SPM Chapter 6
Many project management software programs come with ____________________ or sample files.
templates
Duration estimates are often provided as a discrete number, such as four weeks, or as a range, such as three to five weeks, or as a(n) ____________________.
three-point estimate
To make milestones meaningful, some people use the ____________________ criteria to help define them.
SMART
Project managers must use discipline to control ____. a. project bursts c. project critical paths b. project schedules d. project dependencies
project schedules
A ____ is a hierarchical structure that identifies the project's resources by category and type. a. work breakdown structure c. network diagram b. resource breakdown structure d. critical path analysis
resource breakdown structure
On a network diagram, all arrowheads should face toward the ____. a. top c. right b. left d. bottom
right
The goal of ____ is to know the status of the schedule, influence the factors that cause schedule changes, determine that the schedule has changed, and manage changes when they occur. a. activity duration estimating c. schedule control b. schedule development d. activity resource estimating
schedule control
Managers like to see progress made on projects approximately each ____________________.
month
A(n) ____________________ is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities.
network diagram
____ is a method of scheduling that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and includes buffers to protect the project completion date. a. A Gantt chart c. Critical chain scheduling b. Critical path analysis d. PERT analysis
Critical chain scheduling
____ occur when two or more activities follow a single node. a. Combinations c. Merges b. Conflicts d. Bursts
Bursts
____ involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule. a. Estimating activity durations c. Controlling the schedule b. Developing the schedule d. Estimating activity resources
Controlling the schedule
____ is a technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost. a. Crushing c. Fast tracking b. Crashing d. Expediting
Crashing
____ is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration. a. A Gantt chart c. Critical chain scheduling b. Critical path analysis d. PERT analysis
Critical path analysis
____ dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities. a. Mandatory c. External b. Discretionary d. Internal
External
Activity information is not a required input to the other time management processes.
False
By using the PERT weighted average for each activity duration estimate, the total project duration estimate does not account for the risk or uncertainty in the individual activity estimates.
False
Duration only includes the actual amount of time worked on an activity.
False
Every item on the WBS needs to be on the network diagram.
False
____________________ occurs when a resource works on more than one task at a time.
Multitasking
____________________ states that if something can go wrong, it will.
Murphy's Law
The ____ provide(s) schedule-related information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to the activity. a. activity list c. activity descriptions b. milestones d. activity attributes
activity attributes
In the activity definition process, the project team should review the ____________________ and activity attributes with project stakeholders before moving on to the next step in project time management.
activity list
The ____________________ is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule.
activity list
Outputs from ____ include performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates. a. estimating activity durations c. controlling the schedule b. developing schedules d. estimating activity resources
controlling the schedule
A(n) ____________________ for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by which the project can be completed.
critical path
____________________ is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.
Effort
The ____ is a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities. a. PDM c. ADM b. AOA d. POA
PDM
The ____________________ is based on the fact that, like a chain with its weakest link, any complex system at any point in time often has only one aspect or constraint that limits its ability to achieve more of its goal.
TOC - Theory of Constraints - Theory of Constraints (TOC)
____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following activities. a. Total slack c. Free time b. Total float d. Free slack
DFree slack
____ involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables. a. Defining activities c. Estimating activity resources b. Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations
Defining activities
____ results in supporting detail to document important product information as well as assumptions and constraints related to specific activities. a. Defining activities c. Estimating activity resources b. Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity duration
Defining activities
____ involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities. a. Defining activities c. Estimating activity resources b. Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations
Estimating activity durations
____________________ involves estimating how many people, equipment, and materials a project team should use to perform project activities
Estimating activity resources
The main outputs of estimating activity resources includes the activity list and attributes, project scope statement, milestone list, and organizational process assets.
False
It is not necessary to complete all of the activities on the network diagram in order for the project to finish.
False
Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity discretionary dependencies.
False
Project management software does not have the capacity to automatically generate network diagrams and calculate the critical path(s) for the project.
False
Start-to-finish relationships are the most common type of relationships.
False
The outputs to schedule development include activity duration estimates and project document updates.
False
____ 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 c. Critical chain scheduling b. Critical path analysis d. PERT analysis
Gantt charts
____ use(s) probabilistic time estimates—duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations—instead of one specific or discrete duration estimate. a. Critical Path Analysis c. Critical Chain Scheduling b. Gantt charts d. PERT
PERT
____ states that work expands to fill the time allowed. a. Murphy's Law c. Parkinson's Law b. Newton's Law d. Moore's Law
Parkinson's Law
____________________ is the one variable in project scheduling that has the least amount of flexibility.
Time
____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date. a. Total slack c. Total time b. Free float d. Free slack
Total slack
A(n) ____________________ Gantt chart compares planned and actual project schedule information.
