PMP Exam Preparation Study Guide - Project Time Management

PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT
STUDY NOTES
PMBOK 2000 based, Version 9
In Preparation For PMP Certification Exam
IBM Education and Training Worldwide Certified Material
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Disclaimer PMI makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation, express or implied, that the successful completion of any activity or program, or the use of any product or publication, designed to prepare candidates for the PMP Certification Examination, will result in the completion or satisfaction of any PMP Certification eligibility requirement or standard., service, activity, and has not contributed any financial resources. Initially Prepared By: Kim Ulmer Edited By: Peter Dapremont March 2002 Edition The information contained in this document has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is distributed on an as is basis without any warranty either express or implied. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a customer responsibility and depends on the customers ability to evaluate and integrate them into the customers operational environment. While each item may have been reviewed by IBM for accuracy in a specific situation, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results will result elsewhere. Customers attempting to adapt these techniques to their own environments do so at their own risk.
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Project Time Management
Project Time Management Study Notes
Reference Material to study:

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Chapter 6 (2000 edition) Project Planning, Scheduling & Control, Chapters 5-7, Lewis, James P., 1995 Project Management, A Managerial Approach, Chapters 8-9, Meridith & Mantel The New Project Management, Chapter 9, Frame, J. Davidson, 1994 PMP Exam Practice Test and Study Guide, 4th Edition, by Ward, J. LeRoy, PMP , 2001 PMP Exam Prep, 3rd Edition, by Mulcahy, Rita, PMP, 2001 ESI PMP Challenge!, 3rd Edition, Time Section, Ward, J. LeRoy, 2001
What to Study? The PMBOK Guide processes for Project Time Management: Activity Definition, Activity Sequencing, Activity Duration Estimating, Schedule Development, Schedule Control (Be familiar with Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs for each process) Be familiar with the different types of scheduling charts (Gantt, Milestone, Networking) Be familiar with the different techniques of networking (ADM, PDM, PERT, and GERT) Understand the concept of critical path and how to determine critical path. Know how to facilitate recovery through techniques such as crashing, fast tracking, managing slack and overtime. Understand how to calculate the expected duration of activities in the Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT) network technique. Know how to calculate the forecast variance of the expected duration of a PERT activity. Know the concept of the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and how to calculate it. Understand the logical relationships between tasks. (FS, FF, SS, SF, lead, and lag) Know what float is and how to determine it. Know how to calculate Early Start, Early Finish, Late Start, and Late Finish.
"PMBOK" is a trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. which is registered in the United States and other nations. PMI is a service and trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. which is registered in the United States and other nations. PMP and the PMP logo are certification marks of the Project Management Institute which are registered in the United States and other nations.
Copyright IBM Corp. 2002
Project Time Management Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.
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Key Definitions
Activity An element of work performed during the course of a project. (Normally has duration, expected cost, and expected resource requirements.) Also called a work item. See Arrow Diagramming Method See Precedence Diagramming Method A network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows. The tail of the arrow represents the start, and the head of the arrow represents the end of the activity. Activities are connected at points called nodes to illustrate the sequence in which activities are expected to be performed. Also called Activity-On-Arrow (AOA). Note: the length of the arrow does NOT represent the expected duration of the activity. The calculation of late finish and start dates for the uncompleted portions of all network activities. Determined by working backwards through the network logic from the projects end date. The end date may be calculated by a forward pass or set by the customer or sponsor. A graphic display of schedule related information. Typically, activities or project elements are listed on the left side of the chart, dates are displayed across the top, and activity durations are shown as date-placed horizontal bars. Also called a Gantt Chart. The original plan plus or minus approved changes. The smallest unit of time used to schedule the project. The unit can be months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, or shifts. Primarily used in conjunction with project management software tools. Generally speaking, an approach to project staffing that calls for the implementors to be involved in the design phase. (sometimes confused with fast tracking.) Taking action to decrease the total project duration after analyzing a number of alternatives to determine how to get the maximum duration compression for the least cost. Any activity on a critical path. Most commonly determined by using the critical path method. A sequence of activities which determines the earliest possible completion (duration) of the project. The critical path is usually defined as those activities with float less than or equal to a specified value (usually zero). It is the longest path through the project. A project may have multiple critical paths. A network analysis technique used to predict project duration by analyzing which path (sequence of activities) has the least amount of scheduling flexibility (float or slack). Early dates are calculated using a forward pass; late dates are calculated using a backwards pass. The point in time that separates actual (historical) data from future (scheduled) data. Also called as-of date.
Activity-On-Arrow Activity-On-Node Arrow Diagram Method (ADM)
Backward Pass
Bar Chart
Baseline Calendar Unit
Concurrent Engineering Crashing
Critical Activity Critical Path
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Data Date (DD)
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Key Definitions, continued

