Deck 2: Project Management

Question 1

A pure project organizational structure houses the project in a specific functional area.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The network diagram is a planning method that is designed to depict the relationships between activities.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Risk is a measure of the probability and consequences of not reaching a defined project goal.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A risk-management plan contains all identified risks to a project plus the ways that they can be circumvented.

Question 5

Project managers should be able to organize a set of disparate activities.

Question 6

A relationship that determines the sequence for undertaking activities is a precedence relationship.

Question 7

The phase of project management that takes the most resources is the execution phase.

Question 8

The earliest start time is never the same as the latest start time.

Question 9

A critical path is any sequence of activities between a project's start and finish.

Question 10

Projects often cut across organizational lines.

Question 11

To obtain the latest start and latest finish time,we must work forward through the network.

Question 12

A Gantt chart is a project schedule that superimposes project activities on a time line.

Question 13

The normal cost is the amount of money it normally takes to complete an activity faster than its normal time.

Question 14

Projects,and the application of project management,facilitate the implementation of operations strategy.

Question 15

Project close out consists of a)completing the remaining deliverables and b)paying the final bills.

Question 16

Scope creep is one of the primary causes of project failure.

Question 17

A project manager should stop crashing a project if the time budget has been met or if the crash costs have exceeded the savings in indirect and penalty costs.

Question 18

The work breakdown structure is a statement of all work that has to be completed.

Question 19

A project is an interrelated set of activities that has a definite starting and ending point.

Question 20

The optimistic time is the probable time required to perform the activity.

Question 21

In a network diagram,an activity:

A)is the largest unit of work effort consuming both time and resources that a project manager can schedule and control.
B)is the smallest unit of work effort consuming both time and resources that a project manager can schedule and control.
C)should always be something the company has had experience with.
D)must always have a single,precise estimate for the time duration.

Question 22

Fig.2.1
For the network shown in Fig.2.1,what is the project duration?

A)6
B)15
C)13
D)14

Question 23

When using the beta distribution for estimating activity times:

A)an advantage is that the mode of the distribution is always equidistant from the end points of the distribution.
B)the most likely time estimate can be positioned anywhere between the optimistic and pessimistic time estimates.
C)we assume that the standard deviation is one-third the range between the optimistic and pessimistic time estimates.
D)the most likely time estimate becomes the mean of the distribution.

Question 24

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Using the information shown in Table 2.1,what is the activity time for activity F?

A)5
B)11
C)6
D)1

Question 25

Which one of the following best describes the critical path of a PERT/CPM network?

A)the sequence of activities between a project's start and finish that takes the longest time to complete
B)the sequence of activities between a project's start and finish that has the maximum amount of activity slack
C)the set of activities that has no precedence relationships
D)the sequence of activities that has the lowest normal activity cost

Question 26

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Using the information shown in Table 2.1,what is the earliest finish time for activity A?

A)0
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 27

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Using the information shown in Table 2.1,what is the slack time for activity D?

A)1
B)4
C)6
D)7

Question 28

Activity slack is defined as:

A)latest start time minus earliest start time.
B)earliest start time minus latest start time.
C)earliest finish time minus latest finish time.
D)latest finish time minus earliest start time.

Question 29

Assume that activity G has the following times: Early start time = 7 days
Early finish time = 13 days
Late start time = 15 days
Late finish time = 21 days
Which of the following statements is TRUE about activity G?

A)Activity G takes 14 days to complete.
B)Activity G has a slack time of 8 days.
C)Activity G is on the critical path.
D)Activity G takes 2 days to complete.

Question 30

Activity times for a project are estimated by all but which of the following methods?

A)Methods-Time Measurement (MTM)data,which includes predetermined time estimates for different activities
B)managerial opinions based on similar prior experiences
C)statistical methods based on actual past experience
D)estimates using learning curve models to improve replications and estimate accuracy

Question 31

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Using the information shown in Table 2.1,what is the project duration?

A)15
B)14
C)12
D)10

Question 32

A project organization structure where team members are assigned to the project and work exclusively for the project manager is called:

A)a matrix structure.
B)a fixed structure.
C)a pure project structure.
D)a Functional structure.

Question 33

Which one of these steps in implementing changes comes first?

A)document the process
B)evaluate performance
C)define scope
D)identify opportunity

Question 34

Fig.2.1
For the network shown in Fig.2.1,which of the following is the critical path?

A)ABCDEF
B)ABEF
C)ACDF
D)ACEF

Question 35

The project's objective statement should contain:

A)slack time and activities.
B)scope,time frame,and allocated resources.
C)manpower and methods.
D)activities,completion times,and incentives.

Question 36

A project has three paths.A-B-C has a length of 25 days.A-D-C has a length of 15 days.Finally,A-E-C has a length of 20 days.Which one of the following statements is TRUE?

