M5 Proj Time Mgmt (47) Flashcards
1) Which method of estimating activity duration is best for projects that have a lot of uncertainty or risk?
a. Analogous estimating
b. Parametric estimating
c. Three‐point estimates
d. Statistical estimates
c. Three‐point estimates
When a lot of uncertainty, risk, or unknowns surround an activity or a work package, you can use three‐point estimating to give you a range and an expected duration.
2) Paul is working on scheduling his project. He is in the early stage and will perform a progressive elaboration later in the week as more information becomes available. At this point, he is only interested in the start and end dates of the major deliverables. Which of the following is Paul creating?
a. PERT
b. Critical Chain Method
c. Critical Path Method
d. Milestone chart
d. Milestone chart
The best answer choice is D because a milestone chart is utilized to show the start and end dates of the major project deliverables.
3) The unanticipated absence of a key project team member is threatening to put your project behind schedule. From the following choices, select the one that is the best method for maintaining your project schedule baseline without increasing costs.
a. Schedule baseline revision
b. Resource leveling
c. Crashing the project
d. SPI
b. Resource leveling
The best answer choice is B because resource leveling is the best choice for maintaining the project schedule baseline without increasing cost.
4) Which of the following are outputs of the Control Schedule process?
a. Schedule forecasts
b. Work performance data
c. Project calendars
d. Schedule data
a. Schedule forecasts
The best answer choice is A because all of the other choices are inputs to the Control Schedule process.
5) What is a schedule change?
a. A modification to the schedule data that does not impact the baseline schedule
b. A modification to the schedule based on entering the information regarding the project’s progress
c. An unapproved modification of the schedule implemented outside the Perform Integrated Change Control process
d. A modification of the schedule that has been through the Perform Integrated Change Control process and has been approved.
d. A modification of the schedule that has been through the Perform Integrated Change Control process and has been approved.
A schedule revision is an approved modification of the schedule that has been through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
6) Clarence is monitoring the progress of his project. The Planned value of the project at this point is $480,000. However, when checking the actual performance, the Earned Value is $320,000. Clarence needs to determine the variance of the to‐date performance. From the following list, select the formula Clarence should use to determine the difference between the work completed to a point in time and the work planned to be completed at that same point.
a. VAC = BAC – EAC
b. SV = EV – PV
c. SPI = EV / PV
d. CPI = EV / AC
b. SV = EV – PV
The best answer choice is B. The Schedule Variance (SV) represents the amount by which the project is ahead or behind the planned delivery date.
7) The technique of compressing a project schedule resulting in an incremental cost increase defines which of the following techniques?
a. Fast tracking
b. Crashing
c. Resource leveling
d. All of the above
b. Crashing
The best answer choice is B because crashing can provide schedule compression but typically results in increased project costs.
8) Brenda is working on a network diagram for her project schedule on a project management textbook her company is publishing. Her writers are working on the text and she wants to get the available drafts to her editors as soon as possible. She has determined that it is not necessary for the writers to complete the entire draft before the editors begin. How should Brenda show this relationship on her network diagram?
a. FS
b. SS
c. FS + 1
d. SF
b. SS
The best answer choice is B. Although Brenda can supply her editors with the partial manuscript and have them begin editing before the manuscript is complete, this should be shown as a Start‐to‐Start relationship because the editors cannot begin their work before the writers have started their work. If Brenda wished to wait until the manuscript was complete before giving it to her editors, this would be shown as a Finish‐to‐Start relationship.
9) As the project manager for a software development project, you are in the process of estimating the activity durations for the coding portion. The project requirements specify that the software coding is targeted at 1,000 lines of code. The person responsible for the coding informs you that she is usually capable of writing 1,000 lines of code in approximately 9 days. If she is busy with other projects, it could take up to 12 days to write the same amount of code. If things are going great with no interruptions, she can accomplish the same production level in only 6 days. Based on her estimates, and using the beta distribution model of three‐point estimating, what is the activity duration for writing 1,000 lines of code?
a. 8 days
b. 16 days
c. 12 days
d. 9 days
d. 9 days
The best answer choice is D. The formula for beta distribution in three‐point estimating is tE = (tO + 4tM + tP) / 6, which equates to [6 + (4 × 9) + 12] / 6 or (6 + 36 + 12) / 6 = 9
10) Activities are the actions needed to create the deliverables. Activity attributes can include which of the following?
a. Constraints and assumptions
b. Milestones
c. Certification requirements
d. Delphi
a. Constraints and assumptions
Multiple activity attributes can be associated with each scheduled activity that may be included within the activity list. Activity attributes include activity identifier or code (usually an extension from the WBS numbering scheme); activity description; predecessor and successor activities; logical relationships; leads and lags; imposed dates; constraints; assumptions; required resources and skill levels; geographic location of performance; and the type of effort.
11) Which of the following should be included in the project charter?
a. The communication plan
b. The business need the project will address
c. The unidentified risks
d. The stakeholder management plan
b. The business need the project will address
The best answer choice is B. The project begins with a business need, which should be included in the project charter.
12) Xavier is concerned with the project schedule and needs to perform some analysis. Which of the following tools and techniques should he consider for his analysis?
a. CPI and CV
b. SV and SPI
c. EV and PV
d. AC and BAC
b. SV and SPI
The best answer choice is B. Tools used in the variance analysis activity for the Control Schedule process include Schedule Variance (SV) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI).
