Chapter 6: Project Time Management Practice Questions Study Material

Last updated 25 November 2023

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Chapter 6: Project Time Management

TRUE/FALSE

1. An activity is an element of work that has an expected duration, cost, and resource requirements.

TRUE

ANS: T

An activity or task is an element of work normally found on the work breakdown structure (WBS) that has expected duration, cost, and resource requirements.

2. In project time management, the primary output of defining activities is a schedule management plan.

FALSE

ANS: F

In project time management, the main output of defining activities are an activity list, activity attributes, a milestone list, and project management plan updates.

3. In project time management, the next step after sequencing activities is to define these activities.

FALSE

ANS: F

Estimating activity resources involves estimating how many resources— people, equipment, and materials—a project team should use to perform project activities. In project time management, this process follows after sequencing activities.

4. Project schedules grow out of basic documents such as the project charter.

TRUE

ANS: T

Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project. The project charter often mentions planned project start and end dates, which serve as the starting points for a more detailed schedule.

A schedule management plan includes information which describes the format and frequency of schedule reports required for the project.

TRUE

ANS: T

schedule management plan includes information on reporting formats. This information describes the format and frequency of schedule reports required for the project. In addition, it also includes information on process descriptions and describes how all of the schedule management processes will be performed.

To define activities, the project team should start with reviewing the schedule management plan, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational processes.

TRUE

ANS: T

Defining activities involves identifying the specific actions that will produce the project deliverables in enough detail to determine resource and schedule estimates. The project team reviews the schedule management plan, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets to begin defining activities.

It is important for the activity list and activity attributes to be in agreement with the work breakdown structure.

TRUE

ANS: T

The activity list and activity attributes should be in agreement with the work breakdown structure. Information is added to the activity attributes as it becomes available; this information includes logical relationships and resource requirements that are determined in later processes.

Milestones are easy to achieve and are always achieved through one main activity.

FALSE

ANS: F

milestone on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration. It often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone, but the milestone itself is like a marker to help in identifying necessary activities.

After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is developing the schedule.

FALSE

ANS: F

After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is sequencing them or determining their dependencies.

A dependency pertains to the sequencing of project activities or tasks.

TRUE

ANS: T

dependency or relationship pertains to the sequencing of project activities or tasks. Determining these relationships or dependencies among activities has a significant impact on developing and managing a project schedule.

Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing.

TRUE

ANS: T

Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing. A network diagram is a schematic display of the logical relationships among project activities and their sequencing.

The arrows in a network diagram represent missed milestones in a project.

FALSE

ANS: F

network diagram is a schematic display of the logical relationships among project activities and theirsequencing. The arrows in a network diagram represent the activity sequencing or relationships between tasks.

In a network diagram, it is mandatory for every item on the WBS to be shown instead of only those activities with dependencies.

FALSE

ANS: F

The network diagram represents activities that must be done to complete the project. Not every item on the WBS needs to be shown on the network diagram; only activities with dependencies need to be shown.

A merge occurs when one node precedes multiple nodes.

FALSE

ANS: F

merge occurs when two or more nodes precede a single node. On the other hand, bursts occur when two or more activities follow a single node.

Start-to-finish relationships are the most frequently used dependencies between activities.

FALSE

ANS: F

One of the four types of dependencies or relationships between activities is the start-to-finish dependency. This is a relationship in which the “from” activity must start before the “to” activity can be finished. This type of relationship is rarely used, but it is appropriate in some cases.

A drawback of the precedence diagramming method is that it cannot be used unless dummy activities are employed.

FALSE

ANS: F

The precedence diagramming method offers a number of advantages over the AOA technique. One advantage is that using this method avoids the need to use dummy activities.

In project time management, one should control the schedule before estimating the duration for each activity.

FALSE

ANS: F

In project time management, before one can estimate the duration for each activity, one must have a

good idea of the quantity and type of resources (people, equipment, and materials) that will be assigned to each activity.

In a Gantt chart, thick black bars represent milestones achieved in a project.

FALSE

ANS: F

Gantt charts provide a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in calendar form. In a Gantt chart, a black diamond symbol represents a milestone.

A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and finish dates.

TRUE

ANS: T

Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and finish dates. It allows the project manager to monitor schedule progress on individual tasks and the whole project.

