Project Time Management Exercise

1. Produce a network diagram using the data below, identify the critical path and record the project duration.

Task	Duration	Predecessor
A	5	Start
B	8	A
C	3	B
D	4	A
E	5	C
F	7	C
G	6	D,E
H	8	F
I	6	G
J	5	H,I

What is the duration of the project using this diagram?

Show your network diagram here:

2. The table below provides a set of meanings or definitions in column 2, for the terms stated in column 1. Match up the meaning (col. 2) with it’s term (col. 1) and insert your answer from the first column, into the space provided in the third column.

Term	Meaning	Answer (number)
1. Critical Chain	A. The reduction of the overall project duration by using lead time and buffers to overlap activities related through predecessor type relationships
2. Critical Path	B. The addition of time to delay the start of an activity
3. Critical Activity	C. The adjustment of resource allocation to ensure no resource is over allocated on any day
4. Fast Tracking Schedule Compression	D. Taking a progressive view of the plan, by revisiting it and adjusting it with greater detail when that detail makes itself known
5. Total Float	E. A network analysis method which produces a schedule with reduced activity durations and feeder buffers for critical paths and feeder chains, has a duration 75% of the original and has greater risk
6. Lag	F. The development of a project estimate on the basis of the historical information from past projects similar to the current project
7. Lead	G. The longest path through the project taking the shortest possible time
8. Resource Levelling	H. The period of time which a task has available for flexibility in its start or finish.
9. Rolling Wave Planning	I. Bringing the start date of an activity forward so that it starts earlier than originally intended.
10. Analogous Estimating	J. An activity on the critical path which has to start and finish on the days stated and for which a delay would impact on the project deadline

3. Match the outputs defined in column 2, with the process named in column 1, inserting your answer in the space provided in column 3.

Process	Output	Answer (number)
1. Define Activities	A. Activity Resource Requirements/ Resource Breakdown Structure/ Project document updates
2. Sequence Activities	B. Work Performance Information/ Schedule forecasts / Change Requests / Updates to the PM Plan, project documents and Organizational Process Assets
3. Estimate Activity Resources	C. Project Schedule / Schedule baseline / Schedule Data / Project Calendars / Updates to the PM Plan and Project Document
4. Estimate Activity Durations	D. Activity List / Milestone List / Activity Attributes
5. Develop Schedule	E. Schedule Network Diagrams / Project document updates
6. Control Schedule	F. Activity Duration Estimates / Project document updates

4. Match the values defined in column 2, with the sigma level named in column 1, inserting your answer in the space provided in column 3. Note – these are also called the standard deviation values for a normal distribution.

Sigma level	Value	Answer (number)
1	99.73%
2	99.9999998%
3	95.46%
6	68.26%

Project Time Management Exercise

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