Deck 12: Resource Management

Question 1

The best method for establishing the existence of resource conflicts across project activities uses __________ to analyze project resources against scheduled activities over the project's baseline schedule.

Answer 1

resource loading charts

Question 2

__________ is the process that addresses the complex challenges of project constraints as to minimize the effects of resource demands across the project's life cycle.

Answer 2

Resource leveling (resource smoothing)

Question 3

Schedule slippage often results in financial penalties, or __________, for each day a project is delayed past the contracted delivery date.

Answer 3

liquidated damages

Question 4

All that is needed to create a resource loading calendar is the work breakdown structure and the activity network.

Question 5

__________ an activity means interrupting the continuous stream of work on an activity at some midpoint in its development process and applying that resource to another activity for some time period before returning the resource to complete the original task.

Question 6

The problem of resource underutilization that a project manager faces when managing a single project disappears in the multi-project environment.

Question 7

The __________ is primarily limited by availability of a type of labor or productive asset but may also contain some activities of work package elements that must be finished by a certain date.

Question 8

The concept of __________ refers to the amounts of individual resources that a schedule requires during specific time periods.

Question 9

__________ are used to display the amount of resources required as a function of time on a graph.

Question 10

If an activity can be split, only the functional portion of the original activity needs to be accomplished for the project to be fully completed.

Question 11

The work breakdown structure and activity networks are needed to create a resource __________ or __________.

Question 12

A resource loading table is created through identifying the project activities and their resources required to completion and applying this information to the project schedule baseline.

Question 13

In a resource constrained project, the work must be finished by a certain time, or date, as efficiently as possible.

Question 14

As resource leveling proceeds, a(n) __________ commonly occurs when the resource schedule is reworked to eliminate sources of resource conflict.

Question 15

One heuristic for prioritizing resource allocation is to apply resources to activities with the smallest __________, which proponents say results in the smallest schedule slippage in the overall project.

Question 16

In-process inventory represents the amount of work waiting to be completed but delayed due to unavailable resources.

Question 17

Resource loading charts are used to display the amount of resources required as a function of time on a graph.

Question 18

If resources have been over-allocated, the loading table must be reconfigured to eliminate resource contention points. The project manager can focus solely on the original point of contention since the activities in a project are separate entities.

Question 19

Because resource management is typically a multivariate, combinatorial problem (i.e., on that is characterized by multiple solutions involving literally dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of activity variables) truly correct answers are not possible.

Question 20

There is, for almost all projects, usually a dominant constraint that serves as the final arbiter of project decisions.

Question 21

A resource loading form can be generated once you have developed:

A) the activity network and productivity profile.
B) the work breakdown structure and the project budget.
C) the activity network and the work breakdown structure.
D) the project budget and the productivity profile.

Question 22

A resource loading form is also known as a(n):

A) load schedule.
B) resource usage calendar.
C) activity resource schedule.
D) network resource profile.

Question 23

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for this project during week 1 if a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project. Assume that the project work is conducted on a 5-day-per-week basis.

A) 40 hours
B) 20 hours
C) 28 hours
D) 36 hours

Question 24

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for activity D if a worker is expected to work half-time (four hours per day) on this project.

A) 6 hours
B) 40 hours
C) 24 hours
D) 48 hours

Question 25

The project described in the table uses the same resource for activities A, B, C, and D. Which activity gets first use of this resource if we assign the resource based on the activity with the shortest duration?

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 26

The project described in the table uses the same resource for activities A, B, C, and D. Which activity gets first use of this resource if we assign the resource based on the activity with the greatest number of successor tasks?

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 27

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for this project during week 2 if a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project. Assume that the project work is conducted on a 5-day-per-week basis.

A) 30 hours
B) 20 hours
C) 40 hours
D) 36 hours

Question 28

The project described in the table uses the same resource for activities A, B, C, and D. Which activity gets first use of this resource if we assign the resource based on the activity with the lowest activity identification number?

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 29

Which of these statements about resource management is best?

A) A mathematically optimal solution is almost always attainable and should be pursued.
B) The project manager should level resources as to maximize fluctuations from time period to time period.
C) A common approach to analyzing resource-leveling problems is to apply heuristics.
D) Resource management is usually a univariate, combinatorial problem.

