Workshop 4 Flashcards

Question

Define schedule management

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

Time scheduling - A collection of techniques used to develop and present schedules that show when work will be performed. - The first stage is to take the WBS task list and sort the task into a logical sequence. Alongside this, activity durations should be estimated. Network planning then allows the sequence of activities to be analysed to give an overall project duration Activity duration - The length of time that it takes to complete an activity Network diagrams - A model of activities and their dependencies comprising nodes and links - This technique is sometimes referred to as the precedence diagramming method (PDM) or Activity-on-Node (AoN)Networks. In it, activities are represented by boxes with dependencies show as logic connections between the boxes. Network Analysis - A collective term for the different ways in which a network diagram may be analysed including, for example, critical path analysis, programme evaluation and review technique and critical chain.

Answer 3

The start and finish dates of activities in the project are calculated in two passes. The forward pass calculates the early start and early finish dates from the first task forward The backward pass calculated the late start and late finish dates of activities from the final task backwards Forward pass Early start + Duration = Early Finish Backward pass Late finish - Duration = Late start When a successor task on the forward pass has two predecessors, the latest ‘EF’ must be chosen. When a predecessor task in the backward pass has two successors, the earlier ‘LS’ must be chosen. To help you remember - highest number forwards; lowest number back (big steps forward, small steps back) Once both passes are complete, it will be possible to calculate the float for any single activity.

Answer 4

Float A term used to describe the flexibility with which an activity may be rescheduled. There are various types of float, such as total float and free float. Total float Time by which an activity may be delayed or extended without affecting the overall duration of the project or violating a target finish date. Finish to start -> total float = late finish - early finish Start to start/finish to finish -> total float = late finish - early start - duration Free float The amount of time an activity can be delayed or extended without delaying the start of the next activity Free float = early start of next task - early finish of current task

Answer 5

A sequence of activities through a network diagram from start to finish, the sum of whose durations determines the overall duration. There may be more than one such path. Use of critical path The critical path is very important in projects for a number of reasons: - To concentrate attention on activities which, if delayed will affect project duration - Risks associated with critical activities with key milestones which is useful when reporting progress - The critical path can be aligned with key milestones which is useful when reporting progress - To identify ‘near of sub critical’ activities - those with very little float may require similar attention to critical activities - To identify ‘bulk work’ activities - those with large float - To help identify where resources can be switched between bulk and critical activities to maintain progress

Answer 6

A graphical representation of activity against time. Variations may include information such as ‘actual vs planned’, resource usage and dependencies A Gantt chart is a simple form of bar chart that is typically used to display and communicate a product to schedule. It’s primary characteristics are: - A timeline showing project calendar - The bar length indicates duration - Tasks are usually positioned at earliest start and finish dates showing any float at the end - It is shown with it without logic connections - The critical path is identified, typically in red - It is the most common representation of a project schedule - It can also show comparison of current plan to original plan - It can be generated using software tool - It can be rolled up into summary take and can show milestones

Answer 7

A key event selected for its selected for its importance in the schedule Milestones are often the first stage of schedule planning. It can make sense to plan at this level first before going into too much detail Milestone characteristics include - They define key events in the project (typically completion of major deliverables, intermediate products or results) - They mark the key decision point in the project - They are frequently used to monitor payments in to contractors and/or from customers and are also used to trigger management approval for funding the forthcoming phase - They can act as motivating factors for the team and/or suppliers (reward and recognition may be tied to successful achievement). - They are good for progress monitoring - Milestones help avoid too much detail about low level activities

Answer 8

The acquisition and deployment of then internal and external resources required to deliver the project The resource planning process may amend the schedule as developed during the schedule planning process An optimal solution will be met by iteration but it is often necessary to make a preliminary assumption about the number of resources to be used for each activity prior to time based scheduling - The challenge for the project manager is to ensure that - These resources are available at the necessary time - The required quantity of resources we acquired - Appropriate resources are requested

Answer 9

- Consumable resource includes items such as raw materials and money. Once they are used up they are no longer available and fresh quantities are required. - Re-usable resources are items such as people, plant machinery, facilities and equipment. These are available for use elsewhere once they have completed the tasks assigned to them The project manager will use appropriate estimating techniques to determine the necessary quantity of each of the above resources. Managing theses resource will the involve: - Allocating then to the appropriate take - Aggregating them (typically shown on a resource histogram) - Optimising their use over the planned duration of the project - Producing a resource-loaded schedule

Answer 10

Many softwares scheduling packages will also offer facilities for managing resources. However, a note of caution if justified when we consider resource allocation. Rescheduling resources is essentially an iterative process. When using planning software to reschedule resources, the software must assume various heuristics that may not be immediately understandable to the project team and can subsequently cause considerable confusion. Many schedulers advise against relying on software for resource scheduling. On the other hand, as flawed as computer software may be, it is difficult to accomplish effective optimisation manually on larger projects that require the modelling of numerous resources.

