Deck 6: Developing a Project Schedule

Question 1

A merge activity is one that merges with other activities into a succeeding activity.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

An activity can include only one work package.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The backward pass through a project network determines slack or how long an activity can be delayed without impacting the completion date of the project.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

An activity is an element of the project that always requires time.

Question 5

Different activities along the same path can have different total slack.

Question 6

The backward pass determines project duration.

Question 7

Burst activities have more than one activity immediately following them (more than one dependency arrow flowing from them).

Question 8

If a network has more than one critical path but noncritical activities have very little slack, the network is considered to have a high level of sensitivity.

Question 9

Gantt charts are popular because they represent an easy-to-understand, clear picture on a time-scaled horizon.

Question 10

In developing a project network, neither looping nor conditional statements are permitted.

Question 11

It is possible for a project network to have more than one critical path.

Question 12

Experience suggests that when there are multiple starts, a common start node should be used to indicate a clear project beginning on the network. Similarly, a single project end node can be used to indicate a clear ending.

Question 13

The critical path is the shortest path through a network and indicates activities that cannot be delayed without delaying the project.

Question 14

The WBS identifies dependencies, the sequencing of activities, and the timing of activities.

Question 15

An activity cannot begin until ALL preceding connected activities have been completed.

Question 16

When completing a forward pass, you carry the early finish to the next activity where it becomes its early start unless the next succeeding activity is a merge activity. In this case you select the smallest early finish number of all its immediate predecessor activities.

Question 17

It is acceptable for arrows to cross one another in a network diagram.

Question 18

If the project has a duration of 8 days, the project should be completed 8 days from the day it starts.

Question 19

Using free slack does not delay any following activities and requires no coordination with managers of other activities.

Question 20

The forward pass through a project network determines the critical path.

Question 21

________ activities are to be completed immediately following a particular activity.

A) Merge
B) Burst
C) Predecessor
D) Successor
E) Parallel

Question 22

On a project network, the activity times are derived from the

A) organization breakdown structure.
B) work packages.
C) budget.
D) project proposal.
E) responsibility matrix.

Question 23

Only activities that occur at the end of a chain of activities can have free slack.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic rules to follow when developing project networks?

A) An activity cannot begin until all preceding activities have been completed.
B) Each activity must have a unique identification number.
C) Conditional statements are allowed but looping statements are not allowed.
D) An activity identification number must be larger than that of any preceding activities.
E) Networks flow from left to right.

Question 25

Arrows on an activity-on-node (AON) project network represent

A) an activity.
B) project flow.
C) dependency.
D) project flow and dependency.
E) an activity and dependency.

Question 26

A sequence of connected, dependent activities is termed a(n)

A) path of events.
B) parallel path.
C) activity chain.
D) path.
E) dependent chain.

Question 27

An activity that has more than one dependency arrow flowing into it is termed a(n)

A) parallel activity.
B) critical path.
C) burst activity.
D) merge activity.
E) independent activity.

Question 28

The critical path in a project network is the

A) shortest path through the network.
B) longest path through the network.
C) network path with the most difficult activities.
D) network path using the most resources.
E) network path with the most merge activities.

Question 29

A project manager is building a project network that involves testing a prototype. She must design the prototype (activity 1), build the prototype (activity 2), and test the prototype (activity 3). Activity 1 is the predecessor for activity 2 and activity 2 is the predecessor for activity 3. If the prototype fails testing, she must redesign the prototype; therefore, activity 3 is a predecessor for activity 1. This is an example of

A) Conditional statements.
B) Looping.
C) Having more than one start node.
D) Good network development.
E) Natural network flow.

Question 30

When translated into a project network, a work package will become

A) a single activity.
B) one or more activities.
C) a milestone.
D) a critical path.
E) an arrow.

Question 31

________ activities must be completed immediately before a particular activity.

A) Merge
B) Burst
C) Predecessor
D) Successor
E) Parallel

Question 32

Which of the following represents an activity on an activity-on-node (AON) project network?

A) An arrow
B) A line
C) A node
D) Both an arrow and a line
E) An arrow, a line and a node all represent activities

Question 33

Which of the following is provided by both the project network and the work breakdown structure?

A) Dependencies
B) Sequencing
C) Interrelationships
D) Activity duration
E) Timing

Question 34

Even though a project network costs time and money to develop, it is worth the effort.