Question 30

The best method for establishing the existence of resource conflicts across project activities uses:

A) Gantt charts.
B) network diagrams.
C) Pareto diagrams.
D) resource loading charts.

Question 31

Use the resource loading table to determine which of the Yaki sisters is over-allocated.

A) Suki
B) Terri
C) Both
D) Can't be determined from the information provided.

Question 32

The One Shovel Construction Company is hired by the City of Edmond to lay sewer pipe from the east end of town to the west end of town. While the crew would like to begin at both ends simultaneously and have a dramatic ceremony when both ends meet, they find themselves with a bit of a:

A) time constraint.
B) resource constraint.
C) mixed constraint.
D) partial network.

Question 33

Which of the following would NOT typically be displayed in a resource loading table?

A) the project team members
B) the tasks the project team members have been assigned
C) the time the activities are expected to take
D) the expenses allocated to the activities

Question 34

A project that must be finished by December 31^st is:

A) time-constrained.
B) resource-constrained.
C) mix-constrained.
D) capacity-constrained.

Question 35

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for this project if a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project.

A) 36 hours
B) 40 hours
C) 64 hours
D) 128 hours

Question 36

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for this project on day 2 if a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project.

A) 4 hours
B) 2 hours
C) 8 hours
D) 6 hours

Question 37

The assistant professor frantically prepared his tenure and promotion dossier for the personnel committee. The deadline loomed and he had several other things to accomplishdeadlines for papers and key correspondence that demanded replies. By his reckoning, he probably didn't have enough toner, paper, or computing time available to accomplish all that he had left to do. His project is unfortunately a:

A) time constrained one.
B) resource constrained one.
C) mix-constrained one.
D) personally constrained one.

Question 38

The process that addresses the complex challenges of project constraints is known as:

A) TOC.
B) resource leveling.
C) constraint scheduling.
D) resource scheduling.

Question 39

The project described in the table uses the same resource for activities A, B, C, and D. Which activity gets first use of this resource if we assign the resource based on the activity with the smallest amount of slack?

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 40

The amounts of individual resources that a schedule requires during specific time periods is referred to as the resource's:

A) loading.
B) capacity.
C) constraint.
D) drag

Question 41

Excessive in-process inventory is often caused by:

A) schedule slippage.
B) over-ordering supplies.
C) lack of available resources.
D) too much labor.

Question 42

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5 day per week basis. Which week has the lowest resource usage?

A) week 3
B) week 2
C) week 9
D) week 8

Question 43

The amount of work waiting to be completed but delayed due to unavailable resources is known as:

A) resource utilization.
B) in-process inventory.
C) resource underutilization.
D) efficiency.

Question 44

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. If the project manager is told that the total number of hours per week cannot exceed 48, what is the first week that some resource leveling must occur?

A) week 2
B) week 6
C) week 4
D) week 5

Question 45

Penalty clauses for schedule slippage are sometimes referred to as:

A) liquidated damages.
B) punitive damages.
C) temporal assessments.
D) late fees.

Question 46

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. Which week has the highest resource usage?

A) week 6
B) week 2
C) week 4
D) week 3

Question 47

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. Which week has the highest resource usage?

A) week 4
B) week 5
C) week 6
D) week 7

Question 48

The project represented by this resource load chart has a maximum limit of 6 units of resource activity in any day. The first activities that are strong candidates for shifting are:

A) Activity A
B) Activities B and C
C) Activities D and E
D) Activity E and F

Question 49

A resource loading chart displays:

A) the amount of time needed as a function of resource limits.
B) the amount of resources required as a function of time.
C) the amount of time needed as a function of money.
D) the amount of resources needed as a function of money.

Question 50

Use the project described in the table to determine the total resources required for this project on day 10 if a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project. Assume that the project work is conducted on a 5-day-per-week basis.

A) 5 hours
B) 10 hours
C) 4 hours
D) 8 hours

Question 51

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. What is the total resource requirement for activity G?

A) 22 hours
B) 88 hours
C) 44 hours
D) 132 hours

Question 52

Splitting activities refers to:

A) assigning the work to two or more workers.
B) assigning the work to two or more days.
C) starting an activity, interrupting it to use a resource elsewhere, and then returning to work on the activity.
D) breaking each non-critical activity into two or more components and subdividing the resources they use by a similar divisor.

Question 53

Use this resource load chart to determine which activity is the longest in duration.

