Deck 9: Reducing Project Duration

Question 1

In selecting the best activity to reduce you would first select the activity with the

A)Earliest start time
B)Steepest slope
C)Least steep slope
D)Longest duration
E)Largest crash time

Answer 1

C
Explanation: The less steep the cost slope of an activity, the less it costs to shorten one time period.

Question 2

The shortest possible time an activity can be completed realistically is called ___ time.

A)Expedited
B)Accelerated
C)Crash
D)Optimistic
E)Optimal

Answer 2

C
Explanation: The shortest possible time an activity can realistically be completed in is called its crash time.

Question 3

Total project costs include all of the following except:

A)Supervision
B)Administration
C)Project manager's salary
D)Interest
E)All of these are included in total project costs

Answer 3

E
Explanation: Direct costs commonly represent labor, materials, equipment, and sometimes subcontractors.Indirect costs generally represent overhead costs such as supervision, administration, consultants, and interest.

Question 4

Cost slope can be determined by dividing the

A)Run by the rise
B)Rise by the run
C)Crash cost by the normal cost
D)Normal cost by the crash cost
E)Both B and C are correct

Question 5

An activity's crash costs include ____ costs.

A)Direct
B)Indirect
C)Overhead
D)Both A and B are correct
E)A, B, and C are correct

Question 6

Intense global competition and rapid technological advances create pressure on developing projects rapidly.This is an example of reducing project duration caused by:

A)Imposed project deadlines
B)Time to market
C)Unforeseen project delays
D)High overhead
E)Incentive contracts

Question 7

The president of a software company remarks in a speech that new technologically advanced software will be available in one year.This is an example of reducing project duration caused by:

A)Imposed project deadlines
B)Time to market
C)Unforeseen project delays
D)High overhead
E)Incentive contracts

Question 8

Creating a Project Cost-Duration graph is useful:

A)During the pre-project planning phase
B)After the project has begun
C)After the completion of the project
D)Both A and B are correct
E)A, B, and C are all correct

Question 9

Project costs are generally classified as ____ costs.

A)Direct
B)Indirect
C)Overhead
D)Both A and B are correct
E)A, B, and C are all correct

Question 10

____ costs are incurred when completing an activity in its realistically shortest time.

A)Normal
B)Reserve
C)Crash
D)Accelerated
E)Expedited

Question 11

Which of the following is not considered a project indirect cost?

A)Supervision
B)Consultants
C)Equipment
D)Interest
E)All of these are considered project indirect costs

Question 12

A contractor finished a bridge across a lake 18 months early and received more than $6 million for the early completion.This is an example of reducing project duration caused by:

A)Imposed project deadlines
B)Time to market
C)Unforeseen project delays
D)High overhead
E)Incentive contracts

Question 13

An activity's cost slope represents an activity's

A)Total cost per unit of time
B)Cost per unit of time
C)Indirect cost per unit of time
D)Both B and C are correct
E)A, B, and C are all correct

Question 14

The most common response for meeting unattainable deadlines is to

A)Reduce or scale back the scope of the project.
B)Decrease the critical paths
C)Crash all elements of the project
D)Change the time to market statement
E)B, and C are correct

Question 15

The optimum duration for a project is at the point where:

A)Direct costs are the lowest
B)Indirect costs are the lowest
C)Direct costs equal indirect costs
D)Total project costs are the lowest
E)The project changes from time-constrained to resource-constrained

Question 16

Adverse weather, design flaws, and equipment breakdown can create negative slack.This is an example of reducing project duration caused by:

A)Imposed project deadlines
B)Time to market
C)Unforeseen project delays
D)High overhead
E)Incentive contracts

Question 17

Which of the following correctly calculates an activity's cost slope?

