Chapter 6 - Schedule Mgmt

Question 1

What is in the schedule mgmt plan?

Answer 1

-Scheduling methodology and software
-rules for how estimates should be stated e.g. hours or weeks
-scheduled baseline
-A threshold for acceptable variance
– performance measures that will be used on the project to identify variances early
– a plan for how schedule variances will be managed
– a process for determining whether a variance must be acted upon
– identification of schedule change control procedures
– Types of reports required on the project relating to schedule
– format and frequency of project reporting
– in an adaptive life-cycle: the length of releases and iterations

Question 2

What is the precedence diagramming method?

Answer 2

A method to create a network diagram

Question 3

What is a finish to start relationship?

Answer 3

Activity A must finish before activity B starts

Question 4

What is a start to start activity?

Answer 4

Activity A must have started before activity B can begin

Question 5

What is a finish to finish activity?

Answer 5

Activity A must have finished before activity B can finish

Question 6

What is a start to finish activity?

Answer 6

Activity B must start before activity A can finish. Rarely used.

Question 7

What is lead time?

Answer 7

Elite may be used to indicate that an activity can start before its predecessor activity is completed

Question 8

What is lag time?

Answer 8

A like is waiting time inserted between activities, such as needing to wait three days after pouring concrete before constructing the frame for a house

Question 9

What type of dependencies are there?

Answer 9

– Mandatory dependency (hard logic): e.g. due to nature of the work, or legal requirements
– discretionary dependency (preferred, preferential, or soft logic)
– external dependency
– internal dependency

Question 10

What is path convergence?

Answer 10

When an activity has one or more activities directly preceding it

Note: this increases project risk

Question 11

What is path divergence?

Answer 11

When an activity has one or more successors activities directly following it

Question 12

What estimating methods are there

Answer 12

– one point estimating
– analogous estimating (top down)
– parametric estimating using e.g. regression analysis or learning curve
- heuristics, e.g. “design work is always 15% of project length”
– three point estimating using the triangular distribution or the beta distribution. Use straight/triangular when you have little historical information, beta/weighted when do have historical information
– bottom-up estimating

Question 13

What are the inputs to Develop Schedule?

Answer 13

– Lessons learnt
– project management plan (schedule management plan and scope baseline)
– activity list and attributes
– milestone list
– assumption log
– network diagram
– basis of estimates
–Activity duration estimates
– resource requirement
– resource calendars
– resource breakdown structure
– a company calendar identifying working and nonworking days
– project team assignments
– risk register

Question 14

Which formula do you use to calculate float in forward pass?

Answer 14

The float equals late start minus early start

Question 15

Which formula do you use to calculate float in backward pass?

Answer 15

Float equals late finish minus early finish

Question 16

What is the total float?

Answer 16

The amount of time and activity can be delete without delaying the project and date or an intermediary milestone

Question 17

What is free float?

Answer 17

The amount of time and activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of its successor(s)

Question 18

What is project float or positive total float?

Answer 18

The amount of time a project can be delayed without delaying the externally imposed project completion date

Question 19

What is fast tracking?

Answer 19

Fast tracking is a schedule compression technique that takes critical path activities that were originally planned in a series and plans them in parallel instead for some or all of their duration

Question 20

What are the general impacts on the project of fast tracking?

Answer 20

Fast tracking always at risk and may add management time for the project manager for example to communicate more

Question 21

What is the general impact on the project of crashing?

Answer 21

Crushing always adds cost and may add risk and may add management time for the project manager

Question 22

What is crashing?

Answer 22

Crashing is a schedule compression technique that involves adding or adjusting resources in order to compress the schedule while maintaining the original project scope. These resources can be people or physical resources and can be in-house or procured

Question 23

What can Monte Carlo analysis tell you?

Answer 23

– The probability of completing the project on any specific day
– the probability of completing the project for any specific cost
– the probability of any activity actually being on the critical path
– an indication of the overall project risk

Question 24

What is resource levelling?

Answer 24

Resource levelling is a resource optimisation technique that produces a resource limited schedule. levelling lengthens the schedule to deal with a limited number of resources resource availability and other resource constraints

Question 25

What is resource smoothing?

Answer 25

Resource smoothing is a resource optimisation technique and a modified form of resource levelling. Resources are levelled only within the limits of the float of their activities so the completion dates of activities are not delayed