Deck 8: Project Time Management

Question 1

A milestone is an indicator of an important point in the project.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Resource calendars must be considered in the backward pass as well as the forward pass.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

To execute the master schedule, the major activities are broken down into smaller activities and resources are assigned to those activities.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The difference between the early start date and the late start date for activities on the critical path is usually the same as the total float.

Question 5

The Gantt chart is also called a PERT chart.

Question 6

To calculate early start dates, begin with the project start date and assign that date as the start date of activities that have predecessor activities.

Question 7

An estimate is an educated guess based on knowledge, experience, and fact.

Question 8

If any activity on the critical path is delayed, the completion of the project will be delayed by an equal amount.

Question 9

A common resource constraint is availability.

Question 10

The master schedule is rarely part of a project contract.

Question 11

Most activities in a network diagram have a finish-finish relationship.

Question 12

If the float on activities that are not on the critical path cannot be delayed, it is called free float.

Question 13

A project that has completed 25 percent of the scheduled activities indicates that the project is 25 percent complete.

Question 14

The higher levels of the work breakdown structure WBS) represent increasing amounts of detail while the lower levels represent broad categories of activities.

Question 15

The unit of measure that is chosen for tracking schedule progress can affect the quality of the work.

Question 16

During the conceptual phase, detail is required in the project schedule.

Question 17

Duration is defined as the time from the beginning to the end of an activity.

Question 18

Activities that have predecessor-successor relationships occur concurrently.

Question 19

A WBS can be decomposed, that is, separated into basic elements.

Question 20

People recognize patterns more effectively when they look at lists instead of diagrams.

Question 21

The project work breakdown structure WBS):

A) developed around the functions of the project facilitates the understanding of the amount of work required for each stage of the project.
B) represents a breakdown of the project into components that encompasses a part of the scope of the project.
C) size is directly related to the duration of each of the activities of the project.
D) represents increasing amounts of detail at its highest level while the lower levels represent broad categories.
E) is a hierarchical listing and grouping of the project activities required to produce the deliverables of the project.

Question 22

The _____ is the development of the activity sequence or determining the order in which the activities will be completed.

A) forward pass
B) critical path
C) PDM
D) lead time
E) project logic

Question 23

Work performed on the project that consumes project resources, including cost and time are called _____.

A) sequences
B) attributes
C) activities
D) decompositions
E) milestones

Question 24

Which of the following is

A) The person responsible for the work will most likely exclude extra time.
B) The person with the most knowledge is the most objective person to provide duration estimates.
C) The larger and more complex the project, the greater the need for detail, which usually translates into longer durations for activities.
D) Multiple inputs into the duration estimate increase bias.
E) The accuracy of an estimate is related to the quality of the knowledge and how that knowledge is applied.

Question 25

Resource calendars become important tools when:

A) resources are aplenty.
B) participants are not interacting at the same time.
C) changes must be made to the schedule.
D) the scope of work is not well known.
E) changes are not documented in the agenda.

Question 26

Complex projects require software that can track the interactions of thousands of tasks such as Microsoft Project.

Question 27

When the scope of the project is being determined, a _____ schedule that shows the major tasks and approximate start and end dates is developed to allow senior management to make decisions about the scope of the project stockholders.

A) milestone
B) master
C) conceptual
D) procurement
E) specific

Question 28

Project managers can divert some resources from activities with negative float to activities on the critical path without delaying the completion of the project.

Question 29

You cannot miss an important constraint if you apply the resource calendar to each activity to make sure the people and equipment are available on those dates.

Question 30

The process of deriving conclusions based on assumptions is called _____.

A) factualism
B) inference
C) decomposition
D) sequentiality
E) analogy

Question 31

The process for developing the project logic involves identifying the _____ and _____.

A) lag time; lead time
B) start; finish
C) dependency; autonomy
D) predecessors; successors
E) derivatives; antecedents

Question 32

An) _____ has no duration or resources, and is simply an indicator of an important point in the project.

A) node
B) milestone
C) inference
D) hierarchy
E) attribute

Question 33

To consider the availability of team members, consultants, and key pieces of equipment, you can create an) _____ which indicates working days and days off for a group or individual.

A) resource calendar
B) project calendar
C) task calendar
D) hierarchical calendar
E) base calendar

Question 34

The most detailed versions of the schedule may be developed a few weeks prior to the execution of the major activities and are called _____ plans.

A) procurement
B) two-week
C) contracting
D) project execution
E) risk mitigation

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT

A) If the project is chosen, a master schedule is created.
B) It has major events and dates such as starting date, important events, and the completion date.
C) The master schedule is rarely part of a contract.
D) Changes to the schedule must be approved using a documented change process with approval by the project sponsor and client.
E) To execute the schedule, the major activities are broken down into smaller activities and resources are assigned to those activities.

Question 36

The unit of time used to develop the activity duration is a function of:

A) the relationship dependence of project activities.
B) the skill level of the project team.
C) the level of detail needed by the user of the schedule.
D) the phase of the project.
E) the availability of project resources.

Question 37

Open Source software is always a better choice if an application exists with the features you need because it is free.

Question 38

Which of the following is

A) Developing a WBS begins by defining and developing lists of all activities needed to accomplish the work of the project.
B) The first draft of the WBS includes activities at the low-level.
C) The first draft of the WBS typically includes the minor activities required to accomplish the deliverables identified in the project scope of work.
D) The WBS is decomposed to the level that the client needs to control the project.
E) Typically, smaller and simpler projects require more detailed WBS.

Question 39

The _____ schedule is a summary level schedule that encompasses the entire project scope.

