Question 1

The term 'total slack' refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the start of a subsequent activity.

Accepted Answer

Total slack refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project's completion date, not just the start of a subsequent activity.

Question 2

When crashing activities for construction projects, the contractor's minimum cost duration might not coincide with the client's target completion date.

Accepted Answer

The contractor's minimum cost duration is focused on minimizing their own costs, while the client's target completion date is focused on achieving their desired timeline. These two goals may not align perfectly, leading to a potential difference between the two.

Question 3

The term 'calendar' is used in project management to keep track of the days and hours required for completion of projects.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 4

The critical path for a project with uncertain activity times is not known for certain until after the project is completed.

Accepted Answer

The critical path is determined by identifying the longest sequence of dependent activities and calculating the total time required. Since activity times are uncertain, it can only be determined with confidence after the project is completed and actual times are compared to estimated times. Therefore, the critical path for a project with uncertain activity times is not known for certain until after the project is completed.

Question 5

Estimates of project expected completion time and variance usually are not biased when based on the single critical path.

Accepted Answer

Estimates based on the single critical path often ignore uncertainties and potential delays in non-critical paths that could become critical, leading to biased estimates of completion time and variance.

Question 6

It is possible to delay the start of a non-critical activity and, in the process, make a following activity critical.

Accepted Answer

This is a common scenario in project management, where delaying a non-critical activity may affect the start or completion time of a following activity, thus making it critical. This is why it is important to constantly monitor and update the project schedule to identify potential risks and take appropriate actions.

Question 7

The single important attribute of a project manager is leadership ability.

Accepted Answer

While leadership ability is crucial, successful project management also requires other attributes such as communication, problem-solving, negotiation, and organizational skills.

Question 8

Total slack for an activity can be shared with following activities.

Accepted Answer

Total slack is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date. This slack can be shared with the following activities to utilize the available time more efficiently and meet the project deadlines.

Question 9

Developing a project network is the only major concern for implementing critical path analysis.

Accepted Answer

Critical path analysis also involves identifying the longest stretch of dependent activities and measuring the time required to complete them from start to finish, not just developing a project network.

Question 10

A major flaw in critical path analysis with uncertain activity times is the conservative nature of the expected project completion time.

Accepted Answer

The major flaw is not the conservative nature, but rather the assumption that activity times are deterministic, which can lead to inaccurate predictions when there is uncertainty.

Question 11

A project can be defined as a set of complex interrelated tasks with different requirements regarding activity time and resources, but with a high degree of repetitiveness.

Accepted Answer

A project is a unique set of interrelated tasks with specific requirements and goals, typically requiring significant planning, coordination, and management. While there may be some level of repetitiveness within a project (such as recurring meetings or routine administrative tasks), the overall nature of a project is not defined by a high degree of repetitiveness.

Question 12

A major assumption in project network analysis is that sufficient resources are available to perform many activities concurrently.

Accepted Answer

Project network analysis assumes that there are sufficient resources available to perform multiple activities concurrently, which is the basis for the critical path method (CPM) and program evaluation and review technique (PERT) methods. However, if there are insufficient resources, it may result in delays and modifications of the project schedule.

Question 13

Schedule variance is the difference between budgeted cost for work performed and actual cost of work performed.

Accepted Answer

Schedule variance is the difference between the budgeted cost of work scheduled and the budgeted cost of work actually performed.

Question 14

Merge node bias occurs where the project network contains non-critical paths with small total slack times.

Accepted Answer

Merge node bias is a phenomenon that occurs when non-critical paths with small total slack times merge into the critical path, leading to an overemphasis on those paths and potentially causing delays in the project schedule.

Question 15

When delays occur owing to technical difficulties, performance becomes the source of unexpected project management problems.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When delays occur owing to technical difficulties,...

Question 16

Gantt charts fail to indicate the interdependence among project activities.

Accepted Answer

Gantt charts only display the start and end dates of project activities and do not necessarily show the relationship or dependency between them. This limitation can be addressed by using other project management tools like network diagrams or critical path analysis.

Question 17

Time variance is calculated by subtracting actual time used for work performed from scheduled time for work performed.

Accepted Answer

This is the correct definition of time variance. It measures the difference between the actual time taken to perform a task and the time that was scheduled for it.

Question 18

The term 'late finish' refers to the latest time an activity can begin without delaying the completion of the project.

Accepted Answer

The term 'late finish' refers to the latest time an activity can be completed without delaying the project, not the latest time it can begin.

Question 19

Before calculating a late start time for an activity, the late finish time must be known.

Accepted Answer

The late start time for an activity is calculated by subtracting its duration from the late finish time, therefore the late finish time must be known first.

Question 20

The critical path refers to the sequence of activities that represent the longest time path through a project network.

Accepted Answer

The critical path is defined as the sequence of activities that have zero slack, meaning they cannot be delayed without delaying the entire project. It represents the longest time path through the project network because any delay in any activity on the critical path will delay the completion of the project.

Quiz 16: Managing Service Projects