Final exam Flashcards
Project Schedule Management components (6)
- Plan Schedule Management (planning process group)
- Define Activities (planning process group)
- Sequence Activities (planning process group)
- Estimate Activity Durations (planning process group)
- Develop Schedule (planning process group)
- Control schedule (monitoring and controlling process group)
How do project managers plan the schedule?
Use tools and techniques to define the sequence project activities and dependencies, and identify and plan for project risks.
Required processes that need to occur in order to manage the completion of the project on time.
Ensures requirements of stakeholders and team members are both reasonable and in alignment.
Processes of plan schedule management
The process of establishing the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project.
Processes of defining activities
The process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables. This includes identifying and documenting the work that is planned to be performed, identifying the deliverables, and defining the schedule activities to meet project objectives.
Process of Sequencing Activities
The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities. Activities are logically sequenced with precedence relationships.
Process of Estimating Activity Durations
The process of estimating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.
Process of developing a schedule
The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule model.
Process of controlling schedule
The process of monitoring the status of project activities to update project progress and manage changes to the schedule baseline to achieve the plan.
What needs to be included in a schedule?
1) Accounts for work that needs to be done (deliverables, work packages).
2) Determines sequence in which tasks are completed. (parallel, sequential, what goes first?)
3) Accounts for external constraints beyond control of the project. (weather, time, resources, money).
4) Can meet timeline requirements. (prescribed timeline that the schedule will work backwards from, you can’t change the date of the milestone).
The project schedule is developed in the initiating process group. (Y/N)
No – it is developed in the planning process group.
Project Schedule Management Processes are documented in the Schedule Management Plan. (Y/N)
Yes
Schedules do not need to account for external constraints. (Y/N)
No – Schedules must take into account constraints that are beyond the control of the project. For example: weather, time, resources, money
Schedule Management includes the processes necessary to ensure well-timed completion of the project. (Y/N)
Yes
The major benefit of a Schedule Management Plan is that everyone knows when the project activities will be completed. (Y/N)
No - The major benefit of the Schedule Management Plan process is that it provides direction on how the project schedule will be managed throughout the project.
A schedule determines the sequence in which tasks are completed. (Y/N)
Yes - A schedule determines the sequence in which tasks are completed AND by which resources.
MS Project is the best software for developing an electronic schedule. (Y/N)
No – there are many software applications that function the same way that MS Project does, and some are open source, online and with little to no cost.
Plan Schedule Management definition
Process of establishing the policies, procedures and documentation for: planning, developing, managing, executing and controlling the project schedule.
Inputs of the plan schedule management
1) Project Charter
2) Project management plan (scope mgmt plan, dev’t approach)
3) Enterprise environmental factors
4) Organizational process assets.
Tools and techniques for plan schedule management
1) expert judgement
2) data analysis
3) meetings
Output of plan schedule management
Schedule management plan.
Based on the requirements of the project, this plan will include applicable control thresholds for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.
Define activities
Identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
- work planned to be performed
- identifying deliverables
- defining the schedule activities to meet project objectives.
Creates basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project work.
Inputs of defining activities
1) Project mgmt plan (schedule mgmt plan, scope baseline).
2) Enterprise environmental factors
3) Organizational process assets.
Tools and techniques of defining activities
1) Expert judgement
2) Decomposition
3) Rolling wave planning (waiting until project work has begun and the tasks are evident to plan the subsequent levels; it is a form of progressive elaboration)
4) Meetings
Outputs of defining activities (5)
1) Activity List
2) Activity attributes
3) Milestone list
4) Change requests
5) Project mgmt plan updates (schedule and cost baselines)
Progressive elaboration
Is the iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project management plan as great amounts of information and more accurate estimate become available.
Activity attributes
Characteristics or features associated with each activity is detailed on the activity list. Ex: activity code, description, predecessor activities, logical relationships, constraints, assumptions, etc.
Milestone list
Comprehensive list that is used to identify all project milestones and normally indicates whether the milestone is mandatory or optional.
Sequence Activities inputs
- PM plan - schedule mgmt plan, scope baseline
- Project documents - activity attributes, activity list, assumption log, milestone list.
- Enterprise env’t factors
- organizational process assets.
Sequence activities tools & techniques
- Precedence diagramming method.
- Dependency determination and integration.
- Leads and lags.
- Project mgmt information system
Sequence activities outputs
- Project schedule network diagrams
- project document updates - activity attributes, activity list, assumption log, milestone list
Sequence activities
Identifying and documenting the relationships amongst project activities.
Activity attributes
environment, skills, timing, quality, special people, conditions
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
Activities are represented as nodes; each activity is connect by an arrow that shows dependencies.
Can be full details or summary activities (hammocks)
Dependency Determination and Integration
Dependencies can be mandatory, discretionary, internal or external.
Leads and Lags
LEAD - The amount of time a successor activity can be advanced. OVERLAP
LAGS - how long an activity will be delayed in relation to its predecessor. WAITING TIME
Project Management Information System
Includes software to enable the PM to schedule. The software allows user to plan, organize, adjust and manipulate logical relationships, leads and lags.
Why use precedence diagramming method?
- Helps with resource planning
- Creates a baseline for critical activities
- Determines when the project will end (the duration)
- Shows dependencies among activities
Predecessor
The activities that must be completed prior to initiation of a later activity in the network
Successor
Activities that cannot be started until previous activities have been completed. These activities follow predecessors’ tasks
Serial (sequential) activity
One resource, many tasks (one has to be done before the other is done). This linear method is the most time consuming way of sequencing.
Parallel activity
more than one resource, one activity done at the same time as another activity.
Merge activity
a couple of activities have to be done before the one activity can be done. (make all the dishes before they can be served at a party)
Burst activity
An activity that has to start before others can begin. (once foundation is done, you can frame, start drainage and bring material).
Start to start
Predecessor must start before successor can start. (road excavating must start before asphalt can be laid).
Finish to Finish
Predecessor must finish before Successor can finish. (Laying asphalt must be complete before line painting can be started).
Finish to start
Predecessor must finish before Successor can start. THIS IS THE MOST COMMON RELATIONSHIP IN A NETWORK. (Land must be purchased before road building can start.)
Start to Finish
Predecessor must start before Successor can finish. This is the least common task relationship and is rarely used.
(road excavating must start before line painting can be completed).
Task relationship: Writing a chapter in a book and having an editor proof the writing, then going onto next chapter.
(Start to Start) Relationship - Once Chapter 1 is finished you can give to the editor to commence proofing while you work away on Chapter 2. Once Chapter 2 is finished, you give to editor etc.
Task relationship: Activities of digging foundation and pouring concrete in a project.
(Finish to Start) Relationship - Pouring concrete can only occur after the foundation has been dug