Chapter 6: Project Schedule Management Flashcards
1
Q
The Project Schedule Management processes are:
A
Plan Schedule Management, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity Durations, Develop Schedule, Control Schedule
2
Q
True or false: for smaller projects, the individual processes involved in Project Schedule Management can be combined and viewed as a single process
A
True. For smaller projects, defining activities, sequencing activities, estimating activity durations, and developing the schedule model are so tightly linked that they are viewed as a single process that can be performed by a person over a relatively short period of time
3
Q
True or false: When possible, the detailed project schedule should remain flexible throughout the project
A
True. When possible, the detailed project schedule should remain flexible throughout the project to adjust for knowledge gained, increased understanding of the risk, and value-added activities
4
Q
An activity list, a bar chart, and a network diagram are all possible ________ presentations
A
Project Schedule
5
Q
Define “Iterative scheduling with a backlog”
A
This is a form of rolling wave planning based on adaptive life cycles, such as the agile approach for product development. The requirements are documented in user stories that are then prioritized and refined just prior to construction, and the product features are developed using time-boxed periods of work
6
Q
Define “On-demand scheduling”
A
This approach, typically used in a Kanban system, is based on the theory-of- constraints and pull-based scheduling concepts from lean manufacturing to limit a team’s work in progress in order to balance demand against the team’s delivery throughput
7
Q
The project manager may need to tailor the way Project Schedule Management processes are applied. Considerations for tailoring include but are not limited to:
A
Life cycle approach, Resource availability, Project dimensions, Technology support
8
Q
The enterprise environmental factors that can influence the Plan Schedule Management process include but are not limited to:
A
Organizational culture and structure, Team resource availability and skills and physical resource availability, Scheduling software, Commercial databases, such as standardized estimating data
9
Q
The schedule management plan can establish the following:
A
Project schedule model development, Release and iteration length, Level of accuracy, Units of measure, Organizational procedures links, Project schedule model maintenance, Control thresholds, Rules of performance measurement, Reporting formats
10
Q
Define “Release and iteration length”
A
When using an adaptive life cycle, the time-boxed periods for releases, waves, and iterations are specified. Time-boxed periods are durations during which the team works steadily toward completion of a goal. Time-boxing helps to minimize scope creep as it forces the teams to process essential features first, then other features when time permits
11
Q
Define “Earned value management (EVM) rules”
A
EVM is a technique for measuring project performance and progress in an objective manner. It has the ability to combine measurements of the project management triangle: scope, time, and costs
12
Q
Define Activities is the process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the _______
A
Project Deliverables
13
Q
Are schedule baseline and cost baseline input or output documents regarding the Define Activities Process?
A
Output
14
Q
True or False: The Define Activities process defines the final outputs as activities rather than deliverables
A
True
15
Q
Define “Rolling wave planning”
A
Rolling wave planning is an iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while work further in the future is planned at a higher level. It is a form of progressive elaboration applicable to work packages, planning packages, and release planning when using an agile or waterfall approach.
16
Q
Define “Activity attributes”
A
Activity attributes extend the description of the activity by identifying multiple components associated with each activity. The components for each activity evolve over time. During the initial stages of the project, they include the unique activity identifier (ID), WBS ID, and activity label or name
17
Q
What can Activity attributes be used to identify?
A
Activity attributes can be used to identify the place where the work has to be performed, the project calendar the activity is assigned to, and the type of effort involved
18
Q
True or false: all milestones outlined on the milestone list are mandatory to hit
A
False. A milestone list identifies all project milestones and indicates whether the milestone is mandatory, such as those required by contract, or optional, such as those based on historical information
19
Q
Define the process: “Sequence Activities”
A
Sequence Activities is the process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities. The key benefit of this process is that it defines the logical sequence of work to obtain the greatest efficiency given all project constraints
20
Q
True or false: The Sequence Activities process is performed throughout the project
A
True
21
Q
True or false: The Sequence Activities process concentrates on creating a list to act as a first step to publish the schedule baseline
A
False. The Sequence Activities process concentrates on converting the project activities from a list to a diagram to act as a first step to publish the schedule baseline
22
Q
Define “The precedence diagramming method (PDM)”
A
The precedence diagramming method (PDM) is a technique used for constructing a schedule model in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logical relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed
23
Q
PDM includes ___ (#) types of dependencies or logical relationships. What are they?
