Construction Scheduling and Planning Flashcards

What does the Critical Path Method (CPM) identify in a project schedule?

Answer: The longest sequence of dependent activities that determines project duration

The Critical Path Method identifies the longest sequence of dependent activities, which sets the minimum project completion time.

In scheduling terminology, 'float' refers to:

Answer: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date

Float (or slack) is the amount of time an activity can slip without impacting the overall project completion date.

A Gantt chart is primarily used to:

Answer: Display project activities against a time scale in bar chart format

A Gantt chart is a bar chart that shows activities plotted against time, making it easy to visualize schedule durations and overlaps.

Which scheduling technique is best suited for highly repetitive construction work such as highway paving or high-rise floor cycles?

Answer: Linear scheduling method (LSM)

The Linear Scheduling Method (also called the line-of-balance technique) is specifically designed to schedule repetitive activities over distance or floors.

A Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship between two activities means:

Answer: The successor cannot start until the predecessor finishes

A Finish-to-Start relationship is the most common dependency, requiring the predecessor to be complete before the successor can begin.

What is 'resource leveling' in construction scheduling?

Answer: Adjusting the schedule to smooth out peaks and valleys in resource demand

Resource leveling involves adjusting activity start and finish dates to balance resource usage and avoid overallocation or idle periods.

A Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 0.85 indicates that a project is:

Answer: Behind schedule, completing only 85% of planned work

An SPI below 1.0 means the project is behind schedule; SPI = 0.85 means only 85 cents of planned work is being accomplished for every dollar of scheduled work.