Deck 7: Scheduling Activities

Question 1

The critical path is the sequence of activities that represent the shortest path through the project,which determines the shortest possible duration of the project.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

When developing a project schedule,total float (or slack)refers to the amount of time a schedule activity may be delayed from its early start date without delaying the project finish date.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The length of time to perform an activity is often dependent upon who will do that work.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

PERT refers to the Program Evaluation and Review Technique,which was developed in the 1950s to better understand how variability in the duration of individual activity durations impacts the entire project schedule.

Question 5

While the lowest level of decomposition in a Work Breakdown Structure is the work package,work packages can still be decomposed further into project activities.

Question 6

The first process in developing a project schedule is to identify all the resources available to work on the project.

Question 7

The enumeration method of determining the critical path relies upon identification of all paths through the project network.

Question 8

A mandatory dependency in a relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work.

Question 9

Except in rare circumstances,project teams should not attempt to decompose work packages into project activities because work packages provide sufficient detail to develop a project schedule.

Question 10

A successor activity follows a predecessor activity based on their logical relationship.

Question 11

A Gantt chart is an easy-to-understand tool that can be used to communicate a project schedule.

Question 12

GANTT refers to the Generalized Activity Network Tracking Technique which was developed to better understand how variability in the duration of individual activities impacts the expected project duration.

Question 13

The primary advantage of PERT is that it removes uncertainty from the estimates of activity durations,thereby increasing confidence in the reliability of a project schedule.

Question 14

The most common type of logical dependency to determine the sequence of project activities is "finish-to-finish".

Question 15

There is often terrific pressure to complete a project as quickly as possible.To confront this pressure,a project manager should quickly promise to meet the deadlines requested by the sponsor and then assemble a team to create the corresponding schedule.

Question 16

Even small delays on "near-critical" activities can change the critical path of a project.

Question 17

Monte Carlo simulation is a process which generates hundreds of thousands of probable performance outcomes based on probability distributions for cost and schedule on individual tasks.

Question 18

The "start-to-start" logical relationship used in activity sequencing applies to the case in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has started.

Question 19

In order for activities to be useful as schedule building blocks,they should have tangible output that can be verified.

Question 20

If a project manager delays the start of an activity on the critical path,then the expected completion date of the project will occur at a later date than originally planned.

Question 21

All of the following strategies can help a project team to develop realistic time estimates for project activities EXCEPT:

A) adding a significant buffer to each activity
B) be sure to consider learning curves,interruptions and competing priorities
C) estimate times of completion without initial reference to a calendar
D) verify the time estimates with the people doing the work

Question 22

Which of the following responses identifies a common type of logical dependency used to sequence project activities?

A) first-in; first-out
B) last-in; last-out
C) finish-to-start
D) last-in; first-out

Question 23

Creating a realistic schedule is often an iterative process because several factors can limit how fast a project can be completed.All of the following factors can limit how fast a project can be scheduled and completed EXCEPT:

A) logical order
B) imposed dates
C) resource availability
D) quality metrics

Question 24

The sequencing of activities is often based upon dependencies between the activities.The dependencies that should guide activity sequencing can be either:

A) critical or non-critical
B) opportunities or threats
C) mandatory or discretionary
D) interior or exterior

Question 25

All of the following problems contribute to difficulty in estimating activity durations accurately EXCEPT:

A) merging - multiple predecessors
B) omissions - leaving out key activities
C) general uncertainty in the estimate
D) poor vendor selection

Question 26

Figure 7-3 System Integration Project

Consider the System Integration Project depicted in Figure 7-3.Based on the information provided,what is the expected duration of this project?

A) 15 days
B) 16 days
C) 17 days
D) 30 days

Question 27

Figure 7-1 Assembly Project
Consider the Assembly Project depicted in Figure 7-1.Based on the information provided,what is the early start date for activity D - "Attach Modules 1 & 2"?

A) Day 0
B) Day 3
C) Day 4
D) Day 5

Question 28

Figure 7-2 Research Project
Consider the Research Project depicted in Figure 7-2.Based on the information provided,what is the slack associated with activity C - "Review Reports"?

A) 0 days
B) 1 day
C) 2 days
D) 4 days

Question 29

Which of the following statements correctly describes the critical path?

A) The sequence of activities that represents the shortest path through the project network.
B) It determines the latest possible end date of the project.
C) It consists only of activities with zero float (slack).
D) It consists only of activities with lag times

Question 30

An activity that logically comes before a dependent activity in a schedule is called a ___:

A) leader activity
B) predecessor activity
C) successor activity
D) mandatory activity

Question 31

The total number of work periods (not including holidays or other non-work periods)required to complete a schedule activity is known as:

A) effort
B) elapsed time
C) duration
D) resource days

Question 32

All of the following items can provide useful assistance to a project team to define the activities of a project EXCEPT:

A) the work packages from the Work Breakdown Structure
B) issue logs
C) checklists for projects of the same type
D) schedules from similar projects that are already completed

Question 33

Estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to complete individual schedule activities characterizes which of the following time management processes?

A) Define activities
B) Sequence activities
C) Estimate activity duration
D) Create WBS

Question 34

Figure 7-2 Research Project
Consider the Research Project depicted in Figure 7-2.Based on the information provided,what is the late start date for activity C - "Review Reports"?

A) Day 0
B) Day 2
C) Day 4
D) Day 10

Question 35

Figure 7-2 Research Project
Consider the Research Project depicted in Figure 7-2.Based on the information provided,what is the late start date for activity A - "Plan Research"?

