FPE Project Planning & Scheduling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In fire protection project scheduling, what does 'float' (also called slack) represent?
- The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project completion (Correct answer)
- The buffer added to material delivery timelines
- The extra budget reserved for schedule overruns
- The lag time between sequential inspection activities
Correct answer: The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project completion
Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project's critical path or end date.
Question 2: A fire suppression system installation project has a mandatory finish-to-start dependency with a 5-day lag between pipe installation and hydrostatic testing. What does the lag represent?
- A penalty for late completion
- Required wait time before the successor activity can begin (Correct answer)
- The overlap allowed between two concurrent tasks
- Extra float added to the critical path
Correct answer: Required wait time before the successor activity can begin
A lag in a finish-to-start dependency means the successor activity cannot start until the specified lag time has passed after the predecessor finishes.
Question 3: Which scheduling technique is BEST suited for a fire protection project with highly uncertain activity durations?
- Gantt chart with fixed durations
- Critical Path Method (CPM)
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) (Correct answer)
- Resource leveling histogram
Correct answer: Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT uses optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates to account for uncertainty, making it ideal when activity durations are not well-defined.
Question 4: During a fire alarm system project, the AHJ requires inspection before any concealment of wiring. This requirement represents what type of project constraint?
- Resource constraint
- Technical or regulatory constraint (Correct answer)
- Financial constraint
- Scope constraint
Correct answer: Technical or regulatory constraint
AHJ inspection requirements are technical/regulatory constraints that impose mandatory sequencing on project activities.
Question 5: A project manager is compressing a fire protection project schedule by adding a second crew to work simultaneously on separate building sections. This technique is called:
- Fast tracking
- Crashing (Correct answer)
- Resource leveling
- Scope reduction
Correct answer: Crashing
Crashing involves adding resources (people, equipment) to shorten activity durations, while fast tracking involves overlapping sequential activities.
Question 6: On a fire protection project WBS, the work package level is BEST described as:
- The highest summary level showing major project phases
- The lowest level where work can be reliably estimated and assigned (Correct answer)
- The detailed list of individual labor hours per technician
- The procurement schedule for major equipment items
Correct answer: The lowest level where work can be reliably estimated and assigned
Work packages are the lowest WBS level where cost and schedule can be reliably estimated, monitored, and controlled.
Question 7: Which document formally authorizes a fire protection project and identifies the project manager's authority?
- Project scope statement
- Project charter (Correct answer)
- Statement of work
- Project management plan
Correct answer: Project charter
The project charter formally authorizes the project, names the project manager, and grants authority to apply resources to project activities.
FPE Project Planning & Scheduling 2
In fire protection project scheduling, what does 'float' (also called slack) represent?