PMBOK PMBOK Project Schedule Management Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scheduling technique identifies the longest path through a project network to determine the minimum project duration?
- Critical Path Method (CPM) (Correct answer)
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
- Resource Leveling
- Fast Tracking
Correct answer: Critical Path Method (CPM)
The Critical Path Method (CPM) calculates the longest sequence of dependent activities to determine the shortest possible project duration.
Question 2: What is 'float' (also called slack) in project schedule management?
- Extra budget reserved for schedule risks
- The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project (Correct answer)
- The difference between planned and actual progress
- A buffer added to the end of a schedule
Correct answer: The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project
Float (or slack) is the amount of time a scheduled activity can be delayed or extended without pushing back the project completion date.
Question 3: Which schedule compression technique involves overlapping activities that were originally planned in sequence?
- Crashing
- Resource leveling
- Fast tracking (Correct answer)
- Schedule baseline revision
Correct answer: Fast tracking
Fast tracking overlaps phases or activities that were originally planned to be done sequentially, accepting increased risk to shorten the schedule.
Question 4: In a Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) network, what does a Finish-to-Start (FS) dependency mean?
- The successor can start only after the predecessor finishes (Correct answer)
- Both activities must finish at the same time
- The successor must start before the predecessor finishes
- Both activities must start at the same time
Correct answer: The successor can start only after the predecessor finishes
A Finish-to-Start dependency means the predecessor activity must be completed before the successor activity can begin.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a Schedule Baseline in PMBOK?
- To document lessons learned after the project
- To serve as the approved version of the schedule used to measure performance (Correct answer)
- To list all project resources and their availability
- To identify risks that may affect the timeline
Correct answer: To serve as the approved version of the schedule used to measure performance
The Schedule Baseline is the approved version of the project schedule, used as a reference point to compare actual progress and identify variances.
Question 6: Which estimating technique uses the actual durations from similar past projects to estimate current activity durations?
- Three-point estimating
- Parametric estimating
- Analogous estimating (Correct answer)
- Bottom-up estimating
Correct answer: Analogous estimating
Analogous estimating uses historical data from similar past projects as the basis for estimating duration or cost of current activities.
Which scheduling technique identifies the longest path through a project network to determine the minimum project duration?