Chapter 6 Flashcards
what is project time management?
- includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of the project
what are the processes in Project Time Management Process?
- 1 define activities
- 2 sequence activities
- 3 estimate activity resources
- 4 estimate activity durations
- 5 develop schedule
- 6 control schedule
- on projects with smaller scope, these steps are so tightly linked they are viewed as a single process
What is schedule management plan?
- selects a scheduling methodology (rules and approaches for the scheduling process), a scheduling tool, and sets the format and establishes criteria for developing and controlling the schedule
what is a scheduling methodology?
- defines the rules and approaches for the scheduling process
ex. critical path method (CPM) and critical chain
what is the output of the scheduling process?
creates a finalized and approved schedule that is a baseline that will be used in the Control Schedule process
what is the Define Activities process?
- process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables
- project work packages are decomposed into smaller components called activities that represent the work necessary to complete the work package
- activities provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring and controlling the project work
what are the inputs to the Define Activities process?
- scope baseline
- enterprise environmental factors
- organizational process assets
what are the tools and techniques to the Define Activities process?
- decomposition
- rolling wave planning
- templates
- expert judgment
what are the outputs of the Define Activities process?
- activity list
- activity attributes
- milestone list
what part of the scope baseline is used for defining activities?
- project deliverables, constraints and assumptions documented in the project scope baseline are considered explicitly while defining activities
what enterprise environmental factors influence the Define Activities process?
project management information system
what organizational assets influence the Define Activities process?
- existing formal & informal activity planning related policies, procedures and guidelines
- lessons learned regarding activities lists used by previous similar projects
how is decomposition used in the Define Activities process?
- project work packages are further decomposed into more manageable components called activities, which represent the effort needed to complete a work package
- activity list, WBS, and WBS dictionary can be developed sequentially or concurrently
- involving team members in decomposition can lead to better and more accurate results
what is rolling wave planning?
- a form of progressive elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail and further work is planned at a higher level in the WBS
- work can exist at varying levels of detail depending on where it is in the project life cycle
what are activity list templates?
- standard activity list or part of an activity list from a previous project that is usable as a template for a new project
- other information related to the activity attributes can also be useful
what expert judgment is useful in the Define Activities process?
- project team members and other experts who are experienced and skilled in developing detailed project scope statements, the WBS, and project schedules
what is an activity list?
- a comprehensive list of all schedule activities required on the project
- includes the activity identify and a scope of work description for each activity in enough detail that the project team members will understand what work is required to be completed
what are activity attributes?
- extend the description of the activity by adding more details, which can evolve over time
- during initial stages can include Activity ID, WBS ID and Activity Name
- when completed may include activity codes, activity description, predecessor activities, successor activities, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, imposed dates, constraints and assumptions
- can identify who’s responsible for the work, where teh work is performed, level of effort (LOE), discrete effort and apportioned effort (AE)
- used for schedule development and for selecting, ordering, and sorting the planned scheduled activities into reports
what is a milestone list?
list that identifies all the milestones and indicates whether they are mandatory or optional
what is the Sequence Activities process?
- process of identifying and documenting relationships among project activities
- activities are sequenced using logical relationships
- every activity and milestone except for the first and last will have at least one predecessor and successor
- lead/lag time is used to create a realistic and achievable project schedule
- can be done using PM software or manually
what are the inputs to the Sequence Activities process?
- activity list
- activity attributes
- milestone list
- project scope statement
- organizational process assets
what are the tools and techniques to Sequence Activities process?
- precedence diagramming method (PDM)
- dependency determination
- applying leads and lags
- schedule network templates
what are the outputs to Sequence Activities process?
- project schedule network diagrams
2, project document updates
what aspect of the project scope statement is used as an input to Sequence Activities process?
- project scope statement contains the product scope description which includes product characteristics that may affect activity sequences (ex. physical layout of a plant to be constructed)
- good to review product scope description to ensure accuracy
what organizational process assets are inputs to Sequence Activities process?
