Question 1

The earliest start time rule
A)compares the starting times of all activities for successors of an activity.
B)compares the finish times for all immediate predecessors of an activity.
C)determines when the project can begin.
D)determines when the project must begin.

Accepted Answer

The earliest start time (EST) rule compares the finish times of all immediate predecessors of an activity in order to determine the earliest possible start time for that activity. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Option A is referring to the successor activity's earliest start time, not the current activity's EST. Option C and D are not accurate descriptions of the EST rule.

Question 2

Activities G, P, and R are the immediate predecessors for activity W.If the earliest finish times for the three are 12, 15, and 10, then the earliest start time for W
A)is 10.
B)is 12.
C)is 15.
D)cannot be determined.

Accepted Answer

The earliest start time for W is equal to the maximum of the earliest finish times of its immediate predecessors. In this case, the earliest finish times for the three immediate predecessors are 12, 15, and 10. The maximum of these is 15. Therefore, the earliest start time for W is 15.

Question 3

Activities following a node
A)can begin as soon as any activity preceding the node has been completed.
B)have an earliest start time equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities entering the node.
C)have a latest start time equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities entering the node.
D)None of the alternatives is correct.

Accepted Answer

Activities following a node cannot begin until all preceding activities have been completed. Therefore, they have an earliest start time equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities entering the node. Option A is incorrect because activities cannot begin until all preceding activities have been completed. Option C is incorrect because it refers to the latest start time, which is typically associated with the forward pass calculation of the project network.

Question 4

PERT and CPM
A)are most valuable when a small number of activities must be scheduled.
B)have different features and are not applied to the same situation.
C)do not require a chronological relationship among activities.
D)have been combined to develop a procedure that uses the best of each.

Accepted Answer

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) have been combined to develop a procedure that uses the best of each. PERT is best used in projects with a high degree of uncertainty and variability, while CPM is best suited for projects that are well defined and have a clear timeline. The combination of these two techniques provides a more comprehensive approach to project management that takes into account both uncertainty and clear timelines.

Question 5

PERT and CPM are applicable only when there is no dependence among activities.

Accepted Answer

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) are project management tools used to plan, schedule and control complex projects, including those with dependent activities. These techniques consider the interdependencies and relationships among the activities to determine the critical path and help in identifying the longest path of activities that must be completed on-time to meet the project deadline. Therefore, they are applicable to both dependent and independent activities.

Question 6

To determine how to crash activity times
A)normal activity costs and costs under maximum crashing must be known.
B)shortest times with crashing must be known.
C)realize that new paths may become critical.
D)All of the alternatives are true.

Accepted Answer

To determine how to crash activity times, it is important to know the normal activity costs and costs under maximum crashing (A), shortest times with crashing (B), and realize that new paths may become critical (C). Therefore, all of the alternatives (D) are true and must be considered in determining how to crash activity times.

Question 7

A path through a project network must reach every node.

Accepted Answer

A path through a project network is a sequence of connected activities from start to end, but it does not have to reach every node; some nodes may be part of different, parallel paths.

Question 8

When activity times are uncertain,
A)assume they are normally distributed.
B)calculate the expected time, using (a + 4m + b)/6.
C)use the most likely time.
D)calculate the expected time, using (a + m + b)/3.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When activity times are uncertain,
A)assume they are...

Question 9

For an activity with more than one immediate predecessor activity, which of the following is used to compute its earliest finish (EF) time?
A)the largest EF among the immediate predecessors.
B)the average EF among the immediate predecessors.
C)the largest LF among the immediate predecessors.
D)the difference in EF among the immediate predecessors.

Accepted Answer

The earliest finish time of an activity with more than one immediate predecessor is determined by the activity that takes the longest to complete. Therefore, the largest EF among the immediate predecessors is used to compute the EF of the activity.

Question 10

Arcs in a project network indicate
A)completion times.
B)precedence relationships.
C)activities.
D)the critical path.

Accepted Answer

Arcs in a project network indicate the precedence relationships between activities, indicating which activities need to be completed before others can begin. Arcs do not indicate completion times, activities themselves, or the critical path.

Question 11

Which of the following is always true about a critical activity?
A)LS = EF.
B)LF = LS.
C)ES = LS.
D)EF = ES.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is always true...