Dummy Activity An activity of zero duration used to show a logical relationship in the arrow diagramming method. Dummy activities are used when logical relationships cannot be completely or correctly described with regular activity arrows. Dummies are shown graphically as a dashed line headed by an arrow. The number of work periods (not including holidays and other non-working periods) required to complete an activity or other project element. Typically expressed as workdays or workweeks. Shortening the project schedule with reducing the project scope. Compression is not always possible and often requires an increase in cost. (Crashing utilizes duration compression) In the critical path method, the earliest possible date in which the uncompleted portions of an activity or project can complete based on the network logic and any schedule constraints. Can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan. In the critical path method, the earliest possible date in which the uncompleted portions of an activity or project can start based on the network logic and any schedule constraints. . Can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan. The number of labor units required to complete an activity or other project element. Should not be confused with duration. A network diagramming technique in which events are represented by boxes (or nodes) connected by arrows to show the sequence in which the events are to occur. Used in the original Program Evaluation Review Technique. Compressing the project schedule by overlapping activities that would normally be done in sequence (such as design and construction). The amount of time that an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the project finish date. Float is a mathematical calculation and can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan. (Also called slack, total float, and path float). Calculated by subtracting LS - ES or LF - EF. Both results should be the same. The calculation of the early start and early finish dates for the uncompleted portions of all network activities. The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any immediately succeeding activities. A graphic display of schedule-related information using bars. See Bar Chart. A network analysis technique that allows for conditional and probabilistic treatment of logical relationships. (i.e., some activities may not be performed)
Duration (DU)
Duration Compression Early Finish Date (EF)
Early Start Date (ES)
Effort Event-on-Node
Fast Tracking
Float
Forward Pass Free Float (FF) Gantt Chart Graphical Evaluation Review Technique (GERT)
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Hammock An aggregate or summary activity. (A group of related activities is displayed at one and reported at a summary level.) A hammock may or may not have an internal sequence. An unintended break in a network path. Hangers are usually caused by missing activities or missing logical relationships. A modification of a logical relationship that directs a delay in the successor task. For example, in a FS relationship with a 10 day lag, the successor can start until 10 days after the completion of the predecessor. In the critical path method, the latest possible date that an activity may be completed without delaying a specified milestone (usually the project finish date). In the critical path method, the latest possible date that an activity may begin without delaying a specified milestone (usually the project finish date). A modification of a logical relationship which allows an acceleration of the successor task. For example, in a FS relationship with a 10 day lead, the successor can start 10 days prior to the completion of the predecessor. Also called overlap. Support type activity (e.g., vendor or customer liaison) that does not readily lend itself to measurement of discrete accomplishment. Generally characterized by a uniform rate of activity over a specific period of time. A dependency between two project activities or between an activity and a milestone. Four possible types: FS, FF, SS, and SF. (see logical relationships under concepts). A summary level schedule which identifies the major activities and key milestones. A significant event in the project, usually completion of a major deliverable. A summary level schedule which identifies the major milestones. A technique that performs a project simulation many times to calculate a distribution of likely results. An activity that has low total float. A condition noted in project management software which indicates less than zero float. This condition is usually caused by using imposed dates and is an indication to the project manager that the schedule must be adjusted. An estimating technique that uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables (e.g., lines of code, square footage) to calculate an estimate.
Hanger Lag
Late Finish Date (LF)
Late Start Date (LS)
Lead
Level of Effort (LOE)
Logical Relationship
Master Schedule Milestone
Milestone Schedule Monte Carlo Analysis Near Critical Activity Negative Float
Parametric Estimating
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Path Convergence The node in the schedule where parallel paths merge or join. At that node, delays or elongation or any converging path can delay the project. In quantitative risk analysis of the schedule, significant risk may occur at this point. An estimate, expressed as a percent, of the amount of work that has been completed on an activity or group of activities. Commonly used to refer to a project network diagram. A network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by nodes. Activities are linked by precedence relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed. Also called Activity-On-Node (AON) Traditionally, an event-oriented network analysis technique used to estimate program duration when there is uncertainty with the individual activity duration estimates. PERT applies the critical path method using durations that are computed by a weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely duration estimates. PERT computes the standard deviation of the completion date from the paths activity durations. Also called Method of Moments Analysis. Any schematic display of the logical relationships of project activities. Always drawn from left to right to reflect project chronology. Often referred to as a PERT chart. The time needed to complete an activity. Any form of network analysis in which start and finish dates are driven by resource management concerns. (e.g., limited resources or difficulty in managing changes to resource levels) A project schedule whose start and finish dates reflect expected resource availability. The final project schedule should always be resource limited. The schedule efficiency ratio of earned value accomplished against the planned value. The SPI describes what portion of the planned schedule was actually accomplished. SPI = EV/PV. 1) Any difference between the scheduled completion of an activity and the actual completion of the activity. 2) In earned value, SV = EV - BCWS. (Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled) The point in time work was scheduled to finish on an activity. The scheduled finish date is normally within the range of dates delimited by the early finish date and the late finish date. It may reflect leveling or scarce resources. The point in time work was scheduled to start on an activity. The scheduled start date is normally within the range of dates delimited by the early start date and the late start date. It may reflect leveling or scarce resources.
Percent Complete PERT Chart Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Project Network Diagram Remaining Duration (RDU) Resource Leveling
Resource-Limited Schedule Schedule Performance Index (SPI) Schedule Variance (SV) Scheduled Finish Date (SF)
Scheduled Start Date (SS)
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Slack Standard Deviation (SD) Time-Scaled Network Diagram Synonymous with float. In PERT, calculated as: (P-O)/6 , where O = most optimistic time, P = most pessimistic time Any project network diagram drawn is such a way that the positioning and length of the activity represents its duration. Essentially, it is a bar chart that includes network logic. Synonymous with float.
Total Float
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Project Time Management Processes

Activity Definition (6.1): (Process Group: Planning)
The process of identifying and documenting the specific activities that must be performed to produce the various project deliverables identified in the WBS. Defines the activities such that the project objectives will be met. Inputs include: WBS, scope statement, historical information, constraints, assumptions, and expert judgment. Methods used during activity definition: Decomposition: Involves subdividing project work packages into smaller, more manageable components. Differs from scope definition in that the outputs are activities (action steps) rather than deliverables. Templates: Activity lists or portions of activity lists from previous projects. Outputs include: Activity list, supporting detail including assumptions and constraints, and WBS updates.
Activity Sequencing (6.2): (Process Group: Planning)

The process of identifying and documenting interactivity logical relationships. Activities must be sequenced accurately to support later development of a realistic and achievable schedule. Sequencing can be performed manually or via computerized tools such as project management software. Inputs include: Activity list, product description, mandatory dependencies, discretionary dependencies, external dependencies, and milestones. Mandatory dependencies: Dependencies that are inherent in the nature of the work being done. Often involves physical limitations. For example, on a construction project, the foundation must be built before the superstructure can be erected, etc. Also called hard logic. Discretionary dependencies: Dependencies that are defined by the project management team. Should be used with care and fully documented since the dependencies may limit scheduling options. Usually defined based on knowledge of best practices within application area or where a specific sequence is desired. Also called preferred logic, preferential logic, or soft logic. External dependencies: Dependencies that involve a relationship between project and non-project activities. Examples: testing activity in a software project may be dependent upon arrival of hardware; may need environmental hearings before site preparation can begin on a construction project.
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Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Methods used during activity sequencing are: Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM), Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM), conditional diagramming methods. (see below) Network templates: Used to expedite the preparation of project network diagrams. Can include an entire project or only a portion of it. Portions of a network are often referred to as subnets or fragnets. Subnets are useful where a project includes several identical or nearly identical features such as floors on a high-rise office building or program modules on a software project. Outputs include: Project network diagrams and activity list updates. Project network diagrams: Schematic displays of the project activities and the logical relationships (dependencies). May be produced manually or via a computer. May include full project details or have one or more summary activities called hammocks. Should be accompanied by a summary narrative that describes the basic sequencing approach. Unusual sequences should be fully described. Often referred to as a PERT chart.
Activity Duration Estimating (6.3): (Process Group: Planning)

The process of estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to complete individual activities. Inputs include: Activity list, constraints, assumptions, resource requirements, resource capabilities, historical information, and identified risks. Resource requirements: Resources (people, materials, machines, etc.) that are required for the activity. The duration of most activities will be significantly influenced by the resources assigned to the activities. For example: adding an additional person could decrease the time of an activity. Should note that as additional resources are added, projects can experience communication overload which reduces productivity and causes production to improve proportionally less than the increase in resource. Resource capabilities: Capabilities of resources applied to an activity. The duration of most activities will be significantly influenced by the capabilities of the human and material resources assigned to them. For example: a more highly skilled senior resource can generally be expected to complete an activity in less time than a junior resource.
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Historical information: Project files: previous project results that are detailed enough to aid in developing duration estimates. Commercial duration estimating databases: information via databases that are available commercially such as how long it takes concrete to cure; how long a government agency generally takes to respond to certain types of requests, etc. Project team knowledge: past experiences of the project team. (generally less reliable than documented results) Identified risks: Risks can have a significant influence on duration. The project team considers the extent to which the effect of risks is included in the baseline duration estimate for each activity. Includes risks with high probability or impact. Methods used during activity duration estimating include: Expert judgment: Use when available since durations are difficult to estimate due to the number of influencing factors. Where possible, use in conjunction with historical information as a guide. Analogous estimating (top-down estimating): Use the actual duration of a previous, similar activity as the basis for estimating the duration of a future activity. Frequently used to estimate project duration when there is a limited amount of detailed information about the project. Considered a form of expert judgment. Most reliable when the previous activities are similar in fact and the individuals preparing the estimates have the necessary expertise. Quantitatively based durations: The estimated durations are obtained by multiplying the quantities to be performed for each specific work category with the productivity unit rate. For example, the amount of cable in meters multiplied by the meters of cable per hour will yield the estimated duration in hours for producing the desired amount of cable. Reserve time (contingency): Time that is added to the activity duration or elsewhere in the schedule to account for schedule risk. Also called: reserve or buffer. Can be reflected as a percentage of the estimated duration or a fixed number of work periods. Can be reduced or eliminated later in the project as more information becomes available. Should be documented with other data and assumptions.
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Outputs include: Activity duration estimates, basis of estimates, and activity list updates. Activity duration estimates: Quantitative assessments of the likely number of work periods that will be required to complete an activity. Should always include some indication of the range of possible results. For example: 2 weeks +/- 2 days or 3 weeks with a 15% probability of exceeding. Basis of estimates: Assumptions made in developing the estimates.
Schedule Development (6.4): (Process Group: Planning)

