CST Resource Loading & Leveling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which resource leveling technique delays non-critical activities within their float to reduce peak resource demand?
- Resource smoothing (Correct answer)
- Resource allocation
- Time-limited scheduling
- Resource-limited scheduling
Correct answer: Resource smoothing
Resource smoothing shifts activities within existing float without extending the project end date.
Question 2: A resource histogram shows a technician allocated at 140% for two consecutive weeks. What does this represent?
- Normal overtime scheduling
- Resource over-allocation requiring resolution (Correct answer)
- Planned resource pooling
- Acceptable variance within tolerance
Correct answer: Resource over-allocation requiring resolution
Allocation exceeding 100% indicates over-allocation, which must be resolved through leveling or smoothing.
Question 3: What is the primary difference between resource-limited and time-limited scheduling?
- Resource-limited fixes resources and may extend duration; time-limited fixes duration and may exceed resources (Correct answer)
- Time-limited fixes resources and may extend duration; resource-limited fixes duration and may exceed resources
- Both fix duration but differ in cost approach
- Both fix resources but differ in quality approach
Correct answer: Resource-limited fixes resources and may extend duration; time-limited fixes duration and may exceed resources
Resource-limited scheduling keeps resource usage within constraints, potentially extending the schedule, while time-limited scheduling preserves the end date.
Question 4: Which metric on a resource loading table indicates the cumulative hours a resource is assigned across all activities?
- Resource calendar
- Total resource demand (Correct answer)
- Resource utilization rate
- Peak loading factor
Correct answer: Total resource demand
Total resource demand sums all assigned hours across every activity for a given resource.
Question 5: When applying resource leveling on the critical path, what is the most likely consequence?
- Float is created on previously critical activities
- The project end date is extended (Correct answer)
- Resource costs decrease proportionally
- Activity durations are automatically compressed
Correct answer: The project end date is extended
Leveling critical path activities has no float to absorb the shift, so the project completion date moves later.
Question 6: A project has three parallel tasks each requiring 4 workers for 2 weeks. The organization has only 8 workers available. What leveling action is most appropriate?
- Crash all three tasks simultaneously
- Sequence the tasks to stay within the 8-worker limit, extending the schedule (Correct answer)
- Reduce scope to eliminate one task
- Hire 4 additional temporary workers without schedule adjustment
Correct answer: Sequence the tasks to stay within the 8-worker limit, extending the schedule
Sequencing tasks so no more than two run in parallel keeps demand at or below 8 workers, though it extends duration.
Question 7: In resource loading analysis, what does an 'S-curve' of cumulative resource hours typically represent?
- Random resource fluctuations across the project
- Slow start, peak in mid-project, and tapering at close (Correct answer)
- Uniform resource usage throughout the project
- Immediate peak followed by steady decline
Correct answer: Slow start, peak in mid-project, and tapering at close
Cumulative resource usage typically follows an S-curve: slow ramp-up, rapid acceleration through execution, then tapering during closeout.
CST Resource Loading & Leveling 2
Which resource leveling technique delays non-critical activities within their float to reduce peak resource demand?