CEP Project Management & Scheduling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) network, a Finish-to-Start relationship with a lag of +5 days means the successor activity can start how many days after the predecessor finishes?
- Immediately
- 5 days after (Correct answer)
- 5 days before
- Simultaneously
Correct answer: 5 days after
A positive lag in a Finish-to-Start relationship delays the successor's start by the lag duration after the predecessor completes.
Question 2: Which scheduling technique assigns resources to tasks based on resource availability and attempts to keep resource usage at a constant level?
- Resource loading
- Resource leveling (Correct answer)
- Fast tracking
- Schedule compression
Correct answer: Resource leveling
Resource leveling adjusts activity start and finish dates to balance resource demand against supply, often extending the schedule.
Question 3: A project's Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is 0.85. What does this indicate?
- The project is 15% ahead of schedule
- The project is 15% behind schedule (Correct answer)
- The project is over budget by 15%
- The project has 85% complete deliverables
Correct answer: The project is 15% behind schedule
An SPI below 1.0 means less work was accomplished than planned; an SPI of 0.85 means the project is getting only $0.85 of scheduled work done per $1.00 planned.
Question 4: Which type of schedule dependency exists when the start of one activity depends on the start of a predecessor activity?
- Finish-to-Finish
- Finish-to-Start
- Start-to-Start (Correct answer)
- Start-to-Finish
Correct answer: Start-to-Start
A Start-to-Start relationship requires the predecessor to begin before the successor can begin.
Question 5: When compressing a project schedule through crashing, which activities should be crashed first?
- Non-critical path activities with the most float
- Critical path activities with the lowest cost slope (Correct answer)
- Activities with the highest risk
- Activities assigned to the most resources
Correct answer: Critical path activities with the lowest cost slope
Crashing critical path activities with the lowest cost slope (cost per day saved) provides the maximum schedule compression for minimum additional cost.
Question 6: In project scheduling, 'free float' is defined as the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting:
- The project end date
- The early start of any successor activity (Correct answer)
- The late finish of any predecessor
- Total project cost
Correct answer: The early start of any successor activity
Free float is the delay an activity can sustain without impacting the earliest start of any immediately following activity.
Question 7: Which scheduling output document typically lists all project activities, their durations, dependencies, and assigned resources in a tabular format?
- Work Breakdown Structure
- Activity list with attributes (Correct answer)
- Responsibility Assignment Matrix
- Project charter
Correct answer: Activity list with attributes
The activity list with attributes is a scheduling document that extends the simple activity list with details such as duration, predecessors, successors, and resource requirements.
CEP Project Management & Scheduling 2
In a Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) network, a Finish-to-Start relationship with a lag of +5 days means the successor activity can start how many days after the predecessor finishes?