Project Management Exam 2

T/F: A disadvantage of Gantt charts is that they are hard to draw

False

T/F: A project that must be completed by a fixed time is referred to as resource constrained.

False

T/F: A start-to-finish linkage is the most common way of linking to successive task.

False

T/F: All tasks can be crashed to some extent.

False

T/F: An event is a series of connected activities.

False

T/F: Applying "line balancing" techniques to balance the capacity of a project typically yields significant benefits.

False

T/F: Fast-tracking a project is used primarily in the pharmaceutical industry.

False

T/F: If task duration estimates are carefully made, the project manager needs to only examine the critical path when conducting a risk analysis.

False

T/F: Pools of like workers are most useful when labor is subdivided into highly specialized subtasks.

False

T/F: The as late as possible priority rule is considered the standard scheduling rule.

False

T/F: The difference between EST and LFT is called slack

False

T/F: The difference between LST and LFT is called slack

False

T/F: When crashing a task, the usual assumption is that a task is crashed the full amount or none at all.

False

T/F: When it was originally developed, PERT used certain (deterministic) methods to estimate activity duration.

False

T/F: "Merger" is a term used to describe the situation in which two or more paths in a network join together.

True

T/F: A limitation associated with traditional approaches to project management is that the dependency between resources and tasks is often ignored.

True

T/F: A project schedule is a project action plan converted into a timetable.

True

T/F: GERT allows for probabilistic branching from nodes.

True

T/F: In general, steady state demand for human resources is highly desirable.

True

T/F: It is considered good management to crash the least costly activities before the more costly ones.

True

T/F: The difference between the LST and EST is called slack.

True

T/F: The formula for the expected time of an activity in a network assumes that the optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely time estimates have a Beta distribution.

True

T/F: The shortest time to complete a network is equal to the duration of the longest path through the network.

True

T/F: The simulation approach is generally preferred over the statistical method.

True

T/F: The variance of the normal time can be quite different from the variance of the crash time.

True

T/F: Trade-offs must be made in order to optimize the use of limited resources.

True

T/F: When the work is routine, fast-tracking rarely causes serious problems.

True

T/F:The amount of resources a project can use depends in part on the timing of the allocation.

True

Which of the following is typically used as the best estimate of task duration? a) expected time b) pessimistic time c) optimistic time d) most likely time e) none of the above

a) expected time

Allocating specific, limited resources to specific activities is called a) resource allocation b) resource leveling c) resource tracking d) expediting a project e) crashing a project

a) resource allocation

Which of the following is NOT associated with the spreadsheet model used to solve the crashing problem? a) Minimize the total cost of completing the project. b) Minimize the number of activities crashed. c) Complete the project by a specified time. d) Maintain the precedence relationships specified in the network diagram. e) Bounds on the amount each task can be crashed.

b) Minimize the number of activities crashed.

T/F: A Gantt chart can NOT depict a critical path, only a PERT/CPM chart can.

False

T/F: A disadvantage of using beta distribution to approximate activity times is that it is generally less flexible than the normal distribution.

False

T/F: Another name for total slack is free slack.

False

T/F: Because of the human judgment required, spreadsheets typically offer little in terms of facilitating the task of crashing a project.

False

T/F: For resources that are consumed when used, the problem is which project gets to use the resource first and which must wait.

False

T/F: If resources were not scarce, the resource allocation problem would be concerned solely with cost minimization.

False

T/F: It is easiest to see lead and lag time in a project task on a PERT/CPM networks.

False

T/F: Often it is beneficial to crash activities NOT on the critical path.

False

T/F: One limitation of MSP is that all resources must share the same availability calendar.

False

T/F: Pools of like resources from which labor can be added temporarily to projects tend to increase costs for the firm as a whole.

False

T/F: Standard PERT/CPM networks allow for probabilistic branching.

False

T/F: Technical dependencies are generally easier to see on a Gantt chart than on PERT/CPM networks.

False

T/F: The CPM method cannot be used when task durations are probabilistic.

False

T/F: The start-to-finish linkage is used in situations where is it desirable for two or more activities to finish at the same time.

False

T/F: The tasks of project planning, project budgeting, and project scheduling are largely separable from one another.

False

T/F: The time to complete a task with normal or standard-practice resource usage is referred to as the crash duration.

False

T/F: To manage a project successfully, the project manager need only pay close attention to tasks on the critical path.

False

Starting the building phase before the design and planning phases is called a) operations overlapping b) concurrent engineering c) fast-tracking d) concurrent construction e) construction overlapping

c) fast-tracking

PERT was originally used for what type of project? a) construction b) R & D c) military d) computer software development e) advertising

c) military

Several projects can be linked together with a) virtual activities b) nominal activities c) pseudoactivities d) ER links e) critical chains

c) pseudoactivities

A project that cannot go over budget is considered a) time constrained b) schedule constrained c) resource constrained d) performance constrained e) critically constrained

c) resource constrained

Which of the following rules maximizes the number of tasks that can be completed by a system in a given period of time? a) as soon as possible b) as late as possible c) shortest task duration first d) minimum slack first e) most critical successor

c) shortest task duration first

The amount of time a noncritical task can be delayed without delaying the project is called? a) surplus b) flop c) slack d) critical time e) safety

c) slack

A task has a normal duration of 9 days and a crash duration of 7 days. Its normal cost is $40 and its crash cost is $100. What is the crash cost per day? a) $140 b) $70 c) $50 d) $40 e) $30

e) $30

The practice of assigning project team members to multiple projects is called a) concurrent engineering b) parallel activities c) fast-tracking d) project crashing e) multitasking

e) multitasking

Which of the following is a measure of the amount by which a project is delayed by application of a leveling rule? a) schedule inflation b) schedule progression c) schedule efficacy d) schedule efficiency e) schedule slippage

e) schedule slippage

T/F: A big advantage of AON networks is that they are easier to draw.

