Test Bank for Information Technology Project Management, 6th Edition: Schwalbe

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Management, 6th Edition: Schwalbe

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Chapter 6: Project Time Management

Student: ___________________________________________________________________________

1. Many information technology projects are failures in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost projections.
True False

2. Managers often cite cost issues during the end phase of a project as one of their biggest challenges and the
main cause of conflict.
True False

3. Schedule performance can be estimated by subtracting the original time estimate from how long it really took
to complete the project.
True False

4. Individual work styles and cultural differences may cause schedule conflicts.
True False

5. Different cultures may have different perceptions of work ethic.

True False

6. The outputs to schedule development include activity duration estimates and project document updates.
True False

7. The main outputs of estimating activity resources include the activity list and attributes, project scope
statement, milestone list, and organizational process assets.
True False

8. Most managers are unfamiliar with any forms of scheduling.

True False
9. Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project.
True False

10. It only takes one activity to complete a milestone.

True False

11. Activity information is not a required input to the other time management processes.
True False

12. After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is sequencing them or
determining their dependencies.
True False

13. Even though the delivery of new hardware may not be in the scope of a project, you should add an external
dependency to it if required project activities depend on that delivery.
True False

14. Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity discretionary dependencies.
True False

15. The arrows in a network diagram represent the activity sequencing or relationships between tasks.
True False

16. It is not necessary to complete all of theactivities on the network diagram in order for the project to finish.
True False

17. Every item on the WBS needs to be on the network diagram.

True False

18. Start-to-finish relationships are the most common type of relationships.

True False
19. 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 False

20. Duration only includes the actual amount of time worked on an activity.
True False

21. In a Gantt chart created in Microsoft Project, a black diamond symbol represents a milestone.
True False

22. A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and
finish dates.
True False

23. Most projects have one path through a network diagram.

True False

24. The critical path always includes the most critical activities.
True False

25. 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 False

26. Fast tracking can end up lengthening the project schedule.

True False

27. 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.
True False
28. One of PERT’s main disadvantages is that it involves more work than CPM.
True False

29. Many projects, especially in information technology, have very unrealistic schedule expectations.
True False

30. Project management software does not have the capacity to automatically generate network diagrams and
calculate the critical path(s) for the project.
True False

31. There are ____ main processes involved in project time management.
A. two
B. four
C. six
D. ten

32. ____ involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must
perform to produce the project deliverables.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations

33. The main outputs of the ____ process are an activity list, activity attributes, and milestone list.
A. defining activities
B. sequencing activities
C. resource estimating activities
D. duration estimating activities

34. ____ involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations
35. ____ involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations

36. ____ involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to
create the project schedule.
A. Estimating activity durations
B. Developing the schedule
C. Controlling the schedule
D. Estimating activity resources

37. ____ involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule.
A. Estimating activity durations
B. Developing the schedule
C. Controlling the schedule
D. Estimating activity resources

38. Outputs from ____ include work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, change
requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates.
A. estimating activity durations
B. developing schedules
C. controlling the schedule
D. estimating activity resources

39. 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
B. milestones
C. activity descriptions
D. activity attributes
40. 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
B. sequencing activities
C. estimating activity resources
D. estimating activity durations

41. ____ results in supporting detail to document important product information as well as assumptions and
constraints related to specific activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity duration

42. ____ involves evaluating the reasons for dependencies and the different types of dependencies.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity duration

43. ____ dependencies are inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal

44. ____ dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care since they may limit
later scheduling options.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal

45. ____ dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal
46. ____ occur when two or more activities follow a single node.
A. Combinations
B. Conflicts
C. Merges
D. Bursts

47. On a network diagram, all arrowheads should face toward the ____.
A. top
B. left
C. right
D. bottom

48. The ____ is a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities.
A. PDM
B. AOA
C. ADM
D. POA

49. In a ____ relationship, the “from” activity must finish before the “to” activity can start.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish

50. In a ____ relationship, the “from” activity cannot start until the “to” activity is started.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish

51. In a ____ relationship, one task cannot finish before another finishes.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish
52. A ____ is a hierarchical structure that identifies the project’s resources by category and type.
A. work breakdown structure
B. resource breakdown structure
C. network diagram
D. critical path analysis

