Deck 10: Project Scheduling: Lagging, Crashing, and Activity Networks

Question 1

The critical path may not contain a dummy activity.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

An activity of duration zero whose sole purpose is to maintain network logic is a(n) __________.

Answer 2

dummy activity

Question 3

The horizontal axis for a Gantt chart is __________.

Answer 3

time

Question 4

The logical relationship between the start and finish of one activity and the start and finish of another activity is the __________.

Question 5

Most project management software employs AOA diagramming

Question 6

The three principal methods for accelerating project activities are to change the __________, __________, and __________ of the project resources.

Question 7

__________ represent one of the first attempts to develop a network diagram that orders project activities by baseline calendar dates.

Question 8

Quite often the marginal gains in employee productivity decrease dramatically with the increased use of overtime.

Question 9

Most activity estimations using PERT methods lead to overly optimistic activity duration estimates.

Question 10

PERT analysis is based on __________ estimates, which, if unreasonably determined, can lead to inaccurate and misleading project schedules.

Question 11

In order to accelerate completion of a project, the manager must crash critical path activities.

Question 12

The process of accelerating a project is referred to as __________.

Question 13

In analyzing crash options for project activities, each activity has a slope that is calculated as the __________ divided by the __________.

Question 14

Networks are adaptable and useful for all scheduling challenges that an organization faces.

Question 15

The least common type of lag relationship occurs when a successor's finish is dependent upon a predecessor's start.

Question 16

Finish to start lags are the same as additional activity slack.

Question 17

Gantt charts cannot depict float.

Question 18

The primary drawback with __________ networks occurs when the project is very complex, with numerous paths through the model.

Question 19

If a project is extraordinarily complex, rather than showing every possible path through the network and every activity sequence, a(n) __________ that shows only the key subroutines or network paths can be created.

Question 20

AOA is a more useful technique than AON if the project is complex and has many significant milestones.

Question 21

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource is used the least.

A) Resource 4
B) Resource 2
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 3

Question 22

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource is used the least.

A) Resource 1
B) Resource 2
C) Resource 4
D) Resource 5

Question 23

Activities A and B have a finish to finish relationship and early start and finish times as shown. What is the result of incorporating a 4 day lag between activities C and B?

A) The early finish for A increases to 31.
B) The early start time for A increases to 24.
C) The early finish time for B increases to 31.
D) The early start time for D falls to 23.

Question 24

Consider the Gantt chart shown below where the time scale is in minutes and all activities are performed on an early start basis. How much slack is available in The Great Hair Washing project?

A) 10 minutes
B) 15 minutes
C) 0 minutes
D) 5 minutes

Question 25

A finish to start lag delay is usually shown:

A) as an added value in the predecessor's activity time.
B) on the line adjoining the two activity nodes.
C) as an added value in the predecessors early start time.
D) as a subtracted value in the follower's early finish time.

Question 26

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource has the greatest continual use.

A) Resource 4
B) Resource 2
C) Resource 3
D) Resource 5

Question 27

The most common type of logical sequencing between tasks is referred to as the:

A) finish to start relationship.
B) finish to finish relationship.
C) start to start relationship.
D) start to finish relationship.

Question 28

Activity X has the start to finish relationship shown with activity Y and both have early start and finish times as shown. Which statement is best?

A) a < d
B) a < c
C) b < c
D) d < a

Question 29

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine which resource is used the least.

A) Resource 1
B) Resource 3
C) Resource 4
D) Resource 2

Question 30

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine which resource is free for use in another project before the others.

A) Resource 4
B) Resource 3
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 2

Question 31

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine which resource is needed earliest in this project.

A) Resource 2
B) Resource 3
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 4

Question 32

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource has the greatest continual use.

A) Resource 3
B) Resource 1
C) Resource 2
D) Resource 4

Question 33

Which statement about this Gantt chart is best?

A) Activity a has a duration that could be as short as 1 day and as long as 10.
B) Activity b probably has activity a as a predecessor.
C) No progress has been made on activity c.
D) Activity d is the longest activity.

Question 34

What is the early start time for activity C if it has the start to start relationship shown?

A) day 20
B) day 25
C) day 27
D) day 29

Question 35

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource is used the most.

A) Resource 4
B) Resource 2
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 5

Question 36

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine when resource 5 is free.

