Project Schedule Management

Question 1

What is project schedule management?

Answer 1

Project schedule management includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of the project.

Question 2

What are the processes in project schedule management?

Answer 2

Processes in project schedule management are:

1. Plan schedule management
2. Define activities
3. Sequence activities
4. Estimate activity durations
5. Develop Schedule
6. Control schedule

Question 3

What is plan schedule management process?

Answer 3

PLAN SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT is the process of establishing the policies, procedures and dcoumentation for planning, developing, managing, executing and controlling the project schedule.

Question 4

What are the inputs to the PLAN SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT process?

Answer 4

Inputs to the plan schedule management process are:

1. Project Charter
2. Project management plan components:
   
   2. 1 Scope management plan
   3. 2 Development approach
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Operational process assets

Question 5

What are the tools and techniques of the plan schedule management process?

Answer 5

Tools and techniques used in Plan schedule management are:

1. Expert judgement
2. Data analysis i.e. alternatives analysis
3. Meetings

Question 6

What is the output of plan schedule management process?

Answer 6

Output of the plan schedule management process is the SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

• a component of the project management plan that establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monotirng and controlling the schedule.
• includes schedule methodology
• duration of waves for rolling wave planning
• level of detail needed to manage the work

Question 7

What is a milestone?

Answer 7

Milestone is a significant event in a project. It has zero duration.

Question 8

What is an activity?

Answer 8

An activity is a distinct scheduled portion of work.

Question 9

What is a logical relationship?

Answer 9

A logical relationship is a dependency between two activities or between an activity and milestone.

Question 10

What is the critical path method (CPM)?

Answer 10

Critial path method determines the shortest time to complete the project.

Question 11

What is define activities process?

Answer 11

Define activities process is identifying and documenting specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.

• key benefit is that it decomposes work packages into schedule activities that provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring and controling the project work.

Question 12

What are the inputs to the define activities process?

Answer 12

Inputs to the Define Activities process are:

1. Project Management plan:
   
   1. 1 Schedule management plan
   2. 2 Scope baseline
2. Enterprise environmental factors
3. Organizational process assets

Question 13

What are the tools and techniques used in define activities?

Answer 13

Tools and techniques used in Define Activities are:

1. Expert judgement
2. Decomposition
3. Rolling wave planning
4. Meetings

Question 14

What is rolling wave planning?

Answer 14

Rolling wave planning is an iterative planning technique in which the work to be accompished in the near term is planned in detail, while work further in the future is planned at a higher level.

Question 15

What are the outputs of define activities process?

Answer 15

Outputs of define ativities process are:

1. Activity List
2. Activity Attributes
3. Milestone List
4. Change Requests
5. Project Management Plan Updates
   
   5. 1 Schedule baseline
   6. 2 Cost baseline

Question 16

What is an activity list?

Answer 16

An activity list includes the schedule activities required on the project. Each activity in the list has an activity identifier and scope of work description in sufficient detail to ensure the project team members understand what work is required to be completed.

Question 17

What is the sequence activities process?

Answer 17

Sequence activities process is identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.

• the key benefit of this process is that it defines the logical sequence of work to obtain the greatest efficiency given all project constraints.

Question 18

What are the inputs to sequence activities process?

Answer 18

Sequence activities inputs are:

1. Project management plan:
   
   1. 1 Schedule management plan
   2. 2 Scope baseline
2. Project documents:
   
   2. 1 Activity attributes
   3. 2 Activity list
   4. 3 Milestone list
   5. 4 Assumption log
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Operational process assets

Question 19

What are the tools and techniques used in sequence activities process?

Answer 19

Tools and techniques used in sequence activities are:

1. Precedence diagraming method
2. Dependency and determination integration
3. Leads and lags
4. Project Management information system (PMIS)

Question 20

What is precedence diagraming method?

Answer 20

Precedence diagramming method (PDM) is a technique used for constructing a schedule model in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logial relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.

Question 21

What are the four types of dependencies or logical relationships in a precedence diagramming method (PDM)?

Answer 21

Four types of dependencies or logical relationship availale in PDM are:

1. Finish-to-Start (FS): where successor activity cannot start until predecessor activity has finished.
2. Finish-to-Finish (FF) where successor activity cannot finish until predecessor activity has finished.
3. Start-to-Start (SS) where successor activity cannot start until predecessor activity has started.
4. Start-to-Finish (SF) predecessor activity cannot finish until the successor activity has started.

Question 22

What are dependency attributes?