53. 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
B. sequences
C. resource estimates
D. duration estimates

54. 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
B. sequencing activities
C. developing the schedule
D. estimating activity duration

55. ____ 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
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis

56. ____ is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration.
A. A Gantt chart
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis
57. The critical path is the ____ path through a network diagram, and it represents the ____ time it takes to
complete a project.
A. longest; longest
B. longest; shortest
C. shortest; longest
D. shortest; shortest

58. ____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any
immediately following activities.
A. Total slack
B. Total float
C. Free time
D. Free slack

59. ____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned
project finish date.
A. Total slack
B. Free float
C. Total time
D. Free slack

60. The ____ for an activity is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish
date.
A. early entry date
B. late entry date
C. late start date
D. early start date

61. ____ 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
B. Crashing
C. Fast tracking
D. Expediting
62. ____ involves doing activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence.
A. Crushing
B. Crashing
C. Fast tracking
D. Expediting

63. ____ 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
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis

64. 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
B. feeding buffers
C. dummy activities
D. fast tracking

65. ____ states that work expands to fill the time allowed.
A. Murphy’s Law
B. Newton’s Law
C. Parkinson’s Law
D. Moore’s Law

66. ____ 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
B. Gantt charts
C. Critical Chain Scheduling
D. PERT

67. 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
B. schedule development
C. schedule control
D. activity resource estimating
68. Project managers often illustrate progress with a ____ showing key deliverables and activities.
A. Tracking Gantt chart
B. Gantt chart
C. network diagram
D. PERT chart

69. Project managers must use discipline to control ____.

A. project bursts
B. project schedules
C. project critical paths
D. project dependencies

70. Project management software highlights the critical path in ____ on a network diagram.
A. blue
B. yellow
C. green
D. red

71. ____________________ is the one variable in project scheduling that has the least amount of flexibility.
________________________________________

72. _________________________ involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project.
________________________________________

73. ______________________________ involves estimating how many people, equipment, and materials a
project team should use to perform project activities.
________________________________________

74. Outputs of ______________________________ include activity duration estimates and project document
updates.
________________________________________

75. The ____________________ is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule.

________________________________________
76. A(n) ____________________ on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration.
________________________________________

77. 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.
________________________________________

78. A(n) ____________________ is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of,
project activities.
________________________________________

79. In a network diagram, a(n) ____________________ is simply the starting and ending point of an activity.
________________________________________

80. In a(n) ____________________ relationship, the “from” activity must start before the “to” activity can be
finished.
________________________________________

81. ____________________ have no duration and no resources but are occasionally needed on AOA network
diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.
________________________________________

82. ____________________ is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.
________________________________________

83. 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) ____________________.
________________________________________

84. To make milestones meaningful, some people use the ____________________ criteria to help define them.
________________________________________
85. A(n) ____________________ Gantt chart compares planned and actual project schedule information.
________________________________________

86. A white diamond on the Tracking Gantt chart represents a(n) ____________________.
________________________________________

87. A(n) ____________________ for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by
which the project can be completed.
________________________________________

88. A(n) ____________________ determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity.
________________________________________

89. 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.
________________________________________

90. ____________________ occurs when a resource works on more than one task at a time.
________________________________________

91. ____________________ states that if something can go wrong, it will.

________________________________________

92. 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.
________________________________________

93. One of the first reality checks on scheduling that a project manager should make is to review the
____________________ usually included in the project charter.
________________________________________
94. Managers like to see progress made on projects approximately each ____________________.
________________________________________

95. Many project management software programs come with ____________________ or sample files.
________________________________________

96. List and briefly describe the main processes involved in project time management.

97. What are the basic reasons for creating dependencies among project activities? Describe each.

98. What is a network diagram? What formats exist for creating network diagrams?
99. Describe critical path analysis. How is the critical path calculated?