Answer 11

Advantages - Allow rapid scheduling to be undertaken - Fast and effective reporting capability - Ability to format and store data on different ways - Ability to manage large numbers of activities - Ability to plan, schedule and review large, complex projects - Ease of resource scheduling - levelling and smoothing - Data extraction to other applications formats - Integration of project data with other corporate data systems - Ability to consider different ‘what if’ situations - Enterprise project planning and management ability - Ability to store multiple copies of project documentation for reference and audit purpose Disadvantages - May require a specialist planner to use effectively - Could provide inconsistent result, depending on the application - Required investment in maintenance of the software - annually or at least in a regular basis - Not always cost effective to use - this depends on the size and complexity of the project - Can produce illogical results when software alone is used to make decisions - Software can lead to less personal interaction allowing problems to be missed or misinterpreted - The software may not be suitable for all project management methods and/or if an iterative approach is adopted - Quality of the output depend on the quality of the data input - Frustration due to inexperience and unfamiliarity with the tool

Answer 12

The fitness for purpose of the degree of conformance of the outputs of a process or the process itself Project managers should remember that ‘quality’ applies to the quality of the project management processes as well the outputs or deliverables that these processes create. Reviews and feedback on how the project is being run are an essential part of successful project management. ‘Fitness for purpose’ can be w very difficult concept to define and measure but the term mandates that the project team fully understand the project ‘need’ before objectives can be set and expectations can be met. Requirements management and quality management are very closely related disciplines. The quality of the deliverables is typically expressed by agreeing specific acceptance criteria that quantify requirements, customer expectations and conditions for each deliverable, as well as the project as a whole. The satisfaction of these criteria will be tested during the quality control process.

Answer 13

Quality planning Defining what standards are acceptable and then how these standards will be met Quality assurance Ensuring that your processes effectively create consistently acceptable products and that the processes are constantly reviewed and independently audited. Quality control Inspecting and measuring the deliverables to ensure that they conform to he agreed specification and meet stakeholders expectations Continual improvement Systematically identifying and implementing process improvements so that future projects benefits from past experience

Answer 14

Quality planning required the project team to assess the information available to them at the start of the project and determine how they will recent defects and measures quality. The preparation of a quality management plan will be used to manage quality. The content of the project quality management plan will vary depending on that needs of the organisation and the project, but at a minimum is likely to consist of the following sections: - Quality stands to be achieved - Quality methods and procedures to be used - Specific quality tools - Records and reports that will be created - Timing if reviews, audits and checks of the project itself - Specific roles and responsibilities relating to quality

Answer 15

Provides confidence to the host organisation that it’s project, programmes and portfolios are being Well managed Quality assurance is the process of evaluating overall project performance on a regular basis to provide confidence that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards. It is likely to be a corporate function

Answer 16

Activities determine whether acceptance criteria have, or have not, been met Quality control entails the measuring and inspection of deliverables to ensure that they conform to the agreed acceptance criteria

Answer 17

Control charts Monitor, control and improve process performance over time by studying output variance and why it occurs. The process is said to be under control if the variation is random and within the agreed control limits. The use of tool is typically proactive in that is attempts to define process shifts and trends before the process starts to operate outside its accepted limits. If the measurement indicates performance outside the agreed limits then the process should be stopped in order to assign a suitable cause. Note that control charts are often used in quality methods such as Six-stigma which are focused on the minimisation of variance and resultant defects that may be caused. Six-sigmas quality cycle will use a number quality tools to monitor and improve performance

Answer 18

Allow the team to systematically record and compile data and check performance against agreed criteria and/or historical information. The check sheet may also be used to collect data over time in order to quantify patterns and trends

Answer 19

Sometimes known as fish one or Ishikawa diagrams, these diagrams graphically document the possible causes of a single effect and cluster these into major areas cause and effect diagrams are heavily used in root cause analysis and may be used in conjunction with other techniques such as ‘5 whys’. Sometimes these tools are criticised for even overly simplistic and do not go into enough detail to determine the true root cause. There may also be multiple causes as opposed to a single cause. Ultimately the tool is reliant on the experience of the people using it.

