Deck 7: Project Schedule Planning and Networks

Question 1

If an activity has two immediate predecessors and their early finish times are 15 and 19, respectively, then the early start time of that activity must be:

A) 15
B) 19
C) cannot be determined from this information

Answer 1

19

Question 2

If an activity has two immediate successors and their late start times are 26 and 33, respectively, then the late finish time of that activity must be:

A) 26
B) 33
C) cannot be determined from this information

Answer 2

26

Question 3

Which one of the following statements is true:

A) in an AOA diagram, each activity is represented as a line.
B) in an AON diagram, each activity is represented as a square.
C) in an AOA diagram, nodes represent events.
D) both a and b
E) a, b, and c

Answer 3

a, b, and c

Question 4

In a network, the critical path is that sequence of activities that requires:

A) the longest time to complete
B) the shortest time to complete
C) both a and b

Question 5

In a network, the critical path indicates:

A) the shortest possible time in which the project can be done
B) the longest possible duration of the project
C) neither (a) nor (b)
D) both (a) and (b)

Question 6

The early expected start time, ES, of an activity depends on the completion:

A) of the latest EF of all of the immediate predecessor activities
B) of the earliest EF of all of the immediate predecessor activities
C) neither a nor b

Question 7

The latest allowable finish time that an event can occur, LF, depends on:

A) the earliest possible start time of all of its immediate predecessors
B) the latest allowable start times of all of its immediate predecessors
C) neither a nor b

Question 8

Doing a project fast has the following advantages:

A) achieving benefits sooner.
B) reduced risk of stakeholders' needs changing.
C) guarantees success since all projects have a predetermined due date.
D) all of the above.
E) (a) and (b) above.

Question 9

The advantages of scheduling include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) is necessary in order to determine the cash flow.
B) is necessary in order to determine the workload on individuals
C) provides absolute certainty about the end date.
D) is necessary in order to utilize resources efficiently.

Question 10

The following technique requires the use of "dummy" activities:

A) the Gantt chart.
B) the AON network method.
C) the AOA network method.
D) the critical chain method.
E) all logic diagramming methods.

Question 11

If Activity A has to be performed before Activity B can start, then:

A) A is a predecessor to B.
B) B is a predecessor to A.
C) there is a discretionary dependency or external dependency between A and B.
D) the relationship between A and B can only be indicated on an AON network.

Question 12

The critical path:

A) is shortest path through a project network.
B) does not change during project execution.
C) always has zero slack.
D) has the smallest slack in the project.
E) all of the above.

Question 13

In a start-to-start relationship, a 2-day lag implies that:

A) the successor should not start until two days after the predecessor has been completed.
B) the successor should not start until two days after the predecessor has started.
C) the successor can start two days before the predecessor has started.
D) the two activities can start on the same date.

Question 14

The criticism of network techniques that some project work cannot be known beforehand can be somewhat overcome by:

A) drawing a Gantt chart.
B) using the AON method.
C) never planning project activities in detail.
D) using a suitable computer system.
E) breaking the project down into phases and planning only the imminent phase in detail.

Question 15

Resource leveling:

A) makes use of float (slack) to move activities to to time slots other than the "as early as possible" dates.
B) makes the workload on resources more evenly distributed.
C) can potentially turn non-critical activities into critical ones.
D) all of the above.
E) (a) and (b) above.

Question 16

The forward and backward pass:

A) determine the early and late start dates of activities, respectively.
B) determine the float (slack) of activities.
C) determine the critical path.
D) all of the above.
E) (a) and (c) above

Question 17

In the PDM method (circle all that are true):

A) activities cannot be started before immediate predecessors are completed
B) activities can be repeated
C) activities can be started when immediate predecessors are only partially completed
D) there is more flexibility in scheduling than in the usual finish-to-start method

Question 18

Statement: The term "dummy activity" is a misnomer since each dummy represents work, takes time, and requires use of resources.

Question 19

Statement: Redundant activities are activities that are repetitive of others and can be deleted from the project.

Question 20

Statement: There can only be one critical path in a network.

Question 21

Statement: If an activity has multiple predecessors, its late start is determined by the latest finish of its predecessors.

Question 22

Statement: The total slack of each of the activities on a subpath will be the same as the total slack of the other activities on the subpath.

Question 23

Statement: The free slack of each of the activities on a subpath will be the same as the free slack of the other activities on the subpath.

Question 24

Use the table and network below to answer parts (a) through (d).
$$\begin{array} { c | c | c | c } \text { Activity } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Time } \\\text { (Weeks) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Weekly } \\\text { Cost (\$ K) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Total } \\( \$ \mathrm {~K} )\end{array} \\\hline \text { A } & 5 & 2 & 10 \\\text { B } & 8 & 3 & 24 \\\text { C } & 6 & 4 & 24 \\\text { D } & 3 & 3 & 9 \\\text { E } & 4 & 2 & 8 \\\text { F } & 3 & 1 & \underline{3} \\& & & 78\end{array}$$ (a) On the network above, show ES, EF, LS, and LF for every event.
(b) Below, construct a Gantt chart for the network using only ES's and EF's.
(C)Using costs from the table and the Gantt chart in (b), show weekly costs for the project.
(d) Below, using the chart in (c) as a guide, construct a chart showing estimated cumulative project expenditures.

Question 25

Use the following Gantt chart and table to answer questions (a) and (b).
(a) On this diagram, show the total daily workers required (loading) assuming early start times for all activities. Show what portion of the total labor loading each day comes from each activity.
(b) On this diagram, balance the loading of workers by shifting activities so that no more than 20 workers per day are needed. Assume that the project must be completed in eight days.

Question 26

Level the resources for the activities below: