Project Management Fundamentals, Exams of Advanced Education

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CMGT 4100 - Test 1 - Ch: 1,2,3,4,5 Latest Solution

With Questions And Answers

What is a project? Correct Answer: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result Every project has: Correct Answer: - A start and finish point

• A deliverable Project Planning: Correct Answer: the process of choosing the one method and order of work to be adopted for a project from all the various ways and sequences in which it could be done." Project planning elements include: Correct Answer: scope, design and alternate designs, cost, time, finance, land, procurement, operations, etc. Shape and content of the project plan depends on? Correct Answer: - purpose of the plan
• timing of the plan
• level of details needed Project scheduling Correct Answer: determination of the timing and sequence of operations in the project and their assembly to give the overall completion time. Scheduling takes one part of the planning effort and zooms in on it. What questions does planning answer Correct Answer: what, how, who, why, where, by whom, when, how much what question does scheduling deal with? Correct Answer: "when" on a detailed level Types of management: (4) Correct Answer: General management program management portfolio management project management Project management Correct Answer: the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Accomplished through the application and integration of the project management processes of initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

Program management Correct Answer: A group of related projects managed in coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually PROJECTS IN A PROGRAM ARE NECESSARILY RELATED programs may be: Correct Answer: Temporary/one-time programs ongoing

• can be a large and complex project Portfolio mangement Correct Answer: a collection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped together to facilitate effective management of that work to meet strategic business objectives. The projects or programs of the portfolio ARE NOT NECESSARILY RELATED General management Correct Answer: specialty mangement
• financial, human resources, IT Project management in construction includes: Correct Answer: - scheduling budget risk management scope logistics project administration quality management Project objectives Correct Answer: cost/budget time/schedule scope/quality Project control Correct Answer: to track both schedule and cost, find variances (where, how much, and why), and take corrective action to bring the project back to the plan project scheduling is a Correct Answer: prediction of future occurrence; time or money The scheduler: Three types of knowledge Correct Answer: knowledge in the principles of scheduling and project control knowledge in the specific technical field knowledge in computer software The tripod of good scheduling system: Correct Answer: >the human factor

the technology the management t/f: all programs have a specific limited lifespan Correct Answer: false what is a Gantt chart? Correct Answer: is a graphical representation of Project activities shown in a time-scaled bars. developed by Henry L. Gantt in 1917 Gantt Chart: On the ____ of the chart is a list of the activities and along the _____ is a suitable time scale. Correct Answer: left top Gantt Chart: Each activity is represented by a... Correct Answer: Bar, the position and length of the bar reflects the start date, duration and end date of the activity. Network Correct Answer: A graphical representation of the activities (and events) comprising the project, in a logical and chronological depiction The two types of network diagrams are Correct Answer: - Arrow networks

• Node networks (basic & precedence) Arrow network Correct Answer: A network on which activities are represented by arrows between nodes (events)
• AOA
• can only accommodate finish-start relationships
• Cannot accommodate lags Network diagrams: Duration Correct Answer: The estimated time required to perform an activity. Network Diagrams: Events Correct Answer: A notation to show the starting and ending points of an activity. It is an instant in time horizon.

Network Diagrams: Activity on Arrow (AOA) Correct Answer: Dummy activity identity dummy Logic dummy AOA Diagrams: Identity Dummy Correct Answer: Used to identify activities when two or more parallel independent activities have the same start and finish events. AOA Diagrams: Dummy Activity Correct Answer: An activity (represented by a dotted line on the arrow network

• required in Arrow networks for logic or identity AOA Diagrams: Logic Dummy Correct Answer: used to prevent the error in logic arising from chains of wholly or partly independent activities having a common event. Arrow Network: An arrow represents an: Correct Answer: Activity Arrow Network: A Node represents? Correct Answer: an event of starting and/or finishing an activity or activities Node Network Correct Answer: a network where nodes represent activities and arrows represent logic relationships (dependencies)
• AON
• Precedence diagrams are an advanced form
• Do not require dummy activities
• Can accommodate all four types of relationships Lag Correct Answer: defined as a minimum waiting period between the finish (or start) of an activity and the start (or finish) of its successor. Lead Correct Answer: is a negative lag Network Diagrams:

Four-types of relationships Correct Answer: finish-to-start start to start finish to finish start to finish A milestone is a Correct Answer: term used by scheduling software to indicate an important event The critical path method (CPM) Correct Answer: A scheduling technique using networks for graphic display of the work plan Network calculations determine when activities can be performed, the expected completion date of the project, and the critical path of the project Steps to schedule a project: Correct Answer: 1. break down the project into activities

2. Estimate activity durations
3. set up the schedule logic
4. draw network & perform CPM calculations Steps to schedule a project: Step 1: break down the project into activities Correct Answer: Reasonable activity size Contract restrictions? Simple versus complex activities WBS, coding, activity description Activity types: Task, milestone (start or finish), Hammock (level of effort) Factors to be considered in defining activities: Correct Answer: Nature of the work / Homogeneity Location / Floor / Segment Size / Duration Timing / Chronology Level of confidence in the duration Responsibility Phase Activity: Correct Answer: A basic unit of work as part of the total project that is easily measured and controlled

• AKA Task
• it is time and resource consuming

Difference between activity and an event? Correct Answer: An activity has a start date AND a finish date. An event (or milestone) has a start date OR a finish date Steps to schedule a project:

