CST Software & Tools for Scheduling 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Primavera P6, which scheduling option controls whether a project is scheduled from its planned start date or its data date?
- Schedule From: Project Planned Start or Data Date (Correct answer)
- Auto Schedule toggle
- Project Must Finish By constraint
- Baseline Lock setting
Correct answer: Schedule From: Project Planned Start or Data Date
P6 allows users to choose whether to schedule from the Project Planned Start or the Data Date in the Schedule Options dialog.
Question 2: Which field in Microsoft Project stores the original planned duration before any changes are made?
- Actual Duration
- Baseline Duration (Correct answer)
- Remaining Duration
- Free Slack
Correct answer: Baseline Duration
Baseline Duration captures the planned duration at the time the baseline was set, allowing comparison against current duration.
Question 3: What does the 'Progress Spotlight' feature in Primavera P6 highlight?
- Activities that should have started or finished since the last update (Correct answer)
- Resources that are over-allocated
- Critical path activities only
- Milestones with missed deadlines
Correct answer: Activities that should have started or finished since the last update
Progress Spotlight highlights activities whose planned dates fall within the spotlight range, helping schedulers identify what should have progressed since the last update.
Question 4: In scheduling software, 'Lag' on a Finish-to-Start relationship means:
- The successor starts before the predecessor finishes
- A waiting period is added between the predecessor's finish and the successor's start (Correct answer)
- The predecessor and successor overlap in duration
- The successor is delayed to the project's late finish
Correct answer: A waiting period is added between the predecessor's finish and the successor's start
Lag adds a delay after the predecessor activity finishes before the successor activity can begin.
Question 5: Which scheduling software report is most useful for identifying activities that have no predecessor or successor relationships?
- Trace Logic Report
- Schedule Log / Error Report (Correct answer)
- Gantt Bar Chart
- Resource Histogram
Correct answer: Schedule Log / Error Report
The Schedule Log or Error Report flags open-ended activities that lack predecessors or successors, which can distort the critical path.
Question 6: In Microsoft Project, what does 'Work' represent on a task with assigned resources?
- The calendar duration of the task
- The total labor hours required to complete the task (Correct answer)
- The cost of the assigned resources
- The number of resources assigned
Correct answer: The total labor hours required to complete the task
Work is the total effort in person-hours that assigned resources must contribute to complete the task, separate from the task's duration.
Question 7: What is the function of the 'Reflect' option in Primavera P6 when applying actuals?
- It reverses all updates applied since the last baseline
- It applies actual data from a copy of the project back to the original without overwriting other edits (Correct answer)
- It mirrors the schedule logic to a secondary project
- It locks activity dates after status entry
Correct answer: It applies actual data from a copy of the project back to the original without overwriting other edits
Reflect allows field teams to update a copy of the project and then selectively merge those actuals back to the master schedule.
CST Software & Tools for Scheduling 3
In Primavera P6, which scheduling option controls whether a project is scheduled from its planned start date or its data date?