5. Schedule Management Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is the process of schedule management?
Plan Schedule Management Define Activities Sequence Activities Estimate Activity Durations Develop Schedule Control Schedule
What is the key output of the Plan Schedule Management process?
Schedule management plan
hat are the key outputs of the Define Activities process?
Activity list
Activity attributes
Milestone list
Change requests
What is the key output of the Sequence Activities process?
Project schedule network diagram
What are the key output of the Estimate Activity Duration process?
Duration estimates
Basis of estimates
Updates to project documents
Describe the Develop Schedule process.
What are some of its key outputs?
An iterative process that creates a project schedule that is bought into, approved, realistic, and formal
Project schedule
Schedule baseline
Change requests
Schedule data
What are the key outputs of the Control Schedule process?
Work performance information
Schedule forecasts
Change requests
Updates to the schedule management plan, performance measurement baseline, and project documents
What is triangular distribution?
What is bets distribution?
Triangular distribution: A simple average giving equal weight to each of the threee-point estimates when calculating the expected activity duration or cost; it uses the formula (P+O+M)/3
Beta distribution: A weighted average that gives stronger consideration to the most likely estimate; it uses the formula (P + 4M + O)/6
What is alternative analysis?
Alternatives analysis involves evaluating the impact of each option on project constraints, including financial investment versus time saved and level of risk
This process will result in the determination of the best approach to completing project work within the constraints
What are the two types of reserves being evaluated in reserve analysis?
Contingency reserves and management reserves
What is rolling wave planning?
Planning at a higher level and developing more detailed plans when the work is to be done
What do network diagrams show?
The network diagram shows just dependencies (logical relationships)
If estimates and leads and lags are added to the diagram later in the schedule managemen process, it can also show the critical path
If plotted out against time (or placed against a calendar-based scale), the network diagram
What are the four types of logical relationships between activities in the precedence diagramming method?
Finish-to-start (FS): An activity must finish before the successor can start
Start-to-start (SS): An activity must start before the successor can start
Finish-to-finish (FF): An activity must finish before the successor can finish
Start-to-finish (SF): An activity must start before the successor can finish
What are mandatory dependencies?
What are discretionary dependencies?
Mandatory: The order in which activities must be done, due to the inherent nature of the work or as required by a contract; also called “hard logic”
Discretionary: The order in which the organization has chosen to have work performed; also called “preferred”, “preferential”, or “soft logic”
What are external dependencies?
What are internal dependencies?
External: Dependencies based on the needs of a party outside the project
Internal: Dependencies based on the needs of the project; may be under the control of the project team
What is a lag?
What is a lead?
Lag: Waiting time inserted between activities
Lead: How soon an activity can start before its predecessor activity is completed
What tool can be used when creating complex project schedule network diagrams that include leads and lags (as well as other dependencies)?
An automated scheduling system that is part of the PMIS
What are some inputs to Estimate Activity Durations?
- Activity list and activity attributes
- Assumption log
- Lessons learned register
- Resource breakdown structure
- Resource breakdown structure
- Resource requirements
- Project team assignments
- Resource calendars
- Risk register
What does a resource breakdown structure show?
The categories of resources required for the project
What is padding?
What is the problem with padding?
A pad is extra time or cost added to an estimate because the estimator does not have enough information
Padding undermines the professional responsibility of a project manager to develop a realistic schedule and budget
What is analogous estimating?
When is it done?
Analogous estimating uses expert judgement and historical information to predict the future
It can be done at various times, and the level of accuracy depends on how closely the project or activity matches the past historical data used
What is parametric estimating?
What tools might an estimator use to create parametric estimates?
Parametric estimating involves creating a mathematical equation using data from historical records or other sources, such as industry requirements or standard metrics, to create estimates
Regression analysis or a learning curve
What is an example of a heuristic?
The 80/20 rule
A heuristic is a generally accepted rule, or best practice
What is three-point estimating?
A technique where estimators give an optimistic (O), pessimistic (P), and most likely (M) estimate for each activity
Three-Point estimates can be used to calculate a risk-based expected duration estimate for an activity by taking either a simple average (triangular distribution) of three estimates
