Chapter 9

Question 1

What is project scheduling?

Answer 1

an output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources

Question 2

What is a scope?

Answer 2

The work content and products of a project or component of a project. Scope is fully described by naming all activities performed, the resources consumed, and the end products that result, including quality standards.

Question 3

What is work breakdown structure?

Answer 3

A task-oriented “family tree” of activities that organizes,
defines, and graphically displays the total work to be accomplished in order to achieve the final objectives of a project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project objective.

Question 4

What is work package?

Answer 4

A deliverable at the lowest level of the Work Breakdown Structure; it is an element of work performed during the course of a project. A work package normally has an expected duration plus an expected cost. Other generic terms for project work include task or activity.

Question 5

What is project network diagram?

Answer 5

Any schematic display of the logical relationships of

project activities.

Question 6

What is a path?

Answer 6

A sequence of activities defined by the project network logic.

Question 7

What is an event?

Answer 7

A point when an activity is either started or completed. Often used in conjunction with AOA networks, events consume no resources and have no time to completion associated with them.

Question 8

What is a node?

Answer 8

One of the defining points of a network; a junction point joined to some or all of the others by dependency lines (paths).

Question 9

What are predecessors?

Answer 9

Those activities that must be completed prior to initiation of a later activity in the network.

Question 10

What are successors?

Answer 10

Activities that cannot be started until previous activities have been completed. These activities follow predecessor tasks.

Question 11

What is an early start (ES) date?

Answer 11

The earliest possible date on which the uncompleted portions of an activity (or the project) can start, based on the network logic and any schedule constraints.
Early start dates can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan.

Question 12

What is a late start (LS) date?

Answer 12

The latest possible date that an activity may begin without delaying a specified milestone (usually the project finish date).

Question 13

What is a forward pass?

Answer 13

Network calculations that determine the earliest start/earliest finish time (date) for each activity. The earliest start and finish dates are determined by working forward
through each activity in the network.

Question 14

What is a backward pass?

Answer 14

Calculation of late finish times (dates) for all uncompleted network activities.
The latest finish dates are determined by working backward through each activity.

Question 15

What is a merge activity?

Answer 15

An activity with two or more immediate predecessors (tasks flowing into it). Merge activities can be located by doing a forward pass through the network. The PMBoK refers to merge activities as “path convergence.”

Question 16

What is burst activity?

Answer 16

An activity with two or more immediate successor activities (tasks flowing out from it). Burst activities can be located by doing a backward pass through the network.
The PMBoK refers to burst activities as “path divergence.”

Question 17

What is a float?

Answer 17

The amount of time an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the finish of the project. Float is a mathematical calculation and can change as the project progresses and changes are made in the project plan. Also called slack, total float, and path float. In general, float is the difference between the late start date and the early start date (LS − ES) or between the late finish date and early finish date (LF − EF).

Question 18

What is a critical path?

Answer 18

The path through the project network with the longest duration. The critical
path may change from time to time as activities are completed ahead of or behind schedule.
Critical path activities are identified as having zero float in the project.

Question 19

What is a critical path method?

Answer 19

A network analysis technique used to determine the amount of scheduling flexibility (the amount of float) on various logical network paths in the project schedule network, and to determine the minimum total project duration. It involves the calculation of early (forward scheduling) and late (backward scheduling) start and finish dates for each activity. Implicit in this technique is the assumption that whatever resources are required in any given time period will be available. Activities times are assumed to be known, or deterministic.

Question 20

What is resource limited schedule?

Answer 20

A project schedule whose start and finish dates reflect expected resource availability. The final project schedule should always be resource-limited.

Question 21

What is program evaluation and review technique?

Answer 21

An event- and probability-based network analysis system generally used in projects where activities and their durations are difficult to define. PERT is often used in large programs where the projects involve numerous organizations at widely different locations.

Question 22

What is the difference between activity on a node and activity on an arrow methods?

Answer 22

In the AOA method, the arrow represents the task,
or activity, and the node signifies an event marker that suggests the completion of one activity and the potential to start the next. In AON methodology, the node represents an activity and the path arrows demonstrate the logical sequencing from node to node through the network.

Question 23

How to calculate the variance of the activity duration estimate?

Answer 23

s^2 = [(b - a)/6]^2

where a is the optimistic estimate and b is the pessimistic

Question 24

How to calculate estimate time for an activity using beta distribution?

Answer 24

(a+4m+b)/6

where a is the optimistic estimate and b is the pessimistic and m is the most likely

Question 25

What are the three steps in applying the forward pass?

Answer 25

1. Add all activity times along each path as we move through the network (ES + Dur = EF).
2. Carry the EF time to the activity nodes immediately succeeding the recently completed
   node. That EF becomes the ES of the next node, unless the succeeding node is a merge
   point.
3. At a merge point, the largest preceding EF becomes the ES for that node.

Question 26

What are the three steps in applying the backwards pass?

Answer 26

1. Subtract activity times along each path as you move through the network (LF - Dur = LS).
2. Carry back the LS time to the activity nodes immediately preceding the successor node. That
   LS becomes the LF of the next node, unless the preceding node is a burst point.
3. In the case of a burst point, the smallest succeeding LS becomes the LF for that node.

Question 27

How to calculate the probability of a project completion?

Answer 27

Project variance is the sum of individual variances. Project standart deviation is a square root of the project variance. Z score is calculate (Due date- expected date)/project sd. Use the normal probability table to calculate the probability of completion.

Question 28

What are the steps to reduce critical path?

Answer 28

1. Eliminate tasks on the critical path.
2. Replan serial paths to be in parallel.
3. Overlap sequential tasks.
4. Shorten the duration of critical path tasks.
5. Shorten early tasks.
6. Shorten longest tasks.
7. Shorten easiest tasks.
8. Shorten tasks that cost the least to speed up.