Chapter 5: Creating the Project Schedule

Question 1

What is the Schedule Management Plan?

Answer 1

The schedule management plan defines how the project schedule will be developed, monitored, and controlled throughout the project lifecycle.

Question 2

What is the Define Activities process?

Answer 2

Define Activities is the process of identifying and documenting the specific actions required to produce the project deliverables.

Question 3

What is a milestone in project scheduling?

Answer 3

A milestone is a significant point or event in the project that marks the completion of major deliverables or phases.

Question 4

What is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) used for in scheduling?

Answer 4

The WBS is used to break the project work into smaller, more manageable components, which are then used to define activities and build the project schedule.

Question 5

What is the Sequence Activities process?

Answer 5

Sequence Activities involves identifying and documenting the relationships among project activities, creating the logical flow of work.

Question 6

What are predecessors and successors in activity sequencing?

Answer 6

A predecessor is an activity that must be completed before another can start, while a successor is an activity that follows a predecessor.

Question 7

What is float (or slack) in project scheduling?

Answer 7

Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date or the start of subsequent activities.

Question 7

What are the four types of dependencies in scheduling?

Answer 7

Finish-to-Start (FS), Start-to-Start (SS), Finish-to-Finish (FF), Start-to-Finish (SF).

Question 8

What is the critical path?

Answer 8

The critical path is the longest sequence of activities in a project that must be completed on time for the entire project to be completed on schedule.

Question 9

What is the Critical Path Method (CPM)?

Answer 9

CPM is a scheduling technique that determines the longest path through the project, identifying the shortest possible project duration.

Question 10

What is the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)?

Answer 10

PERT is a statistical tool used to analyze and represent the tasks involved in completing a project, calculating expected durations using optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates.

Question 11

What is the formula for PERT?

Answer 11

(Optimistic + 4 × Most Likely + Pessimistic) / 6.

Question 12

What is a Gantt Chart?

Answer 12

A Gantt chart is a visual representation of the project schedule, showing tasks, durations, dependencies, and progress over time.

Question 13

What is resource leveling?

Answer 13

Resource leveling is a technique used to adjust the project schedule to account for resource constraints, ensuring that resources are not over-allocated.

Question 14

What is resource smoothing?

Answer 14

Resource smoothing adjusts the schedule within predefined limits (without changing the critical path) to balance resource allocation.

Question 15

What are Kanban boards used for in Agile project management?

Answer 15

Kanban boards visually manage workflow by tracking tasks as they move through stages such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.”

Question 16

What is the Scrum Board?

Answer 16

A Scrum Board is a tool used in Scrum to track the progress of work during a sprint, showing user stories, tasks, and progress toward completion.

Question 17

What is a burndown chart in Agile?

Answer 17

A burndown chart shows the remaining work in a sprint or project over time, helping to track progress and predict completion.

Question 18

What is Schedule Compression?

Answer 18

Schedule compression involves techniques like crashing and fast-tracking to shorten the project duration without reducing the project scope.

Question 19

What is the difference between crashing and fast-tracking?

Answer 19

Crashing involves adding resources to critical path activities, while fast-tracking involves performing activities in parallel that were originally scheduled sequentially.

Question 20

What is the Develop Schedule process?

Answer 20

Develop Schedule is the process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and constraints to create the project schedule.

Question 21

What are lag and lead in scheduling?

Answer 21

Lag is the delay between activities, while lead allows activities to overlap, starting the successor activity before the predecessor finishes.

Question 22

What is Schedule Baseline?

Answer 22

The schedule baseline is the approved version of the project schedule, which is used as a basis for comparison throughout the project.

Question 23

What is rolling wave planning?

Answer 23

Rolling wave planning is an iterative approach where near-term activities are planned in detail, while future work is planned at a higher level until it becomes clearer.

Question 24

What is the Critical Chain Method (CCM)?

Answer 24

CCM is a scheduling technique that focuses on resource constraints, using buffers to protect critical chain tasks and prevent delays.