A
Four. They are: Finish-to-start (FS), Finish-to-finish (FF), Start-to-start (SS), Start-to-finish (SF)
24
Q
Define “Finish-to-start (FS)”
A
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has finished. For example, installing the operating system on a PC (successor) cannot start until the PC hardware is assembled (predecessor)
25
Define "Finish-to-finish (FF)"
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor activity has finished. For example, writing a document (predecessor) is required to finish before editing the document (successor) can finish
26
Define "Start-to-start (SS)"
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has started. For example, level concrete (successor) cannot begin until pour foundation (predecessor) begins
27
Define "Start-to-finish (SF)"
A logical relationship in which a predecessor activity cannot finish until a successor activity has started. For example, a new accounts payable system (successor) has to start before the old accounts payable system can be shut down (predecessor)
28
Dependencies may be characterized by the following attributes:
mandatory or discretionary, internal or external
29
Define "Mandatory Dependencies"
Mandatory dependencies are those that are legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work. Mandatory dependencies often involve physical limitations. They are sometimes referred to as hard logic or hard dependencies
30
The project team determines which dependencies are mandatory during the process of ________
sequencing the activities
31
Define "Discretionary Dependencies"
Discretionary dependencies are sometimes referred to as preferred logic, preferential logic, or soft logic. Discretionary dependencies are established based on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or some unusual aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired, even though there may be other acceptable sequences. For example, generally accepted best practices recommend that during construction, the electrical work should start after finishing the plumbing work. This order is not mandatory and both activities may occur at the same time (in parallel), but performing the activities in sequential order reduces the overall project risk. Discretionary dependencies should be fully documented since they can create arbitrary total float values and can limit later scheduling options.
32
Define "External Dependencies"
External dependencies involve a relationship between project activities and non- project activities. These dependencies are usually outside of the project team’s control (i.e. ordering parts from a vendor)
33
Define "Internal Dependencies"
Internal dependencies involve a precedence relationship between project activities and are generally inside the project team’s control. For example, if the team cannot test a machine until they assemble it, there is an internal mandatory dependency.
34
Define a "lead" (vs. lag)
A lead is the amount of time a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity. For example, on a project to construct a new office building, the landscaping could be scheduled to start 2 weeks prior to the scheduled punch list completion
35
Define a "lag" (vs. lead)
A lag is the amount of time a successor activity will be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity. For example, a technical writing team may begin editing the draft of a large document 15 days after they begin writing it
36
True or false: Lead is often represented as a negative value for lag in scheduling software
True
37
True or false: The project management team determines the dependencies that may require a lead or a lag to accurately define the logical relationship (FF, SF, etc)
True
38
Define "A project schedule network diagram"
It is a graphical representation of the logical relationships, also referred to as dependencies, among the project schedule activities. It is produced manually or by using project management software
39
True or false: Any unusual activity sequences within the project schedule network diagram should be fully described within the narrative
True
40
Activities with ____ and ____ are at greater risk as they are affected by multiple activities or can affect multiple activities
divergence and convergence
41
Define the process "Estimate Activity Durations"
Estimate Activity Durations is the process of estimating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources. The key benefit of this process is that it provides the amount of time each activity will take to complete
42
True or false: the process of Estimate Activity Durations should be performed once at the start of a project, and then several times as needed toward the end of the project when deadlines are tight
False. This process is performed throughout the project
43
The process of Estimating activity durations uses information from:
the scope of work, required resource types or skill levels, estimated resource quantities, and resource calendars, as well as other possible sources
44
True or false: The inputs for the estimates of duration originate from the Project Manager or Project Management Team
False. The inputs for the estimates of duration originate from the person or group on the project team who is most familiar with the nature of the work in the specific activity
45
The Estimate Activity Durations process requires an estimation of:
the amount of work effort required to complete the activity and the amount of available resources estimated to complete the activity
46
Beside work effort required and available resources, other factors for consideration when estimating activity durations include:
Law of diminishing returns, Number of resources, Advances in technology, Motivation of staff
47
Define "Law of diminishing returns"
When one factor (e.g., resource) used to determine the effort required to produce a unit of work is increased while all other factors remain fixed, a point will eventually be reached at which additions of that one factor start to yield progressively smaller or diminishing increases in output
48
True or false: Increasing the number of resources available is a great way to ensure higher output
False. Increasing the number of resources to twice the original number of the resources does not always reduce the time by half, as it may increase extra duration due to risk, and at some point adding too many resources to the activity may increase duration due to knowledge transfer, learning curve, additional coordination, and other factors involved
49
Define "Analogous estimating"
Analogous estimating is a technique for estimating the duration or cost of an activity or a project using historical data from a similar activity or project
50
Define "Parametric estimating"
Parametric estimating is an estimating technique in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration based on historical data and project parameters. Parametric estimating uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables (e.g., square footage in construction) to calculate an estimate for activity parameters, such as cost, budget, and duration. Durations can be quantitatively determined by multiplying the quantity of work to be performed by the number of labor hours per unit of work.
