Module 3 CEE 473

What does WBS stand for?

Work Breakdown Structure.

What is WBS?

A hierarchy of tasks needed to complete the project.

What does WBS represent?

The physical breakdown of work to be performed.

Does WBS sequence work?

No, it divides the project into manageable work packages.

Is WBS a schedule?

No.

What is a work package?

A fundamental element needed to complete work under contract.

Why is WBS needed?

To prevent task omissions and make the project easier to comprehend.

What is WBS the backbone of?

Project control or tracking system.

What are the benefits of WBS?

Organization, communication, and querying of Plan/Schedule information.

What are the requirements of WBS?

Clear, useful, comprehensive; allow elaboration; conform to reporting requirements.

What does developing a WBS begin with?

Definition of major systems or components.

How detailed should a WBS become?

Until the task reaches a measurable piece of work with a single responsibility.

How can a WBS divide a project?

Area, phase, function, or other means.

What does UniFormat organize by?

Building Systems/Assemblies.

What does MasterFormat organize by?

Materials/Work Results.

What is UniFormat best used for?

Cost estimation and early planning.

What is MasterFormat best used for?

Later design stages.

How many divisions does MasterFormat have?

50 divisions.

What are the three UniFormat levels?

Major Group Elements, Group Elements, Individual Elements.

Who publishes MasterFormat and UniFormat?

Construction Specifications Institute (CSI).

What is a good source for developing schedule activities?

Technical specifications.

What are technical specifications?

A written description of the work that complements drawings.

What is used as a basis for capturing all activities?

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Whose work must be captured in the schedule?

Owner and contractors.

What is a milestone?

A point in time representing a key event or accomplishment.

What is the duration of a milestone?

Zero duration.

Do milestones consume resources?

No.

What two milestones should every schedule include?

Project start (NTP) and finish (Substantial Completion).

What is a best practice for milestones?

Include milestones only for major events or deliverables.

Why should too many milestones be avoided?

They may mask activities and prevent proper progress recording.

What is a detail activity?

Actual discrete work planned in the program.

Where are detail activities located in the WBS?

At the lowest level.

Do detail activities have durations?

Yes, an estimated duration.

How should detail activities be linked?

To preceding and succeeding activities and milestones.

What is a summary activity?

A grouping of lower-level activities showing the time required.

Where do summary activities get their start and finish dates?

From lower-level activities.

Should summary activities have logic relationships?

No, they should never be linked to or from other activities.

What are the best practices for activity names?

Unique, descriptive, and unambiguous.

How should activity names be phrased?

Present tense with verb-noun combinations.

What should milestone names describe?

An event or deliverable.

Why should repetitive or vague activity names be avoided?

They make communication between teams difficult.

How should abbreviations be used in activity names?

Minimally; define them in the WBS dictionary or schedule basis document.

What is an activity code?

A unique alphanumeric code identifying an activity.

What should activity codes be consistent with?

WBS elements, contractor, location, phase, and other key documents.

What should an activity code preserve?

The hierarchical relationship with its parent elements.

What must be determined when ordering activities?

Which activities precede, follow, or occur concurrently.

What types of constraints affect activity ordering?

Physical, resource, productivity, safety, financial, environmental, management, contractual, regulatory.

What are the effects of excessive constraints?

Less flexibility, longer duration, higher cost, confused scheduling logic.

What is a predecessor activity?

An activity that must start or finish before its successor.

What is a successor activity?

An activity whose timing depends on a predecessor.

What does FS stand for?

Finish-to-Start.

What does FF stand for?

Finish-to-Finish.

What does SS stand for?

Start-to-Start.

What does SF stand for?

Start-to-Finish.

What is a Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship?

The predecessor must finish before the successor can start.

What is a Finish-to-Finish (FF) relationship?

The predecessor must finish before the successor can finish.

What is a Start-to-Start (SS) relationship?

The predecessor must start before the successor can start.

What is a Start-to-Finish (SF) relationship?

The predecessor must start before the successor can finish.

What is the default relationship in most scheduling programs?

Finish-to-Start (FS).

Why are FS relationships preferred?

More intuitive, easier to implement, and easier to trace.

Which activity relationship is not recommended for practical engineering schedules?

Start-to-Finish (SF).

Why is complete network logic essential?

To correctly forecast the start and finish dates of activities.

What can missing or incorrect network logic cause?

Damage to the entire schedule network.

What is the general rule for activity relationships?

Every activity should have at least one predecessor and one successor.

What are the exceptions to the predecessor-successor rule?

Start milestone has no predecessor; finish milestone has no successor.

What are the four types of incomplete and dangling logic?

Circular, Redundant, Dangling, Summary.

What is circular logic?

Two activities depend on each other, creating an endless loop.

What is redundant logic?

Unnecessary logic links between activities.

What is dangling logic?

Incomplete logic that interferes with schedule forecasting.

What should drive each activity's start date?

A predecessor activity, except for the start milestone.

What should each activity's finish date drive?

A successor activity's start or finish, except for the finish milestone.

What is summary logic?

Logic linked to summary activities, which should have no logic relationships.

What is a date constraint?

A calendar restriction on when an activity can start or finish.

When should date constraints be used?

Only when necessary and justified in schedule documentation.

What are the two categories of date constraints?

Soft Constraints and Hard Constraints.

What are the soft date constraints?

Start No Earlier Than (SNET) and Finish No Earlier Than (FNET).

What are the hard date constraints?

Start No Later Than (SNLT), Finish No Later Than (FNLT), Must Finish On (MFO), Must Start On (MSO).

What does ASAP stand for?

As Soon As Possible.

What does ALAP stand for?

As Late As Possible.

What does ASAP do?

Schedules the task to begin as early as possible.

What does ALAP do?

Schedules the task as late as possible without delaying subsequent tasks.

What does SNET mean?

Start No Earlier Than — start on or after a specified date.

What does FNET mean?

Finish No Earlier Than — finish on or after a specified date.

What does SNLT mean?

Start No Later Than — start on or before a specified date.

What does FNLT mean?

Finish No Later Than — finish on or before a specified date.

What does MFO mean?

Must Finish On — finish on a specified date.

What does MSO mean?

Must Start On — start on a specified date.

What is a lag?

A delay in the successor activity.

What is a lead?

A negative lag that accelerates the successor activity.

What is the difference between lag and lead?

Lag delays the successor; lead accelerates the successor.

What is float?

The amount of time an activity can be delayed.

Are lag and float the same?

No, link lag values should not be confused with float.