Activity Sequencing

Now that we have a list of activities, we need to put them into some sort of logical order, which is called activity sequencing. Many factors influence how you order your activities, such as the product characteristics, dependencies that can be mandatory, discretionary, or external, and milestones that have been agreed upon in activity definition.

Mandatory dependencies are called hard logic. Mandatory dependencies often occur because of physical limitations. An example of this would be in construction, where you must complete the framing before you can hang the drywall. However, in IT, there are fewer of these dependencies than you might think at first glance. Most project managers confuse these mandatory dependencies with discretionary dependencies out of habit. Let's discuss the differences.

Discretionary dependencies are preferred sequence of activities, sometimes called "Best Practices." In Information Technology, most project managers plan to wait until design is complete before starting coding. But in reality, you can start coding about half way through design. Discretionary dependencies are also known as preferred, preferential, or soft logic.

Q.	Milestones are:
		A.	Activities with durations
		B.	Significant events in the project life cycle
		C.	Cost measurements
		D.	Denote start and finish of all activities

The answer is B. Milestones are significant events in the project life cycle with zero duration. Milestones show completion of deliverables, phases, and other events you want highlighted. One last dependency to discuss is external dependencies. These are stakeholders' or outside parties' desired sequence of activities (e.g., government, suppliers, etc.).

Q.	Three types of dependencies are mandatory, discretionary, and ________.
		A.	Easy
		B.	Planned
		C.	Internal
		D.	External

The answer is D. External dependencies occur because something outside of the project itself causes the need for a task to be done. For instance, a government regulation might require that you report a certain type of information as the first part of a new software package you are writing.

Q.	How long is the duration for a milestone?
		A.	0 days
		B.	3 days
		C.	It depends
		D.	5 days

The answer is A. There is no duration for a milestone when you are doing your scheduling.