OPS MAN Exam 3: Chapter 4

work packages

A project can be subdivided into which of the following? a. job orders b. sub-jobs c. work packages d. sub-paths e. events and decisions

a statement of work

A project starts out as which of the following? a. a statement of work b. critical path method c. a series of milestones d. a gantt chart e. a latest-start-time estimate

matrix project

A series of projects that are organized in such a way that each project utilizes people from different functional areas in using which of the following organizational structures? a. matrix project b. integrated task force c. functional project d. pure project e. cross-functional flexible team

lines of communication are shortened

An advantage of a pure project where self-contained teams work full time on a project is which of the following? a. team members can work on several projects b. functional area is a "home" after the project is completed c. there are duplicated resources d. lines of communication are shortened e. overall organizational policies and goals can be ignored

the activity is on the critical path

For an activity in a CPM analysis, the early finish time is 20 and the late finish time is 20. Which of the following statements is true? a. the activity's late start must happen before its early start b. the activity is on the critical path c. the slack for this activity is 20 d. the duration of this task is zero e. the duration of this task is 20

the slack for this activity is 2

For an activity in a CPM analysis, the early start time is 8 and the late start time is 10. Which of the following statements is true? a. the late finish is 12 b. the early finish is 10 c. the slack for this activity is 2 d. the duration of this activity is 2 e. the activity is on the critical path

time

In a Gantt chart, the horizontal axis is usually which of the following? a. activities b. cost c. profit d. time e. milestones

a team member can work on several projects

Some of the advantages of a functional project where the project is housed in a functional division include which of the following? a. the project manager has full authority over the project b. team pride, motivation, and commitment are high c. a team member can work on several projects d. needs of the client are secondary e. none of these

F

T/F A disadvantage of a matrix project organizational structure is that a project manager is held responsible for successful completion of the project.

T

T/F A matrix project attempts to blend properties of functional and pure projects structures.

F

T/F A matrix project structure is often referred to as a "skunkworks".

T

T/F A project may be defined as a series of related jobs directed toward some major output and requiring a significant period of time to perform.

T

T/F A project milestone is a specific event to be reached by a particular point in time.

F

T/F A work breakdown structure is used in project management but it is not used when the critical path method is involved.

F

T/F Breakthrough projects are those that provide fundamental improvements to existing products.

T

T/F CPM is an abbreviation for critical path method.

F

T/F Calculating the early start and early finish times for each activity in a CM analysis does not provide any useful information.

T

T/F Complex projects are often subdivided into a series of tasks that are typically configured to be not longer than several months in duration.

T

T/F Earned value management (EVM) is a technique for measuring project progress in a objective manner.

T

T/F In CPM, the late start time estimate is the latest time you can start an activity and still keep the entire project on schedule.

T

T/F In a CPM analysis, if you subtract the early from the late start, the result is the activity's slack time.

F

T/F In a CPM analysis, if you subtract the late finish from the early finish, the result is the activity's slack time.

T

T/F One of the advantages of a functional project organization structure is that a team member can work on several projects.

T

T/F One of the assumptions made using CPM is the project activities can be identified with clear beginning and ending points.

F

T/F One of the disadvantages of a pure project organizational structure is that the project manager has full authority over the project.

T

T/F Project management can be defined as planning, directing, and controlling resources to meet the technical cost, and time constraints of the project.

T

T/F Project management software available today combines CPM and other scheduling aids, like Gnatt charting, to aid in tracking progress of project completion.

F

T/F Slack activity time is the difference between the early start and the late finish of a project activity time.

T

T/F The Gnatt chart is an example of a project control chart

T

T/F The activity direct costs associated with a project might include giving workers overtime to complete a project in less than the expected time.

F

T/F The critical path in a CPM analysis is always the shortest path through the network.

T

T/F The critical path in a CPM analysis is found by locating the activities times with zero slack.

T

T/F The critical path in a project is that sequence of activities that consume the longest amount of time in a project network of activities.

F

T/F The critical path of activities in a project is the sequence of activities that from the shortest chain in a project network of activities.

T

T/F The fact that organizations are flattening is one the reasons that project management is important.

T

T/F The project indirect costs associated with a project include overhead, facilities, and resource opportunity costs.

T

T/F Upper-level management must decide between pure, functional, and matrix structures as ways to organize projects.

T

T/F Using the time-cost CPM model, the crash time is the shortest possible time allowed for each activity in the project.

F

T/F When reducing the planned duration of a project using the time-cost CPM model, we select the activity to crash by determining the cost of each alternative and selecting the one whose cost is the greatest.

F

T/F You are managing a project and need to cut the cost of the project. You decide to transfer workers to another job to cut the project's cost. Costs associated with transferring the workers are an example of project indirect costs.

a definition of the hierarchy of project tasks, subtasks, and work packages

What is a work breakdown structure? a. a list of the activities making up the higher levels of the project b. a definition of the hierarchy of project tasks, subtasks, and work packages c. a depiction of the activities making up a project d. a Gantt Chart e. a structure that is incompatible with the critical path method

EVM chart

You are looking at a chart that has the terms BCWS, BCWP, and AC indicating lines on the chart. What kind of chart are you looking at? a. Gantt Chart b. PERT chart c. Bar/milestone chart d. total program cost breakdown e. EVM chart

pure project

You have been place in charge of a large project. Shortened communication lines are required to ensure quick resolution of problems as they arise. You recognize that the project is going to take a lot of time and require a lot of team pride, motivation, and commitment by all members. Which project management structure should you use in this situation? a. pure project b. task force c. matrix project d. functional project e. PERT

matrix project

You have just been assigned to oversee a series of projects. Functional areas will loan you personnel for each project, and separate project managers will be responsible for separate projects. These project managers will report to you. Which project management structure is being used? a. pure project b. task force c. matrix project d. functional project e. PERT

you have multiple critical paths

You have just performed a CPM analysis and have found that more than one path through the project network has zero slack values. What can you conclude? a. you have incorrectly performed the analysis b. you have multiple critical paths c. only one path is optimal d. more than one path is optimal e. the project will not be completed by the desired time

0.73

You have just used the network planning model and found the critical path length is 30 days and the variance of the critical path is 25 days. The probability that the project will be completed in 33 days or less equal to: a. 0.73 b. 0.55 c. 0.12 d. 0.27 e. 0.60

0.75

You have just used the network planning model and found the critical path length is 60 days and there are two critical paths. The standard deviation of the first critical path is 10 days and the s.d. of the second critical path is 15 days. The probability that the project will be completed in 70 days or less is equal to: a. 0.84 b. 0.25 c. 0.16 d. 0.75 e. 0.66