Chapter 7 - Project Schedule Management

Question 1

Schedule Management

Answer 1

Includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of the project
Creating the schedule baseline, project schedule, and ensuring the project stays on schedule

Question 2

Plan Schedule Management

Answer 2

Inputs: project management plan, project charter, enterprise environmental factors, organizations process assets
Tools & techniques: expert judgement, data analysis, meetings
Output: Schedule Management Plan

Question 3

Schedule Management Plan

Answer 3

Document how the project defines the activities, sequences the activities, estimates the resources, developed the schedule, and controls the schedule to ensure the project stays on schedule
Measure the schedule and how to fix it if there are any variances from the schedule baseline
Part of the Project Management Plan

Question 4

Define Activities

Answer 4

Taking the work packages on the WBS and breaking them down into activities
The specific work that will need to get done by the project team to create the deliverables
More detailed than work packages
Stored in the activities list

Question 5

Define Activities Process

Answer 5

Inputs: project management plan (schedule management plan - list the steps to define the activities, how to decompose each work package into activities, scope baseline), enterprise environmental factors, organizational assets
Tools & techniques: decomposition (breaking down the work into activities), rolling wave planning (progressive elaboration), expert judgement (using SMEs to help decompose the work packages)
Outputs: activity list (list of all scheduled activities on the project), activity attributes (detailed information about each activity), milestones list (all project or phase milestones - major accomplishment or event), change request, Project Management Plan updates

Question 6

Sequence Activities

Answer 6

Take the list of activities and put them in the order that you will perform them
Shows the relationship between each activity

Question 7

Sequence Activities Process

Answer 7

Inputs: project management plan (schedule management plan), project documents (activity list, activity attributes, milestone list, assumption log), enterprise environmental factors, organizational process assets
Tools & techniques: precedence diagraming method (PDM), dependency determination, leads and lags, project management information system
Outputs: project schedule network diagrams, project documents updates

Question 8

Precedence Diagraming Method (PDM)

Answer 8

Technique that is used to build a sequence using the activities
Activity-on-node (AON): boxes are activities, the numbers above them represent durations

Question 9

Relationships

Answer 9

Finish-to-start (FS): most frequent, finish A then you can start B, Activity A is the predecessor and activity B is the successor
Finish-to-finish (FF): activities need to finish at the same time, activities A and B must be done simultaneously
Start-to-start (SS): activity A must start before Activity B can start
Start-to-finish (SF): activity B cannot finish until activity A has started - rarely used

Question 10

Dependency Determination

Answer 10

Mandatory: hard logic or hard dependency, you have to finish one activity to start the next activity
Discretionary: soft logic, activities do not need to get done in a specific order
External: activities are dependent on activities outside the control of the project team (permits)
Internal: activities are dependent on activities within the control of the project team

Question 11

Leads & Lags

Answer 11

Show an overlap or delay in schedule
Lead: an overlap between activities
Lags: delays between activities

Question 12

Estimate Activity Duration Process

Answer 12

Inputs: project management plan (schedule management plan and scope baseline), project documents (activity list, activity attributes, assumption log, milestone list, resource calendars (availability of resources), risk register, resource break down structure (hierarchical break down of resources by their categories and types), lessons learned register, project team assignment, resource requirements), enterprise environmental factors, organizations process assets
Tools & techniques: expert judgement, analogous estimating, parametric estimating, three-point estimating, bottom-up estimating, data analysis, decision making, meetings
Outputs: duration estimates, basis of estimates

Question 13

Analogous Estimating

Answer 13

Top-down
Relies on historical information to assign the current t duration to the activities
Quick to do, but less accurate

Question 14

Parametric Estimating

Answer 14

Uses mathematical algorithm to calculate cost or duration
Based on historical data and variables
Can be very accurate if assumptions are correct

Question 15

There-Point Estimating

Answer 15

Known as PERT (program evaluation and review techniques)
Optimistic: best case for the activity or least amount of time needed to complete the activity
Most likely (realistic): most likely or realistic case for the activity to be completed
Pessimistic: worst case for the activity or the longest time it would take to complete the activity

Question 16

Beta Distribution

Answer 16

PERT
(Optimistic + 4 * realistic + pessimistic) / 6

Question 17

Standard Deviation

Answer 17

Give a range for an estimate
(Pessimistic - optimistic) / 6

Question 18

Triangular Distribution

Answer 18

Average of the 3 numbers
(Optimistic + realistic + pessimistic) / 3

Question 19

Bottom-up Estimating

Answer 19

Most accurate method to estimate cost or time
Break down all the work required to the lowest
Evens and then aggregating the work back up to find the total duration

Question 20

Reserve Analysis

Answer 20

Adding extra time to an activity because of risk
Reserves are extra time added in case a risk arises

Question 21

Duration Estimates

Answer 21

The main output will be the duration estimates for each individual activity.
Numerical estimate, good idea to include ranges
Plus/minus 3 days

Question 22

Basis of Estimates

Answer 22

How the estimates were developed and their ranges
It can also include all assumptions and constraints made to create the estimate

Question 23

Develop Schedule

Answer 23

Process of creating the schedule baseline and project schedule
Iterative process that will be done throughout the planning phase
Plan schedule management > define activities > sequence activities > estimate activity resources > estimate activity durations > develop schedule