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 54

Use this resource load chart to determine which activity uses the fewest resources.

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 55

The project represented by this resource load chart has a maximum limit of 6 units of resource activity in any day. Which activity could be split to help the project team finish on time and meet the resource cap?

A) Activity A
B) Activities B and C
C) Activities D and E
D) Activity E and F

Question 56

A project consisting of six activities is represented in the resource loading table shown below. There is a limit of 12 hours time spent on this project for any given day. Which activity should be left alone if at all possible in the adjustment process among the candidates?

A) Activity D
B) Activity C
C) Activity F
D) Activity E

Question 57

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. What is the total resource requirement for the project?

A) 365 hours
B) 335 hours
C) 320 hours
D) 310 hours

Question 58

Use this resource load chart to determine which activity uses the greatest number of resources.

A) Activity A
B) Activity B
C) Activity C
D) Activity D

Question 59

Use the information in the table and assume that a worker is expected to devote half-time (four hours per day) to this project with work taking place on a 5-day-per-week basis. Which week has the lowest resource usage?

A) week 6
B) week 2
C) week 4
D) week 3

Question 60

A project consisting of six activities is represented in the resource loading table shown below. There is a limit of 12 hours time spent on this project for any given day. What activities are involved in the first resource problem in this schedule?

A) Activities A, B, and C
B) Activities B, C, and D
C) Activities C, D, and E
D) Activities D, E, and F

Question 61

Create a resource loading table and perform resource leveling on the project composed of the activities in this table. Activities listed in the table are measured in the number of eight-hour days. The maximum amount of time used per day is 16 hours.

Question 62

Use this activity precedence table to create a resource loading profile. Activity lengths are given in days and an 8-hour day is assumed.

Question 63

Create a resource loading chart for the project described by this table and then adjust activities by splitting them or delaying them in order to meet the resource constraints of 8 hours of work per day. Show your new resource loading chart, indicating which activities have been adjusted. What is the change in project completion dates?

Question 64

Use this resource loading chart and the information in the table to fill in the rest of the table as completely as possible. All activities in the chart are shown with early start times.

Question 65

Mathematical programming is sometimes used to generate optimal solutions to resource constrained problems in a multi-project setting but suffers from:

A) an inability to model project and activity due dates.
B) resource substitution.
C) resource constraints.
D) problem complexity.

Question 66

Consider the portfolio of projects described in the table. The resource requirements are in numbers of labor hours. The Greatest Resource Utilization rule would begin work with project:

A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) D.

Question 67

What are the trade-offs among schedule slippage, resource utilization, and in-process inventory for a project manager in a multi-project environment?

Question 68

What resources have been initially over-allocated in the project described by the table? Assume that all activities will begin at their early start times and require the number of hours per day indicated in the table. Each worker is available for 8 hours per day. Do not level this project.

Question 69

Describe resource levelingits objectives and the basic five-step technique to perform it.

Question 70

The Minimum Late Finish Time rule stipulates that:

A) the earliest late finishers are scheduled last.
B) the latest early finishers are scheduled first.
C) the earliest late finishers are scheduled first.
D) the latest late finishers are scheduled first.

Question 71

What are any three common heuristics that can be used to schedule resources in a multi-project environment? Comment on their advantages and disadvantages.

Question 72

Sam and Dave have identified 9 activities that are required to complete their next project and developed a snazzy resource loading table. Since they each work 8 hours a day, they need your help to perform resource leveling on their project such that they can finish it by the close of business on Day 24. Activity float times are indicated by bracketed cells in the table. Times indicated in the table are in hours; the top row shows the day number of the project. The total project. The total resource time in any day cannot exceed 16 hours.

Question 73

Consider the portfolio of projects described in the table. The resource requirements are in numbers of labor hours. The Greatest Resource Demand rule would begin work with project:

A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) D.

Question 74

What is mathematical programming, how can it be applied to resource decisions, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

Question 75

Create a resource loading chart using early start times for the project described by this table.

Question 76

Consider the portfolio of projects described in the table. The resource requirements are in numbers of labor hours. The First in Line rule would begin work with project:

A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) D.

Question 77

Create a resource loading chart for the project described by this network.

Question 78

What are any four heuristics for prioritizing resource allocation to activities? Why would a project manager choose one above another?

Question 79

What are the three types of constraints that projects face; provide examples and suggest ways to address these constraints?