A) between 0 and 15
B) between 15 and 30
C) between 30 and 45
D) between 45 and 60

Question 37

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine when resource 3 is free.

A) between 0 and 10
B) between 10 and 20
C) between 20 and 30
D) between 30 and 40

Question 38

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource is used the most.

A) Resource 1
B) Resource 2
C) Resource 4
D) Resource 5

Question 39

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine which resource is used the most.

A) Resource 4
B) Resource 3
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 2

Question 40

Use the Gantt chart and the activity list to determine when resource 2 is free.

A) between 0 and 15
B) between 15 and 30
C) between 30 and 45
D) between 45 and 60

Question 41

If an activity's cost is plotted against its duration on axes with zeros at the origin:

A) the slope of the line is positive because it costs more to finish an activity more quickly.
B) the slope of the line is negative because a shorter activity costs less than a longer one.
C) the slope of the line is negative because it costs more to finish an activity more quickly.
D) the slope of the line is positive because a longer activity costs more than a shorter one.

Question 42

Use the Gantt chart and activity list to determine which resource is released from this project for use in another project the earliest.

A) Resource 2
B) Resource 4
C) Resource 1
D) Resource 3

Question 43

A project has the activity duration and cost information indicated in the table where all times are in weeks. There is a penalty of $5,000 per week for every week the project extends beyond 45 weeks. What is the lowest total cost for completing this project?

A) $222,667
B) $217,000
C) $222,000
D) $208,000

Question 44

A basic Gantt chart:

A) clearly displays early and late start and finish times for all activities.
B) cannot be used to track the project's progress.
C) permits scheduling resources well before they are needed.
D) shows dummy activities to preserve network logic.

Question 45

Use the information in the table (all times are in days) to determine the lowest extra cost for a 20-day project.

A) $200
B) $130
C) $120
D) $100

Question 46

An activity performed by a subcontractor is scheduled for 20 weeks at an anticipated cost of $100,000. Due to slippage on the critical path you need to reduce this activity by three weeks. If the subcontractor informs you that the activity can be completed in 15 weeks for $200,000, what is the slope for the activity?

A) $20,000 per week
B) $33,333 per week
C) $5,000 per week
D) $13,333 per week

Question 47

A project has the activity duration and cost information indicated in the table where all times are in weeks. What is the total cost for completing this project in 50 days?

A) $253,000
B) $237,000
C) $216,000
D) $207,000

Question 48

A project has the activity duration and cost information indicated in the table where all times are in weeks. What is the lowest total cost for completing this project in 40 days?

A) $242,667
B) $255,600
C) $263,333
D) $272,500

Question 49

Given the cost information in the table, what is the cheapest activity to crash on a per week basis?

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

Question 50

Use the information in the table (all times are in days) to determine the lowest cost minimum completion time?

A) $1,040
B) $1,020
C) $740
D) $720

Question 51

A project has the activity duration and cost information indicated in the table where all times are in weeks. There is a penalty of $6,000 per week for every week the project extends beyond 40 weeks. What is the lowest total cost for completing this project?

A) $234,000
B) $255,600
C) $248,333
D) $252,000

Question 52

Use the information in the table (all times are in days) to determine the lowest extra cost for an 18-day project.

A) $380
B) $400
C) $420
D) $440

Question 53

An activity on an arrow network:

A) cannot have more arrows than nodes.
B) cannot have more nodes than arrows.
C) has one more node than arrows.
D) has one more arrow than nodes.

Question 54

The most common method for shortening activity durations involves the decision to:

A) eliminate bureaucracy.
B) alter the technology used in the activity.
C) assign more senior personnel to the activity.
D) increase project resources.

Question 55

A project has the activity duration and cost information indicated in the table where all times are in weeks. What is the lowest total cost for completing this project in 45 days?

A) $222,667
B) $243,675
C) $258,333
D) $272,500

Question 56

One reason for crashing a project is:

A) the project has slipped behind schedule.
B) that the initial schedule may be too pessimistic.
C) market needs change and the project is not in demand any more.
D) there are no repercussions for delivering the project late.

Question 57

The process of accelerating a project is referred to as:

A) streamlining.
B) expediting.
C) rushing.
D) crashing.

Question 58

Which of these approaches will NOT accelerate the completion of a project?

