NPTEL Online Certification Courses

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Project Management: Planning, Execution, Evaluation and Control

Assignment- 4
TYPE OF QUESTION: MCQ
Number of questions: 11 Total mark: 6x3+5x1 = 23
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(Question 1-6 carry 3 marks each, rests carry 1 mark each)

QUESTION 1:
Refer to the project network shown below wherein the node denotes activity and numeric value
is the activity duration. The project manager decides that activities B, C, and D can be
represented by a hammock activity. What are the early start and late finish times associated with
this hammock activity?

a. 11, 30
b. 7, 24
c. 11, 24
d. 7, 36

Correct Answer: d

Justification: EF (A) = 0 +7 = 7 = ES (B)

EF (B) = 7 +8 = 15 = ES (C);
EF (C) = 15 + 13 = 28 = ES (D);
EF (D) = 28 + 8 = 36
Hammock, ES(B) = 7, and EF(D) = 36.
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QUESTION 2:
What is the slack time for Activity B given the activity times and precedence requirements
shown in the table?

Activity Time Predecessor

A 5 --
B 7 --
C 8 A
D 7 A
E 4 B
F 8 C, D
G 9 E, F
H 7 G

a. 10
b. 9
c. 8
d. 7

Correct Answer: a
Justification: See below

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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

QUESTION 3:
Use the information in the table to determine the slack time for Activity B.

Early Early Late Late

Task Predecessor Duration Start Finish Start Finish
A -- 8
B A 14
C A 23 8
D C, B 6 23 26
E C 32
F D, E 32 38

a. 6 days
b. 4 days
c. 2 days
d. 0 days

Correct Answer: a

Justification: Early Start (ES) and Early Finish (EF) for Activity B:
 Activity B's predecessor is Activity A.
 Duration of Activity A: 8 days.
 Early Start (ES) for Activity A: 0 days.
 Early Finish (EF) for Activity A = ES + Duration = 0 + 8 = 8 days.
Since Activity B starts right after Activity A finishes:
 Early Start (ES) for Activity B = Early Finish (EF) for Activity A = 8 days.
 Duration of Activity B is not given directly but is not needed to determine slack time
using ES and LS.
Late Start (LS) and Late Finish (LF) for Activity B:
 Late Start (LS) for Activity B is given: 14 days.
 Late Finish (LF) for Activity B is not given, but we don't need it to calculate slack time.
Calculate Slack Time:
 Slack Time = LS - ES = 14 - 8 = 6 days.
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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Use the information below to answer Question 4-6

A project manager has identified seven tasks and developed three-time estimates (all in days) of activities
of a project as indicated below:

Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic

Activity time time time Predecessor
A 4 5 6 --
B 7 8 9 --
C 10 12 14 A
D 11 14 17 B
E 8 11 14 B
F 9 11 13 C, D
G 9 12 16 E

QUESTION 4:
Find out the estimated time for activity A, D and G (Consider the nearest value)

a. 5, 12, 11
b. 4, 11, 12.17
c. 5, 14, 11
d. 5, 14, 12.17

Correct Answer: d

Justification: Estimated time = (Opt. time + 4 x Most likely + Pessimistic time) / 6

Using this formula, A = 5; D = 14; G = 12.17

QUESTION 5:
Find out the variance for activity B, C and E (Consider the nearest value)
a. 0.111, 0.444, 1
b. 0.111, 1, 0.444
c. 0.444, 0.111, 1
d. 0.111, 0.444, 1.361

Correct Answer: a
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Justification: Variance = [(Pessimistic Time – Optimistic Time) / 6] 2

Using this formula, Var (B) = 0.1111; Var (C) = 0.444; Var (E) = 1

QUESTION 6:
What is the probability that the project is completed in 32 days? (Consider the nearest value; Refer to the
standard normal distribution table)

a. 0.153
b. 0.210
c. 0.251
d. 0.280

Correct Answer: b

Justification: Duration of  A-C-F = 28 days; B-E-G = 31 days; B-D-F = 33 days

So, Critical Path is B-D-F = 33 days. Variance of activities B-D-F = 1.555
Z = (32-33)/ 1.5550.5 = -1 / 1.247 = -0.8032
From the standard normal distribution table, value of Z (-0.8032) = 0.2109.
The probability is 0.210.
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QUESTION 7:
Hammock activities are simply:
a. Another name of dependencies
b. An activity sequencing ladder
c. A means for disaggregating the project network into logical summaries
d. The shortest activity path through a network

Correct Answer: c

Justification: Hammock activities are used to summarize a group of related activities within a
project, allowing for better organization and reporting.

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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

QUESTION 8:
The greatest project opportunity occurs when:

a. The project is in the conceive phase.

b. The project is in the develop phase.
c. The project is in the execute phase.
d. The project is in the finish phase.

Correct Answer: a

Justification: The greatest project opportunity occurs when the project is in the conceive phase.
During this phase, there is the most flexibility to influence the project's direction, scope, and
goals, allowing for the identification and exploitation of opportunities before significant
resources are committed.

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QUESTION 9:
Which of the following is NOT one of the steps in the risk management process?
a. Risk response development
b. Risk assessment
c. Risk identification
d. Risk tracking
e. Risk response control

Correct Answer: d

Justification: The step "Risk tracking" is not typically listed as one of the main steps in the risk
management process. The primary steps generally include risk identification, risk assessment,
risk response development, and risk response control.

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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

QUESTION 10:
_____________ is a measure of how easy it would be to notice that a risk event was going to occur in
time to take mitigating action, that is, how much warning you would have.
a. Detection difficulty
b. Impact scaling
c. Probability analysis
d. Awareness level
e. Warning assessment

Correct Answer: a

Justification: Detection difficulty is a measure of how easy it would be to notice that a risk
event was going to occur in time to take mitigating action, that is, how much warning you would
have.

QUESTION 11:

The risk associated with the unlikelihood that one of the key members will be struck by lightning would
most likely be handled by which of the following?
a. Mitigating
b. Retaining
c. Ignoring
d. Transferring
e. Avoiding

Correct Answer: b

Justification: The risk of a key member being struck by lightning is extremely rare and
unpredictable. Retaining the risk is the most practical approach, as it acknowledges the risk but
accepts it without expending unnecessary resources on unlikely events.

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