Answer 20

Graphically represent frequency distribution in bar form. They are very good for displaying large amounts of data that would be difficult to interpret in tabular form. The histogram is commonly used to analyse where the distribution is centred, how wide is the spread of data and what shape is the distribution

Answer 21

Also referred to as the 80:20 rule and names after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto: roughly. 80% of effect comes from 20% of causes. Graphically represented by special type of histogram whee different quality issues may be prioritised from high to low in terms of their frequency of occurrence. This allows the project team to focus on the aspects that cause the highest number of issues.

Answer 22

Dictate the individual steps, logical sequence and decision points within any process. Flowcharts help to identify unexpected complexity, problem areas and redundant steps. They are commonly used to help analyse and improve business processes. They can then be used to check whether a process is being followed correctly from start to finish

Answer 23

Scatter diagrams study and identify the possible correlation between two variables. The diagram provides a visual and statistical method of testing the strength of potential relationship. Although positive or negative correlation may be suggested, further analysis is typically required to prove there is an actual causal relationship.

Answer 24

Is the generic term used by organisations to describe how Information provided by quality assurance and quality control processes is used to drive improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. This is more cost effective than reactively finding errors through quality control methods such as testing and inspection; no amount of inspection can change the quality of a product or service

Answer 25

- Increased delivery credibility leading to higher confidence for management, customers, legislative bodies etc. - Improved decision-making resulting from better quality source data and information - More consistent approach to project activities leading to less variation in the process outputs - Significant reduction in errors detected by the organisation and/or customer - Improved customer satisfaction

Answer 26

- Initiate - Identify - Assess - Plan response - Implement response

Answer 27

The pothole of the initiate step is to determine how risk will be managed in the project. This may entail the creation of a risk management plan that documents this process. The two main activities carried out are - define project -this involves ensuring that the team and other relevant stakeholders have a firm understanding of the projects objectifies, scope and other relevant constraints -without this understanding it is unlikely that the risk management process can be appropriately tailored to the projects specific requirements - focus risk management process -the objectives of the risk management process must now be documented to ensure that it is correctly applied to this project. Factors to consider include the size, complexity and strategic significance of the project. -these factors will help determine the most appropriate process for managing risk in terms of the steps, tools, roles and reports that should be adopted

