Deck 6: Developing a Project Plan

Question 1

Information to develop a project network is collected from the

A) Organization breakdown structure.
B) Work breakdown structure.
C) Budget.
D) Project proposal.
E) Responsibility matrix.

Answer 1

B
Explanation: The project network is developed from the information collected for the work breakdown structure (WBS)and is a graphic flow chart of the project job plan.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic rules to follow when developing project networks?

A) An activity cannot begin until all preceding activities have been completed
B) Each activity must have a unique identification number
C) Conditional statements are allowed but looping statements are not allowed
D) An activity identification number must be larger than that of any preceding activities
E) Networks flow from left to right

Answer 2

C
Explanation: Conditional statements are not allowed (that is,this type of statement should not appear: If successful,do something;if not,do nothing).

Question 3

Which of the following can be used without coordinating with managers of succeeding activities?

A) Total slack
B) Free slack
C) Critical float
D) Float pad
E) Slip pad

Answer 3

B
Explanation: Free slack is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any succeeding activity.It only occurs at the end of a chain of activities where you have a merge activity and requires no coordination with managers of succeeding activities unless all the available free slack is used.

Question 4

________ activities are to be completed immediately following a particular activity.

A) Merge
B) Burst
C) Predecessor
D) Successor
E) Parallel

Question 5

On a project network,the activity times are derived from the

A) Organization breakdown structure.
B) Work packages.
C) Budget.
D) Project proposal.
E) Responsibility matrix.

Question 6

Arrows on an activity-on-node (AON)project network represent

A) An activity.
B) Project flow.
C) Dependency.
D) Project flow and dependency.
E) An activity and dependency.

Question 7

Which of the following correctly calculates the early finish for an activity?

A) LS + DUR
B) ES + DUR
C) LF + DUR
D) ES + SL
E) LF + SL

Question 8

The critical path in a project network is the

A) Shortest path through the network.
B) Longest path through the network.
C) Network path with the most difficult activities.
D) Network path using the most resources.
E) Network path with the most merge activities.

Question 9

A sequence of connected,dependent activities is termed a(n)

A) Path of events.
B) Parallel path.
C) Activity chain.
D) Path.
E) Dependent chain.

Question 10

A(n)_________ activity has more than one dependency arrow flowing from it.

A) Parallel
B) Critical path
C) Burst
D) Merge
E) Independent

Question 11

An activity that has more than one dependency arrow flowing into it is termed a(n)

A) Parallel activity.
B) Critical path.
C) Burst activity.
D) Merge activity.
E) Independent activity.

Question 12

Which of the following represents an activity on an activity-on-node (AON)project network?

A) An arrow
B) A line
C) A node
D) Both an arrow and a line
E) An arrow,a line and a node all represent activities

Question 13

The forward pass in project network calculations determines all of the following EXCEPT

A) Earliest time an activity can begin.
B) Earliest time an activity can finish.
C) Duration of the project.
D) The critical path.
E) How soon the project can finish.

Question 14

Bill is building a project network that involves testing a prototype.He must design the prototype (activity 1),build the prototype (activity 2),and test the prototype (activity 3).Activity 1 is the predecessor for activity 2 and activity 2 is the predecessor for activity 3.If the prototype fails testing,Bill must redesign the prototype;therefore,activity 3 is a predecessor for activity 1.This is an example of

A) Conditional statements.
B) Looping.
C) Having more than one start node.
D) Good network development.
E) Natural network flow.

Question 15

Which of the following is provided by both the project network and the work breakdown structure?

A) Dependencies
B) Sequencing
C) Interrelationships
D) Activity duration
E) Timing

Question 16

Activities which can take place at the same time are termed

A) Parallel activity.
B) Critical path.
C) Burst activity.
D) Merge activity.
E) Independent activity.

Question 17

Which of the following does NOT help describe a project network?

