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PMP Exam > Chapter. 6 Special Focus: Critical Path Method > Flashcards

Chapter. 6 Special Focus: Critical Path Method Flashcards

1
Q

What is a Network Path?

A

A sequence of events that affect each other on the project from start to finish. These activities form a path through the project.

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2
Q

What is “float”?

A

How much time an activity can slip before it changes the critical path / max time an activity can slip without pushing out the finish date of a project. An item on a critical path has zero float. Study pages 258 - 259 on how to determine float

Note: For activities with zero float or slack, the late finsih and early finish will be the same.

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3
Q

What is Early Start (ES)?

A

The earliest start date for an activity, when you factor in other dependencies.

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4
Q

What is a forward pass?

A

Determining the earliest start date by moving “forward” through the diagram, starting from the start date to perform the calculation.

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5
Q

What is a Late Start (LS)?

A

Looks at the lastest an activity could start and not delay the project’s finish date.

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6
Q

What is the easiest method to calculate a late start?

A

Add the float to the early start.

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7
Q

What is a backward pass?

A

Technique of evaluating a late start by looking at the end of the network diagram and working your way backward, evaluating how close activities may slide towarrd the finsih without moving the finish.

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8
Q

What is a Late Finish (LF)?

A

Late Start plus the Activity’s Duration Estimate Minus 1 unit.

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9
Q

What is an Early Finish (EF)?

A

The early start date plus the duration estimate minus 1 unit.

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10
Q

See p. 261 for Project Network Node example.

A

See p. 261 for Project Network Node example.

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11
Q

What is a free float or free slack?

A

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the early start date of susequent dependent activities.

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12
Q

What is negative float?

A

When an activities start date occcurs before a preceding activity’s finish date.

* Negative float indicates your schedule has problems*

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13
Q

Activity Decomposition

A

Similar to scope decomposition, except that the final result is an activity list instead of the WBS.

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14
Q

Activity Duration Estimates

A

Probably number of periods (weeks, hours, days, months, etc.) this activity should take with probably range of results. See example on p. 264.

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15
Q

Activity List

A

List of every activity that will be performed on the project.

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16
Q

Acitivity on Arrow Diagram

A

Rarely used type of network diagram where activities are represented by the arrows connecting the nodes. Nodes are typically represented by circles in this type of project network diagram.

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17
Q

Activity on Node Diagram

A

A type of network diagram where activities are represented on rectangular nodes with arrows representing the dependencies.

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18
Q

Analogous Estimating

A

A form of expert judgement often used early on when there is little information available. Performed from top down, focusing on the big picture.

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19
Q

Backward Pass

A

Method for calculating late start (LS) and late finish (LF) dates for an activity

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20
Q

Beta Distribution

A

A method of estimating activity duration using the formula: (Pessimistic + 4 x Realistic + Optimistic) / 6

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21
Q

Critical Path

A

The paths thorugh the network diagram that show which activities, if delayed, will affect the project finish date. For schedule, the critic path represents the highest risk path in the project.

22
Q

Dependencies

A

Activities that must be completed before other acitivites can either be started or completed.

23
Q

Dummy Activity

A

An activity in a network diagram that does not have any time associated with it, included to show relationsihip and usually represented as a dotted or dashed line. Onlly exist in activity on arrow diagrams.

24
Q

Duration Compression

A

A technique primarily made up of two means of compressing the schedule: crashing and fast-tracking

See table p. 266

25
Q

Delphi Technique

A

A means of gathering expert judgement whereas the participatns do not know who the others are and therefore are not able to influence each other’s opinion. Designed to prevent group think, to find out a person’s real opinion.

26
Q

Expert Judgement

A

A method of estimating in which experts are asked to provide input into the schedule, to improve accuracy of time estimates and reduce risk.

27
Q

Float

A

How much time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project’s finish date, also known as slack

28
Q

Free Float

A

Also known as free float. How much time an activity can be delayed without affecting the early start date of subsequent dependent activities.

29
Q

Heuristics

A

Rules for while no formula exits. Derived through trial and error.

30
Q

Lag

A

The dealy between an activity and the subsequent one dependant upon it.

31
Q

Lead

A

Activities with finish-to-start relationships that cannot start until their predecessors have been finished, however, if you have 5 days of lead time on an activity, it may begin 5 days before its predecessor activity has finished. a head start

32
Q

Mathmatical analysis

A

A technique to show scheduling possibilities where early and late start and finish dates are claculated for every activity without looking at resource estimates.

33
Q

Milestones

A

High level points in the schedule used to track and report progress. Milestones usually have no time associate with them.

34
Q

Monte Carlo Analysis

A

Computer simulation that throws a high number of “what if” scenarios at the project schedule to determine probable results.

35
Q

Network Diagram

A

Also called network logic diagram or project network diagram. A method of diagramming project activities to show sequence and dependencies.

36
Q

Negative Float

A

A situation that occurs when an activity’s start date comes before a preceding activity’s finish date. Indicates a problem with the schedule. Reworking the logic of the schedule, crashing, or fast-tracking may be potential solutions.

37
Q

Precendence Diagramming Method

A

Also called Activity on Nodes. A type of network diagram where the boxes are activities, and the arrows are used to show dependencies between the activities.

38
Q

Reserve Time (Contingency)

A

A schedule buffer used to reduce schedule risk.

39
Q

Schedule Baseline

A

The approved schedule that is used as a basis for measuring and reporting. Includes the original project schedule plus all approved updates.

40
Q

Slack

A

Another term for “float”

41
Q

Triangular Distribution

A

A method of estimating activity durations using the formula: (Pessimistic + Realistic + Optimistic) / 3

42
Q

Variance Analysis

A

Comparing planned versus actual schedule dates

43
Q

You are the project manager for the construction of a commercial office building that has very similar characteristics to a construction project performed by your company two years ago. As you perform Define Activities, what would be the best approach?

A

Use the previous activity list to help construct your list.

44
Q

Early finish represents

A

the earliest possible date an activity could finish

45
Q

Late finish represents

A

the latest possible date an acitivity could finish, without lengthening the critical path.

46
Q

The differenct between an activity’s early finish and late finish is

A

the same as the difference between teh early start and late start.

47
Q

If senion management tells you, “The last project we did like this took us 15 months,” what estimated method is being used?

A

Analogous estimating

48
Q

The team facilitator is helping the team estimate the effort of each of the stories being considered on the large product backlog. What tactic and technique would serve the purpose best?

A

Employ relative sizing using planning poker cards.

49
Q

The project sponsor approaches you as the team facilitator to understand when the project is expected to be complete. What is the basis of your response?

A

The release plan.

50
Q

You are discussing the schedule with members of your team when one of them describes a group of activities that can start at any time but must finish in a specific order. You decide to investigate this further. What would be the best way to recognize these activities?

A

Look for a agroup of activities with a finish-to-finish relationship.

51
Q

If an agile team underestimates the effort required by a story in the backlog, the expected result is?

A

The iteration(s) containing that story will not complete all points within the burn down chart(s).

PMP Exam (15 decks)

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