1 Introducing Project Management Flashcards
1. A series of activities to create a unique product or service by a specific date is best described as which one of the following? A. A program B. An operation C. A project D. A subproject
C. A project is a temporary endeavor to create a unique product or service. Operations are ongoing activities.
A is incorrect, because a program is a collection of projects with a common cause. B is not a valid choice as operations are ongoing activities. Subprojects (answer D) represent portions of a project broken off into smaller endeavors.
- Which of the following is likely to be part of an operation?
A. Providing electricity to a community
B. Designing an electrical grid for a new community
C. Building a new dam as a source for electricity
D. Informing the public about changes at the electrical company
A. An electrical company’s primary operation is to provide electricity.
B and C are projects. While choice D, providing information could potentially be part of an ongoing operation, choice A is still the best answer presented.
- Of the following, which one is the best example of progressive elaboration?
A. It is the process of decomposing the work into small, manageable tasks.
B. It is the process of taking a project from concept to completion.
C. It is the process of taking a project from concept to detailed project plan.
D. It is the process of identifying the business needs of a potential project.
C. Of the choices given, C is the best. Progressive elaboration is the process of taking a project concept through to the project plan. As the planning and research activities continue, the more detailed and focused the concept becomes. Progressive elaboration happens throughout the project. It is the process of elements within the project becoming more and more exact as additional information and details become available.
A defines the process of creating a WBS. B is the process of completing the project, and
D is one of the activities in the project initiation phase.
4. Of the following, which one is not a typical activity of a project manager? A. Controlling the project work B. Planning the project schedule C. Milestone completion D. Planning
C. Milestones are not completed by the project manager, but by the project team.
In addition, milestones are the results of activities, not activities themselves.
A, B, and D are regular activities of the project manager. If the project manager isn’t completing these activities, then the project will most likely fail.
5. In what process is the project manager selected to manage a project? A. Initiation B. Planning C. Controlling D. Design
A. The project manager is selected to manage a project in the Initiation process.
B, C, and D are incorrect. Note that the design process is not one of the five project management processes. Design is often a project process that could fall into the planning process. Recall that the five processes in the project management life cycle are: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Control, and Closure.
- What is the project scope?
A. It is the design of experiments used to complete the project work.
B. It is the combination of the cost and the schedule required to complete the project work.
C. It is the description of the required work, and only the required work, that is necessary to
complete the project.
D. It is the description of the required work and resources needed to complete the project.
C. The project scope is the description of the required work, and only the required work, to complete the project.
A is incorrect because the design of experiments is a process to find solutions to problems by changing the variables that may be causing the problems. Answer B describes nothing more than the cost and time estimates and baselines. Answer D is incorrect because the scope is concerned only with the work, not the resource required to complete the work.
7. The closing process is also known as which of the following? A. Project completion B. Project postmortem C. Project wake D. Project parity
B. Project closure is also known as the project postmortem.
Technically, the project postmortem comes after administrative closure in the closing process. A, C, and D, while tempting choices, are not terms that completely describe the project closure.
8. Which of the following is not a project management process? A. Initiating B. Planning C. Controlling D. Designing
D. Designing is typically a phase of project management, but is not one of the five project management lifecycle processes.
A, B, and C are valid project management lifecycle phases, so they are an incorrect choice
for this question.
- You are the project manager of the Speaker Design Project. Your project sponsor wants to know why you believe the planning process will last throughout the project. Of the following, which is the best answer?
A. You are not very familiar with speakers and will have to revisit the planning process often.
B. The design of a new product requires planning throughout the closing process.
C. The design of any project should allow the project manager and the project team to revisit the planning phase as needed.
D. All processes within a project are iterative.
C. The planning process lasts through the project life cycle.
A is not the best answer for this scenario. B may be correct in theory, but it does not answer the question as fully as C. Finally, D is incorrect since projects should be managed iteratively. Plus, D fails to answer the question fully.
- Of the following, which one is not part of Project Integration Management?
A. The creation of the project plan
B. The interaction between project teams
C. The execution of the project plan
D. The documentation of changes to the project plan
B. Project Integration Management focuses on the project plan and the implementation of the project plan.
While B could, in some instances, be considered incorrect if the project plan had some interaction with other project teams, the assumption cannot be made in this instance. A, C, and D are all part of Project Integration Management, so they are not a valid answer.
- You are the project manager of the User Manual Project. The user manual your team is creating will be packaged with the office chairs your company makes. Nancy Martin, the Marketing Director and Sponsor of the project, requests that 30 additional pages be added to the user manual. These extra pages will describe the additional line of office products available through your company. What is your initial reaction to this proposed change?
A. Approve the change as the project sponsor has made it.
B. Deny the change as the project is already in the implementation phase.
C. Approve the change if the budget can afford the expense.
D. Deny the change as it falls outside of the project scope.
D. The project scope defines the required work, and only the required work, to complete the project.
A is incorrect since a request comes from the project sponsor; remember that the scope must be protected from change. Once the change is properly submitted and approved, the scope will be updated to reflect the new work. Always, on the exam, protect the scope from changes. B is incorrect as changes may happen throughout the project as they are approved and warranted. C is incorrect since changes should be based on actual need rather than financial decisions.
12. What activity must the project manager and the project customers do to complete the project? (Choose the best answer.) A. Approve the project budget B. Design the project schedule C. Close out the procurement documents D. Verify the project scope
D. Scope verification is the proof that the project manager has completed the project.
A, B, and C are typically not done with the project customers.
13. You are the project manager for the Advertising Specialties Project. This project will mail each client a pen, coffee mug, and magnet—all to be designed with your company logo and mascot on it. You have worked on a similar project before, but have a new project team for this particular task. Of the following, which is the best source of information for creating the project schedule? A. Project team input B. Historical information input C. Project sponsor input D. Vendor input
B. Whenever you have access to historical information, this is your best source of input.
While A, C, and D may offer some value, historical information is typically the greatest input for planning.
14. Of the following, which is a mathematical model that can be used in assembling a project budget? A. Pareto formulas B. Parametric Modeling C. Parametric Estimating D. EVM
B. Parametric modeling is a mathematical formula to apply costs to a project. For example, cost per unit, cost per metric ton, and cost per yard.
A is incorrect, as it refers to the Pareto rule of 80/20. C is not a viable choice for this question. D, Earned Value Management, is not applicable to this situation.
15. The company-wide policy that mandates all project quality is called what? A. Quality planning B. Quality control C. Quality policy D. ISO 9000
C. Quality policy is the organization-wide rules and requirements for quality.
Choice A, quality planning is how you, the project manager, will plan to adhere to the
quality standards set by the QA policy. Choice B, QC, is the method of inspecting the work results to ensure they map to the QA policy. Choice D, ISO 9000, is a quality assurance program, not a quality system. ISO 9000 is an adherence to a series of steps or processes to necessary to complete an action. This is not the best choice for this question.