A) original
B) milestone
C) procurement
D) master
E) conceptual

Question 40

The relationship between a predecessor activity and a successor activity is called an) _____.

A) series
B) pattern
C) dependency
D) association
E) aggregation

Question 41

Lead time is _____.

A) the amount of time that separates the finish of one activity and the beginning of the next activity
B) greater for concurrent activities that end at the same time
C) a sequence of activities where the first activity must end before the next activity can begin
D) the amount of time that the start of the next activity can overlap the finish of its predecessor
E) lesser for concurrent activities that begin at the same time

Question 42

The time an activity that is not on the critical path can be delayed without delaying the start of a successor activity is called _____.

A) free float
B) assignable cause
C) forward pass
D) contingency time
E) scope creep

Question 43

An updated schedule that shows the present status of the project is called the _____ schedule.

A) performance index
B) master
C) milestone
D) general conceptual
E) current

Question 44

The additional time added to the schedule that can be used if a scheduled activity exceeds its estimated duration is called _____.

A) lag time
B) lead time
C) contingency time
D) forward pass
E) free float

Question 45

Distributing the work load to reduce uneven concentrations of work is called _____.

A) frequency distribution
B) alignment process
C) project control
D) resource leveling
E) scope change

Question 46

If activities must begin at the same time, they have a _____ relationship.

A) finish-finish
B) sequential
C) finish-start
D) periodic
E) start-start

Question 47

The _____ is the sequence of activities through the network that results in the latest completion date of the project.

A) master schedule
B) alignment process
C) milestone schedule
D) rough order of magnitude
E) critical path

Question 48

A sequence that can be determined logically is called an):

A) natural dependency.
B) attribute.
C) inference.
D) workflow.
E) rationale

Question 49

Which of the following types of software would be most appropriate for complex projects?

A) Microsoft Office
B) OpenOffice
C) Quattro Pro
D) Open Project
E) Oracle's P6

Question 50

The _____ is a technique for graphically displaying the logic of the scheduled activities using boxes and arrows.

A) responsibility matrix
B) precedence diagram method
C) arrow diagramming method
D) critical path method
E) project evaluation and review technique

Question 51

Activities that have predecessor-successor relationships occur _____.

A) sequentially
B) concurrently
C) intermittently
D) sporadically
E) suddenly

Question 52

The _____ is the process of determining the earliest starting date for each activity by beginning at the project start date and adding the activity durations resulting with the early finish date for the project.

A) contingency time
B) span of control
C) master schedule
D) forward pass
E) milestone schedule

Question 53

_____ the schedule is a term used to describe the various techniques used to shorten the project schedule.

A) Benchmarking
B) Crashing
C) Decompressing
D) Slacking
E) Floating

Question 54

A project can have _____, which means the calculated completion date of the last activity is later than the targeted completion date established at the beginning of the project.

A) a late start
B) lead time
C) lag time
D) an early start
E) negative float

Question 55

All of the following are techniques project managers can use to accelerate the project schedule, EXCEPT:

A) improving quality.
B) reassigning resources.
C) changing the scope.
D) adding additional resources.
E) using contingency resources

Question 56

Which of the following is a step in calculating the early start dates of subsequent activities, assuming finish-start relationships?

A) Add the predecessor activity's duration to its finish date.
B) Refer to the resource calendar that applies to the people and equipment necessary for the activity.
C) Add the lead time or subtract the lag time.
D) Deduct the number of off-days that the activity would span on the resource calendars.
E) Assign the calculated date as the early start date of the predecessor activity.

Question 57

An) _____ is the soonest date an activity can begin as determined by the project start date and the durations of its predecessor activities.

A) early start date
B) negative float
C) free float
D) critical path
E) milestone

Question 58

The amount of time that must separate the finish of one activity and the beginning of the next sequential activity is called _____.

A) lead time
B) system time
C) lag time
D) cycle time
E) saved time

Question 59

The Gantt chart:

A) is usually difficult to read and analyze.
B) is also called a PERT chart.
C) is used to indicate duration and relationships between project activities.
D) illustrates complex relationships well.
E) is a time-scaled graphic that represents each activity with connected straight line segments.

Question 60

_____ is the difference between the finish date of the last activity on the critical path and the project completion date.

A) Lag time
B) Control limit
C) Total float
D) Contingency time
E) Forward pass

Question 61

Describe the Gantt chart.

Question 62

Which of the following is a basic feature of project scheduling software?

A) Issue tracking that tracks problems, actions, and resolutions
B) Graphic displays using Gantt and network charts
C) Project portfolio management that tracks and compares groups of related projects
D) Document management feature that tracks contracts, bids, scope changes, and incidents
E) Automatic resource leveling and alerts when a resource is over scheduled

Question 63

Detailed portions of the _____ schedule that affect particular vendors might be sent to them so they can provide detailed activities that they would perform.

Question 64

Compare and contrast lag and lead times.

Question 65

The graphical representation of the sequencing of project activities is called an) _____.

Question 66

Describe how project managers can accelerate the schedule by reassigning resources.

Question 67

Identify the features that should be considered when selecting software for project management.

Question 68

Float, sometimes called _____, is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from an early start without delaying the completion date.

Question 69

The characteristics and identifiers of an activity are its _____.

Question 70

Describe the different types of project schedules.

Question 71

Contingency time is also known as _____ time.

Question 72

Describe the steps to calculate late start dates.

Question 73

Projects with a _____ complexity profile can be managed with lists of activities on paper or by using an outline in word processing or spreadsheet software.