Project Schedule Management

Question 1

What is schedule management?

Answer 1

The process of developing, maintaining and communicating schedules for time and resource

Question 2

What are the 6 processes in schedule management?

Answer 2

1. Plan schedule management
2. Define activities
3. Sequence activities
4. Estimate activity durations
5. Develop Schedule
6. Control Schedule

Question 3

What is a schedule?

Answer 3

A schedule is the timetable for a project, programme or portfolio.

Question 4

What is rolling wave planning?

Answer 4

The work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, whereas the work in the future is planned at a higher level.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the plan schedule management process?

Answer 5

Provides guidance and direction on how the project schedule will be managed throughout the project.

Question 6

What is the ITTO for plan schedule management?

Answer 6

Inputs – Project Charter/ Project Management Plan (scope management plan/scope baseline)/Organisational Process Assets/Enterprise Environmental Factors

Tools and Techniques – Expert Judgement/Meetings/Data Analysis

Output – Schedule Management Plan

Question 7

What is the purpose of the define activity process?

Answer 7

Decomposes work packages into schedule activities that provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project work.

Question 8

What is the difference between the create WBS process and the define activity process?

Answer 8

The define activities process defines the final outputs as activities whereas the WBS process defines the outputs as deliverables.

Question 9

What is the ITTO for the define activity process?

Answer 9

Inputs – Project Charter/ Project Management Plan (scope baseline/schedule management plan) Organisational Process Assets/Enterprise Environmental Factors

Tools and Techniques – Expert Judgement/Decomposition/Rolling Wave Planning/Meetings

Outputs – Activity list/activity attributes/milestone list/change requests/updates to project management plan such as changes to schedule and cost baseline

Question 10

What is the purpose of the sequence activities process?

Answer 10

Defines the logical sequence of work to obtain the greatest efficiency given all project constraints.

Every activity except the first and last should be connected to at least one predecessor and at least one successor activity with an appropriate logical relationship.

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.

Question 11

What is PDM?

Answer 11

Precedence Diagram Method - is a technique used for constructing a schedule model to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.

Question 12

What 4 types of dependencies are used in PDM?

Answer 12

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. The successor can finish only after the predecessor starts

Question 13

What are the attributes of dependencies?

Answer 13

Mandatory dependencies (hard logic) are legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work, often involve physical limitations.

Discretionary dependencies (soft logic) 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 – e.g. in construction electrical work should start after finishing the plumbing work.

External dependencies involve a relationship between project activities and non-project activities. These dependencies are usually outside of the project team’s control – e.g. Procurement delivery of HW.

Internal dependencies involve a precedence relationship between project activities and are generally inside the project team’s control.

Question 14

What is the Inputs for the sequence activities process?

Answer 14

Project Management Plan (schedule management plan/scope baseline)

Organisational Process Assets

Enterprise Environmental Factors

Project Documents (activity list/activity attributes/assumptions/milestone log)

Question 15

What is the purpose of the estimate activity durations process?

Answer 15

Provides the amount of time each activity will take to complete.

Question 16

What are the 4 estimating techniques?

Answer 16

Analogous, Parametric, Bottom Up, Three point estimating.

Question 17

What is Analogous estimating?

Answer 17

Is based on previous similar projects, fast calculations, not much documentation needed but also not very accurate.

Question 18

What is Parametric estimating?

Answer 18

Parametric estimating is based on historical records, fast calculation but not very accurate. Slightly more accurate than analogous.

Question 19

What is Bottom Up estimating?

Answer 19

Is based is a more detailed estimate as it is divided into smaller parts, takes longer to estimate but the estimate is more accurate.

Question 20

What is Three-Point estimating?

Answer 20

Three- point estimate provides three estimates such as optimistic, realistic and pessimistic, takes the longest to estimate as 3 estimates are produced but forms the highest level of accuracy out of all the methods.

Question 21

What is the Input for the estimate activity durations process?

Answer 21

Project management plan; Schedule Management Plan/ Scope Baseline

Project Documents - activity attributes/activity list/assumption log/lessons learned register/milestone list/project team assignments/resource breakdown structure

Organisation process assets
Enterprise environmental factors

Question 22

What is the duration of a milestone?

Answer 22

Zero, these are not work activities

Question 23

The term ‘Crashing’ in Project Management is?

Answer 23

Schedule compression technique use more resources to deliver in a shorter amount of time

Question 24

The term ‘fast tracking’ in Project Management is?

Answer 24

Activities taking place in parallel, this is a schedule compression technique

Question 25

What are the key activities of the develop a schedule process?

Answer 25

The schedule model is used to determine the planned start and end dates for project activities and milestones. Once these have been determined the project staff assigned to the activities review their assigned activities to ensure the dates present no conflict with resource calendars or assigned activities on other projects. The schedule is then analysed to determine conflicts with logical relationships and if resource levelling is required before the schedule is approved and baselined.