A disadvantage of using Gantt charts is that they do not provide a standard format for displaying planned project schedule information.

FALSE

ANS: F

The main advantage of using Gantt charts is that they provide a standard format for displaying planned and actual project schedule information.

In a critical path analysis, the shortest path is what drives the completion date for the project.

FALSE

ANS: F

In a critical path analysis, several tasks are done in parallel on projects, and most projects have multiple paths through a network diagram. The longest path or the path that contains the critical tasks is what drives the completion date for the project.

The critical path on a project can change as the project progresses.

TRUE

ANS: T

The critical path represents the shortest time required to complete a project. The critical path on a project can change as the project progresses.

A backward pass through the network diagram determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity.

FALSE

ANS: F

backward pass through the network diagram determines the late start and late finish dates for each activity. In contrast, a forward pass determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity.

Knowing the amount of float allows project managers to know whether a project schedule is flexible.

TRUE

ANS: T

Knowing the amount of float or slack allows project managers to know whether the schedule is flexible and how flexible it might be. A fast and easy way to determine early and late start and finish dates and free and total slack amounts for activities is by using project management software.

The main disadvantage of crashing is that it lengthens the time needed to finish a project.

FALSE

ANS: F

The main advantage of crashing is that it shortens the time needed to finish a project. The main disadvantage is that it often increases total project costs.

The technique of fast tracking can result in lengthening the project schedule.

TRUE

ANS: T

The main disadvantage of fast tracking is that it can lengthen the project schedule because starting some tasks too soon often increases project risk and results in rework.

Critical chain scheduling assumes that resources multitask and maximizes multitasking.

FALSE

ANS: F

Critical chain scheduling is a method that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date. It assumes that resources do not multitask or at least minimize multitasking.

One of PERT’s main disadvantages is that it does not address the risk associated with duration estimates.

FALSE

ANS: F

PERT’s main disadvantages are that it involves more work than CPM because it requires several duration estimates, and there are better probabilistic methods for assessing schedule risk.

The final process in project time management is developing the schedule.

FALSE

ANS: F

The final process in project time management is controlling the schedule Like scope control, schedule control is a portion of the integrated change control process under project integration management.

A drawback of the project management software is that it does not have the capacity to calculate the critical path(s) for a project.

FALSE

ANS: F

project management software can be used to draw network diagrams, determine the critical path for a project, create Gantt charts, and report, view, and filter specific project time management information.\

MULTIPLE CHOICE

The first process involved in project time management is _____ .

defining activities c. planning schedule management

estimating activity durations d. sequencing activities

ANS: C

Schedule management is the first process in project time management and involves determining the policies, procedures, and documentation that will be used for planning, executing, and controlling the project schedule.

Which of the following processes in project time management involves identifying the specific tasks that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables?

Defining activities c. Developing the schedule

Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations

ANS: A

In project time management, the process of defining activities involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables.

In project time management, which of the following processes generate the main outputs of an activity list, activity attributes, and a milestone list?

Sequencing activities c. Resource estimating activities

Defining activities d. Estimating activity durations

ANS: B

In project time management, the main outputs of the sequencing activities process are an activity list, activity attributes, a milestone list, and project management plan updates.

In project time management, which of the following processes primarily involve identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities?

Defining activities c. Planning schedule management

Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations

ANS: B

Sequencing activities involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities. The main outputs of this process include project schedule network diagrams and project documents updates.

In project time management, which of the following processes involve calculating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities?

Defining activities c. Planning schedule management

Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations

ANS: D

Estimating activity durations involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities. Outputs include activity duration estimates and project documents updates.

In project time management, which of the following processes involve analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule?

Planning schedule management c. Controlling the schedule

Developing the schedule d. Defining activities

ANS: B

Developing the schedule involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule. Outputs include a schedule baseline, project schedule, schedule data, project calendars, project management plan updates, and project documents updates.

In project time management, the process of_____ primarily involves checking and managing changes to the project schedule.

estimating activity durations c. controlling the schedule

developing the schedule d. estimating activity resources

ANS: C

In project time management, the process of controlling the schedule involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule. Outputs include work performance information, schedule forecasts, and change requests among others.

