CST Time Management & Resource Allocation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project has a resource that is required for 10 hours/day but is only available for 8 hours/day. What scheduling technique addresses this constraint?
- Resource leveling (Correct answer)
- Fast-tracking
- Schedule compression
- Critical path method
Correct answer: Resource leveling
Resource leveling adjusts activity start and finish dates to balance resource demand against available supply.
Question 2: Which metric measures the ratio of earned value to the actual cost spent on a project?
- Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
- Cost Performance Index (CPI) (Correct answer)
- Budget at Completion (BAC)
- Estimate to Complete (ETC)
Correct answer: Cost Performance Index (CPI)
CPI = EV / AC, indicating how efficiently the budget is being used relative to work accomplished.
Question 3: When two activities compete for the same resource, a scheduler creates a logical dependency between them. This type of added dependency is called a:
- Finish-to-start lag
- Resource-driven dependency (Correct answer)
- Preferential logic
- Hard logic
Correct answer: Resource-driven dependency
Resource-driven dependencies (also called resource constraints) arise because shared resources cannot perform two tasks simultaneously.
Question 4: A project manager needs to shorten the schedule without adding resources. Which technique involves performing activities in parallel that were originally planned sequentially?
- Resource smoothing
- Crashing
- Fast-tracking (Correct answer)
- Monte Carlo simulation
Correct answer: Fast-tracking
Fast-tracking overlaps activities that would normally be done in sequence, reducing total duration but increasing risk.
Question 5: The difference between the early start and late start of an activity without delaying the project is called:
- Free float
- Total float (Correct answer)
- Negative float
- Project float
Correct answer: Total float
Total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date.
Question 6: Which resource allocation strategy prioritizes completing projects with the earliest deadline first when multiple projects compete for the same resources?
- Earliest due date (EDD) (Correct answer)
- Shortest processing time (SPT)
- First come, first served (FCFS)
- Critical ratio scheduling
Correct answer: Earliest due date (EDD)
Earliest Due Date prioritizes tasks based on which deadline is soonest, minimizing the number of late deliveries.
Question 7: A resource histogram shows peaks exceeding 100% availability for two weeks. A scheduler resolves this by moving non-critical activities to later dates. This is an example of:
- Resource crashing
- Resource smoothing (Correct answer)
- Resource loading
- Resource aggregation
Correct answer: Resource smoothing
Resource smoothing adjusts activities within their float to eliminate resource overallocation without extending the project end date.
CST Time Management & Resource Allocation 2
A project has a resource that is required for 10 hours/day but is only available for 8 hours/day.
What scheduling technique addresses this constraint?