Question 24

Develop Schedule Process

Answer 24

Inputs: project management plan (schedule management plan), project documents (activity list, activity attributes, assumption log, milestone list, duration estimates, basis of estimates, resource calendars, risk register, response breakdown structure, lessons learned register, project team assignment, resource requirements, project schedule network diagrams), agreements, enterprise environmental factors, organizational process assets
Tools & techniques: schedule network analysis, critical path method, resource optimization techniques (resource leveling and resource smoothing), data analysis, leads and lags, schedule compression (coaching and fast-tracking), project management information system, agile release planning
Outputs: schedule baseline, project schedule (bar chart - gantt charts, milestone charts, project schedule network diagrams), schedule data, project calendars, change requests, project management plan updates, project documents updates

Question 25

Critical Path Method

Answer 25

Longest path through a network diagram
Know which activities, if delayed, will affect the project schedule
Any delays in the critical path will delay the project
Activities on the critical path are considered high risk activities, have no float

Question 26

Resource Leveling

Answer 26

Resources are limited or over allocated. You will need to adjust the schedule and move the activities to be sequential rather than parallel. Will lengthen the critical path.

Question 27

Resource Smoothing

Answer 27

Used to ensure the critical path does not change. It will allow activities to change if there is a float. Doesn’t affect the critical path like resource leveling does.

Question 28

Data Analysis

Answer 28

What-if scenarios and simulations known as Monte Carlo Simulation
What would happen if you run two parallel activities or add more resources to these activities

Question 29

Schedule Compression

Answer 29

Crashing: add more resources to complete activities faster (more painters or a paint gun instead of brushes); increases cost and may lead to risk
Fast-tracking: do activities in parallel rather than sequentially; get done quicker but increase risk

Question 30

Agile Release Planning

Answer 30

A set of iterations that will help to create a product that would be given to customers for feedback.

Question 31

Schedule Baseline

Answer 31

Part of the project management plan, can only change with an approved change request
Measures the progress of the project
Contains baseline start and end dates

Question 32

Project Schedule

Answer 32

Includes start and end dates for all activities on the project
Very detailed
Bar chart (gantt chart)
Milestone charts - present to senior management
Project schedule network diagrams - durations and sequence of every activity

Question 33

Control Schedule

Answer 33

Controlling the project work to ensure it will finish on the schedule baseline
Daily process of keeping your project on track
Look at the project management plan (planned work) and the work performance data (actual work) to determine if there are any variances

Question 34

Control Schedule Process

Answer 34

Inputs: project management plan (schedule management plan and schedule baseline, scope and cost baselines, respective management plans), project documents (project schedule, schedule data, resource calendars, lessons learned register, project calendar), work performance data, organizational process assets
Tools & techniques: data analysis (earned value analysis, iteration burn down chart, performance reviews, what-if scenarios), critical path method, project management information system, resource optimization techniques, leads and lags, schedule compression
Outputs: work performance information, schedule forecasts, change requests, project management plan updates, product documents updates

Question 35

Earned Value Analysis

Answer 35

A series of formulas that are used to numerically analyze the performance of a project’s related cost and time.

Question 36

Iteration Burndown Chart

Answer 36

Generally used on agile projects
Y-axis shows work still to be completed and the x-axis shows the duration
Ideally a straight line downward from y-axis to x-axis

Question 37

Performance Reviews

Answer 37

Compare the planned work and actual work performed

Question 38

What-if Scenarios

Answer 38

Used to help fix the schedule or recognize it
Help the project manager to optimize the best schedule and determine what risks may affect it

Question 39

Agile and Hybrid Project Scheduling

Answer 39

Estimate how long it will take to complete all the user stories
T-shirt sizing: high-level estimate where you assign a t-shirt size to each user story (ES - XL)
Based on a relative scale where each size corresponds back to the amount of work required for each user story
Planning poker: playing cards with a set of numbers on them (Fibonacci sequence) that are relative based on size. The numbers are: 1,2,3,5,8,13,21.
Formula: start with 1 + 2 = 3; 2 + 3 = 5; 3 + 5 = 8; 5 + 8 = 13; etc.
Read a user story and team assigns a playing card to it

Question 40

Agile Tools

Answer 40

Cumulative flow diagram: track how much work is done out of the total
Team velocity: how much work can get done in each iteration
Burn up chart: shows the amount of work that has been done on the project
Burn down chart: shows the amount of work remaining to be down

Question 41

Lead Time

Answer 41

How long something takes to go through the entire process
Ready to start-design-coding-testing-done
Used with Kanban — go across the entire Kanban board

Question 42

Cycle Time

Answer 42

How long it takes to go through part of a process
Coding-testing-done
Cycle time = (work in progress) / throughput
60 points of work to do
20 points per week
Cycle time = 60/20 = 3 weeks

Question 43

Critical Path Method

Answer 43

The longest time to complete all activities on the network diagram
Activities on the critical path have no slack (aka float)
Early start (ES): the earliest you can start an activity without delaying the project end date
Late start (LS): the latest you can start an activity without delaying the project end date
Early finish (EF): the earliest you can finish an activity without delaying the project end date
Late finish (LF): the latest you can finish an activity without delaying the project due date
Slack = LS - ES or LF - EF

Question 44

Calculate Slack

Answer 44

Forward pass:
ES + duration - 1 = EF

Backward pass:
LF - duration - 1 = LS

Forward pass must be done before the backwards pass

Slack = LS- ES or LF - LS