A)(normal cost-crash cost)/(normal time-crash time)
B)(crash cost-normal cost)/(normal time-crash time)
C)(normal time-crash time)/(crash cost-normal cost)
D)(normal time-crash time)/(normal cost-crash cost)
E)(crash cost-normal cost)/(crash time-normal time)

Question 18

The less steep the cost slope of an activity, the

A)Less it costs to shorten one time period
B)More it costs to shorten one time period
C)Smaller the crash time
D)Larger the crash time
E)Cannot be determined by the information given

Question 19

Low-cost, realistic, efficient methods for completing an activity under normal conditions are supported by ____ time.

A)Normal
B)Budget
C)Optimized
D)Expected
E)Target

Question 20

Crashing a project should occur:

A)As early as possible
B)As late as possible
C)Midway through the project
D)Both A and C are correct
E)Cannot be determined with the information given

Question 21

The relationship between cost and time for various durations is assumed to be:

A)Linear
B)Curvilinear
C)Variable
D)Conversely related
E)Exponentially related

Question 22

Which of the following is the easiest method for shortening project time?

A)Assigning additional staff and equipment
B)Subcontract work
C)Schedule overtime
D)Reduce project scope
E)Reduce the quality

Question 23

The project direct-cost line near the normal point is usually:

A)Sloped steeply
B)Relatively flat
C)Rising
D)Falling
E)Gently sloped

Question 24

The Snapshot from Practice which detailed the Northridge earthquake demonstrated the importance of reducing a project's ______.

Question 25

If a network has several critical or near-critical paths it is deemed to be:

A)Well planned
B)The lowest cost alternative
C)Resource-constrained
D)Sensitive
E)Insensitive

Question 26

Intense global competition and rapid technological advances combine to create a(n) ________ imposed project duration date.

Question 27

The most common method for shortening project time is to

A)Subcontract activities
B)Compromise the quality
C)Add additional staff and equipment
D)Work overtime
E)Reduce the project scope

Question 28

The Snapshot from Practice "Cell-Phone Wars" is an excellent example of reducing project duration due to:

A)Imposed project deadlines
B)Time to market
C)Unforeseen project delays
D)High overhead
E)Incentive contracts

Question 29

Sometimes very high ________ costs are recognized before a project begins and reducing these costs through shorter project durations becomes a high priority.

Question 30

Which of the following is not one of the techniques for accelerating project completion?

A)Assigning additional staff and equipment
B)Establish a core team
C)Do it twice-fast and correctly
D)Reduce project scope
E)All of these are acceptable techniques

Question 31

One way of reducing project costs is identifying tasks that _________ can do themselves.

A)Vendors
B)Suppliers
C)Customers
D)Company employees
E)Project teams

Question 32

A common method for shortening the project time is to:

A)Adding resources
B)Schedule overtime
C)Subcontract an activity
D)Both A and B are correct
E)A, B, and C are all correct

Question 33

Which of the following is/are included in a Project Cost-Duration Graph?

A)Total indirect cost
B)Total direct cost
C)Total project cost
D)Both A and B are correct
E)A, B, and C are all correct

Question 34

According to Brooks' Law, adding more people to a late project is most likely to have which of the following impact?

A)Keep the project from slipping any further
B)Get the project back on schedule
C)Make the project slips further
D)Both A and B are correct
E)None of these relate to Brooks' Law

Question 35

Which of the following is not one of the more commonly used options for cutting project costs?

A)Reduce project scope
B)Have owner take more responsibility
C)Moving the completion date further out
D)Brainstorming cost savings options
E)Outsourcing project activities

Question 36

Which of the following is the most common method for shortening project time?

A)Assigning additional staff and equipment
B)Subcontract work
C)Schedule overtime
D)Reduce project scope
E)Reduce the quality

Question 37

A positive situation where moving toward the optimum time can result in very real, large savings-this occurs when the network is:

A)Insensitive
B)Sensitive
C)Ahead of schedule
D)Shifting to the critical chain
E)Implementing a fast-tracking system

Question 38

When the project team is salaried, which of the following is the preferred choice for accelerating project completion?