The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, and resource requirements to create the project schedule. Inputs include: Project network diagrams, activity duration estimates, resource requirements, resource pool description, calendars, constraints, assumptions, leads and lags (see below under PDM explanation), risk management plan, and activity attributes. Resource pool description: Knowledge of what resources will be available at what times and in what patterns is necessary for schedule development. Shared or critical resources can be difficult to schedule since their availability may be highly variable. Calendars: Identify periods when work is allowed. Project calendars: Affect all resources. Shows normal work days, shifts, identifies holidays, etc. Resource calendars: Affect a specific resource or category of resources. Identifies vacation days, training days, etc. Constraints: Factors that will limit the project teams options. Imposed dates: dates which restrict the start or finish of an activity to occur either no earlier or no later than a specified date. Most popular are the start no earlier than and the finish no later than. Used in situations such as weather restrictions on outdoor activities, government-mandated compliances, market windows, delivery of material from parties not represented in the schedule. Key events or major milestones: specified dates for deliveries that are expected by the project sponsor, customer, management, or other stakeholders. May also be used to indicate interfaces with work outside of the project. (especially work that is not in the project database)
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Activity attributes: Includes who will perform the work, where the work has to be performed (geographical area or building), activity type (i.e., summary or detailed usually denoted in project management software), and WBS classification. Used for further selection and sorting of the planned activities in a convenient way for the users. The methods used in schedule development include: Mathematical analysis: Involves calculating theoretical early and late start and finish dates for all project activities without regard for any resource pool limitations. The resulting dates indicate the time periods within which the activity could be scheduled given resource limits and other known constraints. Most widely known techniques are : Critical Path Method (CPM), Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT), and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). (see below for more detail) Duration compression: A special case of mathematical analysis that looks for ways to shorten the project schedule without changing the project scope. Crashing: a technique in which cost and schedule tradeoffs are analyzed to determine how, if at all, to obtain the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost. Does not always produce a viable alternative and often results in increased cost. Fast tracking: a technique in which selected activities are done in parallel that would normally be done sequentially. Often results in rework and usually increases risk. Simulation: Involves calculating multiple project durations with different sets of activity assumptions. Monte Carlo Analysis: a technique in which a distribution of probable results is defined for each activity and used to calculate a distribution of probable results for the total project. What-if analysis: a technique where the logic network is used to simulate different scenarios such as delaying the start of an activity, etc. The outcome of what-if simulations can be used to assess the feasibility of the schedule under adverse conditions. Can also be used to prepare contingency/response plans. Resource leveling heuristics: Heuristics to ensure desirable and manageable allocation and distribution of resources. For example, Allocate scarce resources to critical path activities first. Often applied after mathematical analysis to resolve issues where more resource has been allocated than available. Often results in a project duration that is longer than the preliminary schedule.
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Resource reallocation from non-critical to critical activities is a common means of realigning the schedule as close as possible to its originally intended overall duration. Resource leveling is sometimes called resource-base method especially when implemented with computerized optimization. Productivity increases based on the use of different technologies and/or machinery are another way to shorten durations that have extended the preliminary schedule. Projects with a finite and critical resource may require that the resource be scheduled in reverse from the project end date. This is called reverse resource allocation scheduling. Critical chain is a technique that modifies the project schedule to account for limited resources. Other methods of reducing the schedule include utilization of multiple shifts, weekends, and extended hours or fast tracking. ** Note that fast tracking does add risk just as adding additional work time increases risk. Also, if these methods are used upfront, then its difficult to use these same methods for mitigation later in the project if the team gets in trouble. Project management software: Software tools which automate the calculation of the mathematical analysis and resource leveling, thus allowing for rapid consideration of many schedule alternatives. Also widely used to print or display the outputs of schedule development. Coding structure: A means for sorting and/or filtering activities based on different attributes assigned to the activities such as responsibility, geographic area or building, project phase, schedule level, activity type, and WBS classification. Project management software tools often provide a means for a coding structure for activities. This makes it very easy to print or display custom reports of specified extracted data. Outputs from schedule development include: Project schedule: At a minimum, includes planned start and expected finish dates for each activity. Remains preliminary until resource assignments have been confirmed. (Although should be finalized before the completion of the Project Plan Development.) May be presented in summary form, called the master schedule, or in detail. Usually represented graphically via one of the following formats: project network diagrams with date information added, bar (gantt) charts, or milestone charts. When approved, the project schedule is called the schedule baseline.
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Supporting detail: At a minimum, includes documentation of all identified assumptions and constraints. The amount of additional detail varies by application area. Schedule management plan: Defines how changes to the schedule will be managed. May be formal or informal, highly detailed or broad, based on project needs. Is a subsidiary element of the overall project plan. Resource requirement updates: Resource leveling updates may have a significant effect on preliminary estimates of resource requirements. May have to follow-up with additional requirements.
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Schedule Control (6.5): (Process Group: Controlling)
The process of controlling changes to the project schedule. Is concerned with: Influencing the factors that create schedule changes to ensure that changes are agreed upon. Determining that the schedule has changed. Managing the actual changes when and as the changes occur. Must be thoroughly integrated with the other change control processes. Inputs include: Project schedule, performance reports, change requests, and schedule management plan. Performance reports: Provide information on schedule performance, such as which planned dates have been met and which have not. May alert the project team to issues that may cause problems in the future. Methods for schedule control include: Schedule change control system, performance measurement, additional planning, project management software, and variance analysis. Performance measurement: Techniques which help assess the magnitude of any variations that occur. An important part of schedule control is to determine if the schedule variance requires corrective action. For example, a schedule delay for a non-critical activity may have little effect compared to a schedule delay for an activity on the critical path. Variance analysis: Compares target dates with the actual/forecast start and finish dates to detect deviations. Float variance is also an essential planning component to evaluate project time-performance. Particular attention has to be given to critical and sub critical activities.
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Outputs include: schedule updates, corrective action, and lessons learned. Schedule updates: Any modification to the schedule information that is used to manage the project. Appropriate stakeholders must be notified as needed. Schedule updates may or may not require adjustments to other aspects of the project plan. Revisions are a special category of schedule updates which involve changes to the schedule start and finish dates in the schedule baseline. Revisions are generally incorporated in response to scope changes or changes to estimates. New target schedules should be the normal mode of schedule revision. However, in situations where the schedule delays are very severe, rebaselining the schedule may be necessary. This should be done as a last resort to prevent loss of historical data. **Note: project management software often allows the saving of several baselines.
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Project Time Management Concepts