100. What is the Theory of Constraints? What is Critical Chain Scheduling?

Chapter 6: Project Time Management Key

1. Many information technology projects are failures in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost projections.
TRUE

2. 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

3. Schedule performance can be estimated by subtracting the original time estimate from how long it really took
to complete the project.
TRUE

4. Individual work styles and cultural differences may cause schedule conflicts.
TRUE

5. Different cultures may have different perceptions of work ethic.

TRUE

6. The outputs to schedule development include activity duration estimates and project document updates.
FALSE

7. The main outputs of estimating activity resources include the activity list and attributes, project scope
statement, milestone list, and organizational process assets.
FALSE

8. Most managers are unfamiliar with any forms of scheduling.

FALSE
9. Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project.
TRUE

10. It only takes one activity to complete a milestone.

FALSE

11. Activity information is not a required input to the other time management processes.
FALSE

12. After defining project activities, the next step in project time management is sequencing them or
determining their dependencies.
TRUE

13. Even though the delivery of new hardware may not be in the scope of a project, you should add an external
dependency to it if required project activities depend on that delivery.
TRUE

14. Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity discretionary dependencies.
FALSE

15. The arrows in a network diagram represent the activity sequencing or relationships between tasks.
TRUE

16. It is not necessary to complete all of theactivities on the network diagram in order for the project to finish.
FALSE

17. Every item on the WBS needs to be on the network diagram.

FALSE

18. Start-to-finish relationships are the most common type of relationships.

FALSE
19. 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

20. Duration only includes the actual amount of time worked on an activity.
FALSE

21. In a Gantt chart created in Microsoft Project, a black diamond symbol represents a milestone.
TRUE

22. A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and
finish dates.
TRUE

23. Most projects have one path through a network diagram.

FALSE

24. The critical path always includes the most critical activities.
FALSE

25. 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

26. Fast tracking can end up lengthening the project schedule.

TRUE

27. 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
28. One of PERT’s main disadvantages is that it involves more work than CPM.
TRUE

29. Many projects, especially in information technology, have very unrealistic schedule expectations.
TRUE

30. Project management software does not have the capacity to automatically generate network diagrams and
calculate the critical path(s) for the project.
FALSE

31. There are ____ main processes involved in project time management.
A. two
B. four
C. six
D. ten

32. ____ involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders must
perform to produce the project deliverables.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations

33. The main outputs of the ____ process are an activity list, activity attributes, and milestone list.
A. defining activities
B. sequencing activities
C. resource estimating activities
D. duration estimating activities

34. ____ involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations
35. ____ involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity durations

36. ____ involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to
create the project schedule.
A. Estimating activity durations
B. Developing the schedule
C. Controlling the schedule
D. Estimating activity resources

37. ____ involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule.
A. Estimating activity durations
B. Developing the schedule
C. Controlling the schedule
D. Estimating activity resources

38. Outputs from ____ include work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, change
requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates.
A. estimating activity durations
B. developing schedules
C. controlling the schedule
D. estimating activity resources

39. 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
B. milestones
C. activity descriptions
D. activity attributes
40. 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
B. sequencing activities
C. estimating activity resources
D. estimating activity durations

41. ____ results in supporting detail to document important product information as well as assumptions and
constraints related to specific activities.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity duration

42. ____ involves evaluating the reasons for dependencies and the different types of dependencies.
A. Defining activities
B. Sequencing activities
C. Estimating activity resources
D. Estimating activity duration

43. ____ dependencies are inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal

44. ____ dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care since they may limit
later scheduling options.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal

45. ____ dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities.
A. Mandatory
B. Discretionary
C. External
D. Internal
46. ____ occur when two or more activities follow a single node.
A. Combinations
B. Conflicts
C. Merges
D. Bursts

47. On a network diagram, all arrowheads should face toward the ____.
A. top
B. left
C. right
D. bottom

48. The ____ is a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities.
A. PDM
B. AOA
C. ADM
D. POA

49. In a ____ relationship, the “from” activity must finish before the “to” activity can start.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish

50. In a ____ relationship, the “from” activity cannot start until the “to” activity is started.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish

51. In a ____ relationship, one task cannot finish before another finishes.
A. start-to-start
B. finish-to-start
C. finish-to-finish
D. start-to-finish
52. A ____ is a hierarchical structure that identifies the project’s resources by category and type.
A. work breakdown structure
B. resource breakdown structure
C. network diagram
D. critical path analysis

