Question 1

The fundamental difference between PERT and CPM is that PERT uses the beta distribution for crashing projects while CPM uses cost estimates.

Accepted Answer

The statement is incorrect. PERT and CPM both use cost estimates for crashing projects, but the main difference is that PERT incorporates probabilistic estimates for activity durations while CPM uses deterministic estimates.

Question 2

One phase of a large project is scheduling.

Accepted Answer

Scheduling is indeed a phase of a large project, as it involves planning and organizing the timeline and resources needed to complete the project.

Question 3

Gantt charts give a timeline for each of a project's activities,but they do not adequately illustrate the interrelationships between the activities and the resources.

Accepted Answer

While Gantt charts provide a timeline for project activities, they do not illustrate the dependencies between tasks or the allocation of resources, which can be shown through other tools such as network diagrams and resource histograms.

Question 4

One responsibility of a project manager is to make sure that the project meets its quality goals.

Accepted Answer

Ensuring the project meets its quality goals is one of the key responsibilities of a project manager, as quality is an important aspect of any project's success. The project manager must ensure that the team is delivering a high-quality product or service that meets or exceeds the customer's expectations. This involves defining and communicating quality standards, creating quality assurance procedures, and monitoring the project's progress to identify and address any quality issues that arise.

Question 5

In PERT analysis,the identification of the critical path can be incorrect if a noncritical activity takes substantially more than its expected time.

Accepted Answer

The critical path is the longest sequence of activities that must be completed on time in order for the project to finish on time. If a noncritical activity takes substantially more than its expected time, it can delay the start of critical activities and ultimately push back the project completion date. This can result in a new critical path and an incorrect identification of the original critical path.

Question 6

The critical path can be determined by use of either the "forward pass" or the "backward pass."

Accepted Answer

The answer of The critical path can be determined by...

Question 7

By their very nature,projects have a limited lifetime,and that sets project management apart from the management of more traditional activities.

Accepted Answer

Projects are temporary endeavors with a defined beginning and end, while traditional activities may be ongoing and do not necessarily have a predetermined end date. Therefore, project management requires unique skills and approaches compared to general management.

Question 8

Every network has at least one critical path.

Accepted Answer

Every network has a path that must be completed on schedule in order for the project to be completed on time. This path is known as the critical path. Therefore, every network has at least one critical path.

Question 9

The shortest of all paths through the network is the critical path.

Accepted Answer

The critical path is the longest sequence of activities in a project plan which must be completed on time for the project to complete on due date. It is not the shortest path but the longest one because it determines the project duration.

Question 10

The standard deviation of project duration is the average of the standard deviation of all activities on the critical path.

Accepted Answer

The standard deviation of project duration is not the average of the standard deviation of all activities on the critical path. The standard deviation of project duration is calculated using the variances of all activities on the critical path.

Question 11

In project management,crashing an activity must consider the impact on all paths in the network.

Accepted Answer

Crashing an activity can affect the duration of other activities that are dependent on it, and therefore impact the critical path and the overall project schedule. Hence, it is important to consider the impact on all paths in the network before crashing an activity.

Question 12

The PERT pessimistic time estimate is an estimate of the minimum time an activity will require.

Accepted Answer

The PERT pessimistic time estimate is an estimate of the maximum time an activity will require, not the minimum time.

Question 13

Slack is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project.

Accepted Answer

Slack is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project. This statement is true.

Question 14

Shortening the project's duration by deleting unnecessary activities is called "project crashing."

Accepted Answer

Project crashing involves reducing the project's duration by allocating additional resources to critical path activities, not by deleting unnecessary activities.

Question 15

A project organization works best for an organization when the project resides in only one of its functional areas.

Accepted Answer

A project organization works best when it involves multiple functional areas and departments, with representatives from each area forming a project team. This allows for a more holistic and collaborative approach, with individuals bringing their unique perspectives and expertise to the project.

Question 16

Ethical issues which can arise in projects include gifts from contractors,pressure to mask delays with false status reports,and pressure to compromise project quality for cost or time savings.

Accepted Answer

These are all examples of ethical issues that can arise in projects.

Question 17

The ES of an activity that has only one predecessor is simply the EF of that predecessor.

Accepted Answer

This is true. The ES (Early Start) of an activity that has only one predecessor is simply the EF (Early Finish) of that predecessor. This is because the activity cannot start until its predecessor has finished.

Question 18

Project managers have their own code of ethics,established by the Project Management Institute.

Accepted Answer

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has established a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for project managers, which outlines their ethical responsibilities and the standards they must uphold in their profession.

Question 19

PERT,but not CPM,has the ability to consider the precedence relationships in a project.

Accepted Answer

Both PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) consider the precedence relationships between tasks in a project to determine the project schedule.

Question 20

Work Breakdown Structure is a useful tool in project management because it addresses the timing of individual work elements.

Accepted Answer

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is primarily used for breaking down a project into smaller, more manageable components or tasks. It does not directly address the timing or schedule of these tasks; that is typically handled by a project schedule or Gantt chart.

Quiz 3: Project Management