Answer 22

Dependency attributes are:

1. Mandatory dependencies - hard logic or hard dependencies, legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of work
2. Discretionary dependencies - preferential or soft logic, established based on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or some unusual aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired
3. External dependencies - involve relationship of project activities and non-project activities. usually outside of the project’s control
4. Internal dependecies - precedence dependencies between project activities and generally inside the project team’s control.

Question 23

What is a lead?

Answer 23

A lead is the amount of time a successor activity can be advanced with respect to the predecesor activity.

Question 24

What is a lag?

Answer 24

A lag is the amount of time a successor activity will be delayed with respect to the predecessor activity.

Question 25

What are the output of sequence activities?

Answer 25

Outputs of sequence activities are: 1. Project schdule network diagram 2. Project document updates: 2. 1 Activity attributes 2. 2 Activity list 2. 3 Milestone list 2. 4 Assumption log

Question 26

What is a project schedule network diagram?

Answer 26

A project schedule network diagram is a graphical representation of dependencies or logical relationships among the project schedule activities. - can include a summary narrative that describes the basic approach used to sequence the activities

Question 27

What is estimate activity duration process?

Answer 27

Estimate activity duration is the process of estimating the number of work periods to complete individual activities with estimated resources. - key benefit is that it provides the amount of time each activity will take to complete. - it uses information from the scope of work, required resource types or skill levels, estimated resource quantities and resource calendars.

Question 28

What are the factors to consider in estimating durations?

Answer 28

Factors to consider in estimating durations are: 1. Law of diminishing return - when one factor (eg. resource) used to determine the effort required to product the unit of work is increased while all other factors remain fixed, a point will eventually be reached a which additions of that one factor start to yeild progressively smaller or diminishing increases in output. 2. Number of resources - increasing the number of resource to twice the original number does not reduce the time by half as it may increase extra duration due to risk and at some point adding too many resource to the activity may increase duration due to knowledge transfer, learning curve, additional coordination and other factors invovled. 3. Advances in technology 4. Motivation of statff 4. 1 Student syndrome or procastination - when people start to apply themselves only at the last possible moment before the deadline 4. 2 Parkinson's Law - work expands to fill the time available for its completion

Question 29

What are inputs to the estimate acitvity durations process?

Answer 29

Inputs to the estimate activity durations are: 1. Project Management Plan 1. 1 Schedule management plan 1. 2 Scope baseline 2. Project documents such as: 2. 1 Activity attributes 2. 2 Activity list 2. 3 Assumption Log 2. 4 Lessons learned register 2. 5 Milestone list 2. 6 Project team assignments 2. 7 Resource breakdown structure 2. 8 Resource calendars 2. 9 Resource requirements 2. 10 Risk Register 3. Enterprise Environmental Factors 4. Operational process assets

Question 30

What are the tools and techniques of estimate activity durations?

Answer 30

Tools and techniques of estimate activity durations are: 1. Expert judgement 2. Analogous estimating 3. Parametric estimating 4. Three point estimating 5. Bottom-up estimating 6. Data analysis 6. 1 Alternatives analysis 6. 2 Reserve analysis 7. Decision making (voting, agile:fist of five) 8. Meetings

Question 31

What are the outputs of estimate activity durations?

Answer 31

Outputs of estimate activity durations process are: 1. Duration estimates - quantitative assessments of likely number of time periods that are required to complete an activity, a phase, or a project - excludes lags 2. Basis of estimates 3. Project docuement updates 3. 1 Activity Attributes 3. 2 Assumption Log 3. 3 Lessons learned register

Question 32

What is develop schedule process?

Answer 32

Develop schedule is the process of analyzying activity sequences, durations, resource requirements and schedule constraints to create a schedule model for project execution and monitoring and controlling. - the Key benefit is that it generates a schedule model with planned dates for completing project activities.

Question 33

What are the inputs to develop schedule process?

Answer 33

Inputs to the develop schedule process are: 1. Project management plan: 1. 1 Schedule management plan 1. 2 Scope baseline 2. Project documents: 2. 1 Activity attributes 2. 2 Activity List 2. 3 Milestone list 2. 4 Lessons learned registry 2. 5 Project schedule network diagrams 2. 6 Basis of estimates 2. 7 Duration estimates 2. 8 Resource requirements 2. 9 Resource calendars 2. 10 Project Team Assignments 2. 11 Risk Register 2. 12 Assumption log 3. Agreements 4. Enterprise environmental factors 5. Operational process assets

Question 34

What are the tools and techniques used in develop schedule?

