Question

1. Why does the scheduling function depend on the planning function? Which one must be done first? Why?
2. Describe what an activity estimated duration is. How is it determined?
3. Why might a contractor prefer to state a project completion time in terms of number of days after the project starts rather than a specific date? Give some examples of instances when this would be appropriate.
4. Why is it important to determine the critical path of a project? What happens if activities on this path are delayed? What happens if activities on this path are accelerated?
5. From your experience, describe how you have used a project control process. If you did not use continual monitoring of the progress, how would this have helped improve the project’s success?
6. Why should a project have a regular reporting period? Should all projects have the same reporting period? Why or why not? What types of data should be collected during each reporting period?
7. Who can initiate changes to a project schedule? Describe why and when changes would occur in a project. How are the network diagram and schedule updated to reflect the changes?
8. Describe how you would apply the four steps of schedule control to a project. If the project needs to be accelerated, what kinds of activities would be the primary focus? Why?
9. Describe why it is necessary to develop a baseline budget for a project.
10. List and describe items that should be included when estimating activity costs.
11. What does the term reserve mean? Should a reserve amount be included in a project proposal? Explain your answer.What is the problem with making cost estimates too conservative or too aggressive?
12. Describe the project budgeting process.
13. Why is it necessary to track actual and committed costs once a project starts?
14. What is the key to managing cash flow? How can this goal be accomplished?

Answer 1

A schedule is a timetable for a plan•

The schedule cannot be established until theplan has been developed.

•The duration estimate for each activity is thetotal elapsed time for the work to be done,plus any associated waiting time.

•An activity’s duration estimate must bebased on the quantity of resources expectedto be used on the activity. The estimateshould be aggressive, yet realistic.

A Beta distribution using most likely,pessimistic, and optimistic times can beused.