PMI-SP Time Estimating & Resource Allocation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which estimating technique is MOST appropriate early in a project when detailed scope information is not yet available?
- Bottom-up estimating
- Parametric estimating
- Analogous estimating (Correct answer)
- Three-point estimating
Correct answer: Analogous estimating
Analogous estimating uses expert judgment and historical data from similar projects, making it suitable when detailed information is limited in early phases.
Question 2: A project scheduler needs to assess schedule risk across multiple paths. Which technique uses duration probability distributions to simulate thousands of possible outcomes?
- Critical path method (CPM)
- Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)
- Monte Carlo simulation (Correct answer)
- Resource leveling
Correct answer: Monte Carlo simulation
Monte Carlo simulation runs thousands of iterations using statistical distributions of activity durations to produce a probability distribution of project completion dates.
Question 3: An activity requiring 160 hours of effort is assigned to two resources working in parallel at 100% capacity each. If each resource works 8 hours per day, what is the activity duration?
- 20 days
- 10 days (Correct answer)
- 16 days
- 40 days
Correct answer: 10 days
Two resources working in parallel provide 16 hours per day combined, so 160 hours / 16 hours per day = 10 days duration.
Question 4: What is the key difference between effort and duration in activity estimating?
- Effort is measured in cost; duration is measured in time
- Effort is the total work hours required; duration is the elapsed calendar time (Correct answer)
- Effort applies to resources; duration applies to materials
- Effort is always greater than or equal to duration
Correct answer: Effort is the total work hours required; duration is the elapsed calendar time
Effort measures the total amount of work (person-hours) needed, while duration measures the calendar time from start to finish including non-working time.
Question 5: When applying the critical chain method, buffers are placed at the end of the project to protect which schedule element?
- Individual activity float
- The project completion date (Correct answer)
- Resource availability windows
- Milestone dates for all phases
Correct answer: The project completion date
Critical chain adds a project buffer at the end of the critical chain to protect the project's final completion date from uncertainty in individual activities.
Question 6: A resource is assigned to five projects simultaneously. Which tool would BEST help the project scheduler identify the impact on a specific project's schedule?
- WBS dictionary
- Resource breakdown structure
- Multi-project resource histogram (Correct answer)
- Risk register
Correct answer: Multi-project resource histogram
A multi-project resource histogram shows resource demand across all projects over time, making it easy to spot over-allocations affecting any single project.
Question 7: Which statement BEST describes the relationship between activity sequencing and resource allocation in schedule development?
- Resource allocation must be completed before activity sequencing begins
- Activity sequencing defines dependencies; resource allocation may further constrain the sequence (Correct answer)
- Resource allocation replaces the need for dependency analysis
- Activity sequencing and resource allocation are performed in completely separate phases with no interaction
Correct answer: Activity sequencing defines dependencies; resource allocation may further constrain the sequence
Activity sequencing establishes logical dependencies, but resource constraints can impose additional limitations that alter when activities can actually be performed.
PMI-SP Time Estimating & Resource Allocation 5
Which estimating technique is MOST appropriate early in a project when detailed scope information is not yet available?