CET 445 Final

Describe the four types of project costs and provide an example of each

1. Direct: Materials, labor, equipment 2. Indirect: Field Superintendent, fencing & porta potties 3. Overhead: Salaries, estimating and main office rent 4. Profit: Excess money earned by a firm over total costs

Identify the information that the project schedule provides the project team

1. Duration 2. Activity Occurrence dates 3. Critical Path 4. Critical Activities 5. Start and Finish of Activities.

List at least four benefits of short interval schedules

1. Focus on events occurring in the next weeks 2. Looking ahead forces all parties to plan for upcoming weeks 3. Great communication tool with sub contractors whens hare din weekly meetings 4. May serve as historical data

Which of the following is true about increasing workforce

1. It should be used for longer duration schedule corrections 2. Increasing starting points can reduce the negative productivity impacts

Which of the following are true about working overtime

1. It should be used for quick response, short time frame corrections 2. Working overtime for extended periods of time adversely impacts productivity

Which of the following would you include on a short interval schedule?

1. Materials deliveries 2. Material Orders 3. Inspections 4. In-Place work activities.

Identify 3 advantages of scheduling sub networks

1. Organizes schedule 2. Allows for easy schedule revisions 3. Systematic breakdown of schedule by work activities 4. Simplifies interrelationships between activities.

Identify the three methods that can be used to reduce a schedule duration

1. Re sequencing project activities 2. Eliminate unnecessary relationships 3. Short activities duration (work overtime, work shifts, use more productive equipment, increase crew size)

Working days would likely be used for time completion for which of the following project types?

A dam project Bridge construction Commercial office building Retail store.

In a precedence diagram, a _________ can consume either time and or resources

Activity

Which of hte following is not a useful scheduling software feature

Activity Code

If you are required to include a specific number of weather delays in your schedule as an activity, which of the following is the best way to accomplish that.

Add weather delays as an activity at the end of the schedule on the critical path at first and distribute them into the schedule as you use them.

Working overtime, increasing crew size and using more productive equipment are considered methods to accomplish

Adjust activity durations

A CPM solution in which every individual activity has been shortened as much as physically possible is considered to be

All Crash

Which of the following is correct in regards to the all crash network solution

All activities are shortened to their minimum duration and the solution has the same duration as the least time at a higher cost

Define a learning Curve

Amount of time and cost required producting each unit

A schedule that is an accurate reflection of the way the job is constructed, is sufficiently flexible to accommodate changes and to predict their impact, allows for corrections as necessary to keep the schedule current and up to date is attributed of

An effective project control tool.

Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS)

Assign money values to activities based on budget

The original schedule created at the beginning of the project against which the project's progress is measured in which of the following

Baseline Schedule.

Why the construction industry has a hard time integrating cost and schedule to earned valued method

CBS and WBS are not compatible. CBS is far more specific task like concrete, which is performed by a subcontractor and can be broken down by work orders WBS may cover all foundations were concrete is just a small piece of a large picture.

Microsoft project, SureTank and Primavera are examples of...

Construction scheduling software

An owner requirement to shut down all construction activities for the last two weeks of December is an example of which type of constraint

Contractual

The Time-cost trade-off method is used to reduce a project duration; activities are selected for shortening based on.

Cost per day for activity duration reduction

An activity that has no flexibility in its performance time is which of the following?

Critical activity

Explain the adverse effects dangling activities can have on a schedule

Critical path may not be reflected accurately, activities will have excessive float and does not show contractors intent, makes updated schedule more difficult.

Which of the following schedules makes the most compelling argument to support a delay claim

Delay analysis is made at the time of the delay using an updated schedule. Delay is inserted into the schedule when it is realized the delay occurred.

Budget Cost of Work Performed (BCWP)

Earned Value, Indicates what budget cost are for work that has actually been performed

Which fo the following are advantages of computerized scheduling

Effective delivery of project information Computational speed, power and accuracy Allows for large data storage Saves Time

A linear schedule typically has duration as the vertical axis and location or distance as the horizontal axis

FALSE

Dangling activities in a network diagram are considered to be acceptable schedule practice T/F

FALSE

Inclusion of liquidated damages provision for late completion of a project complicates matters for the contracting parties in terms of litigation and agreement on damage amounts for late completion T/F

FALSE

PERT is a deterministic scheduling method

FALSE

Short interval schedules are not tied to the master schedule for a project T/F

FALSE

The primary elements of Project Management are schedule and resource cost. These elements are independent of one another.

FALSE

A calendar that appliers to all activities in a project is a resource Calendar. T/F

False

The scheduling feature of sorting allows for only activities that meet a certain criteria to be viable T/F

False

Staggering the high cost activities to minimize cash requirements during construction is an example of which type of constraint

Financial

The amount of time that an activity can be delayed before the start of any succeeding activity maximum is called

Free Float

Which of the following factors should be used to determine the level of detail to include in a schedule during development

Frequency of use Users Products related to schedule (Cost reports or progress payments)

When meeting with field foreman and field workers to discuss schedule, which of the following schedule formats would be easiest for them to understand

Gantt or Bar Chart

This software feature provides a quick and easy way to modify the information of many related activities, this software feature is?

Global Editing

Describe the type of project or activities that a linear scheduling can be used on

Highways/Roads Pipelines Airport Runways Mass Transit Levies High-rise construction buildings (limited to activities per floor)

What is the most accurate way to estimate activity duration

Historic Data

Detail the impact of reducing activity duration

Increased cost of resources Decrease in Quality

Define a construction delay and what makes it a "Critical Delay"

It is a delay to the performance of a critical path activity, it extends the duration of the activity and project completion.

