Schedule Management

Question 1

Schedule management process

Answer 1

Plan schedule management
Define activities
Sequence activities
Estimate activity durations
Develop schedule

Question 2

Schedule management plan

Answer 2

Formal or informal; part of project mgmt plan
Includes time scale being used, schedule baseline, allowable variances, schedule change control processes, reporting, etc.

Question 3

Define Activities

Answer 3

Inputs: project mgmt plan, EEFs, OPAs
Outputs: Activity list and Activity attributes, milestone list, change requests; one of only a few processes that specifically result in change requests

Question 4

Rolling wave planning

Answer 4

(Define Activities tool/technique)
Developing a high-level plan, then creating detailed plans as work develops

Question 5

Decomposition

Answer 5

(Define Activities tool/technique)
WBS (deliverables) is part of Scope Management
Defining activities is part of Schedule Management
(Can happen at same time)

Question 6

Activity list

Answer 6

(Define Activities output)
List of all activities needed for project

Question 7

Activity attributes

Answer 7

(Define Activities output)
Description/details of activities on the Activities List

Question 8

Milestone list

Answer 8

(Define Activities output)
Significant events in project timeline
Are not work activities themselves, do not have a duration

Question 9

Sequence Activities

Answer 9

Inputs: Project documents
Outputs: Network diagram, project documents updates

Question 10

Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Answer 10

Use of nodes/boxes to show activities, with arrows representing dependencies
Relationships:
Finish-to-Start (FS) - A must finish before B starts
Start-to-Start (SS) - A must start before B starts
Finish-to-Finish (FF) - A must finish before B finishes
Start-to-Finish (SF) - A must start before B finished (rare)

Question 11

Dependencies determination

Answer 11

Mandatory (hard logic) - either inherent in work, or contractually required; identified by project team
Discretionary (soft logic) - based on preferences, can be modified as needed (e.g. schedule compression); identified by project team
External - e.g. government, supplier, etc.; identified by project manager
Internal - may be something project team can control; identified by project manager

Question 12

Network diagram

Answer 12

Output of Sequence Events
Depicts activity flow in a logical order

Question 13

Path convergence and divergence

Answer 13

Convergence - when 2/+ activities precede the subsequent activity
Divergence - when 2/+ activities follow an activity
Either/both cases indicated elevated risk for those activities

Question 14

Leads and lags

Answer 14

Lead - amount of time after activity A starts that activity B can start
Lag - amount of time after activity X finishes before activity Y can start or finish

Question 15

Estimate Activity Durations

Answer 15

Inputs: Activity list with activity attributes, assumption log, lessons learned register, resource breakdown structure, resource requirements
Outputs: Estimates, updates to project documents like activity attributes, assumption log lessons learned

Question 16

Analogous (top-down) estimating

Answer 16

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Expert judgement + historical data

Question 17

Parametric estimating

Answer 17

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Based on quantitative data
Regression analysis (scatter diagram) - looks for relationship between 2 variables
Learning curve - expected efficiency gains with repetition throughout project

Question 18

Three-point estimating

Answer 18

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Optimistic (O), Pessimistic (P), and Most Likely (M) scenarios

Question 19

Beta distribution

Answer 19

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Weighted average of three-point estimation scenarios, from program evaluation and review technique (PERT)
(P + 4M + O)/3

Question 20

Triangular distribution

Answer 20

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Simple average of three-point estimation scenarios
(P + M + O)/3

Question 21

Bottom-up estimating

Answer 21

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Detailed estimates for activity or work package, rolled up to a total amount

Question 22

Alternatives analysis

Answer 22

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Considers buy-vs-build and similar alternatives
Used when estimates fall outside of project constraints

Question 23

Reserve analysis

Answer 23

(Tool/technique of Estimate Activity Durations)
Intersection of estimating and risk mgmt

Question 24

Padding vs. reserves

Answer 24

Reserves - calculated based on detailed estimates
Padding - arbitrary amount

Question 25

Basis of estimates

Answer 25

(Output of Estimate Activity Durations) Explanation of how estimates formed, assumptions, constraints, and risks

Question 26

Develop Schedule

Answer 26

Inputs: OPAs, project mgmt plan; define activities, sequence activities, and estimate durations outputs Outputs: project schedule, milestone and bar charts, schedule baseline, schedule data, change requests, project documents updates

Question 27

Schedule model

Answer 27

Based on activities, duration estimates, dependencies, leads, and lags Used to produce the project schedule

Question 28

Critical path method

Answer 28

(Tool/technique of Develop Schedule) Determines which path is the critical path Allows for calculating earliest and latest start, and earliest and latest finish for each activity

Question 29

Forward and backward pass

Answer 29

In critical path method... Forward pass calculates earliest starts and finishes Backward pass calculates latest starts and finishes

Question 30

Critical path

Answer 30

Path of activities with longest duration, and thus, 0 float

Question 31

Near-critical path

Answer 31

Path with next longest duration The closer the critical and near-critical paths are in duration, the more risk is inherent in the project

Question 32

Float (schedule flexibility)

Answer 32

Total float - amount of time an activity can be delayed without impacting the schedule (primary type of float) Free float - amount of time an activity can be delayed without impacting *early start* of successor Project float - amount of time a project can be delayed without impacting required completion date

Question 33

Calculating float

Answer 33

Start formula: late start (LS) - early start (ES) Finish formula: late finish (LF) - early finish (EF) "There is a start formula and a finish formula, and we always begin late."

Question 34

Schedule compression

Answer 34

Crashing - add or adjusting resources; results in increased costs (and possibly risk) Fast tracking - changes activities from serial to parallel; requires more attention to communication, and often results in rework, increased risk

Question 35

Monte Carlo analysis

Answer 35

Computer simulation based on 3-point estimates Calculates probabilities of completing at a specific time or cost, and overall project risk

Question 36

Resource optimization

Answer 36

Resource leveling - extends schedule but limits variation in # of resources needed at any given time Resource smoothing - a type of levelling, where activities are still completed within their float range

Question 37

Milestone charts

Answer 37

(Output of Develop Schedule) Show key points along the project's duration Milestones have no duration

Question 38

Bar charts

Answer 38

(Output of Develop Schedule) Show activity durations along projects duration Better at reporting and control than for planning

Question 39

Schedule baseline

Answer 39

(Output of Develop Schedule) Version of the schedule model used to manage project, and evaluate performance against

Question 40

Control Schedule

Answer 40

Tools/techniques: data analysis, PMIS Outputs: work performance information, schedule forecasts

Question 41

Reestimating

Answer 41

Part of Control Schedule, ensures project stays on track to reach objectives