Dependencies:
Mandatory Those which are inherent in the nature of the work being done They often involve physical limitations Mandatory dependencies are also called hard logic Discretionary Those which are defined by the project management team They should be used with care since they may limit later scheduling options Discretionary dependencies are also called preferred logic, preferential logic, or soft logic External Those which involve a relationship between project and non-project activities
Scheduling Charts:
Gantt: Bar oriented In pure form, a gantt does not show task dependencies and relationships. Milestone: Consumes no resources or duration. Marks the start or finish of a significant event. Network: Shows task relationships and dependencies. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as a PERT chart.
Hard Coded Constraints:

Must Start/Finish On Start No Earlier/Later Than Finish No Earlier/Later Than As soon as possible (ASAP) (Calculated using forward pass) As late as possible (ALAP) (Calculated using backwards pass)
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Project Time Management Concepts Diagram Techniques

Precedence diagram Method (PDM):
A method which uses nodes to represent the activities and connects the nodes via arrows to show dependencies. Also called Activity-On-Node (AON). Can be done manually or via a computer. Four types of logical relationships: Finish to Start: The predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can start. Finish to Finish: The predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can finish. Start to Start: The predecessor activity must start before the successor activity can start. Start to Finish: The predecessor activity must start before the successor activity can finish. Finish to Start is the most common whereas Start to Finish is the least common. Also can show lead or lag time. Activities that lag one another have a delayed start or finish depending on the logical relationship. Activities that have lead time have an accelerated start or finish depending on the logical relationship. Lead time may also be referred to as negative lag.
Arrow Diagram Method (ADM):

Also called Activity-On-Arrow (AOW). Arrows represent activities while nodes represent the dependencies. May require the use of dummy activities to define all logical relationships correctly. Only shows Finish to Start relationships.
Conditional Diagramming Methods:

Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) and System Dynamics models. Unlike PDM or ADM, allows for non-sequential activities such as loops or conditional branches.
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Project Time Management Concepts Mathematical Analysis

