Planning, Scheduling & Resource

What does a work breakdown structure (WBS) primarily do?

• A Lists stakeholders in order of influence
• B Decomposes the total scope of work into smaller, manageable work packages ✓
• C Records identified project risks
• D Tracks daily team attendance

Answer: A WBS hierarchically decomposes the total project scope into progressively smaller, manageable work packages to aid planning and control.

On a network diagram, the critical path is:

• A The path that costs the least to complete
• B Any path that contains a milestone
• C The path with the most activities regardless of duration
• D The longest sequence of dependent activities that determines the shortest possible project duration ✓

Answer: The critical path is the longest chain of dependent activities; it sets the minimum project duration, and any delay on it delays the whole project.

What is 'float' (slack) in a project schedule?

• A The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project (total float) or a successor ✓
• B The number of resources assigned to a task
• C The profit margin on the project
• D The extra budget held in reserve

Answer: Float (slack) is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project completion date (total float) or its successor activities.

What is the purpose of a project baseline?

• A To provide an approved reference (e.g. for scope, schedule and cost) against which performance is measured ✓
• B To list every stakeholder's contact details
• C To replace the need for change control
• D To record the lowest acceptable quality level only

Answer: A baseline is the approved version of scope, schedule and/or cost used as a fixed reference point to measure and control progress against.

What does resource smoothing aim to achieve?

• A Removing all resources from the critical path
• B Increasing the project budget to its maximum
• C Completing the project as quickly as possible regardless of resource limits
• D Adjusting activities within their float to keep resource usage within set limits without delaying the end date ✓

Answer: Resource smoothing uses available float to level resource demand within agreed limits while keeping the planned completion date unchanged.

Which estimating approach uses data from past similar projects to estimate the current one?

• A Three-point estimating
• B Parametric estimating from unit rates only
• C Bottom-up estimating
• D Analogous (comparative) estimating ✓

Answer: Analogous (comparative) estimating draws on actual data from previous similar projects to produce an estimate, useful early when detail is limited.