A)Assigning additional staff and equipment
B)Subcontract work
C)Schedule overtime
D)Work longer hours
E)Both C and D are preferred choices

Question 39

The ________ project cost is the sum of the indirect and direct costs.

Question 40

When a politician makes a public statement that a new building will be available in two years, a(n) ________ duration has reduced the project duration.

Question 41

Because direct costs are assumed to be developed from normal methods and time, any reduction in activity time should ________ the cost of the activity.

Question 42

In the "I'll Bet You..." Snapshot from Practice, the draftsman won ___________ for making a very difficult deadline.

Question 43

Subtracting an activity's crash time from the normal time will calculate an activity's ________.

Question 44

The easiest way to add more resources to a project is not to add more people, but to schedule ________.

Question 45

To shorten the duration of a project the project manager should limit the choices of activities to just those which ________.

Question 46

An activity's ________ is calculated by dividing the rise by the run.

Question 47

The ________ time for an activity represents low-costs, realistic, efficient methods for completing the activity under typical conditions.

Question 48

A network is considered to be ________ if it has a predominate critical path with no other path close in terms of slack.

Question 49

The easiest way to add more labor to a project is not to add more people, but to add ___________.

Question 50

Costs such as supervision, administration, consultants, and interest are examples of ________ project costs.

Question 51

According to ________, adding more manpower to a late software project makes it later.

Question 52

When considering whether to move the project to its optimum cost-time position, the manager should also consider ________.

Question 53

Shortening an activity is called ________.

Question 54

___________ is probably the most common response for meeting unattainable deadlines.

Question 55

A rule of thumb for moderate- to high-technology firms is that a six-month delay in bringing a product to market can result in a gross profit loss of about 35 percent.

Question 56

Costs such as labor, materials, equipment, or contractors are examples of ________ project costs.

Question 57

Direct costs are assignable directly to a project ________.

Question 58

Subtracting an activity's normal cost from the crash cost will calculate an activity's ________.

Question 59

The direct costs for completing an activity as early as possible is called its ________.

Question 60

____________ is the rearranging of the project network logic so that critical activities are done in parallel rather than sequentially.

Question 61

Crash cost is the incremental cost incurred when an activity is reduced in duration.

Question 62

The accuracy of crash times and costs is frequently rough at best, when compared with normal time and cost.

Question 63

Shortening an activity's duration is termed crashing.

Question 64

Expected time for an activity represents low-cost, realistic, efficient methods for completing the activity under anticipated conditions.

Question 65

Crashing a more expensive activity may be wise if fewer inherent risks are involved.

Question 66

Incentive contracts can make reduction of project time rewarding-usually for both the project contractor and owner.

Question 67

Managers have several effective methods for crashing specific project activities when resources are not constrained.

Question 68

A project network is classified as sensitive if it has a large number of interacting paths.

Question 69

While the relationship between normal and crash times is really curvilinear, the assumption that it is linear is seldom a concern for practicing managers.

Question 70

Direct costs are so named because they can be assigned directly to a work package and activity.

Question 71

The higher the slope of an activity the greater the cost to reduce its duration.

Question 72

Because direct costs are assumed to be developed from normal methods and time, any reduction in activity time should add to the costs of the activity.

Question 73

The cost slope of an activity is calculated by dividing the run by the rise.

Question 74

Creating a Project Cost-Duration Graph in the pre-project planning phase without an imposed duration is the best time to use this tool.

Question 75

Crash time is the greatest time reduction possible under realistic conditions.

Question 76

Indirect costs generally represent overhead costs such as supervision, administration, consultants, and interest.

Question 77

The sum of the costs of all the work packages represents the total direct costs for the project.

Question 78

Imposed project durations almost always leads to a higher-cost project than one planned with detailed scheduling of all the project's activities.

Question 79

Collecting crash times for a moderate-size project is relatively easy.

Question 80

The total cost for each possible duration of a project is the sum of labor, materials, and equipment.