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Catchy Notes: Flashcards for Mastering Project Management in Construction!

project management notes

1. Flashcard 1: front: What is the definition of time management in project management? back: Time management is monitoring the duration it takes to carry out an activity, including the processes needed to manage the timely completion of a project.

2. Flashcard 2: front: What is the relationship between project management and time management? back: Time management is a crucial part of project management that ensures activities are completed on schedule to achieve project goals on time.

3. Flashcard 3: front: What are the main steps involved in the time management process? back: The main steps are: Plan Schedule Management, Define Activity, Sequence Activity, Estimate Activity Resources, Estimate Activity Duration, Develop the Schedule, and Control the Schedule.

4. Flashcard 4: front: What is involved in the "Plan Schedule Management" step? back: It involves developing and maintaining the schedule by outlining when activities should be done and ensuring policies and procedures are in place.

5. Flashcard 5: front: How is "Define Activity" performed in time management? back: By utilizing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to identify and document what needs to be done to provide deliverables.

6. Flashcard 6: front: What does "Sequence Activity" mean? back: It means logically arranging and sequencing activities in the correct order to ensure proper flow.

7. Flashcard 7: front: Why is estimating activity resources important? back: Because it identifies the resources required for each activity to ensure proper planning and execution.

8. Flashcard 8: front: What does estimating activity duration involve? back: It involves determining the time required to complete an activity.

9. Flashcard 9: front: What is done during the "Develop the Schedule" process? back: Data is compiled to create the schedule, prioritizing activities to prevent delays.

10. Flashcard 10: front: What is the purpose of controlling the schedule? back: To monitor progress, update the schedule, and control any changes.

11. Flashcard 11: front: Give an example of defining an activity in a project. back: Activity: Dig & compact the foundation. Scope: Hire a TLB, excavate, and compact the foundation.

12. Flashcard 12: front: What is the importance of sequencing activities correctly? back: To allocate activities properly, identify relationships among them, and ensure a proper flow for project execution.

13. Flashcard 13: front: What is a network diagram in project time management? back: A network diagram outlines dependency determination between activities, showing relationships, leads, and lags with logical links.

14. Flashcard 14: front: What is a "lag" in project scheduling? back: Lag is the amount of time a successor activity should be delayed after its predecessor finishes (e.g., waiting for plaster to dry before moving in).

15. Flashcard 15: front: What is a "lead" in project scheduling? back: Lead is an overlap where a successor activity starts before the predecessor finishes (e.g., starting floor tiling before the building is fully finished).

16. Flashcard 16: front: How should activities be prioritized when determining the order of execution? back: Activities with shorter duration should be carried out before those with longer duration, considering float time available.

17. Flashcard 17: front: How do you calculate the duration needed to complete an activity when multiple workers are involved? back: Duration = Total work volume / (Work capacity per worker * Number of workers). For example, casting 3000m³ concrete with 6 workers each covering 500m³ results in 1 day.

18. Flashcard 18: front: What is the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) used for? back: PERT is used to estimate project duration when activity durations are uncertain, using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic time estimates.

19. Flashcard 19: front: Name some schedule techniques used in project time management. back: Gantt charts, network diagrams, Critical Path Method (CPM), resource optimization, modeling techniques, and schedule compression (crashing and fast-tracking).

20. Flashcard 20: front: What is a Gantt chart? back: A Gantt chart is a simple method to represent project plans using bars to indicate the start and end dates of activities and their progress.

21. Flashcard 21: front: How do Gantt charts indicate activities with shorter durations? back: Using diamond or triangle symbols on the chart.

22. Flashcard 22: front: What is the Critical Path Method (CPM)? back: CPM identifies the longest path of activities from start to finish that determines the project duration and highlights critical activities.

23. Flashcard 23: front: Why must critical path activities be closely monitored? back: Because any delay in a critical path activity delays the entire project.

24. Flashcard 24: front: How is the critical path identified using a network diagram? back: By applying forward and backward passes to calculate early start, early finish, late start, and late finish dates, and determining float times.

25. Flashcard 25: front: What happens if an activity has more than one predecessor? back: The predecessor with the latest finish date determines the start date of the successor activity.

26. Flashcard 26: front: What happens if an activity has more than one successor? back: The successor with the latest start date determines the latest finish date of the predecessor.

27. Flashcard 27: front: What is a near critical path? back: A path with a duration close to the critical path, which could become critical if delayed.

28. Flashcard 28: front: How do you perform a forward pass in a network diagram? back: Finish Date = Start Date + Duration.

29. Flashcard 29: front: How do you perform a backward pass in a network diagram? back: Start Date = Late Finish – Duration.

30. Flashcard 30: front: What are some methods to reduce project duration? back: Allocate more resources (e.g., subcontracting), motivate the team (bonuses), reduce project scope, and use crashing by allocating more expensive resources.

31. Flashcard 31: front: What is crashing in project time management? back: Crashing is completing an activity faster than normal by allocating additional costly resources to shorten the duration.

32. Flashcard 32: front: How is cost slope calculated in crashing? back: Cost slope = (Crashing Cost – Normal Cost) / (Normal Time – Crashing Time).

33. Flashcard 33: front: What is the significance of cost slope in crashing? back: It shows the rate of increase in cost per unit of time saved by crashing an activity.

34. Flashcard 34: front: What information is needed to perform network analysis for a project? back: Activity durations, predecessors, resources (laborers), and costs to determine critical path and float.

35. Flashcard 35: front: In the example given, how long is the duration of the dam construction project? back: The project is expected to run over a period of 13 months.

36. Flashcard 36: front: What is float in project management? back: Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project completion date.

37. Flashcard 37: front: Why is the network diagram considered the correct output of activity sequencing? back: Because it visually represents relationships, dependencies, leads, and lags between activities in logical order.

38. Flashcard 38: front: What should be done if an activity on the critical path takes longer than anticipated? back: The entire project will be delayed; therefore, focus should be on managing and mitigating delays in critical path activities.

39. Flashcard 39: front: What is the role of monitoring and controlling the schedule? back: To track progress, update the schedule as needed, and manage changes to keep the project on time.