In project time management, a(n) _____ is an output of controlling the schedule

activity duration estimate c. activity attribute

project management plan update d. milestones list

ANS: B

Controlling the schedule involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule. Outputs include work performance information, schedule forecasts, change requests, project management plan updates, project documents updates, and organizational process assets updates.

Which of the following documents is most likely to include planned project start and end dates which serve as the starting points for a detailed schedule?

Resource breakdown structure c. Organizational process assets update

Milestones list d. Project charter

ANS: D

The project charter often mentions planned project start and end dates, which serve as the starting points for a more detailed schedule.

Which of the following is a difference between an activity list and an activity attribute?

As opposed to an activity attribute, an activity list provides resource requirements and constraints related to activities.

An activity attribute is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule whereas an activity list is not.

b. An activity list provides a more concrete d. An activity attribute provides more list of milestones for a project than an schedule-related information about each activity attribute. activity than an activity list.

ANS: D

The activity list is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule. The list should include the activity name, an activity identifier or number, and a brief description of the activity. The activity attributes provide more schedule-related information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, and so forth.

A(n) _____ on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration.

milestone c. activity sequence

activity attribute d. schedule baseline

ANS: A

A milestone on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration. It often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone, but the milestone itself is like a marker to help in identifying necessary activities.

In project time management, the main goal of _____ is to ensure that the project team has complete understanding of all the work they must do as part of the project scope so they can start scheduling the work.

defining activities c. estimating activity resources

estimating activity durations d. controlling the schedule

ANS: A

The goal of defining activities is to ensure that the project team completely understands all the work it must do as part of the project scope so the team can start scheduling the work. Activity information is a required input to the other time management processes.

In project time management, the next step after defining project activities is:

planning schedule management. c. controlling the schedule.

determining their dependencies. d. estimating activity duration.

ANS: B

After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is sequencing them or determining their dependencies. The sequencing process involves evaluating the reasons for dependencies and the different types of dependencies.

Which of the following types of dependencies are inherent in the nature of work being performed on a project?

Mandatory c. External

Discretionary d. Random

ANS: A

Mandatory dependencies are inherent in the nature of work being performed on a project. They are sometimes referred to as hard logic.

_____ dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care because they may limit later scheduling options.

Mandatory c. External

Discretionary d. Inherent

ANS: B

Discretionary dependencies are defined by the project team. They are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care because they may limit later scheduling options.

Which of the following dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities?

Mandatory c. External

Discretionary d. Inherent

ANS: C

External dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities.

In an AOA network diagram, _____ occur when two or more activities follow a single node.

combinations c. mergers

buffers d. bursts

ANS: D

When creating an AOA network diagram, bursts occur when two or more activities follow a single node.

A network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities is known as a(n) _____.

PDM c. ADM

CPM d. PERT

ANS: A

The precedence diagramming method (PDM) is a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities. It is particularly useful for visualizing certain types of time relationships.

AOA network diagrams use only _____ dependencies.

start-to-start c. finish-to-finish

finish-to-start d. start-to-finish

ANS: B

A finish-to-start dependency is the most common type of relationship or dependency and AOA network diagrams use only finish-to-start dependencies. It is a relationship in which the “from” activity or predecessor must finish before the “to” activity or successor can start.

Which of the following is a relationship in which the “from” activity cannot start until the “to” activity is started?

Start-to-start c. Finish-to-start

Finish-to-finish d. Start-to-finish

ANS: A

A start-to-start dependency is a relationship in which the “from” activity cannot start until the “to” activity or successor is started.

Which of the following is true of a finish-to-finish dependency?

a. It is a dependency in which the “from” c. It is a dependency in which the “from” activity cannot start until the “to” activity activity must be finished before the “to” or successor is started. activity can be finished.

It is a dependency in which in which the “from” activity must finish before the “to” activity or successor can start.

It is a dependency in which the “from” activity must start before the “to” activity can be finished.

ANS: C

A finish-to-finish dependency is a relationship in which the “from” activity must be finished before the “to” activity can be finished. One task cannot finish before another finishes.

Which of the following is true of dummy activities?

a. They have long durations. c. They have a large range of resources.

They show logical relationships between
activities.

b.d. They have limited time periods.

