Information Technology Project Management – Topic 3: Project Planning I

29 question-and-answer flashcards covering definitions, goals, approaches (activity vs product), WBS, network diagrams, dependency types, critical path concepts, procedural steps, Agile vs traditional differences, and scheduling tool prerequisites from Topic 3: Project Planning I.

What is the primary purpose of project planning?

To determine what a project should achieve and how to accomplish it through defining scope, objectives, tasks, resources, schedule, risks and control mechanisms.

At which stage of the project life-cycle does planning occur?

During the initiation stage, right at the start of the project.

List three key elements that must be defined during project planning.

Scope, objectives, and schedule/timeline (others include tasks, resources, risks, constraints, monitoring framework).

Name two main goals of project planning related to resources and scheduling.

1) Ensure required resources are available when needed. 2) Produce a detailed schedule indicating who does what and when.

What are the three high-level steps in the planning process outlined in the lecture?

1) Identify activities/tasks. 2) Allocate activities to team personnel. 3) Adjust the plan as the project unfolds.

Which planning approach begins by listing activities and creating a Work Breakdown Structure?

Activity-based planning.

Which planning approach starts with identifying deliverables and uses a Product Breakdown Structure?

Product-based planning.

What does WBS stand for and what is its purpose?

Work Breakdown Structure; it divides the project into smaller, manageable work packages to aid scheduling, estimation and monitoring.

How are tasks arranged within a Work Breakdown Structure?

Hierarchically—from broad objectives down to precise deliverables/work packages.

What diagram graphically shows logical relationships and dependencies among project activities?

An Activity Network Diagram.

In dependency terminology, what does FS represent?

Finish-to-Start: the successor activity cannot start until the predecessor finishes.

Describe a Finish-to-Finish (FF) dependency.

A successor activity cannot finish until the predecessor activity finishes.

Describe a Start-to-Start (SS) dependency.

A successor activity cannot start until the predecessor activity starts.

Describe a Start-to-Finish (SF) dependency.

A successor activity cannot finish until the predecessor activity starts.

What is Critical Path Analysis?

An algorithmic method used to schedule project activities by identifying the sequence of tasks with zero total slack that determines the minimum project duration.

Define ‘slack’ (or free float).

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the start of any immediately following activities.

Define ‘total float’.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the overall project completion date.

Which activities belong to the critical path?

All activities that have zero total slack.

What two computational passes are used to find earliest and latest dates in Critical Path Analysis?

A forward pass for earliest start/end dates and a backward pass for latest start/end dates.

In a forward pass, how is an activity’s earliest start date determined?

By taking the highest earliest finish date among all its predecessor activities.

Give one key difference between traditional (waterfall) and Agile planning.

Traditional completes a detailed plan before development stages with limited customer involvement, whereas Agile uses flexible, iterative plans with continuous team and customer collaboration.

Why is understanding dependencies and critical paths important when using project scheduling software?

Because effective use of tools like MS Project or Monday․com requires accurate input of WBS elements, dependencies, resource allocations and critical paths to generate valid schedules.

What are two outputs of a product-based approach besides the PBS?

Product Flow Diagram (PFD) and the list of activities derived from product transformations.

State two reasons a project manager might revise a plan during execution.

To accommodate resource conflicts or to adjust for delays and keep the project on track.

What does the acronym PBS stand for in project planning?

Product Breakdown Structure.

Which planning goal helps predict project expenditure over time?

Estimating when money will be spent throughout the schedule.

What type of diagram can be represented as Activity on Node (AON) or Activity on Arrow (AOA)?

Network (activity) diagrams showing dependencies among tasks.

According to the topic summary, what three items must be identified in the initial stage of planning?

Activities, their dependencies, and the resources to which they will be allocated.