A)A-D-C is the critical path.
B)A-B-C has the most slack.
C)The expected duration of this project is 25 days.
D)The expected duration of this project is 25 + 15 + 20 = 60 days.

Question 37

The earliest start time for an activity is equal to the:

A)smallest earliest finish time of all of its immediate predecessors.
B)largest earliest finish time of all of its immediate predecessors.
C)smallest late start time of any of its immediate predecessors.
D)largest late finish time of all of its immediate predecessors.

Question 38

In an activity-on-node [AON] network,the nodes represent ________,whereas the arcs represent ________.

A)activities;time
B)activities;precedence relationships
C)events;activities
D)precedence relationships;time

Question 39

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Refer to the Figure to accompany Table 2.1.Which one of the following is the critical path?

A)ABDG
B)ABEG
C)ACEG
D)ACFG

Question 40

Figure to accompany Table 2.1 Table 2.1

Using the information shown in Table 2.1,what is the latest start time for activity E?

A)2
B)3
C)5
D)8

Question 41

Table 2.5
Using Table 2.5,the expected time for activity C is:

A)three days.
B)four days.
C)five days.
D)more than five days.

Question 42

Which one of the following conditions violates the assumptions of PERT/CPM networks?

A)Some activities can have zero variance.
B)Costs increase linearly as activity time is reduced below its normal time.
C)Two activities tied together by an arc are overlapping and can be worked on simultaneously.
D)There can be more than one critical path in a network.

Question 43

Table 2.2
Using Table 2.2,what is the earliest expected time of completion of the whole project?

A)fewer than or equal to 19 weeks
B)greater than 19 but fewer than or equal to 21 weeks
C)greater than 21 but fewer than or equal to 24 weeks
D)greater than 24 weeks

Question 44

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the earliest completion time for this project?

A)18 weeks
B)19 weeks
C)20 weeks
D)21 weeks

Question 45

Table 2.3
Using Table 2.3,which activity is on the critical path?

A)Activity D
B)Activity F
C)Activity G
D)Activity K

Question 46

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the largest amount of slack that any activity in the project has?

A)zero weeks
B)two weeks
C)four weeks
D)six weeks

Question 47

To calculate the probability of completing a project by a certain date:

A)the expected completion time of the project is taken to be the sum of the activity times on the shortest path.
B)the variance of the distribution of project completion times is taken to be one-sixth the difference between the latest finish time and the earliest finish time of the last activity in the project.
C)we assume that the activity durations are independent of each other so that the normal distribution can be used.
D)we need only the parameters of the beta distribution for the finish node of the diagram.

Question 48

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the early start time for activity D?

A)week 9
B)week 4
C)week 7
D)week 0

Question 49

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the minimum number of activities that would have to be crashed to cause a decrease in the project's earliest completion date?

A)one activity
B)two activities
C)three activities
D)four or more activities

Question 50

In making an estimate of the most pessimistic time for an activity,a manager deliberately estimates this time too high (i.e. ,longer than it should be).What is the result of this action,assuming the beta distribution is being used to make time estimates?

A)The most likely time for this activity will be larger than it should be.
B)The variance of the activity will be smaller than it should be.
C)The beta distribution will be symmetric around its mean.
D)The expected time for this activity will be larger than it should be.

Question 51

Table 2.2
Using Table 2.2,if the expected times for activities A,G,and H increased by 2,3,and 4 weeks,respectively,by how many weeks would the project's earliest expected time of completion increase?

A)fewer than or equal to 2 weeks
B)greater than 2 weeks but fewer than or equal to 4 weeks
C)greater than 4 weeks but fewer than or equal to 6 weeks
D)greater than 6 weeks

Question 52

Table 2.3
Using Table 2.3,if the project manager wants at least a 98% probability that the project will be completed on or before the due date,what is the shortest project due date that will satisfy the manager?

A)fewer than or equal to 28 days
B)greater than 28 days but fewer than or equal to 30 days
C)greater than 30 days but fewer than or equal to 32 days
D)greater than 32 days

Question 53

Which one of the following statements regarding Figure 2.2 is TRUE?
A)Activity S cannot finish until activity T finishes.
B)Activity T cannot begin until activity U is completed.
C)Activity U cannot begin until activities S and T have been completed.
D)Activity V cannot begin until activity S has been completed.
Answer: C
Reference: Planning Projects
Difficulty: Moderate
Keywords: activity precedence
If a project has exactly one critical path,which one of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Crashing an activity on the critical path will always result in an increase in total project profits.
B)Activities on the critical path cannot be crashed.
C)Crashing an activity on the critical path will always result in a reduced total project completion time.
D)The best schedule is one in which all activities are crashed as much as possible.

Question 54

Table 2.3
Using Table 2.3,what is the earliest expected time of completion of the whole project?