Question 35

Which of the following does NOT help describe a project network?

A) A graphic display of the flow and sequence of work through the project
B) Provides the basis for scheduling labor and equipment
C) Gives the times when activities can start and finish and when they can be delayed
D) Highlights major deliverables and identifies their completion dates
E) Identifies critical activities

Question 36

Within an Activity-on-Node network, the arrows depict activities to be accomplished.

Question 37

Activities which can take place at the same time are termed

A) parallel activity.
B) critical path.
C) burst activity.
D) merge activity.
E) independent activity.

Question 38

Which of the following can be used without coordinating with managers of succeeding activities?

A) Total slack
B) Free slack
C) Critical float
D) Float pad
E) Slip pad

Question 39

A(n) _________ activity has more than one dependency arrow flowing from it.

A) parallel
B) critical path
C) burst
D) merge
E) independent

Question 40

Lags can be used to constrain the start and finish of an activity.

Question 41

If testing cannot be completed any earlier than four days after the prototype has been built, what type of lag exists?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 42

A purchasing agent is responsible for ordering hardware for a custom home his company is building. The contractor installing the hardware is scheduled to start in 5 working days, but the hardware is on backorder and will not arrive for another 9 working days. Fortunately, the purchasing agent has 10 days of slack; however, he shares this slack with the hardware installer. He will have to let the contractor know that the hardware will be ready 4 days later than expected and that the slack for the installer has been reduced by 4 days. The purchasing agent and the installer share 10 days of

A) free slack.
B) shared slack.
C) total slack.
D) critical slack.
E) functional slack.

Question 43

System documentation cannot end until three days after testing has started. This is an example of which kind of lag?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 44

When creating a project network, your primary input source will be the

A) project charter.
B) work packages.
C) risk plan.
D) communication plan.
E) requirements document.

Question 45

The assumption that all immediately preceding activities must be 100% complete is too restrictive in some situations. When an activity is broken down into smaller segments in order to start the succeeding activity sooner, this is called

A) hammock activities.
B) concurrent engineering.
C) a forward pass.
D) dissecting.
E) laddering.

Question 46

The backward pass in project network calculations determines all of the following EXCEPT

A) latest time an activity can begin.
B) earliest time an activity can finish.
C) the critical path.
D) how long an activity can be delayed.
E) latest time an activity can finish.

Question 47

Which of the following will correctly calculate the total slack in an activity?

A) LS - ES
B) LF - EF
C) LS - LF
D) LF - ES
E) Either LS - ES or LF - EF

Question 48

The likelihood the original critical path(s) will change once the project is initiated is referred to as

A) flexibility.
B) resilience.
C) sensitivity.
D) concurrent engineering.
E) rigidity.

Question 49

If, for some reason, the project must be expedited to meet an earlier date, which of the following actions would the project manager take first?

A) Check to see which activities cost the least.
B) Check to see which activities have the longest duration.
C) Check to see which activities are on the critical path.
D) Check to see which activities have the most slack.
E) Check to see which activities have the highest risk.

Question 50

A project network provides the basis for

A) organizational authority.
B) completing the effort on time and within budget.
C) scheduling labor and equipment.
D) hierarchical understanding of task relationships.
E) understanding the structural relationships.

Question 51

Which of the following correctly calculates the early finish for an activity?

A) LS + DUR
B) ES + DUR
C) LF + DUR
D) ES + SL
E) LF + SL

Question 52

The minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end is referred to as

A) hammock.
B) laddering.
C) lag.
D) cushion.
E) buffer.

Question 53

The requirement for a freshly poured foundation to cure before beginning construction is an example of which of the following type of lag?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 54

Which of the following is true about hammock activities?

A) They are used to identify the use of fixed resources or costs over a segment of a project.
B) They are a combination of Start to Start and Start to Finish lags.
C) They are activities in which the costs are not subject to change.
D) They are an alternative description for the critical path.
E) They are highly sensitive.

Question 55

If a project has more than one activity that can begin when the project is to start, a common start node should be used to indicate a clear project beginning on the network. Without a common start node, each path is a

A) critical path.
B) parallel path.
C) dangler path.
D) multiple start path.
E) confused path.

Question 56

Which of the following correctly calculates the late start for an activity?