ANS: B

Dummy activities have no duration and no resources, but are occasionally needed on AOA network diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.

Which of the following is one of the main outputs of estimating activity resources process?

Project documents update c. Work breakdown structure

Milestone list d. Activity duration estimate

ANS: A

The main outputs of the resource estimating process include a list of activity resource requirements, a

resource breakdown structure, and project documents updates.

After working with key stakeholders to define activities and calculate their resources, the next process in project time management is to:

develop the schedule. c. determine their dependencies.

control the schedule. d. estimate the duration of activities.

ANS: D

After working with key stakeholders to define activities, determine their dependencies, and estimate their resources, the next process in project time management is to estimate the duration of activities.

In project time management, the ultimate goal of _____ is to provide a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project.

defining activities c. developing a schedule

sequencing activities d. estimating activity resources

ANS: C

The ultimate goal of developing a realistic project schedule is to provide a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project. Project time management processes often go through several iterations before a project schedule is finalized.

_____ provide(s) a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format.

Gantt charts c. Arrow diagramming method

Critical path analysis d. PERT analysis

ANS: A

Gantt charts provide a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in calendar form. They are sometimes referred to as bar charts because the activities’ start and end dates are shown as horizontal bars.

Which of the following is a network diagramming technique used primarily to predict total project duration?

Gantt chart c. Resource breakdown structure

Critical path analysis d. Arrow diagramming method

ANS: B

Critical path method (CPM) —also called critical path analysis —is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration. This important tool helps combat project schedule overruns.

The critical path is the _____ path through a network diagram, and it represents the _____ amount of slack or float.

a. longest; longest	c. shortest; longest
b. longest; shortest	d. shortest; shortest

ANS: B

A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by which the project can be completed. It is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following activities is known as a _____.

forward pass c. fast tracking

backward pass d. free slack

ANS: D

A technique that can help project managers make schedule trade-offs is determining the free slack and total slack for each project activity. Free slack or free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following activities.

_____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date.

Total slack c. Backward pass

Free float d. Forward pass

ANS: A

Total slack or total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date.

The _____ for an activity is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish date.

early finish date c. late start date

late finish date d. early start date

ANS: C

The late start date is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish date.

The technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost is known as _____.

dependency c. critical chain scheduling

crashing d. feeding buffers

ANS: B

Crashing is a technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost. The main advantage of crashing is shortening the time needed to finish a project.

Which of the following techniques involve doing activities in parallel that one would normally do in sequence?

Critical chain scheduling c. Fast tracking

Crashing d. PERT analysis

ANS: C

Fast tracking involves doing activities in parallel that one would normally do in sequence. The main advantage of fast tracking is that it can shorten the time needed to finish a project.

A similarity between the crashing technique and the fast tracking technique is that:

both can shorten the time needed to finish
a project.

both spread out tasks over a long period of c.

time to ensure the quality of work is maintained.

both invariably result in increases in total d. both are network diagramming techniques project costs. used primarily to predict total project

duration.

ANS: C

The main advantage of fast tracking, like crashing, is that it can shorten the time needed to finish a project.

Critical chain scheduling protects tasks on the critical chain from being delayed by using _____, which consist of additional time added before tasks on the critical chain that are preceded by non-critical-path tasks.

critical paths c. dummy activities

feeding buffers d. fast tracking

ANS: B

Critical chain scheduling protects tasks on the critical chain from being delayed by using feeding buffers, which consist of time added before tasks on the critical chain if they are preceded by other tasks that are not on the critical path.

_____ states that work expands to fill the time allowed.

Murphy’s Law c. Parkinson’s Law

Miller’s Law d. Einstein’s Law

ANS: C Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allowed.

A difference between the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and critical path method (CPM) is that:

CPM addresses the risk associated with duration estimates whereas PERT does not.

CPM involves more work than PERT because it requires several duration estimates.

b. unlike CPM, PERT estimates only when d. PERT uses different duration estimates there is no risk of uncertainty. whereas CPM uses one specific duration estimate.

ANS: D

PERT uses probabilistic time estimates —duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations —instead of one specific or discrete duration estimate, as CPM does.

Which of the following is a similarity between scope control and schedule control?

Both are initial processes of project time c. Both are portions of the integrated change management. control process under project integration

management.