Answer 28

``` Assumptions and constraints analysis - Assumptions and constraints are documented to assess the probability that each factor will be met and the impact if they are not. Strength - Ensure stakeholders have a common understanding of each factor Weakness - May miss generic risks or constraints ``` Checklists - Risks are identified against criteria derived from previous projects Strengths - makes full use of experience to prevent repetition of problems Weaknesses - Checklist is not exhaustive and may miss project specific risk Prompt lists - Uses generic headings to stimulate thought across a breadth of different areas Strengths - Ensures that team think laterally about multiple areas that may impact the project Weaknesses - Again not exhaustive and does not go into any length of detail in each topic area Brainstorming - Group session that attempts to engage project stakeholders from each discipline and utilise their experience Strength - Quick and generates multiple ideas and participation Weaknesses - Can be biased by a limited number of the participants and can also be difficult to control Interviews - Structured discussion of project risks when it may not be suitable to have a group meeting Strengths - May be more appropriate for sensitive issues and allows for more in-depth discussion Weaknesses - Time-consuming and does not allow for cross-fertilisation if ideas Delphi technique - Anonymous participation of experts in the attempt to gain consensus regarding project risks. May be repeated multiple times in order to reach agreement Strength - Prevents participants from influencing each other Weaknesses - Can be time-consuming and therefore prone to participant drop-out SWOT analysis - Identification of the projects strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, taking into account internal and external factors Strengths - Ensures a balances approach to the definition of positive and negative risks Weaknesses - Had a tendency to over-simplify the situation by classifying each factor into a category where it may not strictly fit Cause and effect diagram - Diagrammatically identifies and clusters individual risks and helps to provide structure to the risk identification process Strength - very useful for helping to identify the root cause of a possible risk Weaknesses - Not always useful for complex situations where many causes may be inter-related

Answer 29

The assess step may inconvenience qualitative and/or quantitative risk analysis Qualitative risk analysis This approach involved qualitatively assessing the probability of each risk occurring and the possible impact on any of the projects objectives should it occur. It is useful if the organisation determines appropriate quantitative thresholds for the classification of each risk Quantitative risk analysis In some cases, if the project is critical to the business or large amounts of money are at stake, we might decide that a more formal, numerical treatment of project risk is required. Maybe a qualitative risk analysis has been carried out, but due to its complexity and the possible interaction of multiple risks, it is decided to carry out quantitative risk analysis if we use the process of quantitative risk analysis then we analysis numerically the probability of each prioritised risk and it’s consequence on project objectives, as well as the extent of overall project risk.

Answer 30

Risk response planning can be defined as the process of developing options and determining actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threatens to the projects objectives. Effective risk response planning, leading to an overall improvement of the risk profile of the project is: - Appropriate to the severity of the risk - Cost effective - Timely - Realistic - Agreed by all parties - Owned by a responsible person Risk responses will generally fall into one of four categories for each of threats or opportunities Threats Avoid - a response to a threat that eliminates its probability or impact on the project Transfer - a response to a threat that reduces its probability, impact or both by transferring the risk to a third party Reduce - A response to a threat that reduces its probability, impact or both by transferring the risk to a third party Accept - no action is taken Opportunities Exploit - A response to an opportunity that maximises both it’s probability and impact Share - a response to an opportunity that increases its probability, impact or both by sharing the risk with a third party Enhance - a response to an opportunity that increases its probability, impact or both Reject - no action is taken

Answer 31

why - An expansion of the project's background and needs as defined in the Business Case What - Describes the scope of the project. Again derived from the Business Case, the PMP will also detail actual project deliverables and their associated acceptance criteria. How - The 'how' determines the strategy for the project in terms of how it will be delivered, controlled and managed How Much - The PMP will quantify the necessary budget for the project and how these costs will be managed. Who - The necessary resources for the project are documented and we may also detail specific roles and responsibilities When - Key milestone dates for the project are listed in addition to how these align with each life cycle phase Where - Closely linked to the 'Who', the 'Where' indicates where resources may be located, which may in turn add further constraints to the project

Answer 32

The reference levels against which a project, programme or portfolio is monitored and controlled.

Answer 33

The totality of the outputs, outcomes and benefits and the work required to produce them.

Answer 34

The CBS can show the individual costs assigned to work packages directly from the WBS. Alternatively a new structure may be formed that apportions and consolidates costs to pre-defined categories that help the organisation track and control costs.

Answer 35

- Labour - Consumables - Overheads - Contractors - Expenses

Answer 36

The use of a range of tools and techniques to produce estimates.

Answer 37

Type - Project Phase - Purpose - Accuracy - Comment Proposal, Initial concept, appraise feasibility, +/- 50%, also known as a ballpark or 'rough-order-of-magnitude' Budgetary, Concept approval, Assess viability, +/- 20%, May be used in the approval of the Business Case Sanction, Definition, Approve project, +/- 10%, baseline cost and duration for project allows 'real-work' to begin Control, Development, Measure progress, +/- 5%, Used to delegate work and assess progress.

Answer 38

Optimism/pessimism: Human or psychological factors may introduce significant bias to the estimating process. Although the typical bias is for the estimate to be over-optimistic, cultural factors may also be a contributory factor. Social/political pressure: Pressure from management, peers or even the client may influence the estimator into providing an 'acceptable' estimate. The project team is likely to feel the pain resulting from this practice later in the project. Experience: This may take the form of lack of technical expertise and/or knowledge of estimating as a skill. Training, mentoring and practice should help to build this experience over time. Unclear scope: It is very unlikely that any estimating process will provide an accurate estimate unless there is a clear understanding of the project requirements. Source data: Where comparative and/or parametric estimating is being undertaken, the quality of the estimate is predominantly determines by the quality of the source data. If inflationary factors or incorrect assumptions are not validated then it is probable that the estimate will be flawed.

Answer 39

