BSB51407 - Diploma of
Project Management
Project Time Management
Questions & Answers
Plus Exercises
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................................2
Questions for Time Management ............................................................................................................. 3
Answers for Time Management ............................................................................................................... 6
Exercises - Manage Project Time.........................................................................................................7
Reflection: Completing the WBS .............................................................................................................. 7
Reflection - Working out the Critical Path ................................................................................................ 8
Reflection - Gantt Chart Analysis .............................................................................................................. 8
Figure 1 – Gantt chart ............................................................................................................................... 9
Record of your work experiences relating to project managing project time........................................ 10
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Questions for Time Management
1. You are the project manager of the JHG Project. This project has 32 stakeholders and will
require implementation activities in North and South America. You have been requested to
provide a duration estimate for the project. Of the following, which will offer the best level of
detail in your estimate?
a) The resource calendar
b) An order of magnitude
c) A requirements document
d) A stakeholder analysis
2. Michael is the project manager of the 78GH Project. This project requires several members of
the project team to complete a certification class for another project the week of November 2.
This class causes some of the project activities on Michael’s activities to be delayed from his
target schedule. This is an example of which of the following?
a) Hard logic
b) External dependencies
c) Soft logic
d) Conflict of interest
3. You are managing an interior decorating project. The walls are scheduled to be painted
immediately after the primer. You have allowed 36 hours between the primer activity and the
painting activity to ensure that the primer has cured. This is an example of which one of the
following?
a) Lead
b) Lag
c) Soft logic
d) Finish-to-Start relationship
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4. You are the project manager for the LLL Project. Steven, a project team member, is confused
about network diagrams. Specifically, he wants to know what the critical path is in a network
diagram. Your answer is which one of the following?
a) The critical path is the network that hosts the activities most critical to the project’s
success.
b) The critical path is the path with the longest duration.
c) The critical path is always one path that cannot be delayed or the entire project will be
delayed.
d) The critical path is the path from start to completion with no deviation from the project
plan.
5. What is the difference between PDM and ADM?
a) ADM places activities on arrows, while PDM places activities on nodes.
b) ADM is also known as AOA, while PDM is sometimes referred to as GERT.
c) ADM hosts activities on nodes, while PDM hosts activities on arrows.
d) PDM can have two types of relationships between tasks, while ADM can have only one
type of relationship between tasks.
6. Which network diagram method type can use dummy activities?
a) Project network diagrams
b) Precedence diagram method
c) Activity on the node method
d) Arrow diagramming method
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7. Where is a project manager most likely to experience a subnet?
a) WBS
b) Kill points
c) GERT charts
d) A network template
8. You are the project manager for the POL Project. This project will use a three-point estimate to
calculate the estimates for activity duration. For activity D, you have the following information:
P = 9, O = 4, M = 5. What is the result of this estimate?
a) 18 weeks
b) Six weeks
c) 33.33 days
d) Three weeks
9. You are the project manager for the YKL Project. This project will impact several lines of business
at completion. You have elected to schedule each milestone in the project to end so the work
does not impact current business cycles. This is an example of which one of the following?
a) Constraint
b) Expert judgment
c) WBS scheduling
d)
Soft logic
10. You are the project manager for the MNB Project. You and your project team are about to enter
into the activity duration estimating process. Which of the following will not be helpful in your
meeting?
a) Constraints
b) Assumptions
c) The project charter
d) Identified risks
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Answers for Time Management
1. a. The resource calendar is the best choice for this scenario as it is the only activity duration
estimating input listed.
2. b. Before the work can begin, the certification class must be completed.
3. b. The time between the activities is lag time. The painting activity must wait 36 hours before it can
begin.
4. b. The critical path is always the path with the longest duration.
5. a. ADM, the arrow diagramming method, is also known as “activity on arrow,” while PDM, the
precedence diagramming method, places activities on nodes. PDM is also known as “activity on nodes.”
6. d. Only the arrow diagramming method uses dummy activities.
7. d. Subnets are often included in network templates to summarise common activities in a project.
8. b. The formula is (P+4M+O)/6. In this instance, the outcome is six weeks.
9. d. Soft logic allows the project manager to make decisions based on conditions outside of the project,
best practices, or guidelines.
10. c. The project charter is not an input to the activity duration estimating process.
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Exercises - Manage Project Time
Reflection: Completing the WBS
Complete the WBS for planning a holiday by:
a) Estimating the resources required for each activity
b) Estimating the duration of each activity.
c) Estimating the cost of each activity.
Document your completed Work Breakdown Structure for going on a holiday in the table below.
Task
Number/ID
Task Description
Predecessor relationship (sequence)
Time Required
Resources
Human
Equipment
Costs
Material
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Reflection - Working out the Critical Path
Given the following Work Breakdown Structure, draw a PERT diagram, work out the critical path for
the project listed below. Identify where any float time is in the project.
Task
Duration
Predecessor Task
A
4 days
N/A
B
4 days
A
C
5 days
A
D
6 days
B
E
7 days
C
F
2 days
D, E
Reflection - Gantt Chart Analysis
Having seen how the various task relationships, leads, lags and milestones have been depicted on a
Gantt chart, analyse the Gantt chart below and answer the following questions:
1.
What is the relationship between:
 Task A and Task B?
 Task A and Task C?
 Task D and Tasks B & E?
 Task D and Task E?
 Task E and F?
2.
How much lead-time is there for Tasks B and C respectively?
3.
Is there any lag time depicted in this schedule? If so, where is it, and how long is it?
4.
Assuming the project commenced on 2/1/05, when did it conclude?
5.
Which tasks comprise the Critical Path?
6.
What does the black diamond represent?
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Figure 1 – Gantt chart
P a g e | 10
Record of your work experiences relating to project managing project time
List and outline any projects in which you have been responsible for managing project time
In the table below record the evidence you can produce to indicate that you have undertaken the
activities covered in this unit. You should identify at least two examples of each one.
Work processes
Examples of Evidence
Determination of schedule of
projects
Documentation produced as part
of managing projects such as
Agreement to schedule by
relevant parties
Managing team members in
relation to time management
Identifying and addressing time
management problems and
issues
 project schedule
 work breakdown structure
 schedule reports to
stakeholders
 records of recommendations
for, and corrective actions
taken against, variations in
the project schedule
 records of lessons learned
from one project that can be
applied to the next project.
Your list of evidence