Tracking
Project managers often illustrate progress with a ____ showing key deliverables and activities. a. Tracking Gantt chart c. network diagram b. Gantt chart d. PERT chart
Tracking Gantt chart
One of the first reality checks on scheduling that a project manager should make is to review the ____________________ usually included in the project charter.
draft schedule
The activity list, activity attributes, activity resource requirements, resource calendars, project scope statement, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets all include information that affect ____. a. definitions c. resource estimates b. sequences d. duration estimates
duration estimates
In a ____ relationship, one task cannot finish before another finishes. a. start-to-start c. finish-to-finish b. finish-to-start d. start-to-finish
finish-to-finish
A(n) ____________________ determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity.
forward pass
The critical path is the ____ path through a network diagram, and it represents the ____ time it takes to complete a project. a. longest; longest c. shortest; longest b. longest; shortest d. shortest; shortest
longest; shortest
A(n) ____________________ on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration.
milestone
In a network diagram, a(n) ____________________ is simply the starting and ending point of an activity.
node
There are ____ main processes involved in project time management. a. two c. six b. four d. ten
six
In a(n) ____________________ relationship, the "from" activity must start before the "to" activity can be finished.
start-to-finish
In a ____ relationship, the "from" activity cannot start until the "to" activity is started. a. start-to-start c. finish-to-finish b. finish-to-start d. start-to-finish
start-to-start
____ involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities. a. Defining activities c. Estimating activity resources b. Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity durations
Sequencing activities
A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and finish dates.
True
A fast and easy way to determine early and late start and finish dates and free and total slack amounts for activities is by using project management software.
True
After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is sequencing them or determining their dependencies.
True
Different cultures may have different perceptions of work ethic.
True
Even though the delivery of new hardware may not be in the scope of a project, you should add an external dependency to it.
True
Fast tracking can end up lengthening the project schedule.
True
Individual work styles and cultural differences may cause schedule conflicts.
True
One of PERT's main disadvantages is that it involves more work than CPM.
True
Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project.
True
Schedule performance can be estimated by subtracting the original time estimate from how long it really took to complete the project.
True
The arrows in a network diagram represent the activity sequencing or relationships between tasks.
True
The 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 c. estimating activity resources b. sequencing activities d. estimating activity durations
defining activities
The main outputs of the ____ process are an activity list, activity attributes, milestone list, and requested changes. a. defining activities c. resource estimating activities b. sequencing activities d. duration estimating activities
defining activities
The ultimate goal of ____ is to create a realistic project schedule that provides a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project. a. defining activities c. developing the schedule b. sequencing activities d. estimating activity duration
developing the schedule
Project management software highlights the critical path in ____ on a network diagram. a. blue c. green b. yellow d. red
red COMPLETION
____ dependencies are inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project. a. Mandatory c. External b. Discretionary d. Internal
Mandatory
It only takes one activity to complete a milestone.
False
Outputs of ____________________ include activity duration estimates and project documentation updates.
estimating activity durations
____________________ involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project.
Project time management
____ involves evaluating the reasons for dependencies and the different types of dependencies. a. Defining activities c. Estimating activity resources b. Sequencing activities d. Estimating activity duration
Sequencing activities
____ dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care since they may limit later scheduling options. a. Mandatory c. External b. Discretionary d. Internal
Discretionary
____ involves doing activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence. a. Crushing c. Fast tracking b. Crashing d. Expediting
Fast tracking
____________________ have no duration and no resources but are occasionally needed on AOA network diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.
Dummy activities
Managers often cite cost issues during the end phase of a project as one of their biggest challenges and the main cause of conflict.
False
Most managers are unfamiliar with any forms of scheduling.
False
Most projects have one path through a network diagram.
False
The critical path always includes the most critical activities.
False
The main outputs of ____________________ include work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, such as lessons-learned reports related to schedule control, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates.
schedule control
A white diamond on the Tracking Gantt chart represents a(n) ____________________.
slipped milestone
In a Gantt chart created in Microsoft Project, a black diamond symbol represents a milestone.
True
It is important that the people who help determine what resources are necessary include people who have experience and expertise in similar projects and with the organization performing the project.
True
Many information technology projects are failures in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost projections.
True
Many projects, especially in information technology, have very unrealistic schedule expectations.
True
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 c. dummy activities b. feeding buffers d. fast tracking
feeding buffers
In a ____ relationship, the "from" activity must finish before the "to" activity can start. a. start-to-start c. finish-to-finish b. finish-to-start d. start-to-finish
finish-to-start
The ____ for an activity is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish date. a. early entry date c. late start date b. late entry date d. early start date
late start date
____ involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule. a. Estimating activity durations c. Controlling the schedule b. Developing the schedule d. Estimating activity resources
Developing the schedule