A) Day 0
B) Day 2
C) Day 4
D) Day 10

Question 36

Milestones are important points in a project schedule that can serve as check points for project managers and sponsors.All of the following reasons might justify the decision to establish a milestone EXCEPT:

A) completion of a major deliverable
B) the time right before a large amount of money needs to be committed
C) a merging point where multiple activities must be completed before progress can continue
D) scheduling team status meetings

Question 37

Figure 7-2 Research Project
Consider the Research Project depicted in Figure 7-2.Based on the information provided,which activity can you delay by one day without impacting the expected completion date for the project?

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 38

Which of the following remedies may reduce the likelihood of omissions when developing activity duration estimates?

A) lessons learned
B) resource buffers
C) learning curve
D) staggering project start dates

Question 39

Faced with significant schedule challenges,the project manager has several responsibilities.All of the following are among the project manager's responsibilities EXCEPT:

A) willingly accept end dates dictated by customers or sponsors
B) persuade all stakeholders that the schedule makes sense
C) deliver the project according to the agreed-upon schedule
D) determine a schedule that is possible to achieve

Question 40

The amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor is known as:

A) reserve
B) free float
C) contingency
D) lead

Question 41

Describe "slack" and how you can use slack to your advantage in managing a project.

Question 42

Figure 7-4 Lab Experiment Project
Consider the Lab Experiment Project depicted in Figure 7-4.Based on the information provided,which activity can be delayed one day without impacting the expected project completion date?

A) Activity B - Calibrate Instruments
B) Activity C - Review Studies
C) Activity D - Monitor Instruments
D) Activity E - Test Samples

Question 43

Figure 7-5 Duration Estimates
Consider the activity duration estimates presented in Figure 7-5.Based on the information provided and adopting the PERT conventions to calculate expected activity durations,what is the expected duration of Activity D - "Package Item"?

A) 9 days
B) 9.5 days
C) 10 days
D) 12 days

Question 44

Figure 7-4 Lab Experiment Project
Consider the Lab Experiment Project depicted in Figure 7-4.Based on the information provided,what is the expected duration of this project?

A) 22 days
B) 24 days
C) 26 days
D) 28 days

Question 45

Figure 7-3 System Integration Project

Consider the System Integration Project depicted in Figure 7-3.Based on the information provided,how many days can you delay the purchase of software (Activity C),without impacting the expected project completion date?

A) 0 days
B) 1 day
C) 2 days
D) 4 days

Question 46

Figure 7-6 Network Scheduling Data
Consider the network scheduling data provided in Figure 7-6.Which activities constitute the critical path for this project network?

A) A-D-F-I
B) A-C-E-H-I
C) A-B-E-H-I
D) A-B-E-G-I

Question 47

Figure 7-6 Network Scheduling Data
Consider the network scheduling data presented in Figure 7-6.How many days of slack are associated with activity F?

A) 0
B) 15
C) 80
D) 107

Question 48

Figure 7-4 Lab Experiment Project
Consider the Lab Experiment Project depicted in Figure 7-4.Based on the information provided,how many days can you delay the calibration of the instrumentation (Activity B),without impacting the expected project completion date?

A) 0 days
B) 1 day
C) 2 days
D) 4 days

Question 49

Figure 7-3 System Integration Project

Consider the System Integration Project depicted in Figure 7-3.Based on the information provided,which activities constitute the critical path for this project?

A) A-B-E-F
B) A-C-E-F
C) A-D-E-F
D) A-D-F

Question 50

All of the following statements correctly describe an advantage or disadvantage associated with the use of Monte Carlo Analysis EXCEPT:

A) The flexibility of Monte Carlo Analysis allows for more realistic estimates.
B) Monte Carlo simulation aids in the identification of near-critical paths.
C) Monte Carlo simulations typically require the use of special software and skills.
D) Monte Carlo simulations do not consider risks

Question 51

Figure 7-3 System Integration Project

Consider the System Integration Project depicted in Figure 7-3.Based on the information provided,which activities can be delayed one day without impacting the expected project completion date?

A) Activity E - Install Software and Activity F - Test System
B) Activity C - Purchase Software and Activity E - Install Software
C) Activity C - Purchase Software and Activity D - Prepare Test Plan
D) none of these

Question 52

Figure 7-6 Network Scheduling Data
Consider the network scheduling data provided in Figure 7-6.What is the expected duration of this project?

A) 97 days
B) 102 days
C) 107 days
D) 112 days

Question 53

Despite the insights that PERT provides,there are still practical limitations that impact its usefulness.All of the following difficulties are associated with the use of PERT EXCEPT:

A) It often requires more effort to generate three estimates than one.
B) It highlights uncertainty in project duration
C) It does not accurately address the case when two activities both need to be accomplished before a third can begin.
D) There is no assurance that three estimates are any more accurate than one

Question 54

Describe how you would use the members of your project team to develop and execute a project schedule.

Question 55

Many factors can impact the accuracy of activity duration estimates.Describe four of the problems associated with estimating time accurately,and the techniques you would use as a project manager to overcome them.

Question 56

Figure 7-4 Lab Experiment Project
Consider the Lab Experiment Project depicted in Figure 7-4.Based on the information provided,identify the critical path(s)for this project?

A) A-C-F only
B) A-B-D-F only
C) A-B-E-F only
D) Both A-B-D-F and A-B-E-F are critical paths