Schedule development can require the review and revision of duration estimates, resource estimates and schedule reserves to establish an approved project schedule that can serve as a baseline to track progress.

Key steps include defining project milestones, identifying and sequencing activities and estimating durations.

Question 26

What is the critical path?

Answer 26

The logical flow of tasks that must happen within their planned timescales so as to hit the project end date: Activities on the critical path have no float.

Question 27

What is the critical path method (CPM)?

Answer 27

The method used to calculate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of scheduling flexibility.

Question 28

What is a critical task?

Answer 28

Is one with no float, or leeway to move without affecting the project end date.

Question 29

What is a float?

Answer 29

A float = the amount of schedule flexibility

Question 30

What is a total float?

Answer 30

The Amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying project end date or a milestone.

Question 31

What is a free float?

Answer 31

The Amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of its successor(s)

Question 32

What is the project float?

Answer 32

The amount of time a project can be delayed without delaying an externally imposed completion date, or the date previously committed.

Question 33

What is negative float?

Answer 33

The amount of time the project is expecting to overrun past the deadline date.

Question 34

What are the Tools and Techniques for the Sequence Activities process?

Answer 34

PDM/Dependency determination and integration

Leads and lags

project management information system

Question 35

What are the Outputs for the Sequence Activities process?

Answer 35

project schedule network diagram

project document updates (activity list/activity attributes/assumptions/milestone log)

Question 36

What are the Tools and Techniques for the estimate activity duration process?

Answer 36

Expert judgement
estimation techniques 
Data analysis
Decision making 
Meetings

Question 37

What are the Outputs for the estimate activity process?

Answer 37

Duration estimates
basis of estimates
project document updates (lessons learned register/assumptions/activity attributes)

Question 38

What are the inputs for the develop schedule process?

Answer 38

Project management plan; scope baseline/schedule management plan

Project documents; activity attributes/activity list/assumption log/basis of estimates/duration estimates/lessons learned register/milestone list/project schedule network diagrams/project team assignments/resource calendars/resource requirements/risk register

Agreements

Operational Process Assets

Enterprise environment factors

Question 39

What are the Tools and Techniques for the develop a schedule process?

Answer 39

Schedule network analysis
Critical path method
Resource optimisation
Data analysis (what if scenario analysis/simulation)
Leads and lags
Schedule compression
PMIS
Agile release planning

Question 40

What are the outputs of the develop schedule process?

Answer 40

Schedule baseline
Project schedule
Schedule data
Project calendars
Change requests
Updates to schedule management plan and cost baseline
Updates to activity attributes/assumption log/duration estimates/lessons learned register/resource requirements/risk register

Question 41

What are the 2 data analysis techniques that can be used during the develop schedule process?

Answer 41

What if scenario analysis

Simulation

Question 42

What is a what if scenario analysis and why would if be used?

Answer 42

The process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect, positive or negative on project objectives.

Can be used to assess the feasibility of the project schedule under different conditions and in preparing schedule reserves and response plans to address the impact of unexpected situations.

Question 43

What is a simulation model and why would it be used?

Answer 43

The most common simulation technique is the Monte Carlo analysis, in which risks and other sources of uncertainty are used to calculate possible schedule outcomes for the total project.

Question 44

What is the formula for the triangular 3 point estimating technique?

Answer 44

Most likely + Optimistic + Pessimistic / 3

Question 45

What is the formula for the beta/pert 3 point estimating method?

Answer 45

Optimistic + 4 x Most likely + pessimistic / 6

e.g optimistic 10, most likely 25, pessimistic 70 (10+100+70=180/6) answer is 30

Question 46

What is the purpose of the Control Schedule process?

Answer 46

The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project schedule and managing changes to the schedule baseline.

Question 47

What are the inputs for the control schedule process?

Answer 47

Project Management Plan; schedule management plan/schedule baseline/scope baseline/performance measurement baseline

Project documents; lessons learned register/project calendars/project schedule/resource calendars/schedule data

Work performance data

Organisation Process Assets

Question 48

What are the Tools and Techniques used during the control schedule process?

Answer 48

Data analysis (earned value analysis/iteration burndown chart/performance reviews/trend analysis/variance analysis/what if scenario analysis)
Critical path method
Project management information system
Resource optimisation
Leads and lags
Schedule compression

Question 49

What are the outputs for the control schedule process?

Answer 49

Work performance information
Schedule forecasts
Change requests

Updates to the schedule management plan/schedule baseline/cost baseline/performance measurement baseline

Updates to project documents; assumption log/basis of estimates/lessons learned register/project schedule/resource calendars/risk register/schedule data