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PGMP · Question #244

You are the program manager for your organization. Your current program, which has just started, has eight projects and many of the projects share resources such as equipment and people. Management…

The correct answer is C. The project managers will use the critical chain method for scheduling activities. The critical chain method explicitly incorporates resource availability and constraints into the schedule, making it the correct technique when shared resource conflicts are a concern.

Program Planning

Question

You are the program manager for your organization. Your current program, which has just started, has eight projects and many of the projects share resources such as equipment and people. Management has asked that you identify when the project resources will be utilized on each project within your program. They are worried some resources may be idle or overscheduled. What approach can you use to consider the availability of resources when the project managers begin sequencing their project activities?

Options

  • AThe project managers will create Gantt charts to schedule all activities.
  • BThe project managers will use the critical path method for scheduling activities.
  • CThe project managers will use the critical chain method for scheduling activities.
  • DThe project managers will use PERT to schedule all activities.

How the community answered

(20 responses)
  • A
    5% (1)
  • B
    5% (1)
  • C
    80% (16)
  • D
    10% (2)

Why each option

The critical chain method explicitly incorporates resource availability and constraints into the schedule, making it the correct technique when shared resource conflicts are a concern.

AThe project managers will create Gantt charts to schedule all activities.

Gantt charts are a visual scheduling representation tool, not a scheduling method that evaluates or resolves resource availability constraints.

BThe project managers will use the critical path method for scheduling activities.

The critical path method (CPM) identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks but does not natively account for resource availability or leveling.

CThe project managers will use the critical chain method for scheduling activities.Correct

The critical chain method extends critical path scheduling by adding resource dependencies alongside task dependencies, identifying and resolving situations where shared resources are over-allocated or idle. This directly addresses management's concern about resources being overscheduled or underutilized across the program's eight projects by building resource constraints into the sequencing logic.

DThe project managers will use PERT to schedule all activities.

PERT is a probabilistic technique for estimating activity durations using three-point estimates and does not address resource constraints or availability.

Concept tested: Critical chain method for resource-constrained scheduling

Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok

Topics

#Program Management#Resource Management#Scheduling Techniques#Critical Chain Method

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