Critical Path Method (CPM):
Calculates a single, deterministic early start, late start, early finish, and late finish date for each activity. (ES, LS, EF, LF) The dates are calculated based on specified, sequential network logic and a single duration estimate. The focus is on calculating float to determine which activities have the least amount of scheduling flexibility. Early start and early finish dates for all activities are calculated using a forwards pass. Late start and late finish dates for all activities are calculated using a backwards pass. Float, slack, total float, and path float all refer to the amount of time that an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the project finish date. Free float refers to the amount of time that an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the early start of any immediately succeeding activities.
Graphical Evaluation Review Technique (GERT):

Allows for probabilistic treatment of both network logic and activity duration estimates. Under GERT, some activities may not be performed at all.
Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT):

Developed for use in Aerospace industry. Uses a weighted average duration estimate to calculate activity durations. PERT differs from CPM primarily in that it uses the distributions mean (expected value) instead of the most likely estimate used in CPM. Activity duration = (O + 4M + P)/6 where O = optimistic estimate; M = most likely estimate; and P = pessimistic estimate. Standard deviation = (P - O)/6. One standard deviation: 68% chance of completing. Two standard deviations: 95% chance of completing. Three standard deviations: 99% chance of completing. As the range of time increases, the probability of completing within that time frame increases. Example: Activity As duration estimates: P = 8 days, M = 6 days, O = 4 days. Distribution Mean = 6 days; SD = 0.66 days Activity A has a 68% chance of completing within 5.34 to 6.66 days. Activity A has a 95% chance of completing within 4.68 to 7.32 days. Activity A has a 99% chance of completing within 4.02 to 7.98 days.
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Sample Questions
1. During what Time Management Process are the specific activities that must be performed to produce the deliverables in the WBS identified and documented? A. Activity Sequencing B. Activity Definition C. Schedule Development D. Activity Duration Estimating
2. A period of time in work weeks which includes non-working days is called: A. Elapsed Time B. Duration C. Effort D. Earned Time 3. The amount of time that an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the project end date is called: A. Total Float B. Free Float C. Float D. Both A & C 4. What are you likely to see as a project progresses in a schedule with must fix dates and little or no slack? A. Lots of free float B. Idle resources C. Negative float D. Positive float 5. Given the following estimates: Optimistic 3 days, Pessimistic 9 days, and most likely 6 days, what is the PERT calculation? A. 6 B. 4 C. 6.3 D. 6.1
6. What is the standard deviation for the estimates in the above problem? A. 0.6 B. 2 C. 1.5 D. 1
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Sample Questions, continued