53. 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
B. sequences
C. resource estimates
D. duration estimates

54. 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
B. sequencing activities
C. developing the schedule
D. estimating activity duration

55. ____ 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
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis

56. ____ is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration.
A. A Gantt chart
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis
57. The critical path is the ____ path through a network diagram, and it represents the ____ time it takes to
complete a project.
A. longest; longest
B. longest; shortest
C. shortest; longest
D. shortest; shortest

58. ____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any
immediately following activities.
A. Total slack
B. Total float
C. Free time
D. Free slack

59. ____ is the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned
project finish date.
A. Total slack
B. Free float
C. Total time
D. Free slack

60. The ____ for an activity is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish
date.
A. early entry date
B. late entry date
C. late start date
D. early start date

61. ____ 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
B. Crashing
C. Fast tracking
D. Expediting
62. ____ involves doing activities in parallel that you would normally do in sequence.
A. Crushing
B. Crashing
C. Fast tracking
D. Expediting

63. ____ 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
B. Critical path analysis
C. Critical chain scheduling
D. PERT analysis

64. 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
B. feeding buffers
C. dummy activities
D. fast tracking

65. ____ states that work expands to fill the time allowed.
A. Murphy’s Law
B. Newton’s Law
C. Parkinson’s Law
D. Moore’s Law

66. ____ 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
B. Gantt charts
C. Critical Chain Scheduling
D. PERT

67. 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
B. schedule development
C. schedule control
D. activity resource estimating
68. Project managers often illustrate progress with a ____ showing key deliverables and activities.
A. Tracking Gantt chart
B. Gantt chart
C. network diagram
D. PERT chart

69. Project managers must use discipline to control ____.

A. project bursts
B. project schedules
C. project critical paths
D. project dependencies

70. Project management software highlights the critical path in ____ on a network diagram.
A. blue
B. yellow
C. green
D. red

71. ____________________ is the one variable in project scheduling that has the least amount of flexibility.
Time

72. _________________________ involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project.
Project time management

73. ______________________________ involves estimating how many people, equipment, and materials a
project team should use to perform project activities.
Estimating activity resources

74. Outputs of ______________________________ include activity duration estimates and project document
updates.
estimating activity durations

75. The ____________________ is a tabulation of activities to be included on a project schedule.

activity list
76. A(n) ____________________ on a project is a significant event that normally has no duration.
milestone

77. 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

78. A(n) ____________________ is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of,
project activities.
network diagram

79. In a network diagram, a(n) ____________________ is simply the starting and ending point of an activity.
node

80. In a(n) ____________________ relationship, the “from” activity must start before the “to” activity can be
finished.
start-to-finish

81. ____________________ have no duration and no resources but are occasionally needed on AOA network
diagrams to show logical relationships between activities.
Dummy activities

82. ____________________ is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.
Effort

83. 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

84. To make milestones meaningful, some people use the ____________________ criteria to help define them.
SMART
85. A(n) ____________________ Gantt chart compares planned and actual project schedule information.
Tracking

86. A white diamond on the Tracking Gantt chart represents a(n) ____________________.
slipped milestone

87. A(n) ____________________ for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by
which the project can be completed.
critical path

88. A(n) ____________________ determines the early start and early finish dates for each activity.
forward pass

89. 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 or
Theory of Constraints or
Theory of Constraints (TOC) or
TOC (Theory of Constraints)

90. ____________________ occurs when a resource works on more than one task at a time.
Multitasking

91. ____________________ states that if something can go wrong, it will.

Murphy's Law

92. 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
93. 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

94. Managers like to see progress made on projects approximately each ____________________.
month

95. Many project management software programs come with ____________________ or sample files.
templates

96. List and briefly describe the main processes involved in project time management.

Defining activities involves identifying the specific activities that the project team members and stakeholders
must perform to produce the project deliverables. An activity or task is an element of work normally found on
the work breakdown structure (WBS) that has an expected duration, a cost, and resource requirements. The
main outputs of this process are an activity list, activity attributes, and milestone list.

Sequencing activities involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities. The
main outputs of this process include project schedule network diagrams and project document updates.