Both of their primary goals is to define d. Both of these processes should occur project goals and milestones. before estimating activity durations.

ANS: C

Like scope control, schedule control is a portion of the integrated change control process under project integration management. Controlling the schedule is the final process in project time management.

Which of the following is an output of schedule control?

Lessons-learned reports c. Resource requirements

Activity attributes d. Milestones list

ANS: A

The main outputs of schedule control include work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates such as lessons-learned reports related to schedule control, change requests, project management plan updates, and project documents updates.

A draft schedule for a project is most likely to be found in a _____.

project buffer c. resource breakdown structure

project charter d. project’s dummy activities list

ANS: B

One of the first reality checks for a project manager is to review the draft schedule that is usually included in the project charter. Although this draft schedule might include only a project start and end date, the project charter sets some initial schedule expectations for the project.

COMPLETION

In a project schedule, the variable that has the least amount of flexibility is _____.

ANS: time

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.226
OBJ:	LO: 6-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP:	The Importance of Project Schedules	KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

_____ involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project.

ANS: Project time management

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.227
OBJ:	LO: 6-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP:	The Importance of Project Schedules	KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

In project time management, the process of _____ involves deciding how many people, equipment, and materials a project team should use to perform project activities.

ANS: estimating activity resources

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.227

OBJ: LO: 6-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP: The Importance of Project Schedules

KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

After reviewing the project management plan, project charter, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets, the project team uses expert judgment, analytical techniques, and meetings to develop the _____.

ANS: schedule management plan

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.229

OBJ: LO: 6-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP: Planning Schedule Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

The _____ is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule.

ANS: activity list

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.230
OBJ:	LO: 6-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic	TOP:	Defining Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

The activity list should include the _____, an activity identifier, and a brief description of the activity.

ANS: activity name

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.230
OBJ:	LO: 6-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic	TOP:	Defining Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

In the activity defining process, the project team should review the _____ and activity attributes with project stakeholders before moving on to the next step in project time management.

ANS: activity list

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate	REF:	p.231
OBJ:	LO: 6-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic	TOP:	Defining Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Comprehension

A(n) _____ is a schematic display of the logical relationships among project activities and their sequencing.

ANS: network diagram

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.233
OBJ:	LO: 6-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Sequencing Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

In a network diagram, a(n) _____ is the starting and ending point of an activity.

ANS: node

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.233
OBJ:	LO:6-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Sequencing Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

In a(n) _____ relationship, the “from” activity must start before the “to” activity can be finished.

ANS: start-to-finish

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate	REF:	p.235
OBJ:	LO: 6-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Sequencing Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Comprehension

_____ have no duration and no resources but are occasionally needed on AOA network diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.

ANS: Dummy activities

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy	REF:	p.236
OBJ:	LO: 6-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Sequencing Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Knowledge

A hierarchical structure that identifies the project’s resources by category and type is known as a(n) _____.

ANS: resource breakdown structure

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.237

OBJ: LO: 6-5 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP: Estimating Activity Resources KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

_____ is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.

ANS: Effort

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.237

OBJ: LO: 6-6 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP: Estimating Activity Durations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

Duration estimates can be provided as a discrete number, a range, or as a(n) _____.

ANS: three-point estimate

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.238

OBJ: LO: 6-6 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology

TOP: Estimating Activity Durations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

The ultimate goal of developing a realistic project schedule is to provide a basis for monitoring project progress for the _____ dimension of the project.

ANS: time

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate

REF:

p.238

OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

TOP:

Developing the Schedule

A(n) _____ Gantt chart compares planned and actual project schedule information.

ANS: Tracking

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy

REF:

p.241

OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology

KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

TOP:

Developing the Schedule

A white diamond on a Tracking Gantt chart represents a(n) _____.

ANS: slipped milestone

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy

REF:

p.242

OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology

KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

TOP:

Developing the Schedule

A(n) _____ for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by which the project can be completed.

ANS: critical path

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy

REF:

p.243

OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

TOP:

Developing the Schedule

A(n) _____ determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity in a project.

ANS: forward pass

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy

REF:

p.245

OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

TOP:

Developing the Schedule

The _____ is based on the fact that any complex system at any point in time often has only one aspect or constraint that limits its ability to achieve more of its goal.