A) Improve the productivity of existing project resources.
B) Increase the bureaucratic oversight.
C) Improve the working method.
D) Increase the quantity of personnel and equipment.

Question 59

A 14-week construction activity requires a crane that rents for $1,000 per week and a crew of general laborers that costs $5,000 per week. In order to complete this activity within 10 weeks, you must hire additional general laborers at a cost of $2,000 per week. What is the slope for this activity?

A) $0 per week
B) $1,000 per week
C) $2,000 per week
D) $6,000 per week

Question 60

It costs $75 per day for each day that a construction crew is on site. The project manager determines that most activities can be crashed and has listed the crashing costs next to the minimum time for each activity. Use this information to determine the lowest cost for this project. All times given are in days.

A) $1,800
B) $1,770
C) $1,700
D) $1,630

Question 61

Networks would not be well suited for:

A) planning a construction project.
B) planning a wedding.
C) planning a software upgrade.
D) planning monthly production.

Question 62

Use the information in the table to create a baseline Gantt chart for the project where activity lengths are given in days.

Question 63

A complex project that is managed using a top-down, bottom-up approach to network diagrams means that:

A) management's top-down portion of the network contains the greatest detail.
B) top management does not have a basis for understanding the actual development of the project.
C) the top tier summary network does not give top management the basis for understanding the actual development of the project.
D) the bottom level information cannot be understood by those performing the actual work.

Question 64

What is project crashing and what are three reasons why it might be important to do so?

Question 65

An AOA network:

A) cannot show a merge activity.
B) cannot show a burst activity.
C) cannot have consecutive merge and burst activities.
D) can have all of the features described in A-C above.

Question 66

Sketch a network and use it as an example as you discuss the four different logical relationships between activities.

Question 67

What are the three principal methods for accelerating a project and under what circumstances might these methods yield little gain?

Question 68

AON networks have an advantage over AOA networks:

A) if the project under study is complex.
B) because they don't need dummy activities.
C) in the construction industry because they are the norm.
D) when it is critical to highlight milestones.

Question 69

The fastest completion time for this project is:

A) 14
B) 15
C) 16
D) 17

Question 70

When involved in a project involving many subcontractors:

A) it is imperative that the network is a mutually accessible document.
B) one subcontractor's network diagram should never be shown to another for ethical reasons.
C) PERT/CPM should not be used.
D) it is illegal to reveal one subcontractor's plan to another.

Question 71

What is a Gantt chart, what information does one provide, and what are the benefits of using one?

Question 72

The best approach to network representation of a large and hugely complex project is to:

A) represent all activities and relationships.
B) simplify network logic and reduce it to the most meaningful relationships.
C) use AOA.
D) use AON.

Question 73

The AOA network described by this table needs:

A) zero dummy activities
B) one dummy activity.
C) two dummy activities.
D) three dummy activities.

Question 74

Dummy activities have a duration equal to the:

A) slack on the critical path.
B) length of the predecessor.
C) length of the successor.
D) lag needed to preserve network logic.

Question 75

Research has shown that, in general,:

A) there is a tendency to underestimate activity lengths.
B) there is a tendency to overestimate activity lengths.
C) the activity lengths are estimated correctly.
D) the activity lengths are estimated correctly but the networks are drawn incorrectly.

Question 76

What information is NOT included in the nodes for an AOA network?

A) label
B) early start time
C) late finish time
D) early finish time

Question 77

The critical path of this network is:

A) 14
B) 15
C) 12
D) 13

Question 78

The AOA network described by this table needs:

A) zero dummy activities
B) one dummy activity.
C) two dummy activities.
D) three dummy activities.

Question 79

AOA networks have an advantage over AON networks:

A) if the project is complex.
B) because they are easier to read for novices.
C) when it comes to software packages for project management.
D) when the task of network labeling is considered.

Question 80

A project manager ascertained that five different resources are needed to complete a project that has been estimated to last 37 days. Just to be on the safe side, the project manager told the client that the project would definitely be delivered in 40 days and 40 nights and arranged to rent the resources for that period of time. The project manager goes to the local rental center at the start of day 1 of the project, signs a 40-day lease agreement for all five resources, and brings them to the site to begin the project. Analyze the Gantt chart and resource list (activity durations are in parenthesis) and determine how much money is being wasted with this rental plan. If each resource could be rented for just the time it takes to complete each activity, what would the charge to the project be?