51
Define "three-point estimating"
The accuracy of single-point duration estimates may be improved by considering estimation uncertainty and risk. Using three-point estimates helps define an approximate range for an activity’s duration: Most likely (tM), Optimistic (tO), and Pessimistic (tP)
52
Define "Most likely (tM)" in relation to estimating activity durations
This estimate is based on the duration of the activity, given the resources likely to be assigned, their productivity, realistic expectations of availability for the activity, dependencies on other participants, and interruptions
53
Define "Optimistic (tO)" in relation to estimating activity durations
The activity duration based on analysis of the best-case scenario for the activity
54
Define "Pessimistic (tP)" in relation to estimating activity durations
The duration based on analysis of the worst-case scenario for the activity
55
[While using a three-point method when estimating activity durations] Depending on the assumed distribution of values within the range of the three estimates, the expected duration, tE, can be calculated. One commonly used formula is triangular distribution:
tE = (tO + tM + tP) / 3.
56
True or false: Triangular distribution is used to estimate activity durations when there is insufficient historical data or when using judgmental data
True
57
Define "Bottom-up estimating"
Bottom-up estimating is a method of estimating project duration or cost by aggregating the estimates of the lower- level components of the WBS. When an activity’s duration cannot be estimated with a reasonable degree of confidence, the work within the activity is decomposed into more detail. The detail durations are estimated. These estimates are then aggregated into a total quantity for each of the activity’s durations. Activities may or may not have dependencies between them that can affect the application and use of resources. If there are dependencies, this pattern of resource usage is reflected and documented in the estimated requirements of the activity
58
Define "Reserve analysis"
Reserve analysis is used to determine the amount of contingency and management reserve needed for the project. Duration estimates may include contingency reserves, sometimes referred to as schedule reserves, to account for schedule uncertainty. Contingency reserves are the estimated duration within the schedule baseline, which is allocated for identified risks that are accepted
59
Define "Management reserves"
Management reserves are a specified amount of the project budget withheld for management control purposes and are reserved for unforeseen work that is within scope of the project. Depending on contract terms, use of management reserves may require a change to the schedule baseline
60
Define "Fist of Five" or "Fist to Five"
In this voting technique, the project manager asks the team to show their level of support for a decision by holding up a closed fist (indicating no support) up to five fingers (indicating full support). If a team member holds up fewer than three fingers, the team member is given the opportunity to discuss any objections with the team. The project manager continues the fist-of-five process until the team achieves consensus (everyone holds up three or more fingers) or agrees to move on to the next decision
61
Define "Duration estimates"
Duration estimates are quantitative assessments of the likely number of time periods that are required to complete an activity, a phase, or a project. For example: A range of 2 weeks ± 2 days, which indicates that the activity will take at least 8 days and not more than 12 (assuming a 5-day work week); OR, A 15% probability of exceeding 3 weeks, which indicates a high probability—85%—that the activity will take 3 weeks or less
62
True or false: Regardless of the level of detail, the supporting documentation should provide a clear and complete understanding of how the activities duration estimate was derived
True
63
Supporting detail for duration estimates may include:
Documentation of the basis of the estimate (i.e., how it was developed), Documentation of all assumptions made, Documentation of any known constraints, Indication of the range of possible estimates (e.g., ±10%) to indicate that the duration is estimated between a range of values), Indication of the confidence level of the final estimate, and Documentation of individual project risks influencing this estimate
64
Define the process "Develop Schedule"
Develop Schedule is the process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create a schedule model for project execution and monitoring and controlling
65
Developing an acceptable project schedule is an ______ process
Iterative
66
Key steps to the process of Developing a Project's Schedule are:
Defining the project milestones, identifying and sequencing activities, and estimating durations
67
True or false: [during the process of Developing a Project's Schedule] once the activity start and finish dates have been determined, it is common to have the project staff assigned to the activities review their assigned activities
True. The staff confirms that the start and finish dates present no conflict with resource calendars or assigned activities on other projects or tasks and thus are still valid
68
Define "Schedule network analysis"
Schedule network analysis is the overarching technique used to generate the project schedule model
69
True or false: Schedule network analysis is an iterative process that is employed until a viable schedule model is developed
True
70
Define "The critical path method"
The critical path method is used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model. This schedule network analysis technique calculates the early start, early finish, late start, and late finish dates for all activities without regard for any resource limitations by performing a forward and backward pass analysis through the schedule network. The critical path is the sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible project duration. The critical path method is used to calculate the critical path(s) and the amount of total and free float or schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model
71
When using the critical path method to create a project schedule, which path option will have the least float?