Estimating activity resources involves estimating how many resources—people, equipment, and materials—a
project team should use to perform project activities. The main outputs of this process are activity resource
requirements, a resource breakdown structure, and project document updates.

Estimating activity durations involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete
individual activities. Outputs include activity duration estimates and project document updates.

Developing the schedule involves analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity
duration estimates to create the project schedule. Outputs include a project schedule, a schedule baseline,
schedule data, and project document updates.

Controlling the schedule involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule. Outputs include
work performance measurements, organizational process assets updates, change requests, project management
plan updates, and project document updates.
97. What are the basic reasons for creating dependencies among project activities? Describe each.

Mandatory dependencies are inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project. They are
sometimes referred to as hard logic. For example, you cannot test code until after the code is written.

Discretionary dependencies are defined by the project team. For example, a project team might follow good
practice and not start the detailed design of a new information system until the users sign off on all of the
analysis work. Discretionary dependencies are sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with care
since they may limit later scheduling options.

External dependencies involve relationships between project and non-project activities. The installation of a
new operating system and other software may depend on delivery of new hardware from an external supplier.
Even though the delivery of the new hardware may not be in the scope of the project, you should add an
external dependency to it because late delivery will affect the project schedule.

98. What is a network diagram? What formats exist for creating network diagrams?

Network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing. A network diagram is a
schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities. Some people refer to
network diagrams as project schedule network diagrams or PERT charts. The network diagram represents
activities that must be done to complete the project. It is not a race to get from the first node to the last node.
Every activity on the network diagram must be completed in order for the project to finish. Not every single
item on the WBS needs to be on the network diagram.

The activity-on-arrow (AOA) approach or the arrow diagramming method (ADM) is a network
diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows and connected at points called nodes to
illustrate the sequence of activities. A node is simply the starting and ending point of an activity. The first node
signifies the start of a project, and the last node represents the end of a project.

Even though AOA or ADM network diagrams are generally easy to understand and create, a different method is
more commonly used: the precedence diagramming method. The precedence diagramming method (PDM) is
a network diagramming technique in which boxes represent activities. It is particularly useful for visualizing
certain types of time relationships.
Test Bank for Information Technology Project Management, 6th Edition: Schwalbe

99. Describe critical path analysis. How is the critical path calculated?

Many projects fail to meet schedule expectations. Critical path method (CPM)—also called critical path
analysis—is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration. This important tool will
help you combat project schedule overruns. A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determine
the earliest time by which the project can be completed. It is the longest path through the network diagram and
has the least amount of slack or float. Slack or float is the amount of time an activity may be delayed without
delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date. There are normally several tasks done in parallel on
projects, and most projects have multiple paths through a network diagram. The longest path or path containing
the critical tasks is what is driving the completion date for the project. You are not finished with the project
until you have finished all the tasks.

To find the critical path for a project, you must first develop a good network diagram, which, in turn, requires a
good activity list based on the WBS. Once you create a network diagram, you must also estimate the duration of
each activity to determine the critical path. Calculating the critical path involves adding the durations for all
activities on each path through the network diagram. The longest path is the critical path. The critical path
shows the shortest time in which a project can be completed.

100. What is the Theory of Constraints? What is Critical Chain Scheduling?

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a management philosophy developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and
discussed in his books The Goal and Critical Chain. The Theory of Constraints 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. For the system to attain any significant improvements, that
constraint must be identified, and the whole system must be managed with it in mind. Critical chain
scheduling is a method of scheduling that considers limited resources when creating a project schedule and
includes buffers to protect the project completion date.

An important concept in critical chain scheduling is the availability of scarce resources. Some projects cannot
be done unless a particular resource is available to work on one or several tasks. For example, if a television
station wants to produce a show centered around a particular celebrity, it must first check the availability of that
celebrity. As another example, if a particular piece of equipment is needed full time to complete each of two
tasks that were originally planned to occur simultaneously, critical chain scheduling acknowledges that you
must either delay one of those tasks until the equipment is available or find another piece of equipment in order
to meet the schedule. Other important concepts related to critical chain scheduling include multitasking and
time buffers.

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