Deck 8: Project Scheduling

Question 1

One of the obvious purposes of project planning and scheduling to complete a project on time. Identify other benefits that can be derived from good project planning. Also describe typical problems that can e prevented by good planning and scheduling.

Answer 1

Benefits of Planning:
o - Centralized tool for communications that coordinates the work of all parties.
- Provides a benchmark of work activities that can be used to measure progress.
- Keeps the work flowing in a continuous manner so everyone is better informed.
- Forces project people to identify, in advance, the work that must be performed.
- Provides accountability of people, with defined responsibility and authority.
- Organizes work which leads to improving the quality of the project.
Problems Prevented:
- Reduces the number of changes in a project and the amount of rework.
- Helps in preventing interruptions and delays in work,
- Reduces confusion and misunderstandings between people on the project.
- Can be used to reduce and manage legal disputes than may arise in a project.
- Helps in preventing low worker morale and declining productivity of workers.
- Helps to prevent duplication of work or overlaps in work.

Question 2

Draw a CPM precedence diagram for the project and calculate the project schedule. Provide the schedule in a tabular form, showing early/late starts and finishes as well as the total and free float for each activity. Denote the critical path on the network. below is the CPM precedence diagram and the project schedule.

Answer 2

The CPM diagram and tabular schedule is shown on the following page.
 

Question 3

Perform a cost analysis based on an earl start and late start schedule for the project in Question #2. Plot the S-curve for the early and late start costs. Show costs on the left-hand ordinate and percent cost on the right-hand. Along the abscissa, show the time in working days and %-duration.

Answer 3

NO ANSWER

Question 4

Describe advantages and disadvantages of each of the two basic techniques of project scheduling: bar charts and CPM networks. Include situations most appropriate for each of the two techniques.

Question 5

Provide a brief summary of the responsibilities of the owner, designer, and contractor related to project planning and scheduling. Describe how the schedule of each party should be related, including the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining one common schedule for a project.

Question 6

A project manager is usually assigned the responsibility of either managing a single large project or many small projects at a time. Describe the different approaches to planning and scheduling that must be used by these two types of project managers.

Question 7

Describe the purpose and use of a coding system for activities in a CPM project schedule. Include factors that should be considered in the development of the coding system and describe how the coding system can relate to the work breakdown structure, organizational breakdown structure, and the cost breakdown structure.

Question 8

Perform a cost analysis based on early start and late start. Plot the S-curves on an early start, late start, and target basis.

Question 9

Below are the critical activities of a PERT diagram. The optimistic time ( a ), most likely time ( m ), and pessimistic time ( b ) are shown at the bottom of each activity.