Answer 34

Tools and techniques used in develop schedule are: 1. Schedule network analysis 2. Critical path method 3. Resource optimization 4. Data analysis 4. 1 what-if scenarios 4. 2 simulation 5. Leads and lags 6. Schedule compresion 7. Project management information system 8. Agile release planning

Question 35

What is a free float/slack?

Answer 35

Free Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the early start date of the successor activity.

Question 36

What is total float /slack?

Answer 36

Is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the end date of the project.

Question 37

What is project float/slack?

Answer 37

Is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the externally imposed project completion date

Question 38

What is schedule network analysis?

Answer 38

Schedule network analysis is the overarching technique used to generate the project schedule model.

Question 39

What is the critical path method?

Answer 39

The critical path method is used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model. the critical path is the sequence of activities that represent the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possile duration. "Usually" zero float.

Question 40

What is resource optimization?

Answer 40

Resource optimization is used to adjust the start and finish dates of activities to adjust planned resource use to be equal to or less than resource availability.

Question 41

What is resource leveling?

Answer 41

Resource leveling - a techique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing the demand of resources with the available supply. - often cause the critical path to change as it uses the available float to leveling resources

Question 42

What is resource smoothing?

Answer 42

Resource smoothing - a technique that adjust the activities of a schedule model such that the requirements for resources on the project do not exceed certain predefined resource limits. - project's critical path is not changed and the completion date may not be dealyed.

Question 43

What is schedule compression?

Answer 43

It is a technique used to shorten or accelerate the schedule duration without reducing the project scope in order to meet schedule constraints, imposed dates or other schedule objectives. Types: 1. Fast tracking - a schedule compression technique that compresses the schedule where in activities or phase normally done in sequence are performed in parallel or at least a portion of their duration. - this works for activities in the critical path but may introduce risk to the project. 2. Crashing - a schedule compression technique that shortens the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources.

Question 44

What are the outputs of develop schedule process?

Answer 44

Outputs of develop schedule are: 1. Schedule baseline 2. Project schedule 3. Schedule data 4. Project calendars 5. Change requests 6. Project management plan: 6. 1 Schedule management plan 6. 2 Cost baseline 7. Project document updates 7. 1 Activity attributes 7. 2 Assumption log 7. 3 Duration estimates 7. 4 Lessons learned register 7. 5 Resource requirements 7. 6 Risk register

Question 45

What is schedule baseline?

Answer 45

A schedule baseline is the approved version of a schedule model that ca be changed only through formal control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results. - a component of the project management plan

Question 46

What is a project schedule?

Answer 46

The project schedule is an output of the schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates and durations, milestones and resources. - at a minimum it includes planned start date and planned finish dates for each activity - if resource planning was done at an early stage, the project schedule reamins preliminary until resource assignments have been confirmed. Presented graphically as: 1. Bar chart or Ghant charts 2. Milestone charts (scheduled start or completion of major deliverables) 3. Project schedule network diagrams or pure logic diagram - presented in the activity-on-node diagram format showing activities and relataionships without a time scale

Question 47

What is control schedule process?

Answer 47

Control schedule is the process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project schedule and managing changes to the schedule baseline. Key benefit is that the schedule baseline is maintained throughout the project.

Question 48

What are inputs to the control schedule process?

Answer 48

Inputs to the Control Schedule process are: 1. Project Management plan components: 1. 1 Schedule Management plan 1. 2 Schedule baseline 1. 3 Scope baseline 1. 4 Performance measurement baseline 2. Project documents 2. 1 Lessons learned register 2. 2 Project calendars 2. 3 Project schedule 2. 4 Resource calendars 3. Work performance data 4. Organizational process assets

Question 49

What are the tools and techniques of control schedule?

Answer 49

Tools and techniques of control schedule are: 1. Data analysis 1. 1 Earned value analysis 1. 2 Iteration burndown chart 1. 3 Performance reviews 1. 4 Variance analysis 1. 5 What-if scenario analysis 2. Critical path method 3. Project management information system (PMIS) 4. Resource optimization 5. Leads and lags 6. Schedule compression

Question 50

What are outputs of control schedule?

Answer 50

Outputs of control schedule are: 1. Work performance information 2. Schedule forecasts 3. Change requests 4. Project Management plan updates 4. 1 Schedule management plan 4. 2 Schedule baseline 4. 3 Cost baseline 4. 4 Performance measurement baseline 5. Product documents updates: 5. 1 Assumption log 5. 2 Basis of estimates 5. 3 Lessons learned register 5. 4 Project schedule 5. 5 Resource calendars 5. 6 Risk register 5. 7 Schedule data