AACE International PSP - Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) Exam

ï‚· Estimating Activity Durations:

The critical factors are crew size, labor hours, and the standard workday.

Cost estimation is not directly required to calculate durations.

ï‚· Evaluation of Options:

Option A: Incorrect. Crew size is needed for productivity estimation.

Option B: Incorrect. Labor hours are directly tied to durations.

Option C: Incorrect. Workday hours define the available time.

Option D: Correct. Cost is not directly linked to duration

ï‚· Impact of Overrun:

Drafting (Activity C) and manufacturing (Activity D) are critical path activities.

A 5-day overrun in drafting consumes all available time for manufacturing.

Therefore, manufacturing cannot be delayed without affecting the release of the product.

ï‚· Verification with PSP Guidelines:

The PSP Study Guide specifies that critical path activities have zero float, so delays propagate directly to the project finish (Ref: PSP Study Guide, Chapter 2A: Critical Path and Float).

Defining the execution plan is the foundational step in creating a CPM schedule. This involves understanding the project's scope of work and outlining how it will be executed to meet project objectives.

Option A (bar chart) is a visualization step but does not address planning the sequence or scope execution.

Option C (resources) comes later in schedule development after the scope and plan are defined.

Option D (logic diagram) is a subsequent step that relies on the execution plan​​.

The PSP Study Guide emphasizes scope and execution planning as critical first steps​.

ï‚· Mitigating Late Completion:

A procurement agent could monitor and expedite long-lead equipment, reducing delivery delays that often affect project timelines.

ï‚· Evaluation of Other Options:

A: Hiring a senior project manager may not address the specific issue.

B: Self-performing may not resolve procurement delays.

D: Better structural steel drawings relate to design, not equipment delays.

ï‚· Verification with PSP Guidelines:

PSP emphasizes early identification and mitigation of procurement risks (Ref: PSP Study Guide, Chapter 2B: Procurement and Supply Chain Management).

ï‚· Understanding the Cycle Time:

A cycle time includes all the operations needed for one complete lift:

Sling Up: 5 minutes

Hoist Up: 4 minutes

Discharge: 3 minutes

Clear Unload Area: 3 minutes

Hoist Down: 2 minutes

ï‚· Calculate Total Cycle Time:

Cycle Time = 5 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 17 minutes.

ï‚· Cross-Verification:

Option A (5 minutes): Incorrect. Excludes operations.

Option C (14 minutes): Incorrect. Underestimates.

Option D (6 minutes): Incorrect. Miscalculation.

Option B (17 minutes): Correct.

ï‚· Relationship Analysis:

Activity 4001 starts 15 days after Activity 3001 begins, based on their logical dependency (SS +15).

This indicates partial concurrency, as both activities overlap in execution.

ï‚· Evaluation of Other Options:

A: Incorrect, as the statement refers to Activity 5001, not 3001.

C: Incorrect, as Activity 4001 does not start before Activity 3001.

ï‚· Verification with PSP Guidelines:

PSP guidelines stress precise interpretation of activity relationships (Ref: PSP Study Guide, Chapter 2A: Logical Relationships and Lags).

ï‚· Scope Planning Tools and Techniques:

Tools for scope planning include methods to define and refine the project scope. These involve cost-benefit analysis, expert judgment, and alternatives identification.

Schedule performance indexing is a performance tracking tool used during execution and is unrelated to scope planning.

ï‚· PSP Study Guide References:

Scope planning methods are detailed in the PSP guide, emphasizing tools like expert judgment, alternatives analysis, and structured decision-making techniques​.

ï‚· Analysis for Selection:

Option A: A common method to analyze the costs and benefits of scope components.

Option B: Incorrect. This is a tracking tool, not a scope planning method.

Option C: Expert judgment is a key technique in defining project scope.

Option D: Alternatives identification supports exploring various approaches to project goals.

ï‚· Conclusion: The correct answer is B, as schedule performance indexing is not a scope planning tool.

Minimum Project Duration Calculation:

The critical path determines the minimum project duration.

Path: A → B → G → H → 16 months.

Cross-Verification with Network Diagram:

Other paths have shorter durations or do not impact the overall project finish date.

Verification with PSP Guidelines:Critical path analysis is central to determining project duration (Ref: PSP Study Guide, Chapter 2A: Critical Path Method).