13) Sharon is managing a new project and has just completed her calculations for SV and SPI. Both calculations have resulted in numbers greater than 1.0. Based on this result, what is the status or Sharon’s project at the present time?
a. Ahead of schedule
b. Behind schedule
c. On schedule
d. Over budget
a. Ahead of schedule
The best answer choice is A. When calculating Schedule Variance (SV) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) a resulting number greater than one indicates the project is ahead of schedule. 1.0 means it is on schedule. A number less than 1.0 indicates behind schedule.
14) The schedule management plan can be high‐level with only a few paragraphs, or the plan can be quite detailed, containing all of the following EXCEPT
a. Scheduling software
b. Guidelines for establishing and using contingency reserve
c. Estimating methods
d. Six Sigma tools and techniques
d. Six Sigma tools and techniques
Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement.
15) Pamela is working on her project schedule. She is including all of the work packages from the WBS and developing a network diagram. She has determined the longest path through the project resulting in the shortest duration. What has she determined?
a. The critical chain
b. The critical path
c. The milestone list
d. The free float and total float
b. The critical path
The best answer choice is B. The critical path is the sequence of activities representing the longest path through the project, which determines the shortest duration.
16) Which of the following allows the project team to place buffers on any project schedule path to allow for limited resources?
a. Critical Path Method
b. Critical Chain Method
c. Fast‐tracking
d. Resource leveling
b. Critical Chain Method
The best answer choice is B. The critical chain method uses buffers to allow for project uncertainties.
17) The skill levels of human resources, geographic location of where work will take place, and corporate calendars are all components of a
a. Project management plan
b. Network diagram
c. Precedence diagram
d. Resource calendar
d. Resource calendar
A resource calendar can be quite complex. Information you might compile for a resource calendar includes the skill levels of human resources, geographic location of work, resource availability, corporate calendar, and constraints on the number of hours per day a resource can be used.
18) What allows the project team to place buffers on any project schedule path to account for limited resources and project uncertainties?
a. Reserve analysis
b. Critical chain methodology
c. Padding
d. Backward pass
b. Critical chain methodology
Critical chain methodology is a schedule method that allows the project team to place buffers on any project schedule path to account for limited resources and project uncertainties.
19) Val is busy determining the activity durations on her project. One of her team members has been assigned the work package involving the printing of a 3‐part sequential mailing to potential prospects for their client’s photographic services. The team member informs Val that she estimates the time required to be 4 days. However, if her work load changes, the time could expand to 6 days. It is possible that she could get the work done in 2 days if everything goes as planned and there are no glitches with the mailing lists. If Val uses the 3 ‐point estimating technique. She has decided to use both the triangular distribution and the beta distribution methods. What results will Val come up with by using 2 two methods?
a. Beta: 4. Triangular: 3
b. Beta: 4. Triangular: 4
c. Beta: 3. Triangular: 4
d. Beta: 5. Triangular: 4
b. Beta: 4. Triangular: 4
The best answer choice is B. Both methods result in the same answer.
20) What is meant by free float?
a. The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint.
b. The latest possible point in time when uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can finish based on the schedule network logic.
c. The earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can finish based on the schedule network logic.
d. The amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor or violating a schedule constraint.
d. The amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor or violating a schedule constraint.
Float is the difference between the late and early dates. Free float is the amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor or violating a schedule constraint.
21) What are the four inputs to plan schedule management?
a. Project management plan, project charter, EEFs, organizational process assets
b. Project charter, WBS, SOW, EEFs
c. SOW, product scope, requirements documents, acceptance criteria
d. Project management plan, project charter, project assumptions, project constraints
a. Project management plan, project charter, EEFs, organizational process assets
The first steps in developing your schedule is planning how you will identify, sequence, resource, and estimate the work. You will document this information in a schedule management plan. The four inputs are the project management plan, the project charter, the enterprise environmental factors (EEFs), and the organizational process assets.
22) Inputs for developing a schedule include the schedule management plan; activity list, attributes and duration; resource calendars, resource breakdown structure, and
a. Network diagram
b. Project charter
c. Statement of work
d. Cost estimates
a. Network diagram
To develop a schedule, all the schedule data is combined into a scheduling tool. To begin this process, you take outputs from all the previous scheduling processes: schedule management plan, activity list, activity attributes, activity resource requirements, resource calendars, activity duration estimates, resource breakdown structure, and network diagrams.
23) What is reserve analysis
a. An analytical technique to establish a reserve for schedule duration, budget, estimated costs, or funds for a project
b. The practice of adding extra time to a schedule to account for unknown variables
c. An analytical technique that breaks a project down into best, most likely, and worst case scenarios
d. A mathematical model used to determine project duration
a. An analytical technique to establish a reserve for schedule duration, budget, estimated costs, or funds for a project
Reserve analysis is an analytical technique to determine the essential features and relationships of components in the project management plan to establish a reserve for the schedule duration, budget, estimated cost, or funds for a project.
24) Joan is managing a new project tasked with creating, developing, and launching a new social media site on the Internet. There is a lot to do, and it appears to be an overwhelming task with multiple phases of work and deliverables. In order to get a better idea of the overall scope, Joan has decided to concentrate on the work that needs to be accomplished in the near term, plan that work out in detail, and develop a lesser degree of detail for the work that will be accomplished in the future. What type of iterative planning technique is Joan using?
a. Monte Carlo simulation
b. Rolling stone planning
c. Progressive iteration
d. Rolling wave planning
d. Rolling wave planning
The best answer choice is D. Joan is using an Iterative process and a form of progressive elaboration known as rolling wave planning, in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level.