The longest path (critical path) has the least total float—usually zero
72
On any network path, the total float or schedule flexibility is measured by the amount of time that a schedule activity can be ____ or ____ from its early start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint.
delayed or extended
73
____ total float is caused when the backward pass is calculated from a schedule constraint that is later than the early finish date that has been calculated during forward pass calculation
Positive
74
____ total float is caused when a constraint on the late dates is violated by duration and logic. ____ [same word] float analysis is a technique that helps to find possible accelerated ways of bringing a delayed schedule back on track
Negative
75
True or false: Schedule networks almost always have one critical path
False. Schedule networks may have multiple near-critical paths
76
Define "Resource optimization"
Resource optimization is used to adjust the start and finish dates of activities to adjust planned resource use to be equal to or less than resource availability. Examples of resource optimization techniques that can be used to adjust the schedule model due to demand and supply of resources include but are not limited to: Resource Leveling, and Resource Smoothing
77
Define "Resource leveling"
A technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing the demand for resources with the available supply. Resource leveling can be used when shared or critically required resources are available only at certain times or in limited quantities, or are over- allocated, such as when a resource has been assigned to two or more activities during the same time period
78
Define "Resource smoothing"
A technique that adjusts the activities of a schedule model such that the requirements for resources on the project do not exceed certain predefined resource limits
79
Describe the main difference between Resource Leveling and Resource Smoothing
In resource smoothing, as opposed to resource leveling, the project’s critical path is not changed and the completion date may not be delayed. In other words, activities may only be delayed within their free and total float. Resource smoothing may not be able to optimize all resources
80
Define "What-if scenario analysis"
What-if scenario analysis is the process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect, positive or negative, on project objectives. This is an analysis of the question, “What if the situation represented by scenario X happens?” A schedule network analysis is performed using the schedule to compute the different scenarios
81
Define "simulation" as a data analysis technique
Simulation models the combined effects of individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty to evaluate their potential impact on achieving project objectives. The most common simulation technique is Monte Carlo analysis
82
Define "Schedule compression techniques"
Schedule compression techniques are used to shorten or accelerate the schedule duration without reducing the project scope in order to meet schedule constraints, imposed dates, or other schedule objectives. A helpful technique is the negative float analysis. The critical path is the one with the least float. Due to violating a constraint or imposed date, the total float can become negative
83
Define "Crashing" as a Schedule compression techniques
A technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources. Examples of crashing include approving overtime, bringing in additional resources, or paying to expedite delivery to activities on the critical path
84
True or false: [in the context of schedule compression techniques] Crashing does not always produce a viable alternative and may result in increased risk and/or cost
True
85
Define "Fast tracking" as a Schedule compression techniques
A schedule compression technique in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration
86
When implementing schedule compression techniques, ____ is more likely to raise risk to the project, and ____ is more likely to raise cost
Fast tracking, Crashing
87
Define "Agile release planning"
Agile release planning provides a high-level summary timeline of the release schedule (typically 3 to 6 months) based on the product roadmap and the product vision for the product’s evolution. Agile release planning also determines the number of iterations or sprints in the release, and allows the product owner and team to decide how much needs to be developed and how long it will take to have a releasable product based on business goals, dependencies, and impediments
88
True or false: [when modeling a project's agile release plan] Since features represent value to the customer, the timeline provides a more easily understood project schedule as it defines which feature will be available at the end of each iteration
True. This is exactly the depth of information the customer is looking for
89
True or false: A schedule baseline is the approved version of a schedule model that can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results
True
90
True or false: If resource planning is done at an early stage, the project schedule remains preliminary until resource assignments have been confirmed and scheduled start and finish dates are established