True

T/F: A resource allocation decision may be intended to avoid a future problem rather than correct a current problem.

True

T/F: A task's duration is a function of both the amount of labor required to complete the task as well as the calendar time required to complete it.

True

T/F: AON and AOA networks can both be used to depict any project network.

True

T/F: All projects are carried out under conditions of uncertainty.

True

T/F: Critical path tasks always have zero slack.

True

T/F: If resources were not scarce, the resource allocation problem would be concerned solely with profit maximization.

True

T/F: MSP allows the PM to create an individual availability calendar for each resource on the project

True

T/F: Milestones on a Gantt chart are tasks with a duration of zero.

True

T/F: Projects often compete with each other for the same resources.

True

T/F: Technical dependencies are often harder to see on a Gantt chart than on a PERT/CPM network.

True

T/F: The actual project duration will be known with certainty after the project is completed.

True

T/F: The difference between LFT and EFT is called slack.

True

What is it a milestone? a) a significant event in the project b) a mark on a chart that depicts project progress c) an activity on the critical path d) an activity with an uncertain completion time e) all of the above

a) a significant event in the project

Which of the following terms is most closely associated with a task required by the project? a) activity b) event c) milestone d) network e) path

a) activity

An identifiable state resulting from the completion of one or more activities is called? a) an event b) an activity c) a milestone d) a path e) the critical path

a) an event

The safety time added to chains other than the critical chain is called a) feeding buffer b) project buffer c) path buffer d) critical buffer e) team buffer

a) feeding buffer

What is the standard deviation of a task with optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic times of 3, 4, and 7 days respectively assuming the estimates were made at the 99% plus level? a) .444 b) .667 c) 1.212 d) 1.469 e) 1.540

b) .667

Technical dependencies on a project plan are easiest to see on a: a) Gantt chart b) GERT chart c) PERT/CPM chart d) Work Breakdown Structure e) Linear Responsibility Chart

c) PERT/CPM chart

What is project slack? a) The amount of time a non-critical task can be delayed without making the project late. b) The amount of time the critical path of a project can be delayed without making the project late. c) The amount of time an activity on the critical path can be delayed without making the project late. d) The difference between how long the project would take if all tasks were completed based on their pessimistic versus optimistic time estimates. e) None of the above.

b) The amount of time the critical path of a project can be delayed without making the project late.

Which of the following priority rules makes resources available so that activities start on their LSTs whenever possible without increasing the project's duration? a) as soon as possible b) as late as possible c) shortest task duration first d) minimum slack first e) most critical successor

b) as late as possible

The primary cause of concern in resource allocation is a) labor cost b) resource scarcity c) lack of solution methodologies d) parallel activities e) equipment downtime

b) resource scarcity

Which of the following linkages is used to start two or more activities at the same time? a) finish-to-start b) start-to-start c) finish-to-finish d) start-to-finish e) They can all be used to start two or more activities at the same time.

b) start-to-start

Which of the following is NOT an element of the Gantt chart? a) actual progress b) variance of the critical path c) the current date d) scheduled milestones e) all of the above are elements

b) variance of the critical path

What is the expected time to complete a task with an optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic times of 3, 4, and 7 days respectively? a) 3 b) 4 c) 4.3 d) 4.7 e) 7

c) 4.3

Which of the following is an extension to PERT/CPM? a) CERT b) FMEA c) Gantt Charts d) GERT e) network diagrams

d) GERT

Slack is calculated as? a) LFT - EST b) LFT - LST c) LST - LFT d) LFT - EFT e) EFT - EST

d) LFT - EFT

Which of the following is NOT commonly used to help select a priority rule? a) schedule slippage b) resource utilization c) in-process inventory d) cost overruns e) all of the above are used

d) cost overruns

According to research, the best overall priority rule is a) as soon as possible b) as late as possible c) shortest task duration first d) minimum slack first e) most critical successor

d) minimum slack first

The task duration with standard-practice resource usage is referred to as the a) expected task duration b) nominal task duration c) crash duration d) normal task duration e) planned task duration

d) normal task duration

For which purpose is simulation NOT used with regard to project scheduling? a) to overcome the limitations associated with statistical techniques used to develop probability of completion time estimates b) to investigate the range of project completion times c) to investigate the distribution of project completion times d) to verify the accuracy of the optimistic, pessimistic and most likely time estimates e) all of the above

d) to verify the accuracy of the optimistic, pessimistic and most likely time estimates