Scheduling Fundamentals & Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Scheduling Fundamentals & Techniques flashcards as text
In resource-constrained scheduling, which heuristic assigns resources to activities in order of their scheduled start dates?
Answer: Earliest start time rule
The earliest start time rule prioritizes resource allocation to activities with the earliest scheduled start, ensuring time-ordered assignment.
What is the primary difference between resource leveling and resource smoothing?
Answer: Leveling may extend project duration; smoothing does not extend it beyond the critical path
Resource leveling resolves over-allocations and may delay the project end date, whereas resource smoothing only uses available float and never extends the schedule.
Which scheduling output document identifies the planned dates for performing activities and the planned dates for meeting schedule milestones?
Answer: Schedule baseline
The schedule baseline is the approved version of the project schedule against which actual performance is measured and controlled.
When using three-point estimating for PERT, an activity has an optimistic estimate of 4 days, most likely of 7 days, and pessimistic of 16 days. What is the PERT expected duration?
Answer: 8 days
PERT expected duration = (O + 4M + P) / 6 = (4 + 28 + 16) / 6 = 48 / 6 = 8 days.
Which document formally authorizes a project and provides the project manager with authority to apply organizational resources?
Answer: Project charter
The project charter officially authorizes the project and grants the project manager authority to use resources for project activities.
In scheduling, the term 'hammock activity' refers to:
Answer: A summary activity that spans between two specified points in the schedule
A hammock activity is a special summary task whose duration is determined by the start and finish of other activities it spans, often used for overhead tracking.
Which scheduling technique establishes buffers at the end of project chains to protect the project completion date rather than padding individual activities?
Answer: Critical Chain Method (CCM)
Critical Chain Method removes individual activity padding and places project and feeding buffers at strategic points to protect the overall schedule.