A) A graphic display of the flow and sequence of work through the project
B) Provides the basis for scheduling labor and equipment
C) Gives the times when activities can start and finish and when they can be delayed
D) Highlights major deliverables and identifies their completion dates
E) Identifies critical activities

Question 18

When translated into a project network,a work package will become

A) A single activity.
B) One or more activities.
C) A milestone.
D) A critical path.
E) An arrow.

Question 19

________ activities must be completed immediately before a particular activity.

A) Merge
B) Burst
C) Predecessor
D) Successor
E) Parallel

Question 20

The backward pass in project network calculations determines all of the following EXCEPT

A) Latest time an activity can begin.
B) Earliest time an activity can finish.
C) The critical path.
D) How long an activity can be delayed.
E) Latest time an activity can finish.

Question 21

System documentation cannot end until three days after testing has started.This is an example of which kind of lag?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 22

Tom is responsible for ordering hardware for a custom home his company is building.The contractor installing the hardware is scheduled to start in 5 working days,but the hardware is on backorder and will not arrive for another 9 working days.Fortunately,Tom has 10 days of slack;however,he shares this slack with the hardware installer.He will have to let the contactor know that the hardware will be ready 4 days later than expected and that the slack for the installer has been reduced by 4 days.Tom and the installer share 10 days of

A) Free Slack.
B) Shared Slack.
C) Total Slack.
D) Critical Slack.
E) Functional Slack.

Question 23

Which of the following is true about hammock activities?

A) They are used to identify the use of fixed resources or costs over a segment of a project
B) They are a combination of Start to Start and Start to Finish lags
C) They are activities in which the costs are not subject to change
D) They are an alternative description for the critical path
E) They are highly sensitive

Question 24

Concurrent engineering,which has dramatically reduced the development time for new products,relies on what kind of lag?

A) Start to Start lags
B) Start to Finish lags
C) Finish to Finish lags
D) Finish to Start lags
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 25

If a project has more than one activity that can begin when the project is to start,a common start node should be used to indicate a clear project beginning on the network.Without a common start node,each path is a

A) Critical path.
B) Parallel path.
C) Dangler path.
D) Multiple start path.
E) Confused path.

Question 26

Activities that can take place at the same time if the manager wishes them to are called ________ activities.

Question 27

The amount of time an activity can be delayed and yet not delay the project is termed

A) Total slack.
B) Free slack.
C) Critical float.
D) Float pad.
E) Slip pad.

Question 28

The delaying of any activity on the __________ will delay the completion of the project by the same amount.

Question 29

Which of the following will correctly calculate the total slack in an activity?

A) LS - ES
B) LF - EF
C) LS - LF
D) LF - ES
E) Either LS - ES or LF - EF

Question 30

If,for some reason,the project must be expedited to meet an earlier date,which of the following actions would the project manager take first?

A) Check to see which activities cost the least
B) Check to see which activities have the longest duration
C) Check to see which activities are on the critical path
D) Check to see which activities have the most slack
E) Check to see which activities have the highest risk

Question 31

The likelihood the original critical path(s)will change once the project is initiated is referred to as

A) Flexibility.
B) Resilience.
C) Sensitivity.
D) Concurrent engineering.
E) Rigidity.

Question 32

The requirement for a freshly poured foundation to cure before beginning construction is an example of which of the following type of lag?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 33

When completing a backward pass,you carry the LS to the next preceding activity to establish the LF,unless the next preceding activity is a burst activity,in which case you select

A) The smallest LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
B) The largest ES of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
C) The average LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
D) The smallest ES of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.
E) The largest LS of all its immediate successor activities to establish the LF.

Question 34

The minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end is referred to as

A) Hammock.
B) Laddering.
C) Lag.
D) Cushion.
E) Buffer.

Question 35

The activity time estimates used to build a project network are derived from ________.

Question 36

If testing cannot be completed any earlier than four days after the prototype has been built,what type of lag exists?

