CH 6 Project Management

T/F: An activity is an element of work that has an expected duration, cost, and resource requirements

true

T/F: In project time management, the primary output of defining activities is a schedule management
plan

false

T/F: In project time management, the next step after sequencing activities is to define these activities

false

T/F: Project schedules grow out of basic documents such as the project charter

true

T/F: A schedule management plan includes information which describes the format and frequency of schedule reports required for the project

true

T/F: To define activities, the project team should start with reviewing the schedule management plan, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational processes

true

T/F: It is important for the activity list and activity attributes to be in agreement with the work breakdown structure

true

T/F: Milestones are easy to achieve and are always achieved through one main activity

false

T/F: After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is developing the schedule

false

T/F: A dependency pertains to the sequencing of project activities or tasks

true

T/F: Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing

true

T/F: The arrows in a network diagram represent missed milestones in a project

false

T/F: In a network diagram, it is mandatory for every item on the WBS to be shown instead of only those activities with dependencies

false

T/F: A merge occurs when one node precedes multiple nodes

false

T/F: Start-to-finish relationships are the most frequently used dependencies between activities

false

T/F: A drawback of the precedence diagramming method is that it cannot be used unless dummy activities are employed

false

T/F: In project time management, one should control the scheule before estimating the duration for each activity

false

T/F: In a Gantt chart, thick black bars represent milestones achieved in a project

false

T/F: A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and finish dates

true

T/F: A disadvantage of using Gantt charts is that they do not provide a standard format for displaying planned project schedule information

false

T/F: In a critical path analysis, the shortest path is what drives the completion date for the project

false

T/F: The critical path on a project can change as the project progresses

true

T/F: A backward pass through the network diagram determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity

false

T/F: Knowing the amount of float allows project managers to know whether a project schedule is flexible

true

T/F: The main disadvantage of crashing is that it lengthens the time needed to finish a project

false

T/F: The technique of fast tracking can result in lengthening the project schedule

true

T/F: Critical chain scheduling assumes that resources multitask and maximizes multitasking

false

T/F: One of PERT’s main disadvantages is that it does not address the risk associated with duration estimates

false

T/F: The final process in project time management is developing the schedule

false

T/F: A drawback of the project management software is that it does not have the capacity to calculate the critical path(s) for a project

false

The first process involved in project time management is _____ .
a.
defining activities
b.
estimating activity durations
c.
planning schedule management
d.
sequencing activities

C

Which of the following processes in project time management involves identifying the specific tasks that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables?
a.
Defining activities
b.
Sequencing activities
c.
Developing the schedule
d.
Estimating activity durations

A

In project time management, which of the following processes generate the main outputs of an activity list, activity attributes, and a milestone list?
a.
Sequencing activities
b.
Defining activities
c.
Resource estimating activities
d.
Estimating activity durations

B

In project time management, which of the following processes primarily involve identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities?
a.
Defining activities
b.
Sequencing activities
c.
Planning schedule management
d.
Estimating activity durations

B

In project time management, which of the following processes involve calculating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities?
a.
Defining activities
b.
Sequencing activities
c.
Planning schedule management
d.
Estimating activity durations

D

In project time management, which of the following processes involve analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule?
a.
Planning schedule management
b.
Developing the schedule
c.
Controlling the schedule
d.
Defining activities

B

In project time management, the process of_____ primarily involves checking and managing changes to the project schedule.
a.
estimating activity durations
b.
developing the schedule
c.
controlling the schedule
d.
estimating activity resources

C

In project time management, a(n) _____ is an output of controlling the schedule
a.
activity duration estimate
b.
project management plan update
c.
activity attribute
d.
milestones list

B

Which of the following documents is most likely to include planned project start and end dates which serve as the starting points for a detailed schedule?
a.
Resource breakdown structure
b.
Milestones list
c.
Organizational process assets update
d.
Project charter

D

Which of the following is a difference between an activity list and an activity attribute?
a.
As opposed to an activity attribute, an activity list provides resource requirements and constraints related to activities.
b.
An activity list provides a more concrete list of milestones for a project than an activity attribute.
c.
An activity attribute is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule whereas an activity list is not.
d.
An activity attribute provides more schedule-related information about each activity than an activity list.

D

A(n) _____ on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration.
a.
milestone
b.
activity attribute
c.
activity sequence
d.
schedule baseline

A

In project time management, the main goal of _____ is to ensure that the project team has complete understanding of all the work they must do as part of the project scope so they can start scheduling the work.
a.
defining activities
b.
estimating activity durations
c.
estimating activity resources
d.
controlling the schedule

A

In project time management, the next step after defining project activities is:
a.
planning schedule management.
b.
determining their dependencies.
c.
controlling the schedule.
d.
estimating activity duration.

