Chapter 5 Flashcards
A critical success factor for effective time management is _ _ of standards and expectations.
timely communication
The most widely-used tools for scheduling, monitoring, and communicating time aspects of projects are the /
PERT/CPM
PERT
Program Evaluation Review Technique
CPM
Critical Path Method
Time is a resource if managed effectively, otherwise it is a _
constraint
_ _ relates to the anticipated planned activities and the unexpected events.
Time management
To be effective, a project manager must be organized and _ _
prioritize work
A PM must plan her vacation to _ with daily and routine work
disconnect
An effective manager has a _ _
priority list
_ can affect project organization, progress, personnel, and ultimately the outcome
Indecisiveness
The law of _ _ tells us that, beyond a certain point, additional time and energy is unnecessary and, if continued, can be counter-productive
diminishing returns
- Longer meetings do not mean better results
- Need for a communicated agenda
- Need for continued focus and control
- Opportunity for participation
- Summation of outcome and closure
An effective PM conducts meetings with 5 principles in mind:
- Coordinate the various project tasks.
- See the relative importance of each activity.
- Determine the time to complete each activity.
- Identify tasks that will delay the entire project if they are not completed as scheduled.
- Reschedule activities in order to reduce the total time.
- Control project progress
How PERT / CPM helps PM’s
PERT / CPM shows the _ and _ for each activity and enables the project manager to determine which tasks may become _
sequence, duration, bottlenecks
PERT is described in terms of a network that consist of activities connected by _
arrows
Using a PERT / CPM network can determine the total project completion time by identifying its longest path, or _ _
critical path
A _ is a sequence of connected activities that extends from the starting node to the completion node
path
starts by determining the earliest start and the earliest finish as well as the latest start and the latest finish times
Critical path analysis
Activities with _ slack time form the critical path
zero
A popular approach for estimating activity duration involves obtaining these three estimate
o Optimistic
o Pessimistic
o Most likely
t= (o+ 4m + p) / 6
Multiple estimate formula
Given the distribution among the range of values for an activity, we can calculate the variance using the _ _ _
standard deviation formula
_ is the square of the standard deviation
Variance
Variance reflects the _ _ _ in the estimated value for any activity duration
degree of uncertainty
The greater the _ between o and p, the greater the variance and uncertainty
range
Sigma2 = ((p – o)/6)2
Variance formula
(Desired completion time – mean completion time) / standard deviation
Standard deviation formula
The _ _ _ to a project is a task that can make or break a project
Allocation of resources
Information inputted into MS Project can be used to generate a _ _ _
resource allocation graph
The _ _ process can be useful for management reviews and during plan approvals
resource smoothing
- Communications
- Methods
- Separation
- Support
- Analysis
- Closure
Factors that will help in achieving a timely delivery
time estimates and progress towards completing each activity must be clearly communicated to team and readily available at all times
Communications
Experience is the best source of estimating time requirements and requires good documentation and archiving
Methods
team members are responsible for work units that they are specifically assigned to and that they are accountable for
Separation
team must feel confident of PM support in order to stick to their schedule
Support
PM’s must ensure that careful needs analysis is carried out before the project is allowed to continue
Analysis
PM’s are responsible to move resources, including human resources, on to the next phase and next project
Closure
PERT / CPM is a method of _ tasks.
scheduling
PERT / CPM shows _ by detailed activities and time (hours, days, weeks).
sequence
PERT / CPM helps determine which task may become a _ and delay the entire project.
bottleneck
PERT / CPM is a _ _ _ tool that helps accomplish project objectives on time.
planning and control
PERT / CPM graphically illustrates the interrelationships of _ _ _ required to bring a project to its successful conclusion.
events and activities
PERT is defined in terms of _. The _ consists of events and activities.
network, network
All of the required events are _ by arrows that indicate the preceding and succeeding events.
connected
An event can be considered as a _. Events have no time dimension and usually are represented by a circle.
milestone.
An activity (presented by an _) links two successive events together and represents the work required between these two events.
arrow
An _ must be accomplished before the following event can occur.
activity
Earliest start time rule:
The earliest start time for an activity leaving a particular node is equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities preceding that node.
Latest finish time rule:
The latest finish time for an activity entering a particular node is equal to the smallest of the latest start times for all activities leaving the node
_ is the length of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the completion date for the entire project.
Slack
- What is the total time to complete the project?
- What are the scheduled start and completion times for each activity?
- What activities are critical and must be completed as scheduled in order to keep the project on time?
- How long can non-critical activities be delayed before they cause a delay in the project’s completion time
Important questions that PERT / CPM helps us answer
● Slack = LS – ES
● Slack = LF – EF
Slack formula
- A complete list of activities necessary to complete the project.
- A proper sequence of activities and identification of preceding activities.
- Reliable activity estimates.
The outcome of any PERT / CPM application depends on:
