PCC Scheduling & Time Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which PERT formula is used to calculate the expected duration of an activity?
- (O + M + P) / 3
- (O + 4M + P) / 6 (Correct answer)
- (O + 2M + P) / 4
- (O + P) / 2
Correct answer: (O + 4M + P) / 6
The PERT three-point estimate formula is (Optimistic + 4×Most Likely + Pessimistic) / 6, giving a weighted average.
Question 2: When a project has negative float on the critical path, what does this indicate?
- The project will finish early
- The project has extra scheduling flexibility
- The project cannot meet its imposed deadline without corrective action (Correct answer)
- Resource over-allocation has been resolved
Correct answer: The project cannot meet its imposed deadline without corrective action
Negative float means the project's calculated finish date exceeds the target date, requiring corrective action like crashing or fast tracking.
Question 3: Which scheduling output documents the planned dates for performing schedule activities and the planned dates for meeting schedule milestones?
- Work Breakdown Structure
- Project schedule (Correct answer)
- Schedule management plan
- Activity duration estimates
Correct answer: Project schedule
The project schedule presents the planned start and finish dates for all activities and milestones in a usable format.
Question 4: A lag in a project schedule network diagram represents:
- A reduction in time between two activities
- A mandatory waiting period between activities (Correct answer)
- The amount of float available on an activity
- An overlap between predecessor and successor activities
Correct answer: A mandatory waiting period between activities
A lag is a directed delay added to a dependency, forcing a waiting period between the end of one activity and the start of another.
Question 5: During schedule development, which technique uses historical data from similar past projects to estimate activity durations?
- Parametric estimating
- Analogous estimating (Correct answer)
- Bottom-up estimating
- Three-point estimating
Correct answer: Analogous estimating
Analogous estimating uses actual durations from similar previous projects as the basis for estimating current project durations.
Question 6: In critical chain project management (CCPM), project buffer is placed:
- At the beginning of each critical chain activity
- At the end of the critical chain before the project deadline (Correct answer)
- After each non-critical feeding chain
- Distributed equally across all activities
Correct answer: At the end of the critical chain before the project deadline
CCPM places a single project buffer at the end of the critical chain to protect the project completion date.
Question 7: Which document defines how schedule variances will be managed, including the thresholds that will trigger corrective action?
- Project charter
- Schedule management plan (Correct answer)
- Project schedule
- Risk register
Correct answer: Schedule management plan
The schedule management plan establishes the criteria and activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the project schedule, including variance thresholds.
PCC Scheduling & Time Management 3
Which PERT formula is used to calculate the expected duration of an activity?