Construction Project Planning Flashcards

In a CPM network, an activity has ES=10, EF=15, LS=14, and LF=19. What is its total float?

Answer: 4 days

Total float equals LS minus ES (or LF minus EF), which is 14 - 10 = 4 days.

Free float for an activity is best defined as the time it can be delayed without delaying:

Answer: The early start of any immediate successor

Free float is the delay an activity can absorb without pushing back the early start of any succeeding activity.

Which precedence diagramming relationship is most commonly used to model overlapping work such as starting drywall a few days after framing begins?

Answer: Start-to-Start with a lag

A Start-to-Start relationship with lag lets a successor begin a set time after the predecessor starts, modeling overlap.

A scheduler shortens the project by adding a second crew to critical activities at extra cost. This technique is called:

Answer: Crashing

Crashing compresses the schedule by adding resources to critical activities, typically increasing direct cost.

When crashing a schedule, which activity should normally be shortened first?

Answer: The critical activity with the lowest cost slope

The most economical approach crashes the critical activity with the lowest cost per day saved first.

Which risk is most closely associated with fast-tracking a design-bid-build project?

Answer: Rework caused by starting work before design is complete

Fast-tracking overlaps phases, so construction may begin on incomplete design, increasing rework risk.

The lowest level of a Work Breakdown Structure, where cost and schedule are estimated and controlled, is called a:

Answer: Work package

Work packages are the lowest WBS deliverable level used to estimate, schedule, and assign responsibility.