True
91
Although a project schedule model can be presented in tabular form, it is more often presented graphically, using one or more of the following formats:
Bar charts, Milestone charts, Project schedule network diagrams
92
Define "Bar/Gantt charts"
They represent schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates
93
Define "Milestone charts"
These charts are similar to bar charts, but only identify the scheduled start or completion of major deliverables and key external interfaces
94
Define "Project schedule network diagrams"
These diagrams are commonly presented in the activity-on-node diagram format showing activities and relationships without a time scale, sometimes referred to as a pure logic diagram, or presented in a time-scaled schedule network diagram format that is sometimes called a logic bar chart. These diagrams, with activity date information, usually show both the project network logic and the project’s critical path schedule activities
95
True or false: Another presentation of a Project Schedule Gantt Chart is a time-scaled logic diagram
False. Another presentation of the project schedule network diagram is a time-scaled logic diagram
96
The ______ for the project schedule model is the collection of information for describing and controlling the schedule
schedule data
97
The schedule data for a project includes, at a minimum:
the schedule milestones, schedule activities, activity attributes, and documentation of all identified assumptions and constraints
98
Define "project calendar"
A project calendar identifies working days and shifts that are available for scheduled activities. It distinguishes time periods in days or parts of days that are available to complete scheduled activities from time periods that are not available for work
99
Define the process "Control Schedule"
Control Schedule is the process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project schedule and managing changes to the schedule baseline. The key benefit of this process is that the schedule baseline is maintained throughout the project
100
True or false: Any change to the schedule baseline can only be approved through the Perform Integrated Change Control process
True
101
Control Schedule, as a component of the Perform Integrated Change Control process, is concerned with:
Determining the current status of the project schedule, Influencing the factors that create schedule changes, Reconsidering necessary schedule reserves, Determining if the project schedule has changed, and Managing the actual changes as they occur
102
When an agile approach is used, Control Schedule is concerned with:
Determining the current status of the project schedule by comparing the total amount of work delivered and accepted against the estimates of work completed for the elapsed time cycle, Conducting retrospectives (scheduled reviews to record lessons learned) for correcting processes and improving, if required, Reprioritizing the remaining work plan (backlog), Determining the rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted (velocity) in the given time per iteration (agreed-upon work cycle duration, typically 2 weeks or 1 month), Determining that the project schedule has changed, and Managing the actual changes as they occur
103
True or false: Work performance data contains data mainly on project activities which have finished
False. Work performance data contains data on project status such as which activities have started, their progress (e.g., actual duration, remaining duration, and physical percent complete), and which activities have finished
104
Define "Iteration burndown chart"
This chart tracks the work that remains to be completed in the iteration backlog. It is used to analyze the variance with respect to an ideal burndown based on the work committed from iteration planning. A forecast trend line can be used to predict the likely variance at iteration completion and take appropriate actions during the course of the iteration. A diagonal line representing the ideal burndown and daily actual remaining work is then plotted. A trend line is then calculated to forecast completion based on remaining work
105
Performance reviews measure, compare, and analyze schedule performance against the ______ such as actual start and finish dates, percent complete, and remaining duration for work in progress
schedule baseline
106
True or false: Comparing the progress along the critical path can help determine schedule status. The variance on the critical path will have a direct impact on the project end date
True
107
Define "schedule forecasts"
Schedule updates are forecasts of estimates or predictions of conditions and events in the project’s future based on information and knowledge available at the time of the forecast. Forecasts are updated and reissued based on work performance information provided as the project is executed. The information is based on the project’s past performance and expected future performance based on corrective or preventive actions. This can include earned value performance indicators, as well as schedule reserve information that could impact the project in the future