A) EF - DUR
B) ES - DUR
C) LF - DUR
D) ES - SL
E) LF - SL

Question 57

Concurrent engineering, which has dramatically reduced the development time for new products, relies on what kind of lag?

A) Start to Start lags
B) Start to Finish lags
C) Finish to Finish lags
D) Finish to Start lags
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 58

The forward pass in project network calculations determines all of the following EXCEPT

A) earliest time an activity can begin.
B) earliest time an activity can finish.
C) duration of the project.
D) the critical path.
E) how soon the project can finish.

Question 59

The amount of time an activity can be delayed and yet not delay the project is termed

A) total slack.
B) free slack.
C) critical float.
D) float pad.
E) slip pad.

Question 60

When completing a backward pass, you carry the LS to the next preceding activity to establish the LF, unless the next preceding activity is a burst activity, in which case you select

A) the smallest LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
B) the largest ES of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
C) the average LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
D) the smallest ES of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
E) the largest LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.

Question 61

A _________ activity is one that has more than one activity immediately preceding it.

A) Burst
B) Merge
C) Parallel
D) Slack
E) Dangling

Question 62

An activity that has more than one predecessor is a _________ activity.

A) burst
B) parallel
C) merge
D) critical
E) dangling

Question 63

The amount of delay within a task that will not delay the overall project is known as a

A) total slack.
B) estimated effort.
C) opportunity cost.
D) free slack.
E) both total slack and free slack.

Question 64

A _________ activity is one that has more than one activity taking place at the same time.

A) Burst
B) Merge
C) Parallel
D) Slack
E) Dangling

Question 65

Activities that can occur while another activity is taking place are called ________ activities.

A) predecessor
B) successor
C) prior
D) immediate
E) concurrent or parallel

Question 66

Activities that must occur immediately before a given activity are called ________ activities.

A) predecessor
B) successor
C) prior
D) immediate
E) concurrent or parallel

Question 67

________ slack must be coordinated with all participants in the activities that follow in the chain.

A) Free
B) Static
C) Total
D) Dynamic
E) Flexible

Question 68

The activity time estimates used to build a project network are derived from ________.

A) project charter
B) scope statement
C) requirements doc
D) work packages
E) project plan

Question 69

In a project network, recycling through a set of activities or __________ is not permitted.

A) looping
B) forward pass
C) backward pass
D) circular pass
E) late finish

Question 70

A(n) _____________ calculates project duration.

A) forward pass
B) backward pass
C) circular pass
D) complete enumeration
E) late finish

Question 71

A(n) _____________ calculates how late an activity can start and finish.

A) forward pass
B) backward pass
C) circular pass
D) complete enumeration
E) late finish

Question 72

In a project network, ________ indicate activity dependency and project flow.

A) nodes
B) arrows
C) boxes
D) labels
E) slacks

Question 73

The delaying of any activity on the __________ will delay the completion of the project by the same amount.

A) network
B) critical path
C) WBS
D) gantt chart
E) responsibility assignment matrix

Question 74

A(n) ________ activity has more than one successor activity.

A) parallel
B) merge
C) burst
D) critical
E) dangling

Question 75

An element in the project that consumes time is a(n) ___________.

A) event
B) activity
C) milestone
D) network
E) objective

Question 76

One piece of information that the arrows within the Activity-on-Node network can convey is

A) the duration of an activity.
B) the amount of risk inherent in an activity.
C) how activities are related.
D) ES and EF for the activity.
E) LS and LF for the activity.

Question 77

For any activity that has one or more predecessors, the ________ time is always the largest early finish of any of its predecessors. If the early finish times of an activity's predecessors were 85, 70 and 55, then this time would be the largest of these three early finish times or 85.

A) early finish
B) late finish
C) early start
D) late start
E) free slack

Question 78

After the total slack for each activity is identified, the project manager can more easily identify the

A) earned value.
B) critical path.
C) earliest start date.
D) total project slack.
E) total budget.

Question 79

A _________ activity is one that has more than one activity immediately following it.

A) Burst
B) Merge
C) Parallel
D) Slack
E) Dangling

Question 80

Activities that must immediately follow a given activity are called ________ activities.

A) predecessor
B) successor
C) prior
D) immediate
E) concurrent or parallel