It is important that a contractor evaluate contract provisions because

It may present inherent risk that the contractor has to evaluate and include in the bid.

A CPM solution which considers both direct and indirect costs, and finds a project duration that minimizes total cost is considered to be?

Least Cost

The Superintendent has determined that he needs a crew size of 10 men to meet concrete foundation scheduling duration. The General Superintendent for the company will only provide 7. This is an example of which type of constraint.

Management

Which of the following are provisions for schedules that may be included int he contract

Maximum length of activities Specific format schedule CPM, network, GNATT Specific Scheduling software to use.

A zero-duration activity that signifies the start or finish of an activity or group of activities is considered to be?

Milestone

Which of the following constraints should be used in the initial project definition

NONE

Which of the following typically defines the start date of the contract

Notice to Proceed

Detail the units that are typically used on the ordinate and abscissa of a linear schedule

Ordinate: Distance Abscissa: Time

Budget Cost at Completion (BAC)

Original cost estimate of the total cost of construction

List at least four cost factors that need to be considered when you work overtime or increase work force. Label whether the considerations are for overtime or increasing workforce or both.

Overtime: Cost of overtime, cost of setting up operations, worker moral Increase workforce: Impact on resources, impact on productivity, and crowding

Describe when you would use overtime versus when you would increase the workforce to shorten activity duration

Overtime: Quick response and short time frame corrections Skilled workers are required Increase workforce: Workers are readily available Longer duration schedule corrections are required.

Explain how the production rate of an activity can be determined from a linear schedule

Production rate is the slope of the activity line

The erection of structural steel on a construction project is an example of which type of activity.

Production/Construction

PERT stands for

Program Evaluation and Review Technique

Expediting a project schedule is a decision usually made at what level

Project Manager

Describe the difference between project monitoring and project control, describe three methods used to monitor projects.

Project Monitoring: Understanding Project Status Project Control: Taking action based on status Methods of monitoring: Direct observation, photos, check off lists, and marked up bar charts

Which of the following solutions is best in regards to ownership of float if it is not prescribed in the contract documents or contract.

Project owns the float and it is used based on the project status and needs

Your firm has two projects with conflicting labor resource demands. One project has liquidated damages clause of $10,000/day and the other is a negotiated project with liquidated damages of $1,000/day with an understanding client. Which of the following methods would you use to reduce the peak - demand of labor resources for the project with $10,000/day of liquidated damages

Resource leveling.

State in what circumstance you would use resource leveling and what circumstance you would use resource allocation

Resource leveling: When project duration is fixed, and you're trying to use an efficient use of resources Resource Allocation: When project duration is flexible and there is a shortage of resources.

Schedule Variance SV

Schedule deviation in terms of dollars per work

Describe in your own words what a short interval schedule is and how it is used in the construction industry

Short term schedule is roughly 2-4 week out look on current activities that are scheduled to take place during those weeks. Superintendents and foreman use short term schedules to organize resources tied to the master project and organize at crew levels

Which of the following is an example of work breakdown structure for a building?

Sitework, structure, exterior closure, interior finishes Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection.

Organizing the project activities according to a specific format is which of the following?

Sorting

A minor task typically represents detailed efforts is...

Subtask

A task representing a general activity of construction that contains multiple subtasks is...

Summary Task

A "What if" schedule assumes that the original construction was accurate and is how the project was expected to be completed and inserts the events that resulted in the delay dispute to show the delay impact this is T/F

TRUE

A learning curve represents the reduction in time and effort required to perform subsequent operations for repetitive tasks. This reduction tends to be regular and predictable.

TRUE

Short interval schedules provide more detail than a master schedule and are typically for a shoRter period of time (2-4 weeks) T/F

TRUE

It is necessary to update the project schedule when

The schedule no longer serves as an effective management tool.

Cost Variance CV

The status of the projec tin terms of cost

What information can be obtained using the earned value method

The status of the project. One can determine if the project is ahead or behind schedule and if the project is over or under budget

You are working on a project with a tight schedule and structural steel installation is a critical path activity. your structural steel subcontractor is two weeks behind schedule and you determine that the delay is caused by lack of owner response to requests for information detailing conflicts in the contract documents, this means.

This is a compensate unavoidable delay

What is the difference between time buffer and the space buffer

Time Buffer: Distance between two activity lines on the X-axis, represents float between activities Space: Distance between activity lines on the Y-axis, represents physical distance between activities

A calendar that applies to a specific resource to define when the resource is available is a resource calendar T/F

True

A circular look within he network of activities that prevents progression across or through the network is considered a network loop T/F

True

Resource leveling does not consider the impact of moving the same crew from one activity to another T/F

True

The data date line is the vertical line on the Gantt Chart Representing the current date T/F

True

During which phase of the schedule development will the scheduler use resource leveling or resource allocation?

When the schedule is complete.

State why you need to know the cause of a schedule delay

Who is responsible and for what cause? What are the associated costs how do you correct the situation

Identify the three aspects of delays that disputes typically focus on

Who was at fault How much of a delay occured What monetary awards should be made

Which of the following is a safety constraint to be considered in your schedule

Work cannot be scheduled to occur below steel workers laying metal dock in an elevated structure AND handrails must be installed at the edges of metal deck for fall protection

In terms of counting days, which type of measure presents the most potential for conflict

Working days.

Estimated Cost at Completion (EAC)

forcast of the total actual costs required to complete a project based on performance to date and estiamte future conditions