Project Scheduler Questions Flashcards
(25 cards)
How was your experience working with a difficult client? Or talk about a problem you faced
In the past I had a difficult client, I had to work with them on a schedule to complete a project and they were not giving timely updates and I had to constantly send multiple emails and messages to update me. I resolved the situation by having a meeting with them to discuss this and inform them the importance of a schedule on a project. After this meeting, I was getting timely responses and even premature responses of task updates.
What are your strengths?
One of my greatest strengths is communication, I realized communication was something very important within the project scheduling field because I constantly have to communicate with my project managers, SMEs and the client. So making sure I’m well versed in communication whether that be verbal or written allows me to be successful in the project scheduling space. Adaptability is another one of my strengths and has helped me be successful in scheduling by being able to quickly learn what needs to be learned in a new environment to thrive.
What are your weaknesses?
One of my weaknesses used to be public speaking. To get over this, I would take some online courses on public speaking which helped me drastically improve in that area. Now I’m comfortable leading meetings, or giving speeches to a large crowd.
Why are you a project scheduler?
I have seen the immense value I bring to any team that I have been apart of by providing clarity and communication from the start to finish of any given project while using data to improve on future projects. The value gained from previous roles has helped me gain confidence in all the things I do.
What was your role as a project scheduler?
In my current role I am responsible for creating and managing multiple schedules. I create schedules on a cyclical basis as well as statusing and creating reports for clients. I also conduct weekly meetings to get updates from the SMEs on various tasks.’
What if someone refuses to provide an update?
I would attempt to build rapport with said person and inform them on the importance of scheduling to the project at hand. I would also use my emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to be able to understand barriers and provide solutions. If none of that works, I would go through the proper channels in our internal management to escalate the situation.
Have you built a schedule from the ground up, how?
Yes, I have. When starting to build a schedule I would reference some of my source documents to gather any preliminary information, these source documents may be the SOW or WBS or any contracting documents.
I would then begin by opening Microsoft Project and
[1] Set Up Project Information o
[2] Input Summary Tasks and Sub-Tasks o
[3] Enter Task Duration o
[4] Enter Task Dependencies o
[5] Input Deadlines and Constraints (if needed) ⭅ o
[6] Input Resources (if needed) ⭅ o
[7] Baseline the Schedule
How do you status and update a schedule?
I collect information on the progress of a task from the SMEs and depending on whether task is complete, on track, or delayed I use Microsoft Project to accurately reflect these changes.
How would you diagnose your schedule without any software or what will you do when handed an already built schedule?
I would check to see if I have sufficient project information like the start and end date and check if the tasks are properly connected in the right sequence. I would also check on the project milestones. For example if I see a testing task under a project complete milestone, obviously that doesn’t make sense so really being thorough and making sure everything in my schedule meets best practices is key.
How do you get a schedule back on track?
There are a few ways that I use.
Fast tracking: running through tasks at the same time
Crushing: Assigning additional resources to the task because more people working on thing gets it done faster
Descope: this is the worst case scenario. It involves canceling tasks or decreasing the duration of a task
What is Critical Path? What is Critical Path Analysis?
Critical Path is the sequence of activities on a schedule that have zero float time. If any activities in this sequence are delayed it pushes back the end date.
Critical Path Analysis: Formally identifying what tasks need to be completed on time for the whole project to complete on time.
Difference between Waterfall and Agile?
Waterfall is more linear and sequential and really about making a good plan and sticking to it. It’s more suitable for less complex projects.
Agile is more flexible. Agile projects are characterized by a series of tasks that can be adaptable as the situation demands.
How do you draft PMO Project Reports?
There are three types of Project Management Office reports that I’ve created in Microsoft Project. Late task reports, slippage reports as well as look ahead reports and they can be filtered under the view tab in the data range window.
What project management tools are you familiar with?
Microsoft Project, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Sharepoint, and Microsoft teams.
What is DCMA 14- point Assessment
It is a DOD document that I use to analyze a schedule’s health. Some of the key points include: Critical Path test, constraints, deadlines, and relationships.
What is gap analysis?
Compares planned vs forecast vs actual and pinpoints opportunities for improvement. Baseline vs actual and mans plan vs gods plan
What are GAO scheduling best practices?
These are recommended scheduling practices from the government accountability office that have a goal of ensuring managers and stakeholders make informed decisions about balancing program cost, schedule and scope.
Ex. Predecessors, Resourcing, Baselining
What is lead/lag
Lead and lag determine how long a activity may be delayed or advanced in regards to the predecessor and successor
What is float/slack (interchangeable terms)
The float/slack are the days each task can be delayed until it affects the project completion date.
What are the types of resources?
Work resources - associated with time Ex. Scheduler, builder, software developer
Material resources - assigned by quantity Ex. A construction project might track paint used or concrete as it is used throughout project
Cost resources - Purely based on cost Ex. Travel costs for a meeting
What is a WBS and how do schedulers use this?
A WBS is a work breakdown structure and it takes large complex projects and breaks down the scope into more manageable pieces. I would use a WBS when starting a schedule from scratch to input all the relevant information such as dates, task names, and more.
How many people are on your team/people you interface with?
I mainly interacted with the project manager as well as two other project schedulers on my team. We also have a business analyst and project coordinator on the team. SMEs were people that I often kept close contact with such as engineers who were doing the actual work.
What is the PMO?
Project Management Office is a department within an organization that maintains standards for project management
Can you explain the Project Lifecycle? Can you explain the Software Development Life Cycle?
The intertwined Project and Software Development Life Cycle is as follows:
Initiation (project starts)
Planning/ Requirement Gathering
Execution/Development and testing
Closing/Deployment
