Scheduling Resources and Costs

Scheduling Resources and Costs MCQ and Short Answers Multiple Choice Questions 1. Resources are adequate, but demand varies widely over the life of the project. Delaying noncritical activities to lower peak demand on resources is known as resource A. B. C. D. E. 2. If resources are not adequate to meet peak demands, the resulting reschedule is termed A. B. C. D. E. 3. Resource-constrained scheduling. Time-constrained scheduling. Mandatory leveling. Project resource adjustment. Allocation. Which of the following is NOT a potential consequence of failing to identify limited resources before project implementation? A. B. C. D. E. 4. Shifting. Effectiveness. Manipulating. Smoothing. Allocation. Activity delays Project delays Difficulty in taking quick corrective action Increase costs Scope creep When developing a new software package, logically, the software must be designed before the code is written, and the code must be written before it is tested. These activities are dependent on each other by _________ constraints. A. B. C. D. E. Physical Technical Resource Schedule Time 5. When considering the sequence and timing of activities, which of the following is NOT one of the types of project network constraints? A. B. C. D. E. 6. Sam, the project engineer, has been scheduled to run the product system test at the same time he is to build a marketing prototype. This is an example of what type of resource constraint? A. B. C. D. E. 7. Physical Technical Resource Scheduling Time All of the following are types of resource constraints EXCEPT A. B. C. D. E. 9. Physical Technical People Equipment Time Susan is to conduct environmental testing but the chamber cannot hold all the equipment that she wants to test. This is an example of a constraint that could impact the sequence and timing of activities in a project network. What type of constraint is it? A. B. C. D. E. 8. Physical Technical Resource Time All of these are types of constraints that could impact structure of the project network. Materials. People. Equipment. Information. Human. Gene is trying to order the concrete needed to continue his project. However, the supplier will not be able to deliver it until next week. This is an example of what kind of resource constraint? A. B. C. D. E. Working capital People Equipment Information Materials 10. A special truck that George needs on his project has been scheduled on another project. This is an example of what type of resource constraint? A. B. C. D. E. 11. Most of the scheduling methods available today require the project manager to classify the project as either _______ constrained or ______ constrained. A. B. C. D. E. 12. Time, quality Quality, resource Cost, time Quality, cost Time, resource Regina's boss has told her that her project is very important. If the critical path is delayed, she will be given whatever she needs to get it back on schedule. Her project is classified as ________ constrained. A. B. C. D. E. 13. Working capital People Equipment Information Materials Time Quality Cost Performance Resource In reviewing the status of her project with top management, Shirley was told that there are only two programmers that she can use for her project. Her project is classified as __________ constrained. A. B. C. D. E. Time Quality Cost Performance Resource A resource-constrained project is one that assumes the level of resources available cannot be exceeded. If the resources are inadequate, it will be acceptable to delay the project, but as little as possible. 14. All resource leveling techniques involve A. B. C. D. E. Delaying noncritical activities. Delaying critical activities. Using negative slack. Delaying the project. Adding resources. 15. Technical constraints have been carefully considered when developing a project network. Which of the following is true at this point? A. B. C. D. E. 16. Rachel is working on a project that technically allows three activities to be done at the same time. If they were to be implemented at the same time, she would need 5 contractors in order for the activities to be completed on time. There are only 3 available for her to use. This is an example of what type of constraint? A. B. C. D. E. 17. Resources have been assigned to each activity so they are adequate to complete the project on time. Technical dependencies between activities are known. The project completion date can be established. The project is ready to be implemented. All of these are true statements once technical constraints have been established. Technical People Equipment Physical Materials Resource leveling or smoothing can have all the following results on a project EXCEPT A. Lower peak resource demand. B. Reduced resource need over the life of the project. C. Reduced fluctuations in resource demand. D. A longer project duration. E. A more sensitive network. 18. Jan is trying to reallocate resources in a time-constrained project to create smoother resource utilization. She should first identify activities with the A. B. C. D. E. 19. Smallest duration. Least slack. Most slack. Lowest identification number. Highest cost. In a resource-constrained project, which of the following is most likely to be changed? A. B. C. D. E. The completion date The budget Project quality Resource levels Scope creep 20. In a resource-constrained project, the first priority in assigning resources is usually given to activities with the A. B. C. D. E. 21. In a resource-constrained project the second priority in assigning resources is usually given to activities with the A. B. C. D. E. 22. Smallest duration. Least slack. Most slack. Lowest identification number. Highest cost. Tony has realized that two activities in his project cannot be done at the same time because not enough resources are available. Activity 3 is critical and has a duration of 5 days. Activity 4 has 2 days of slack and a duration of 2 days. How will he decide which activity should be scheduled first? A. B. C. D. E. 23. Smallest duration. Least slack. Most slack. Lowest identification number. Highest cost. The activity with the smallest duration The activity with the least slack The activity with the most slack The activity with the lowest identification number The activity with the highest cost Splitting an activity can result in all of the following EXCEPT A. More people working on the same activity. B. Possible startup and shutdown costs. C. A resource being moved from one activity to another and then back. D. Activity work being placed on hold for a period until more resources are available. E. A better project schedule. 