Lineman Project Planning and Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in a lineman project?
- To list all crew members and their roles
- To decompose the project scope into manageable work packages (Correct answer)
- To document equipment inspection records
- To track daily weather conditions
Correct answer: To decompose the project scope into manageable work packages
A WBS breaks the total project scope into smaller, manageable deliverables and work packages to aid planning and scheduling.
Question 2: When a lineman crew encounters unexpected underground utilities during excavation, the project manager should FIRST:
- Continue excavation carefully to save schedule time
- Immediately halt work and notify the engineer of record (Correct answer)
- Remove the utility if it appears abandoned
- Backfill the excavation and reroute the project
Correct answer: Immediately halt work and notify the engineer of record
Unexpected utilities are a changed-condition event requiring immediate work stoppage and notification to the engineer and utility owner before proceeding.
Question 3: A critical path in a project schedule is best described as:
- The safest route for equipment travel on a right-of-way
- The sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration (Correct answer)
- The list of priority materials needed first
- The most expensive phase of the project
Correct answer: The sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration
The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks, and any delay on it directly delays project completion.
Question 4: Which document formally authorizes a lineman crew to begin energized work on a transmission line?
- A daily tailboard form
- An energized electrical work permit (Correct answer)
- A job hazard analysis alone
- A material requisition form
Correct answer: An energized electrical work permit
An energized electrical work permit documents the hazard assessment, justification, and controls required before any live-line work begins.
Question 5: Float (slack) in a project activity means the activity:
- Must be performed by a journeyman lineman only
- Can be delayed without affecting the project completion date (Correct answer)
- Requires additional budget allocation
- Should be removed from the schedule
Correct answer: Can be delayed without affecting the project completion date
Float represents the amount of time an activity can be delayed without pushing back the overall project finish date.
Question 6: A lineman project manager receives a request from the owner to add 10 new poles to the approved scope. The correct process is to issue a:
- Verbal approval to the crew foreman
- Change order documenting cost, schedule, and scope impacts (Correct answer)
- New project charter
- Revised safety plan only
Correct answer: Change order documenting cost, schedule, and scope impacts
A formal change order captures the agreed-upon adjustments to cost, schedule, and scope before extra work begins.
Question 7: Which scheduling technique shows task durations as horizontal bars along a timeline?
- PERT chart
- Gantt chart (Correct answer)
- Network diagram
- S-curve
Correct answer: Gantt chart
A Gantt chart displays project tasks as bars scaled to their duration against a calendar timeline, making it easy to see progress at a glance.
Lineman Project Planning and Management 2
What is the primary purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in a lineman project?