2. Estimate activity durations Correct Answer: Time unit: hour, day, week, month? Duration = Total Quantity/Productivity = 10,000 M3 / 800 M3/day = 12.5 days ≈ 13 days Multiple crews - multiple shifts Productivity adjustment factors Warning: don't accept unrealistic expectations Steps to schedule a project:
3. Set up the schedule logic Correct Answer: Establish logic relationships Lags & leads External relationships Logic (hard) versus resource (soft) logic Imposed constraints Steps to schedule a project:
4. Draw network & perform CPM calculations Correct Answer: Imposed finish date? Non-work days Check software default rules / settings Make sure any specific requirement is met ADDITIONAL STEPS:
5. Review and analyze the schedule Correct Answer: Check logic back & forth

• A second set of professional eyes is always a good idea Make sure there are no errors, loops, omissions, or redundancies Check with leaders of teams involved with the project ADDITIONAL STEPS:

2. Implementation of the schedule Correct Answer: Taking the schedule from paper to action

• most serious step - is is selling the schedule/plan to all parties
• roles/responsibiliteies
• management commitment ADDITIONAL STEPS:

3. Monitor and Control Correct Answer: Choose a uniform time interval for periodic updating Define the update procedures Communicate with all parties Reporting / Documentation Implement any changes ADDITIONAL STEPS:
4. Database revisions and feedback Correct Answer: Project / activity notes Documentation and organization Archiving Accessibility and confidentiality Optional steps when scheduling a project: Correct Answer: Cost loading Resource loading (allocation) Resource leveling Cash flow analysis / forecast Materials procurement schedule What is the critical path? Correct Answer: The longest continuous path in a network from start to finish. represents the summation of the durations of activities and lags along that path, taking in consideration calendars, constraints, resources, and other impacting factors for every network, there must be at least _____critical path Correct Answer: one T/F?

Activities on the critical path, have no float Correct Answer: True A critical activity? Correct Answer: An activity on the critical path. It is an activity that is if delayed, the entire project will get delayed CPM: Forward Pass Correct Answer: The process of going from the start to finish of a network in order to calculate early start and early finish dates for each activity, and the expected finish date for the entire project

• identifies the critical path and float times for activities CPM: Backward Pass Correct Answer: The process of going from the finish to start of a network in order to calculate late start and late finish dates for each activity.
• identifies the critical path and float times for activities CPM: Predecesor Activity Correct Answer: An activity that has to finish (or start) in order for the succeeding activity(s) to start (or finish). It has been also defined as an activity that has some measurable portion of its duration logically restraining a subsequent activity or activities CPM: Successor Activity Correct Answer: An activity that cannot start (or finish) until another activity (predecessor) has finished (or started) CPM: Early Start (ES) Correct Answer: The earliest date the activity can start within project constraints CPM: Early Finish (EF) Correct Answer: The earliest date the activity can finish within project constraints CPM: Late start (LS) Correct Answer: The latest date the activity can start without delaying the completion of the project CPM:

Late Finish (LF) Correct Answer: The latest date the activity can finish without delaying the completion of the project CPM: Total Float (TF) Correct Answer: The maximum amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start (ES) without delaying the entire project Total float is broken down into ...? (3) Correct Answer: free float independent float interferring float Total Float: Free Float (FF) Correct Answer: The maximum amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the ES of the succeeding activity(s) FFi = min(ESi+1) - EFi FFB = min(8, 12) - 8 = 0 FF ≤ TF Total Float: Independent Float (Ind. F) Correct Answer: Is the maximum amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying the early start of the succeeding activities and without being affected by the allowable delay of the preceding activities. Ind. Fi = min (ESi+1) - max(LFi-1) - Duri Total Float: Interferring Float (Int. F) Correct Answer: the maximum amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying the entire project but causing a delay to the succeeding activities. It is the part of the total float that remains after free float is deducted. Int. F = TF - FF CPM: Constraint Correct Answer: Constraint is an externally imposed restriction affecting when an activity can start and/or finished

• Constraints may conflict with logical relationships
• Constraints are not alternatives for logic CPM: End-of-Day Convention Correct Answer: The dates on the activities represent the "end of day".

CPM:

Driving relationship Correct Answer: A relationship from a predecessor activity that controls the start or finish of a successor activity. For any activity with predecessors, there must be at least one driving relationship

• any activity can have more than one predecessor, usually only one relationship is driving Imposed finish date Correct Answer: is the project's completion date, as specified in the contract or stipulated by the owner good not to enter the imposed finish date until the project's finish date is calculated by the CPM Effect of imposed finish date: Calculated finish date < imposed finish date Correct Answer: You are in good shape Effect of imposed finish date: Calculated finish date > imposed finish date Correct Answer: Negative float appears when you enter the imposed date You need to accelerate / crash the schedule Negative Float: Correct Answer: a situation that occurs when performing an activity even on its early dates, fails to meet the project's imposed finish date or other constraint It indicates a delay but it does not automatically lay the blame of the contractor or any other party. How can negative float develop? Correct Answer: Before construction starts
• (The contractor has to compress the schedule or the owner has to allow longer timeframe) During construction
• The contractor may have to prepare a recovery schedule or face the possibility of liquidated damages
• Constructive acceleration Calendars Correct Answer: Must be assigned to each activity Non-work Days include: Correct Answer: Schedulers must take these into account
• Scheduled non-work days such as: --Holidays, --Shut-downs
• Unscheduled non-work days such as: --Rain days (or severe weather), --Other unforeseen interruptions

Pros & Cons of methods of distribution of unscheduled non-work days Correct Answer: All at the start of the schedule All at the end of the schedule Distributed throughout the schedule