Question 12

Critical activities are those that can be delayed without delaying the entire project.

Accepted Answer

Critical activities are those that cannot be delayed without delaying the entire project. They have zero or negative slack.

Question 13

For an activity with more than one immediate successor activity, its latest-finish time is equal to the
A)largest latest-finish time among its immediate successors.
B)smallest latest-finish time among its immediate successors.
C)largest latest-start time among its immediate successors.
D)smallest latest-start time among its immediate successors.

Accepted Answer

The answer of For an activity with more than one...

Question 14

In deciding which activities to crash, one must
A)crash all critical activities.
B)crash largest-duration activities.
C)crash lowest-cost activities.
D)crash activities on the critical path(s) only.

Accepted Answer

Crashing activities on the critical path(s) is the best choice because these activities are the ones that are directly impacting the project completion date. By reducing the duration of critical activities, the overall project duration can be reduced, and the project will be completed sooner. Crashing non-critical activities may not have as much of an impact on the project completion date and may result in unnecessary additional costs.

Question 15

Which is not a significant challenge of project scheduling?
A)deadlines exist.
B)activities are independent.
C)many employees could be required.
D)delays are costly.

Accepted Answer

Independent activities are actually beneficial for project scheduling as they can be performed simultaneously without being dependent on one another. Therefore, not a significant challenge. The other options are valid challenges of project scheduling. Deadlines need to be met, many employees may be needed and delays can lead to extra costs and missed opportunities.

Question 16

Activities K, M and S immediately follow activity H, and their latest start times are 14, 18, and 11.The latest finish time for activity H
A)is 11.
B)is 14.
C)is 18.
D)cannot be determined.

Accepted Answer

The latest finish time for activity H is the earliest of the latest start times of activities K, M, and S, which is 11.

Question 17

The critical path
A)is any path that goes from the starting node to the completion node.
B)is a combination of all paths.
C)is the shortest path.
D)is the longest path.

Accepted Answer

The critical path is the longest path in the network diagram as it represents the maximum time required to complete the project. It includes all the activities that cannot be delayed without delaying the project completion date.

Question 18

Slack equals
A)LF - EF.
B)EF - LF.
C)EF - LS.
D)LF - ES.

Accepted Answer

Slack in a project is calculated as the difference between the Early Finish time (EF) and Late Finish time (LF). Therefore, the correct formula for slack is EF - LF.

Question 19

Activities with zero slack
A)can be delayed.
B)must be completed first.
C)lie on a critical path.
D)have no predecessors.

Accepted Answer

Activities with zero slack lie on the critical path, which means any delay in those activities will delay the project's completion date. Therefore, they cannot be delayed or completed later, and must be given top priority to ensure timely project delivery. Zero slack activities can have predecessors or not, but they are always located on the critical path.

Question 20

Which of the following is a general rule for crashing activities?
A)Crash only non-critical activities.
B)Crash activities with zero slack.
C)Crash activities with the greatest number of predecessors.
D)Crash the path with the fewest activities.

Accepted Answer

Crashing activities with zero slack will have the greatest impact on reducing project duration as they are on the critical path and any reduction in their duration will reduce the project duration.

Quiz 9: Project Scheduling: Pertcpm

The earliest start time rule

Activities G, P, and R are the immediate predecessors for activity W.If the earliest finish times for the three are 12, 15, and 10, then the earliest start time for W

Activities following a node

PERT and CPM

PERT and CPM are applicable only when there is no dependence among activities.

To determine how to crash activity times

A path through a project network must reach every node.

When activity times are uncertain,

For an activity with more than one immediate predecessor activity, which of the following is used to compute its earliest finish (EF) time?

Arcs in a project network indicate

Which of the following is always true about a critical activity?

Critical activities are those that can be delayed without delaying the entire project.

For an activity with more than one immediate successor activity, its latest-finish time is equal to the

In deciding which activities to crash, one must

Which is not a significant challenge of project scheduling?

Activities K, M and S immediately follow activity H, and their latest start times are 14, 18, and 11.The latest finish time for activity H

The critical path

Slack equals

Activities with zero slack

Which of the following is a general rule for crashing activities?