7. In crashing the schedule, you would focus on: A. Accelerating as many tasks as possible B. Accelerating just the non-critical tasks C. Accelerating the performance of tasks on the critical path D. Accelerating the milestones 8. To calculate the early and late start and finish dates for a set of tasks, you must do: A. An analysis of the critical path B. A forwards pass C. A backwards pass D. all of the above 9. An activity that consumes no time or resources and shows only that a dependency exists between two activities is called: A. A milestone B. A hammock C. A dummy activity D. A hanger 10. A modification of a logical relationship that allows an acceleration of the successor task is represented by: A. Lead B. Lag C. Slack D. a or b 11. Assuming a PERT weighted average computation, what is the probability of completing the project within plus-or-minus 3 standard deviations of the mean? A. 68% B. 99.74% C. 95% D. 75% 12. Schedule variance can be determined by: A. BCWP - ACWP B. ACWP - BCWP C. EAC - ACWP D. BCWP - BCWS
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13. The primary difference between PERT and CPM is that PERT: A. Uses the most likely estimate to calculate float. B. Uses the distribution's mean (expected value) to calculate the project duration instead of the most likely estimate. C. Focuses on calculating float in order to determine which activities have the least scheduling flexibility. D. Calculates a single, deterministic early and late start and finish date for each activity. 14. The Time Management Process that involves identifying and documenting interactivity dependencies is called: A. Activity Definition B. Activity Duration Estimating C. Activity Dependencies D. Activity Sequencing 15. A network diagram that uses nodes to represent activities and arrows to show the activity dependencies and allows no loops is called: A. AOA B. AON C. ADM D. GERT
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For Questions 16-18 use the following assumptions: A PDM network Duration = finish date minus start date + 1 For a simple FS relationship, the start date of the successor will be one day after the finish date of the predecessor. For a simple SS relationship, the start date of the successor will be the same day after the start of the predecessor. ** Note: There are several means of specifying assumptions for start and end dates. For the purposes of these sample questions, MS Project was chosen as the model for specifying date assumptions. 16. Activity A starts on Day 1; has a duration of 3 days, and a FS relationship with succeeding Activity B. If the duration for Activity B is 5 days, calculate the Early Start and Early Finish dates for Activity B. (Assume that Activity B has no other dependencies.) A. B. C. D. Early Start is Day 2; Early Finish is Day 6 Early Start is Day 4; Early Finish is Day 9 Early Start is Day 3; Early Finish is Day 7 Early Start is Day 4; Early Finish is Day 8
17. Activity C is preceded by Activities A and B. Activity A has a FS relationship with a 1 day lead with Activity C. Activity B has SS relationship with Activity C with a 2 day lag. Given the following: Activity A: Early Start is Day 2; Early Finish is Day 4 Activity B: Early Start is Day 3; Early Finish is Day 6 Activity C: Duration is 3 days. Assuming no other dependencies for Activity C, calculate Activity Cs Early Start and Finish dates. A. Early Start is Day 4; Early Finish is Day 6. B. Early Start is Day 1; Early Finish is Day 4. C. Early Start is Day 5; Early Finish is Day 7. D. Early Start is Day 7; Early Finish is Day 9.
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18. Activity J has a FS relationship with a 1 day lag with succeeding Activity K. Activity J also has a SS relationship with a 5 day lag with succeeding Activity L. Assume that Activity J has no other immediate succeeding relationships. Given the following:
Activity K: Late Start is Day 11; Late Finish is Day 15 Activity L: Late Start is Day 11; Late Finish is Day 15 Activity J: Duration is 5 days. Calculate Activity Js Late Start and Finish dates. A. Late Start is Day 5; Late Finish is Day 9. B. Late Start is Day 6; Late Finish is Day 11. C. Late Start is Day 6; Late Finish is Day 10. D. Late Start is Day 5; Late Finish is Day 11. 19. Activity Sequencing and Schedule Development are considered core processes in which process group? A. Initiating B. Executing C. Controlling D. Planning 20. Which of the following is considered to be a conditional diagramming method? A. GERT B. PERT C. PDM D. ADM
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Use the following information and assumptions for questions 21-22: A PDM network Duration = finish date minus start date + 1 For a simple FS relationship, the start date of the successor will be one day after the finish date of the predecessor. Activity B Early Start is Day 1; Early Finish is Day 3. Late Start is Day 6; Late Finish is Day 8. Activity B has a FS relationship with succeeding Activity C. Activity B has no other immediate succeeding activities. Activity C has an Early Start of 6 days and a Late Start of 11 days. 21. What is the float or total float for Activity B? (use PMBOK Guide definition of float as defined above.) A. 2 days B. 5 days C. 7 days D. 0 days 22. What is the free float for Activity B? (use definition of free float as defined in PMBOK Guide above.) A. 2 days B. 5 days C. 7 days D. 0 days
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23. As an output of the Schedule Control Process, corrective actions include: (choose best answer) A. Using resource leveling to reassign staff B. Rebaselining the schedule on a frequent basis C. Expediting the schedule to ensure completion of an activity on time or with the least possible delay D. Reducing the duration of the critical path 24. If you were crashing a project, you would focus your attention on: A. All non-critical tasks B. Only those task on the critical path without concern for cost C. Accelerating performance for minimum cost increase for all activities D. Accelerating performance for activities on the critical path for the least amount of incremental cost 25. Which of the following statements regarding reserve time (contingency) is false? A. Contingency may be added to the activity duration or elsewhere in the schedule as a recognition of schedule risk. B. Adding reserve time to the majority of the project activities is preferred and recommended. C. The reserve time may be reduced or eliminated once more precise information about the project becomes available. D. Reserve time should be documented along with other data and assumptions. 26. An unintended break in the network logic usually caused by missing activities or logical relationships is called a: A. Fragnet B. Subnet C. Hammock D. Hanger 27. The project is behind schedule. Which of the following actions should the project manager most likely consider to bring the project back on schedule? (choose the best answer) A. Increase the number of daily status meetings and insist that the technical people attend B. Focus on all behind schedule activities, including those activities which have not exceeded slack C. Focus primarily on critical activities which are behind schedule. Consider alternatives for accelerating performance. D. Crash the schedule and fast track the majority of the activities. Worry about cost and risk, later.
