chapter6 PM
PERT weighted average
(optimistic time + 4*most likely time + pessimistic time)/6
node
the starting an ending point of an activity on an AOA diagram
critical path
the series of activities in a network diagram that determines the earliest completion of the project; it is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float
what symbol on a Gantt chart represents a slipped milestone
white diamond
merge
two or more nodes that precede a single node on a network diagram
task
an element of work normally found on the WBS that has an expected duration, cost and resource requirements; also called an activity
three point estimate
an estimate that includes an optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimate
tracking Gantt chart
a Gantt chart that compares planned an actual project schedule information
what type of diagram shows planned and actual project schedule information?
a Tracking Gantt chart
resource breakdown structure
a hierarchical structure that identifies the project's resources by category and type
Theory of Constraints (TOC)
a management philosophy that any complex system at any point in time often has only one aspect or constraint that limits the ability to achieve more of the system's goal
critical chain scheduling
a method of scheduling that takes limited resources into account when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date
slipped milestone
a milestone that is completed later than planned
forward pass
a network diagramming techcnique that determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity
backward pass
a project network diagramming technique that determines the late start and late finish dates for each activity
as the project manager for a software development project, you are helping to develop the project schedule. you decide that writing code for a system should not start until users sign off on the analysis work. what type of dependency is this?
discretionary
probabilistic time estimates
duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely and pessimistic estimates of activity durations instead of using one specific or discrete estimate
early start date
earliest possible time an activity can start based on the project network logic
True or false: duration and effort are synonymous terms
false
you cannot start editing a technical report until someone else completes the first draft. What type of dependency does this represent?
finish to start
late finish date
the latest possible time an activity can be completed without delaying the project finish date
late start date
the latest possible time an activity can begin without delaying the project finish date
effort
the number of work days or work hours required to complete a task
Murphy's Law
the principle that if something can go wrong, it will
Parkinson's law
the principle that work expands to fill the time allowed
discretionary dependencies
the sequencing of project activities or tasks defined by the project team and used with care because they may limit later scheduling options
activity on arrow (AOA)
a network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities; also called ADM
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
a project network analysis technique used to estimate project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty about the individual activity duration estimates
start to finish dependency
a relationship on a project network diagram in which the "from" activity cannot start before the "to" activity is finished
start to start dependency
a relationship on a project network diagram in which the "from" activity cannot start until the "to" activity starts
fast tracking
a schedule compression technique in which you do activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence
network diagram
a schematic display of the logical relationships or sequencing of project activities
milestone
a significant event that normally has no duration on a project; serves as a marker to help in identifying necessary activities, setting schedule goals and monitoring progress
burst
a single node followed by two or more activities on a network diagram
Gantt chart
a standard format for diplaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a valendar format; sometimes referred to as bar charts
crashing
a technique for making cost and schedule trade offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost
dummy activities
activities with no duration and no resources used to show a logical relationship between two activities in the arrow diagramming method of project networking diagrams
predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates and assumptions are all examples of _____
activity attributes
buffer
additional time to complete a tasl; a buffer is added to an estimate to account for various factors
activity
an element of work normally found on the WBS that has an expected duration, cost and resource requirements; also called a task
mandatory dependencies
the sequencing of project activities or tasks that are inherent in the nature of the work being done on the project
___ is a method of scheduling that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date.
critical chain scheduling
____ is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration
critical path method
True or false: fast tracking is a technique for making cost and schedule trade offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost
false
SMART criteria
guidelines to help define milestones that are specific, measureable, assignable, realistic and time framed
activity attributes
information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates and assumptions related to the activity
arrow diagramming method (ADM)
network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence of activities; also called AOA
precedence diagramming method (PDM)
network diagramming technique in which boxes rep activities
Which of the following processes involves determining the policies, procedures and documentation that will be used for planning, executing and controlling the project schedule?
planning schedule management
resources
ppl, equipment and material
project time management
processes required to ensure timely completion of a project
critical path method/analysis (CPM)
project network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration
early finish date
the earliest possible time an activity can finish based on the project network logic
external dependencies
the sequencing of project activities or tasks that involve relationships between project and non project ativities
relationship
the sequencing of project activities or tasks; also called a dependency
dependency
the sequencing of project activities or tasks; also called a relationship
project budder
time added before the project's due date
activity list
tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule
duration
the actual amount of time worked on an activity plus elapsed time
slack
the amount of time a project activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date; also called float
float
the amount of time a project activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date; also called slack
free slack (free float)
the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of an immediately following activities
total slack (total float)
the amount of time an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date
schedule baseline
the approved planned schedule for the project