Project MGMT chapter 6 - Winter 2013 Flashcards
(34 cards)
1
Q
Importance of Project Schedules
A
- Managers often cite delivering projects on time as one of their biggest challenges
- Time has the least amount of flexibility; it passes no matter what happens on a project
- Schedule issues are the main reason for conflicts on projects, especially during the second half of projects
2
Q
Individual Work Styles and Cultural Differences Cause Schedule Conflicts
A
- One dimension of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator focuses on peoples’ attitudes toward structure and deadline
- Some people prefer to follow schedules and meet deadlines while others do not (J vs. P)
- Difference cultures and even entire countries have different attitudes about schedules
3
Q
Project Time Management Processes
A
- Defining activities: identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables
- Sequencing activities: identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities
- Estimating activity resources: estimating how many resources a project team should use to perform project activities
- Estimating activity durations: estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities
- Developing the schedule: analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule
- Controlling the schedule: controlling and managing changes to the project schedule
4
Q
Defining Activities
A
An activity or task is an element of work normally found on the work breakdown structure (WBS) that has an expected duration, a cost, and resource requirements
5
Q
activity list
A
a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule that includes:
- The activity name
- An activity identifier or number
- A brief description of the activity
6
Q
Activity attributes
A
provide more information such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to the activity
7
Q
Milestones
A
- is a significant event that normally has no duration
- It often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone
- They’re useful tools for setting schedule goals and monitoring progress
- Examples include obtaining customer sign-off on key documents or completion of specific products
8
Q
Sequencing Activities
A
- Involves reviewing activities and determining dependencies
- A dependency or relationship is the sequencing of project activities or tasks
- You must determine dependencies in order to use critical path analysis
9
Q
Three types of Dependencies
A
- *Mandatory dependencies**: inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project, sometimes referred to as hard logic
- *Discretionary dependencies**: defined by the project team; sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care since they may limit later scheduling options
- *External dependencies**: involve relationships between project and non-project activities
10
Q
Network Diagrams
A
- Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing
- A network diagram is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities
- Two main formats are the arrow and precedence diagramming methods
11
Q
Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)
A
- Also called activity-on-arrow (AOA) network diagrams
- Activities are represented by arrows
- Nodes or circles are the starting and ending points of activities
- Can only show finish-to-start dependencies
12
Q
Process for Creating AOA Diagrams
A
- Find all of the activities that start at node 1. Draw their finish nodes and draw arrows between node 1 and those finish nodes. Put the activity letter or name and duration estimate on the associated arrow.
- Continue drawing the network diagram, working from left to right. Look for bursts and merges. Bursts occur when a single node is followed by two or more activities. A merge occurs when two or more nodes precede a single node.
- Continue drawing the project network diagram until all activities are included on the diagram that have dependencies.
- As a rule of thumb, all arrowheads should face toward the right, and no arrows should cross on an AOA network diagram.
13
Q
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
A
- Activities are represented by boxes
- Arrows show relationships between activities
- More popular than ADM method and used by project management software
- Better at showing different types of dependencies
14
Q
Figure 6-3. Task Dependency Types
A
15
Q
Activity Duration Estimating
A
- Duration includes the actual amount of time worked on an activity plus elapsed time
- Effort is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task
- Effort does not normally equal duration
- People doing the work should help create estimates, and an expert should review them
16
Q
Three-Point Estimates
A
an optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimate
Three-point estimates are needed for PERT and Monte Carlo simulations
17
Q
Developing the Schedule
A
- Uses results of the other time management processes to determine the start and end date of the project
- Ultimate goal is to create a realistic project schedule that provides a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project
- Important tools and techniques include Gantt charts, critical path analysis, and critical chain scheduling, and PERT analysis
18
Q
Gantt Charts
A
provide a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format
19
Q
Critical Path Method (CPM)
A
- CPM is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration
- A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed
- The critical path is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float
- Slack or float is the amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date
20
Q
Figure 6-8. Determining the Critical Path for Project X
A
21
Q
More on the Critical Path
A
- The critical path is not the one with all the critical activities; it only accounts for time
- There can be more than one critical path if the lengths of two or more paths are the same
- The critical path can change as the project progresses
22
Q
Using Critical Path Analysis to Make Schedule Trade-offs
A
- Free slack or free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any immediately following activities
- Total slack or total float is the amount of time an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date
- A forward pass through the network diagram determines the early start and finish dates
- A backward pass determines the late start and finish dates
23
Q
Figure 6-9. Calculating Early and Late Start and Finish Dates
A
24
Q
Three main techniques for shortening schedules
A
- Shortening durations of critical activities/tasks by adding more resources or changing their scope
- Crashing activities by obtaining the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost
- Fast tracking activities by doing them in parallel or overlapping them
25
Importance of Updating Critical Path Data
* It is important to update project schedule information to meet time goals for a project
* The critical path may change as you enter actual start and finish dates
* If you know the project completion date will slip, negotiate with the project sponsor
26
Critical Chain Scheduling
A method of scheduling that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date
27
Theory of Constraints (TOC)
A management philosophy developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and introduced in his book The Goal
28
Buffers and Critical Chain
* A **buffer** is additional time to complete a task
* **Murphy’s Law** states that if something can go wrong, it will
* **Parkinson’s Law** states that work expands to fill the time allowed
* In traditional estimates, people often add a buffer to each task and use it if it’s needed or not
* Critical chain scheduling removes buffers from individual tasks and instead creates:
* ** Project buffers** or additional time added before the project’s due date
* ** Feeding buffers** or additional time added before tasks on the critical path
29
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT is a network analysis technique used to estimate project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty about the individual activity duration estimates
PERT uses probabilistic time estimates
Duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations, or a three-point estimate
30
PERT Formula and Example
31
Schedule Control Suggestions
* Perform reality checks on schedules
* Allow for contingencies
* Don’t plan for everyone to work at 100% capacity all the time
* Hold progress meetings with stakeholders and be clear and honest in communicating schedule issues
32
Controlling the Schedule
Goals are to know the status of the schedule, influence factors that cause schedule changes, determine that the schedule has changed, and manage changes when they occur
33
Reality Checks on Scheduling
* First review the draft schedule or estimated completion date in the project charter
* Prepare a more detailed schedule with the project team
* Make sure the schedule is realistic and followed
* Alert top management well in advance if there are schedule problems
34
Working with People Issues
**Strong leadership helps projects succeed more than good PERT charts**
Project managers should use:
* Empowerment
* Incentives
* Discipline
* Negotiation