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28 Fast-tracking is: A. Obtaining the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost B. Doing activities in parallel that would normally be done in sequence to reduce project duration C. Completing multiple projects in parallel D. Reducing the duration of selected activities by vending out to another organization 29. Schedule control is concerned with: A. Influencing the factors which create schedule changes to ensure that changes are beneficial B. Determining that the schedule has changed C. Managing the actual changes when and as they occur D. All of the above 30. Which of the following is not an output of the Schedule Development Process? A. Project Schedule B. Supporting detail C. Project network diagram D. Resource requirement updates
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Answer Sheet
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b
c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c
d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d
16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b
c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c
d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d
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Answers
1 B 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 A D C D C A B D B D B D PMBOK Guide, pgs. 67-68 PMBOK Guide Glossary . Free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the early start time of the succeeding activity. Adding constrained dates like must start and must finish to a schedule with no float significantly increases the likelihood that negative float will appear. (O + 4ML + P)/6 (P - O)/6, O = most optimistic time, P = most pessimistic time Critical Path Method. PMBOK Guide Glossary PMBOK Guide Glossary Lewis, pg.. 181 PMBOK Guide Glossary PMBOK pg. 75 PMBOK Guide pg. 65 PMBOK Guide Glossary. Also called PDM Activity As Early Start is Day 1. Activity A has a duration of 3 days, so the Early Finish would be Day 3. (Finish = Start + Duration -1) Activity B has no other dependencies, so its Early Start is Day 4. A five day duration gives Activity B an Early Finish of Day 8. Using a forward pass, check both dependencies: From assumptions, the succeeding activitys start date is one day later than preceding activitys finish date for an FS relationship. The start date of the succeeding activity in an SS relationship is the same as the start date of its predecessor. Must look at both relationships. Early Start for C = (Finish Date for A + 1) - 1 day lead = Day 4 or Early Start for C = Start Date for B + 2 day lag = Day 5 For a forward pass, you use the later date. In this case, Day 5. Activity C has a duration of 3 days, so the early finish would be Day 7. (From assumptions, finish = start + duration - 1). Using a backwards pass, check both dependencies: Late Finish for J = (Late Start for K - 1) - 1 day lag = Day 9 or Late Finish for J = Late Start for L - 5 day lag + (Duration of J - 1) = Day 10. When performing a backwards pass, use the earliest dates. Therefore, Late Finish for J is Day 9 with a Late Start of Day 5. (Late Finish - Duration + 1) PMBOK Guide, pg. 33 PMBOK Guide, pg. 70 GERT stands for Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique. It allows for loops and conditional branches. PMBOK Guide Glossary. Float is defined as the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without affecting the project end date. This can be calculated by either of the following: LS-ES or LF-EF. Either calculation should give you the same result. (If not, there is something wrong with the dates.)
17 C
18 A
19 D 20 A 21 B
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Answers, cont.
22 A A PMBOK Guide Glossary. Free float is defined as the amount of time an activity can be delayed without impacting the early start dates of any immediately succeeding activities. Since Activity Bs early finish is Day 3 and Activity Cs early start is Day 6, Activity B has a free float of 2 days. 6 - 3 - 1 (to account for the next day start) PMBOK Guide pg. 81 PMBOK Guide Glossary Since the intent of crashing is to reduce the total project duration (after analyzing several alternatives) for the least incremental cost, this can best be accomplished in the example by compressing the critical path. PMBOK Guide pg. 73 Theres a definite purpose for reserve time; however, using it liberally will inflate the expected cost of the project. PMBOK Guide Glossary Option A seems to be a popular method for handling a schedule performance crisis. The danger (and complaint) is that technical people arent getting the work done and are often distracted if they are statused to death. Option B is also commonly used especially among managers/project managers who micro-manage. The danger in over-focusing on all activities, not just the critical ones, is that non-critical activities may receive too much attention while critical activities are ignored. Crashing and fast tracking are not always the right answers and often result in increased costs , risks, and rework. These methods should be used after careful consideration. PMBOK Guide pg. 75 PMBOK Guide pg. 79 PMBOK Guide pg. 66
23 C 24 D
25 B 26 D 27 C
28 B 29 D 30 C
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PMP Certification Exam Preparation What did I do wrong ?
I would have answered a larger number of questions correctly if I had ___________. 1. Read the question properly and identified the keywords 2. Read the answer properly and identified the keywords 3. Read ALL the answers before answering the question 4. Used a strategy of elimination 5. Known the formula 6. Known the PMBOK definition 7. Checked the mathematics 8 Used the PMI rather than my own perspective 9. Reviewed my answer after reading the other questions 10. NOT rushed to finish Total
Number
_________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
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PMP Exam Preparation Study Guide - Project Time Management

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PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT

In Preparation For PMP Certification Exam

IBM Education and Training Worldwide Certified Material

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Study Notes

Reference Material to study:

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Activity-On-Arrow Activity-On-Node Arrow Diagram Method (ADM)

Baseline Calendar Unit

Concurrent Engineering Crashing

Critical Activity Critical Path

Critical Path Method (CPM)

Data Date (DD)

Project Time Management

Key Definitions, continued

Duration Compression Early Finish Date (EF)

Early Start Date (ES)

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Key Definitions, continued

Late Finish Date (LF)

Late Start Date (LS)

Level of Effort (LOE)

Master Schedule Milestone

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Key Definitions, continued

Percent Complete PERT Chart Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

Project Network Diagram Remaining Duration (RDU) Resource Leveling

Scheduled Start Date (SS)

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Key Definitions, continued

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes

Activity Sequencing (6.2): (Process Group: Planning)

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Activity Duration Estimating (6.3): (Process Group: Planning)

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Schedule Development (6.4): (Process Group: Planning)

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002

Project Time Management

Project Time Management Processes, cont.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002