8. Project Scheduling and Planning Flashcards
(20 cards)
What two key factors shape project structure?
Parallelity and precedence of activities.
What is parallelity in project planning?
When multiple tasks can occur at the same time.
What is precedence in project planning?
When certain tasks must occur before others can begin.
What is the Critical Path?
The sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration.
Why is the Critical Path important?
Any delay in its tasks delays the entire project.
What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?
A logical subdivision of work assigning responsibility to individuals or teams.
What does a Gantt chart show?
Task sequence, timing, and dependencies based on the logic network.
What are events in network analysis?
Points between activities used to branch the project timeline.
What is the Forward Pass?
Calculates the earliest start times for each activity.
What is the Backward Pass?
Calculates the latest finish times for each activity.
How is float defined in project planning?
The flexibility in scheduling a task without delaying the project.
What does it mean if an activity has zero float?
It lies on the Critical Path and cannot be delayed.
What is an Activity-on-Node (AoN) network?
A diagram where nodes represent activities and show timing data.
What information is shown in an AoN module?
EAS, EAF, LAS, LAF, Duration, Float, and Activity description.
How is Earliest Activity Finish (EAF) calculated?
EAF = EAS + Duration.
How is Latest Activity Start (LAS) calculated?
LAS = LAF - Duration.
How is Float calculated?
Float = LAF - EAS - Duration.
Why must project plans be regularly updated?
Projects change—activities slip, new tasks added—requiring updates.
What does project float allow managers to do?
Reschedule non-critical tasks without delaying the whole project.
What are the three lecture summary points?
Understand parallelity and precedence, know different networks, and understand float.