A) Start to Start
B) Start to Finish
C) Finish to Finish
D) Finish to Start
E) Any of these could be correct

Question 37

The assumption that all immediate preceding activities must be 100% complete is too restrictive in some situations.When an activity is broken down into smaller segments in order to start the succeeding activity sooner,this is called

A) Hammock activities.
B) Concurrent engineering.
C) A forward pass.
D) Dissecting.
E) Laddering.

Question 38

Which of the following correctly calculates the late start for an activity?

A) EF - DUR
B) ES - DUR
C) LF - DUR
D) ES - SL
E) LF - SL

Question 39

An activity that has more than one predecessor is a _________ activity.

Question 40

An element in the project that consumes time is a(n)___________.

Question 41

Activities that can occur while an activity is taking place are called ________ activities.

Question 42

A(n)__________ activity is frequently used to identify the use of fixed resources or costs over a segment of the project.

Question 43

In a project network,________ indicate activity dependency and project flow.

Question 44

The _________ lag is the most typical type of lag that is encountered in developing networks.

Question 45

In a project network,recycling through a set of activities or __________ is not permitted.

Question 46

An activity has a duration of 10 days.Its early start is 4 and its late start is 6.This activity has _____ days of total slack.

Question 47

A(n)_____________ calculates how late an activity can start and finish.

Question 48

________ slack must be coordinated with all participants in the activities that follow in the chain.

Question 49

Activities that must occur immediately before a given activity are called ________ activities.

Question 50

A(n)________ is the minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end.

Question 51

___________ reflects the likelihood the original critical path(s)will change once the project is initiated.

Question 52

A(n)________ activity has more than one successor activity.

Question 53

The ________ calculates the critical path and determines how long an activity can be delayed without delaying the project.

Question 54

Activities that must immediately follow a given activity are called ________ activities.

Question 55

A network has only one critical path and the slack for noncritical activities is high.This network would appear to have a _______ level of sensitivity

Question 56

When an activity with a long duration is broken into smaller segments so that the following activities can begin sooner it is called __________.

Question 57

The ________ calculates the earliest times that activities can start or finish.

Question 58

A(n)_____________ calculates project duration.

Question 59

The longest path through a project network is called the _________.

Question 60

________ can never be negative and applies only to the last activity in a single chain of activities.

Question 61

Using free slack does not delay any following activities and requires no coordination with managers of other activities.

Question 62

The backward pass through a project network determines slack or how long an activity can be delayed without impacting the completion date of the project.

Question 63

An activity is an element of the project that always requires time.

Question 64

Gantt charts are popular because they represent an easy-to-understand,clear picture on a time-scaled horizon.

Question 65

An activity can include only one work package.

Question 66

If a network has more than one critical path but noncritical activities have very little slack,the network is considered to have a high level of sensitivity.

Question 67

An activity cannot begin until ALL preceding connected activities have been completed.

Question 68

It is possible for a project network to have more than one critical path.

Question 69

Burst activities have more than one activity immediately following them (more than one dependency arrow flowing from them).

Question 70

Experience suggests that when there are multiple starts,a common start node should be used to indicate a clear project beginning on the network.Similarly,a single project end node can be used to indicate a clear ending.

Question 71

The forward pass through a project network determines the critical path.

Question 72

The backward pass determines project duration.

Question 73

If the project has a duration of 13 days,the project should be completed 13 days from the day it starts.

Question 74

A merge activity is one that merges with other activities into a succeeding activity.

Question 75

It is acceptable for arrows to cross one another in a network diagram.

Question 76

Different activities along the same path can have different total slack.

Question 77

In developing a project network,neither looping nor conditional statements are permitted.

Question 78

When completing a forward pass,you carry the early finish to the next activity where it becomes its early start unless the next succeeding activity is a merge activity.In this case you select the smallest early finish number of all its immediate predecessor activities.

Question 79

The critical path is the shortest path through a network and indicates activities that cannot be delayed without delaying the project.

Question 80

The WBS identifies dependencies,the sequencing of activities,and the timing of activities.