Crowe Time

Question 1

Time Management

Answer 1

Knowledge area with 6 processes that focus on creating an activity list, ordering that list chronologically, estimating resources, estimating time, creating the schedule, and controlling that schedule.

Processes:
• Define Activities (Planning)
• Sequence Activities (Planning)
• Estimate Activity Resources (Planning)
• Estimate Activity Durations (Planning)
• Develop Schedule (Planning)
• Control Schedule (Monitoring & Controlling)

Question 2

Define Activities

Answer 2

Planning process within time management concerned with creating the activity list.

Key Inputs
• Scope Baseline

Key Tools
• Decomposition
• Rolling Wave Planning

Key Outputs
• Activity List

Question 3

Sequence Activities

Answer 3

Planning process within time management where schedule activities are put into order according to when they should occur.

Key Inputs
• Activity List

Key Tools
• Precedence Diagramming Method
• Dependency Determination
• Applying Leads and Lags

Key Outputs
• Project Schedule Network Diagrams

Question 4

Estimate Activity Resources

Answer 4

Planning process within time management where the resources needed to perform each schedule activity are estimated.

Key Inputs
• Activity List

Key Tools
• Expert Judgement

Key Outputs
• Activity Resource Requirements
• Resource Breakdown Structure

Question 5

Estimate Activity Durations

Answer 5

Planning process within time management where the length of time to perform each schedule activity is estimated.

Key Inputs
• Activity List
• Activity Resource Requirements
• Resource Calendars

Key Tools
• Analogous Estimating
• Three-Point Estimates
• Reserve Analysis

Key Outputs
• Activity Duration Estimates

Question 6

Develop Schedule

Answer 6

Planning process within time managment where the project’s schedule is created.

Key Inputs
• Activity List
• Project Schedule Network Diagrams
• Resource Calendars

Key Tools
• Critical Path Method
• Critical Chain Method
• Resource Leveling
• What-if Scenario Analysis
• Applying Leads and Lags
• Schedule Compression

Key Outputs
• Project Schedule
• Project Baseline

Question 7

Control Schedule

Answer 7

Monitoring and controlling process within time management that manages change requests and unanticipated changes to the project schedule.

Key Inputs
• Project Schedule

Key Tools
• Performance Reviews

Key Outputs
• Work Performance Measurements
• Change Requests

Question 8

Activity Decomposition

Answer 8

A tool used in the Define Activities process. It is similar to scope decomposition an is used to break down work packages into schedule activities.

Question 9

Activity On Arrow Diagram

Answer 9

A type of network diagram where the activities are on the arrows that connect circular or oval nodes.

Question 10

Activity On Node Diagram

Answer 10

A type of network diagram where the schedule activities are represented on the rectangular nodes and the connecting lines represent dependencies.

Question 11

Analogous Estimating

Answer 11

Also called top-down estimating, it is a form of expert judgment used when there is little information available. Activities, or even entire projects, are estimated by comparing to similar projects.

Question 12

Backward Pass

Answer 12

A method for calculating the late start and late finish for activities on a project network diagram.

A backward pass starts at the end of the network diagram and works backward through each activity to the start.

Question 13

Critical Path

Answer 13

The path(s) through the network that show which activities, if delayed, will affect the project finish date.

The critical path is the highest risk path through the network.

All activities on the critical path have no float.

Question 14

Dependencies

Answer 14

The relationships that eist between schedule activities. Dependencies may be either:
• Mandatory
• Discretionary
• External

Activities that have dependencies may have any of the following logical relationships:
• Finish-to-Start
• Start-to-Finish
• Finish-to-Finish
• Start-to-Start

Question 15

Dummy Activity

Answer 15

A way of creating a dependency relationship between two activities on an activity on arrow diagram.

Dummy activities are not real activities, and they have no actual duration. They are represented using a dashed line.

Question 16

Schedule Compression

Answer 16

A technique used in the Develop Schedule and Control Schedule proccesses to make the overall schedule shorter. The two techniques most commonly associated with duration compression are crashing and fast tracking.

Question 17

Float

Answer 17

Also called “slack,” it is the amount of time an activity may slip before it causes the finish date of the project to change.

Question 18

Forward Pass

Answer 18

A technique for calculating the early start and early finish dates for the activities in a project network diagram.

A forward pass begins at the start of the network and progresses linearly to the finish.

Question 19

Lag

Answer 19

A waiting period between activities.

If the start of activity B were dependent upon the finish of activity A, and activity B also had a lag of 5 days, then activity B could not begin until 5 days after activity A had finished.

A lag is non-working time, so it is not considered to be part of the activity itself. Lags are essentially the opposites of leads.

Question 20

Lead

Answer 20

A jump-start on one activity that has a dependency upon another activity.

if the start of activity B were dependent upon the finish of activity A, and activity B also had a lead of 3 days, then activity B could begin 3 days before activity A finished.

leads are essentially the opposites of lags.

Question 21

Milestone

Answer 21

A significant point or event in the life of the project. Milestones are usually tied to deliverables.

Question 22

Precedence Diagramming Method

Answer 22

A method of creating project network diagrams that yields activity on node diagrams.

Abbreviated as PDM.

Question 23

Reserve Time

Answer 23

Padding added to the schedule to ensure that the schedule is still achievable and manageable if one or more activities take longer than their estimates.

Reserve time may be added to individual schedule activities or as a lump sum buffer.

Question 24

Schedule Baseline

Answer 24

A version of the project schedule that has been place under control.

The schedule baseline is created in the develop Schedule process ans eventually becomes a component of the project management plan.

Question 25

Variance Analysis

Answer 25

A tool used to understand the difference between what was planned and what was executed.  It is used in the following processes:
• Control Scope
• Control Schedule
• Control Costs
• Report Performance