

Answer 5

Predictive maintenance

Question 6

Process where trees growing significantly faster than most other trees are pruned at approximately half the scheduled maintenance cycle length, enabling a longer interval for slower-growing trees.

Answer 6

Mid-cycle pruning

Question 7

Process by which limited tree work is scheduled on a specific area of the network where shorts or outages are occurring.

Answer 7

Hotspotting

Question 8

Completing all necessary line clearance on a feeder or circuit basis.

Answer 8

Circuit work

Question 9

Distribution cycle work performed within a specific geographic boundary.

Answer 9

Grid work

Question 10

in project management, a concept showing the interrelation of the resources of time, cost, and scope, often depicted in a constraint triangle.

Answer 10

Triple constraint

Question 11

depiction of the concept of triple constraint in project management, consisting of time, cost, and scope.

Answer 11

Constraint triangle

Question 12

project management stratification of the entire scope of work needed to accomplish a project’s objectives.

Answer 12

Work breakdown structure

Question 13

in project management, the longest period of time a series of tasks requires from project beginning to end.

Answer 13

Critical path

Question 14

relationships that dictate when tasks in the work breakdown structure begin and end

Answer 14

Dependencies

Question 15

layered mapping application consisting of a base map and overlays, containing features and information that can be viewed singularly or in combination

Answer 15

Geographic information system (GIS)

Question 16

means to justify the allocation of resources, set priorities, and make decisions regarding what can and cannot be accomplished

Answer 16

Budget

Question 17

accounting configuration for expenditures that do not generate income

Answer 17

Cost centers

Question 18

accounting configuration where expenditures are sources of revenue. Can be a product or service, a region, a distribution channel, or other consideration.

Answer 18

Profit center

Question 19

monetary outlay for relatively large sums of money invested over multiple years

Answer 19

Capital budget

Question 20

budgets that finance day-to-day activities, including salaries, rent, utilities, and supplies

Answer 20

Operating and maintenance budgets

Question 21

a proposal or plan that outlines project expenditures, outputs, and alternatives, which receive funding in order of priority

Answer 21

Decision package

Question 22

a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties. Includes five basic elements: offer, acceptance, consideration, legal and possible objective, and competent parties.

Answer 22

Contract

Question 23

contract without a set expiration date

Answer 23

Evergreen contract

Question 24

method of providing a service in which all costs–including labor, equipment, supplies, overheads, and operating profit–are passed on to the contracting agency, usually on an hourly basis

Answer 24

Time and material (T&M) contract

Question 25

results-oriented method of providing a service that focuses on the outputs, quality, or outcomes, including the achievement of specific, measurable performance standards and requirements. These contracts may include both monetary and non-monetary incentives and disincentives.

Answer 25

Performance-based contract

Question 26

method of providing a service or product where an agreed-upon amount is paid for each designated amount, or unit, of work completed. In vegetation management, units can be trees, portions of trees, miles of line, spans, or others as agreed by all parties involved.

Answer 26

Unit price contract

Question 27

contractual strategy where vendors submit a single price for a set amount of work (e.g., project or the entire account for a specified period of time).

Answer 27

Lump sum (also called fixed-price) contract

Question 28

GPS-based system capable of providing vehicle location and other data in real time, as well as movement history

Answer 28

Vehicle Monitoring System (VMS)

Question 29

contractual target against which a contractor is evaluated. It can include unit price components (e.g., cost per tree, acre, or mile), as well as elements, such as work quality, customer satisfaction, reliability, safety, certifications, or other factors.

Answer 29

Key performance indicator (KPI)

Question 30

in project management, a means of setting and evaluating goals using the elements of the acronym: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely

Answer 30

SMART goals

Question 31

employee evaluation

Answer 31

Performance appraisal

Question 32

organization of employees that collectively negotiates wages, benefits, working conditions, and other matters

Answer 32

Labor union

Question 33

Communication between vegetation managers, contractors, supervisors, and workers should be both __________ and __________.

Answer 33

written

verbal

Question 34

Long-term planning is __________, while short-term planning is __________.

Answer 34

strategic

tactical

Question 35

__________ are documents that describe, instruct, and direct work results.

Answer 35

Specifications

Question 36

Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on _____-phase lines than on _____-phase lines.

Answer 36

three

single

Question 37

A results-based strategy designed to target trees as close as possible to the time that they interfere with facilities is known as __________ management.

Answer 37

just-in-time

Question 38

A __________ structure is a prioritized outline of job components that must be completed for a successful project outcome.

Answer 38

work breakdown

Question 39

For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered __________ that do not generate income.

Answer 39

cost centers

Question 40

Purchases of equipment or line construction are considered __________ expenses, whereas supply purchases or salaries are considered __________ expenses.

Answer 40

capital

operating

Question 41

Time and material contracts, which are based on hourly rates for labor and equipment, are generally _____ risk for contractors and _____ risk for utilities.

Answer 41

low

high

Question 42

__________ contracts are gaining popularity because the responsibility for productivity, work planning, and scheduling rests with the contractor.

Answer 42

Unit price

Question 43

Depreciation can be either __________, in which costs are spread out over the lifetime of an item, or __________, in which the amount of depreciation taken is higher immediately after the purchase of an item.

Answer 43

straight-line

accelerated

Question 44

All of the following are approaches to work planning, except

A) cycle-based
B) results-based
C) objective-based
D) crisis management

Answer 44

C) objective-based

Question 45

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning

A) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
B) Skill, Work, Objectives, Tactics
C) Scope, Wants, Observation, Talent
D) Safety, Weaknesses, Objectives, Targets

Answer 45

A) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

Question 46

Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance can cost

A) about the same
B) one and half times as much
C) twice as much
D) five times as much

Answer 46

D) five times as much

Question 47

Which of the following is not a part of the constraint triangle?

A) time
B) skill
C) cost
D) scope

Answer 47

B) skill

Question 48

With respect to personnel management, what is the most common reason that people leave jobs?

A) low pay
B) workload
C) relationships with coworkers
D) treatment from supervisors

Answer 48

D) treatment from supervisors

Question 49

a budgeting strategy that stresses the goals and objectives of a program. It often involves mission statements and performance measures.

Answer 49

Performance budgeting

Question 50

budgeting strategy in which line items are organized into programs, rather than accounts, with a focus on outcomes, rather than inputs. Examples of programs might be labor, chemicals, or individual projects.

Answer 50

Program budgeting