- project files from knowledge base for scheduling methodology
what is Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
- method used in Critical Path Methodology (CPM) for constructing a project schedule network diagram that uses nodes (boxes) to represent activities and connects them with arrows that shows the logical relationships that exist between them
- also called Activity-on-Node (AON)
what are the 4 types of dependences/logical relationships in PDM?
- finish-to-start (FS) - successor activity’s start depends on the predecessor activity’s finish
- finish-to-finish (FF) - successor activity’s finish depends on the predecessor activity’s finish
- start-to-start (SS) - successor activity’s start depends on the predecessor activity’s start
- start-to-finish (SF) - successor activity’s finish depends on predecessor activity’s start
- finish-to-start is the most common
- start-to-finish is rarely used
what are the 3 types of dependencies used to define the sequence among the activities?
- mandatory dependencies
- discretionary dependencies
- external dependencies
what are mandatory dependencies?
- those that are contractually required/inherent in the nature of the work
- often involve physical limitation (ex. on an electronics project where a prototype must be built before it can be tested)
- also known as hard logic
what are discretionary dependencies?
- determined by the PM team during the sequence activities process
- also known as preferred logic, preferential local or soft logic
- established based on best practices in that area
- should be fully documented since they can create arbitrary total float values and can limit later scheduling options
- if fast tracking is employed, can review these dependencies for modification/removal
what are external dependencies?
- involve a relationship between project activities and non-project activities
- usually outside the project team’s control
what is a lead?
- accelerates a successor activity by allowing it to start earlier
- ex. finish-to-start with a 2 week lead means it can start 2 weeks before the scheduled completion of the predecessor
what is a lag?
- delay in the successor activity
- ex. start-to-start with a 15 day lag means can start 15 days after the predecessor activity
what are schedule network templates?
- standardized schedule network diagrams that can expedite the preparation of networks of project activities
- can include an entire project or only a part of it
what is a subnetwork/fragment network
- a portion of a project schedule network diagram
- useful when a project has several identical/nearly identical deliverables
what is a project schedule network diagram?
- schematic display of the project’s schedule activities and the dependencies among them
- can be produced manually or using PM software
- includes full project details
- can have a summary narrative to describe basic approach used to sequence the activities
what project document updates may occur after sequencing activities?
- updates to activity list, activity attributes and risk register
what is the Estimate Activity Resources process?
- process of estimating the type and quantities of material, people, equipment or supplies needed to perform each activity.
- closely coordinated with the Estimate Costs process
what are the inputs to Estimate Activity Resources process?
- activity list
- activity attributes
- resource calendars
- enterprise environmental factors
- organizational process assets
what are the tools and techniques for Estimate Activity Resources process?
- expert judgment
- alternatives analysis
- published estimating data
- bottom-up estimating
- project management software
what are the outputs for Estimate Activity Resources process?
- activity resource requirements
- resource breakdown structure
- project document updates
what are resource calendars and how are they used in the Estimate Activity Resources process?
- information on which resources are potentially available during the planned activity period is used for estimating resource allocation
- resource calendars specify when and how long identified project resources will be available during the project
- includes consideration for resource experience and/or skill level and the geographic location of resources
what does the composite resource calendar include?
- includes the availability, capabilities and skills of human resources
what enterprise environmental factors might influence the Estimate Activity Resources process?
- resource availability and skills
what organizational process assets might influence the Estimate Activity Resources process?
- policies and procedures regarding staffing
- policies and procedures related to rental and purchase of supplies and equipment
- historial information about types of resources used for similar work on previous projects
how is expert judgment used in Estimate Activity Resources process?
- assess the resource-related inputs
- anyone with specialized knowledge in resource planning and estimating can help
what is alternatives analysis?
- alternative methods of accomplishing schedule activities
ex. using different levels of resource capability or skills, different size/type of machines, different tools, etc.
what is published estimating data and how is it used in Estimate Activity Resources process?
- published production rates and unit costs of resources for an extensive array of labor trades, material and equipment for different countries and geographic locations