A)fewer than or equal to 21 days
B)greater than 21 but fewer than or equal to 22 days
C)greater than 22 but fewer than or equal to 23 days
D)greater than 23 days

Question 55

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the minimum number of activities that would have to be delayed to cause an increase in the project's earliest completion date?

A)one activity
B)two activities
C)three activities
D)four or more activities

Question 56

Table 2.3
Using Table 2.3,if the project is due to be completed in 28 days,what is the probability that the project will be completed on or before the due date?

A)less than or equal to 75%
B)greater than 75% but less than or equal to 85%
C)greater than 85% but less than or equal to 95%
D)greater than 95%

Question 57

Following are four sets of most optimistic,most likely,and most pessimistic times (in weeks)for an activity.Which one of the four sets will have a mean estimated time equal to the most likely time?

A)1,9,9
B)1,5,9
C)1,1,9
D)1,5,5

Question 58

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the slack associated with activity B?

A)1 week
B)2 weeks
C)3 weeks
D)None of these is the correct activity slack for B.

Question 59

Table 2.2
Using Table 2.2,which activity will have the largest amount of slack?

A)Activity F
B)Activity C
C)Activity H
D)Activity A

Question 60

Table 2.4

Using Table 2.4,what is the latest finish time for activity C?

A)week 4
B)week 6
C)week 8
D)week 10

Question 61

Table 2.8

Using Table 2.8,what is the earliest completion time of the project?

A)fewer than or equal to 10 weeks
B)greater than 16 weeks
C)greater than 13 weeks but fewer than or equal to 16 weeks

Question 62

Figure to accompany Table 2.9 Table 2.9

How many week(s)of crashing are available for activity B in Table 2.9?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)3

Question 63

Table 2.8

Using Table 2.8,what is the critical path of the above project?

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

Question 64

Table 2.7

Using Table 2.7,what is the latest start time for activity A?

A)day 0
B)day 1
C)day 2
D)day 3 or later

Question 65

Table 2.5
Using Table 2.5,what is the latest finish time for activity D?

A)between 4 and 6 days
B)between 6 and 8 days
C)between 8 and 10 days
D)more than 10 days

Question 66

Table 2.6

Disaster strikes and activity F takes 20 days instead of the anticipated 5 days.Using Table 2.6,how much longer will the project last than initially estimated?

A)15 days
B)0 days
C)7 days
D)3 days

Question 67

Table 2.6

Using Table 2.6,what is the earliest completion time of this project?

A)23 days
B)25 days
C)27 days
D)29 days

Question 68

Table 2.6

Using Table 2.6,what is the earliest that activity D can be finished?

A)18 days
B)8 days
C)13 days
D)25 days

Question 69

Table 2.6

Using Table 2.6,every day the construction crew is on-site costs $1000.What activities would you consider crashing to reduce the project completion cost?

A)Activity E
B)Activity F
C)Activity G
D)All of these activities would be candidates for crashing.

Question 70

Figure to accompany Table 2.9 Table 2.9

Determine the information missing from Table 2.9;then answer the following questions.How many week(s)of crashing are available for activity D in Table 2.9?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)6

Question 71

Table 2.5
Using Table 2.5,which activity is on the critical path?

A)Activity A
B)Activity C
C)Activity E
D)Activity H

Question 72

Table 2.7

Using Table 2.7,suppose activity D can be shortened from four days to one day.Assume all other activity times remain the same.How much shorter will the total project earliest completion time become?

A)zero days
B)one day
C)two days
D)three days

Question 73

Table 2.6

Using Table 2.6,how many days can activity C be delayed without changing the whole project's earliest completion time?

A)0 days
B)2 days
C)5 days
D)7 days

Question 74

Table 2.5
Using Table 2.5,what is the variance for activity F?

A)1.33
B)1.78
C)2.34
D)2.69

Question 75

Table 2.6

Using Table 2.6,what is the latest start time for activity E?

A)day 8
B)day 10
C)day 12
D)day 14

Question 76

Table 2.8

Using Table 2.8,what is the slack for activity A?

A)0 weeks
B)1 week
C)2 weeks
D)3 or more weeks

Question 77

Figure to accompany Table 2.9 Table 2.9

What is the critical path for the project shown in the above network and Table 2.9,using the normal times?

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

Question 78

Table 2.7

Using Table 2.7,suppose activity I is delayed,taking eight days to complete instead of two days.Assume all other activity times remain the same.How much longer will the total project earliest completion time become?

A)zero days
B)one or two days
C)three or four days
D)five or six days

Question 79

Table 2.7

Using Table 2.7,what is the critical path for this project?

A)B-E-H-K
B)B-E-H-J
C)A-E-G-J
D)C-F-I-L

Question 80

Table 2.5
Using Table 2.5,what is the standard deviation for the entire project?

A)1.08
B)1.17
C)1.71
D)2.92