Project Management 6(B)

In rolling wave planning:

• Focus is maintained on long-term objectives, allowing near-term objectives to be rolled out as part of the ongoing wave of activities.

• The work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, whereas the work in the future is planned at a higher level.

• The work far in the future is planned in detail for work packages that are at a low level of the WBS.

• A wave of detailed activities is planned during strategic planning to ensure that WBS deliverables and project milestones are achieved.

The precedence diagramming method (PDM) is:

• A technique in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logical relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.

• A method that uses a probabilistic approach to scheduling project activities.

• A time-phased graphical representation of the arrow diagramming method (ADM), and shows durations of project activities as well as their dependencies.

• More accurate than the critical path method for scheduling when there are uncertainties about the durations of project activities.

The duration of the activity is affected by all of the following EXCEPT:

• The estimated activity resource requirements.

• The types of resources assigned to the activity.

• The availability of the resources assigned to the activity.

• Using the precedence diagramming method (PDM) for scheduling activities instead of using the critical path method (CPM).

A schedule compression technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources is called:

• Crashing.

• Program evaluation and review technique (PERT).

• Precedence diagramming method (PDM).

• Fast tracking.

The “fast tracking” method of schedule compression involves:

• The use of industrial engineering techniques to improve productivity, thereby finishing the project earlier than originally planned.

• Performing in parallel for at least a portion of their duration activities or phases that are normally done in sequence, which may result in rework and increased risk.

• Going on a “mandatory overtime schedule” to complete the project on schedule or earlier if possible.

• Assigning “dedicated teams” to critical path activities to achieve project schedule objectives.

An example of a mandatory dependency is:

• A dependency established based on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area.

• A dependency established based on some unusual aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired.

• On a construction project, to erect the superstructure only after the foundation has been built.

• On a software development project, to start design only after completion and approval of all project requirements.

Inputs to the Define Activities process are:

• Schedule management plan, work breakdown structure, project schedule, and network diagram.

• Project schedule, resource estimates, progress reports, and change requests.

• Scope management plan, project network diagram, constraints, and assumptions.

• Schedule management plan, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets.

For project scheduling, bar charts show:

• The level of effort for an activity.

• Availability of resources assigned to perform project activities.

• Activity start and end dates, as well as expected duration.

• Relative priority of activities.

The precedence diagramming method (PDM) shows:

• Various levels of the work breakdown structure.

• Activities likely to be involved in project integration and resource allocation processes.

• The logical relationships that exist between activities.

• The project completion date based on normal resource availability.

The critical path is established by calculating the following dates:

• Start-to-start, start-to-finish, finish-to-finish, finish-to-start.

• Early start, early finish, late start, late finish.

• Predecessor-to-successor, predecessor-to-predecessor, successor-to-successor.

• Primary-to-secondary, primary-to-finish, secondary-to-secondary, finish-to-finish.