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Planning Interview Questions
Planning Interview Questions
Longest sequence of activities in a project plan which must be completed on time for the project
to complete on due date. An activity on the critical path cannot be started until its predecessor
activity is complete; if it is delayed for a day, the entire project will be delayed for a day unless
the activity following the delayed activity is completed a day earlier.
In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network activities which add
up to the longest overall duration, regardless if that longest duration has float or not. This
determines the shortest time possible to complete the project.
What steps are taken when some activities are delayed permanently?
For a particular project, what was the duration for engineering, procurement and construction and
when each was started?
What are the different disciplines of Engineering and what are major deliverables in each disciplines and
their flow?
When is the first piping MTO is generated and what all piping bore are included in them
Earned Value Management (EVM) helps project managers to measure project performance. It is a
systematic project management process used to find variances in projects based on the comparison
of worked performed and work planned. EVM is used on the cost and schedule control and can be
very useful in project forecasting. The project baseline is an essential component of EVM and serves
as a reference point for all EVM related activities. EVM provides quantitative data for project decision
making.
EVM Measures
EVM consists of the following primary and derived data elements. Each data point value is based on
the time or date an EVM measure is performed on the project.
Primary Data Points
For example say we should have completed £800 pounds of work by today. We completed £600
worth of work. The BCWP is £600. The BCWS is £800. And if we actually paid £700 then (ACWP) =
£700.
Cost Forecasting:
Here atypical means it is assumed that similar variances will not occur in the future.
Variances:
Performance Indices:
Cost Performance Index
CPI = EV / AC
Over (< 1) or under (> 1) budget
Schedule Performance Index
SPI = EV / PV
Ahead (> 1) or behind (< 1) schedule
EVM Example
Problem: A project has a budget of £10M and schedule for 10 months. It is assumed that the total
budget will be spent equally each month until the 10th month is reached. After 2 months the project
manager finds that only 5% of the work is finished and a total of £1M spent.
Solution:
PV = £2M
EV = £10M * 0.05 = £0.5M
AV = £1M
This project will take TOTAL £20M (19+1) and 40 (38+2) Months to complete.
EVM Benefits
EVM contributes to:
SV = EV – PV
CV = EV – AC
What are the different types of activities linkages are there and which is the best to use?
What were the man hours of each discipline of engineering in projects undertaken at GSE?
Importance of Ratios
The CPI and SPI ratios allow project managers to adjust project expectations as the projects
progress. For instance, if a project has an SPI ratio of 1.2, the project is 20 percent ahead of
schedule. The project manager may choose to use the extra time to add new features to the
project. If a different project has a CPI ratio of 0.75, the project is running at 25 percent over
budget. The project manager must find ways to cut costs and bring the project in closer to the
budget.