24. All of the following are benefits of scheduling resources before project implementation EXCEPT A. B. C. D. It allows time for considering reasonable options if resource constraints do exist. The project completion date can be established. Work packages can be time-phased. It allows managers to share resources with other project managers if it is requested without negatively impacting their project. E. It ensures low network sensitivity. 25. These are all guidelines a project manager should consider when EXCEPT A. B. C. D. E. 26. When a company will reduce the number of projects they have to manage internally to only core projects and send noncritical projects to contractors and consulting firms this is called A. B. C. D. E. 27. Overall schedule slippage Inefficient resource utilization Decline in project quality Resource bottlenecks Delays in one project causing delays in other projects In a resource-constrained project the third priority in assigning resources is usually given to activities with the A. B. C. D. E. 29. Outsourcing. Redistribution of projects. Project allocation. Task sharing. Referring. Which of the following is NOT one of the more common problems associated with scheduling multiproject resources? A. B. C. D. E. 28. Select people with compatible work habits and personalities. Always assign the best people to the most difficult tasks. When possible, team veterans up with new hires. Select individuals with skillsets that complement each other. Have people work together early so that they can become familiar with each other. Smallest duration. Least slack. Most slack. Lowest identification number. Highest cost. Why is it necessary to have a time-phased budget baseline? A. B. C. D. E. It allows proper resource allocation. It shows how much work was accomplished for the money spent. It reduces schedule slippage when scheduling multiproject resources. It is not necessary to have a time-phased budget baseline. It reduces fluctuations in cash flow during the project. 30. Project budgets are developed by time-phasing which of the following? A. B. C. D. E. 31. Resource schedules Work packages The network diagram Critical activities None of these are time-phased to develop a project budget. A project budget report is showing our project as spending $35,000 against a budgeted amount of $40,000. Which of the following is true? A. B. C. D. E. We are spending less than we should for the project. We are doing a good job managing the project. We should check to see if all the bills have been paid. We have more money to put into budget reserves. We can't be sure how the project is going. 32. When there are not enough people, money, and/or equipment available for a project it is known as being A. Managerially Resourceful. B. Operationally Successful. C. Resource Constrained. D. Delayed Without Prejudice. 33. When leveling schedules to overcome resource constraints, ___________ is increased. A. B. C. D. impact of risks scheduling complexity cost amount of available slack The complexity increases due to a number of factors, e.g., multiple start constraints, reduced slack, and increased number of critical tasks. 34. This is used to compare the cost accounts between organizational units and deliverables.   A. Chart of Accounts B. Earned Value C. Project Schedule D. Direct Labor Budget Rollup 35. When deciding which staff to team-up to work on work packages, factors to consider are: A. B. C. D. 36. While balancing assignments, a project manager must also balance: A. B. C. D. 37. Work habits. Practical Experience. Years of working in the company. All of these choices are correct. Overall project cost. Talent development. Earned value. Work package slack. When looking at the critical path for a delayed project and the project manager sees that adding resources will reduce or remove the delay, the project manager knows that the project is A. B. C. D. Over Allocated. Time-Constrained. Institutionally Challenged. Ahead of schedule. Short Answer Questions 90 Identify and briefly describe the three types of project constraints that could impact or change the structure of project network.  91. What is the difference in project goals when using resource leveling on time-constrained projects and using it on resource-constrained projects?  92. Why is a schedule not a schedule until resources have been assigned? Provide a real life example that illustrates your explanation.  93. Identify and give an example of the three types of resource constraints.  94. Identify and briefly describe two ways to classify projects with scheduling problems.  95. List and briefly describe the disadvantages of resource leveling or smoothing.  96. What are the impacts of resource-constrained scheduling?  97. After constructing a project network based on technical constraints and reviewing resource requirements throughout the project, Anne realizes many peaks and valleys in regard to resource usage. At one point Anne needs 6 developers, but top management has made it very clear that she will not have access to more than 4. Classify Anne's project in terms of her scheduling problem. What are her options at this point?  98. When using resource-constrained scheduling, activities that were once scheduled to be completed at the same time now may have to be scheduled in sequence. What are the "rules of thumb" or heuristics that need to be followed to determine which activity is scheduled first?  99. Why should project managers be cautious about using the splitting scheduling technique?  100. Why is it important to make efforts to identify resource scheduling problems before the project is implemented?  101. Why is it critical to form a time-phased budget?  . 102. If your project has spent $50,000 versus a budget of $45,000 and it is a week ahead of schedule, is it a certainty that your project is doing well? Explain why or why not. 