B

Which of the following types of dependencies are inherent in the nature of work being performed on a project?
a.
Mandatory
b.
Discretionary
c.
External
d.
Random

A

_____ dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care because they may limit later scheduling options.
a.
Mandatory
b.
Discretionary
c.
External
d.
Inherent

B

Which of the following dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities?
a.
Mandatory
b.
Discretionary
c.
External
d.
Inherent

C

In an AOA network diagram, _____ occur when two or more activities follow a single node.
a.
combinations
b.
buffers
c.
mergers
d.
bursts

D

A network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities is known as a(n) _____.
a.
PDM
b.
CPM
c.
ADM
d.
PERT

A

AOA network diagrams use only _____ dependencies.
a.
start-to-start
b.
finish-to-start
c.
finish-to-finish
d.
start-to-finish

B

Which of the following is a relationship in which the "from" activity cannot start until the "to" activity is started?
a.
Start-to-start
b.
Finish-to-finish
c.
Finish-to-start
d.
Start-to-finish

A

Which of the following is true of a finsih-to-finish dependency?
a.
It is a dependency in which the "from" activity cannot start until the "to" activity or successor is started.
b.
It is a dependency in which in which the "from" activity must finish before the "to" activity or successor can start.
c.
It is a dependency in which the "from" activity must be finished before the "to" activity can be finished.
d.
It is a dependency in which the "from" activity must start before the "to" activity can be finished.

C

Which of the following is true of dummy activities?
a.
They have long durations.
b.
They show logical relationships between activities.
c.
They have a large range of resources.
d.
They have limited time periods.

B

Which of the following is one of the main outputs of estimating activity resources process?
a.
Project documents update
b.
Milestone list
c.
Work breakdown structure
d.
Activity duration estimate

A

After working with key stakeholders to define activities and calculate their resources, the next process in project time management is to:
a.
develop the schedule.
b.
control the schedule.
c.
determine their dependencies.
d.
estimate the duration of activities.

D

In project time management, the ultimate goal of _____ is to provide a basis for monitoring
project progress for the time dimension of the project.
a.
defining activities
b.
sequencing activities
c.
developing a schedule
d.
estimating activity resources

C

_____ provide(s) a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format.
a.
Gantt charts
b.
Critical path analysis
c.
Arrow diagramming method
d.
PERT analysis

A

Which of the following is a network diagramming technique used primarily to predict total project duration?
a.
Gantt chart
b.
Critical path analysis
c.
Resource breakdown structure
d.
Arrow diagramming method

B

The critical path is the _____ path through a network diagram, and it represents the _____ amount of slack or float.
a.
longest; longest
b.
longest; shortest
c.
shortest; longest
d.
shortest; shortest

B

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following activities is known as a _____.
a.
forward pass
b.
backward pass
c.
fast tracking
d.
free slack

D

_____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date.
a.
Total slack
b.
Free float
c.
Backward pass
d.
Forward pass

A

The _____ for an activity is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish date.
a.
early finish date
b.
late finish date
c.
late start date
d.
early start date

C

The technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost is known as _____.
a.
dependency
b.
crashing
c.
critical chain scheduling
d.
feeding buffers

B

Which of the following techniques involve doing activities in parallel that one would normally do in sequence?
a.
Critical chain scheduling
b.
Crashing
c.
Fast tracking
d.
PERT analysis

C

A similarity between the crashing technique and the fast tracking technique is that:
a.
both spread out tasks over a long period of time to ensure the quality of work is maintained.
b.
both invariably result in increases in total project costs.
c.
both can shorten the time needed to finish a project.
d.
both are network diagramming techniques used primarily to predict total project duration.

C

Critical chain scheduling protects tasks on the critical chain from being delayed by using _____, which consist of additional time added before tasks on the critical chain that are preceded by non-critical-path tasks.
a.
critical paths
b.
feeding buffers
c.
dummy activities
d.
fast tracking

B

_____ states that work expands to fill the time allowed.
a.
Murphy’s Law
b.
Miller’s Law
c.
Parkinson’s Law
d.
Einstein’s Law

C

A difference between the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and critical path method (CPM) is that:
a.
CPM addresses the risk associated with duration estimates whereas PERT does not.
b.
unlike CPM, PERT estimates only when there is no risk of uncertainty.
c.
CPM involves more work than PERT because it requires several duration estimates.
d.
PERT uses different duration estimates whereas CPM uses one specific duration estimate.

D

Which of the following is a silimarity between scope control and schedule control?
a.
Both are initial processes of project time management.
b.
Both of their primary goals is to define project goals and milestones.
c.
Both are portions of the integrated change control process under project integration management.
d.
Both of these processes should occur before estimating activity durations.

C

Which of the following is an output of schedule control?
a.
Lessons-learned reports
b.
Activity attributes
c.
Resource requirements
d.
Milestones list

A

A draft schedule for a project is most likely to be found in a _____.
a.
project buffer
b.
project charter
c.
resource breakdown structure
d.
project’s dummy activities list

B