ANS: Theory of Constraints (TOC)

	PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF:	p.248
	OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology TOP: KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge	Developing the Schedule
21.	_____ occurs when a resource works on more than one task at a time. ANS: Multitasking
	PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF:	p.249
	OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic TOP: KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge	Developing the Schedule
22.	_____ states that if something can go wrong, it will. ANS: Murphy’s Law
	PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF:	p.250
	OBJ: LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic TOP: KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge	Developing the Schedule

The main outputs of _____ include work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, and project document updates.

ANS: schedule control

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate

REF:

p.252

OBJ: LO: 6-8 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

TOP:

Controlling the Schedule

One of the first reality checks on scheduling that a project manager should make is to review the _____.

ANS: draft schedule

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate

REF:

p.253

OBJ: LO: 6-8 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

TOP:

Controlling the Schedule

A drawback of using _____ or sample files is that managers and their teams might rely heavily on them and ignore unique concerns for their particular projects.

ANS: templates

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.256

OBJ: LO: 6-9 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology

TOP: Using Software to Assist in Project Time Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge

ESSAY

List and briefly describe the main processes involved in project time management.

ANS:

The main processes involved in project time management are as follows:

Planning schedule management involves determining the policies, procedures, and documentation that will be used for planning, executing, and controlling the project schedule.

Defining activities involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables.

Sequencing activities involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities.

Estimating activity resources involves estimating how many resources—people, equipment, and materials—a project team should use to perform project activities.

Estimating activity durations involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities.

Developing the schedule involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule.

Controlling the schedule involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule.

PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.227-228

OBJ: LO: 6-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP: The Importance of Project Schedules

KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

What are milestones? Describe.

ANS:

Milestones are the most important and visible events in a project and normally have no duration. It often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone, but the milestone itself is like a marker to help in identifying necessary activities. Milestones are also useful tools or setting schedule goals and monitoring progress. Not every deliverable or output created for a project is really a milestone.

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate	REF:	p.230
OBJ:	LO: 6-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic	TOP:	Defining Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Comprehension

What is a network diagram? Describe two network diagramming methods.

ANS:

Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing. They are a schematic display of the logical relationships among project activities and their sequencing.

They represent activities that must be done to complete the project. Every activity on the network diagram must be completed in order for the project to finish. Two types of network diagramming methods are as follows:

The arrow diagramming method (ADM): This is a network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities. A node is simply the starting and ending point of an activity. The first node signifies the start of a project, and the last node represents the end of a project.

The precedence diagramming method (PDM): This is a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities. It is particularly useful for visualizing certain types of time relationships.

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate	REF:	p.233-234
OBJ:	LO:6-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Sequencing Activities
KEY:	Bloom's: Comprehension

Describe critical path analysis. How is the critical path calculated?

ANS:

Critical path analysis is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration. This important tool can help combat project schedule overruns. A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by which the project can be completed. It is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float.

To find the critical path for a project, one must first develop a good network diagram, which, in turn, requires a good activity list based on the work breakdown structure. Once a network diagram is created, one must also estimate the duration of each activity to determine the critical path. Calculating the critical path involves adding the durations for all activities on each path through the network diagram. The longest path is the critical path.

PTS:	1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate	REF:	p.243
OBJ:	LO: 6-7 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology	TOP:	Developing the Schedule
KEY:	Bloom's: Comprehension

What is the Theory of Constraints? Describe critical chain scheduling, an application of the Theory of Constraints.

ANS:

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a management philosophy developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and is based on the metaphor of a chain and its weakest link: Any complex system at any point in time often has only one aspect or constraint that limits the ability to achieve more of the system’s goal. For the system to attain any significant improvements, that constraint must be identified, and the whole system must be managed with it in mind.

Critical chain scheduling is a method that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date. An important concept in critical chain scheduling is the availability of scarce resources. For instance, if a particular piece of equipment is needed full time to complete each of two tasks that were originally planned to occur simultaneously, critical chain scheduling acknowledges that one must either delay one of those tasks until the equipment is available or find another piece of equipment in order to meet the schedule. Other important concepts related to critical chain scheduling include multitasking and time buffers.