Finish-to-start - Predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can start (most common relationship) Start-Start - Predecessor activity must start before the successor activity can start Finish - Finish - Predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can finish Start-Finish - Successor activity must start before the predecessor activity can finish

Answer 40

Levelling involves scheduling the activities such that a defined resource limit is not exceeded (no additional float) This resource limit may be imposed by the priority of the project within the business or the availability of key skilled staff. Resources are subject to a fixed limit which will affect the sequence and/or the duration of activities. Levelling may ultimately delay the project to keep within the resource limits.

Answer 41

Smoothing is used when the end date is fixed and resources are to be expended to meet that end date. Duration is paramount but you still need to achieve best use of resources. It involves rearranging activities, such that any peaks and troughs of resource usage are smoothed out. This does not affect the overall duration.

Answer 42

- Delay an activity within its float to a period when resources are available - Stretch an activity to use resources at a lower rate - Compress an activity to use resources at a lower rate - Alter the profile of resource usage across the duration of the activity - Split an activity so that the resulting smaller activities can make use of pockets of resource availability - Alter the logic of the network to allow activities to star t earlier - Recruit more resource - Provide training to develop multi-skilled resource - Employ alternative (less labour intensive) working methods - Work overtime

Answer 43

The final stage in the resource management process is to total each of the day's individual requirements to form a summative estimate of resource requirements. This allows the project manager to create and expenditure profile for the project by calculating the cumulative resources against the daily rate for each resource: - Multiple resource loadings by cost rates for that resource - Add costs of raw materials, sub-contract support, sundries etc. and when these will be incurred - Generate time-phased cost curve for the project.

Answer 44

Statistical or acceptance sampling is heavily used in high-volume manufacturing where it is not cost effective to test 100% of the outputs. The sample may check process inputs and/or outputs. The acceptance quality level is the highest number of defective components that may be contained in any one batch as considered acceptable to the customer. Note that the customer is accepting the risk that any one batch may contain untested defective items. The supplier is taking the risk that a batch considered as being unacceptable may still contain good parts. The quality engineers will determine suitable sample sizes and these must be agreed by the customer.

Answer 45

Inspection is the examination of a deliverable to determine whether it conforms to the agreed specification or standard. Inspections may also be known as peer reviews, audits and walkthroughs amongst other terms. Where safety and/or finance are involved, it is common for the inspection to be carried out by an independent party - this concept is typically known as "segregation of duties".

Answer 46

Plan: establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver the expected results Do: Implement the processes (normally on a smaller scale first to check the likely impact) Check: measure the results of the new process against the expected results Act: Analyse the difference and propose improvement actions as required. The PDCA cycle may be used to help guide the implementation of quality methods and tools or might even form the overall structure of business improvement initiatives.

Answer 47

Lean is a quality improvement approach that started in the Japanese car industry. The principles have now been adopted world-wide and are not just restricted to manufacturing. The overriding principle in Lean is to focus on adding value and removing waste, specifically the following "eight wastes" - Transport - Excess inventory - Motion - Rework - Excess processing - Peoples potential - Over production - Wasting time A lean organisation can be recognised by: - Single items or small batches of work keep flowing or moving, synchronised to delivery requirements - Low levels of raw materials and finished undelivered goods - "Right first time" and defect prevention measures in place - People working in self-managed, flexible teams to deliver a clear and complete output - Active involvement of everyone in the improvement process

Answer 48

Conformance: - Prevention - costs associated with the definition and implementation of agreed quality management methods and procedures - Appraisal - costs of inspection and testing to ensure conformance to specification Non-Conformance - Internal failure - issues identified by the project team which may result in rework or scrap - External failure - issues that are detected by the customer. These may include liabilities and warranty work and ultimately, loss of future business and reputation.

Answer 49

Traditional critical path analysis uses a single point estimate for each activity in a network. In reality, it is unrealistic to this that our estimating is so accurate that out published schedule can be based on single point estimates. PERT analysis uses three point estimates: optimistic, most likely and pessimistic. It then calculates a mean duration that is used in a critical path calculation. Whilst this gives an idea of the possible range of project completion dates, it is statistically crude. In practice, any one of the tasks in the table above could take anything between its optimistic and pessimistic durations. This is where Monte Carlo analysis can be applied.

Answer 50

Resource set aside for responding to identified risks.

Answer 51

Ensures that risk response actions have been undertaken and have achieved the desired outcome. Risk owners should be held accountable for the outcome for each assigned risk. Risk events should be continuously monitored and stakeholders updated on their new status as required.

Answer 52

Hard Benefits are likely to be more tangible and easier to quantify - for example, better decision making through appropriate quantification and communication of contingency, more appropriate contracts etc. Soft benefits may revolve around the people side of risk management and the development of a more mature organisational approach to risk management.

Answer 53

Describes the institutional and individual environment, attitudes and behaviours that affect the way risk arises and the way it should be managed.

Answer 54

This person is a risk avoider, is conservative in their decisions and actions, will be most strongly influenced by the "worst case scenario" and will plan for minimising the negative impact of risk. Kerzner also uses the term "Utility" which is defined as "the amount of pleasure a project manager will receive from a payoff having taken a risk". In the case of the Risk Averse project manager, as the amount at stake increases, they would be more concerned about the risk and would be less likely to take the risk. This approach is sometimes called "MAXIMIN" as the highest importance is places on the minimum payoff situation

Answer 55

This person is a risk lover, an opportunist, will "go for broke" and will be most strongly influenced by the best case scenario. In the case of the Risk seeking project manager, as the amount at stake increases, they would be more likely to take the risk. This approach is sometimes called "MAXIMAX" as the highest importance is placed on the maximum payoff situation.

Answer 56

This person will exhibit a variable and measured response to the situation and will consider the risks and opportunities associated with the specific circumstances. They will not be unduly swayed in their decision by considering only the best and worst case scenarios.