CAPM Exam Questions - Chapter 06 - Time Management

Question 1

What is the variance of a project that has a best case estimate of 6, a most likely case estimate of 7, and a worst case estimate of 10?
A. 2.08 
B. 0.44 
C. 0.67 
D. 7.33

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Your project is significantly over budget and behind schedule. It is critical that you determine your projected duration. To gain a better understanding of the project you analyze the sequence of deliverables, activities or tasks to find the ones with the least amount of schedule flexibility. What technique are you using?
A. GERT 
B. CPM 
C. PERT 
D. PDM

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A project manager is discussing her project with her boss. They are concerned that the project might be falling behind schedule and decide they must determine the project’s likely completion date and find out where any flexibility exists. Which of the following tools would best provide this information?
A. AOA 
B. PDM 
C. CPM 
D. Network Diagramming

Answer 3

C

Question 4

You are the project manager for a new product. You are in the planning phase of your project and have just been told by one of your senior resources that they require the completed schematics before they can begin to build the product prototype. This is an example of what kind of dependency?
A. Mandatory 
B. Discretionary 
C. Internal 
D. External

Answer 4

A

Question 5

You are the project manager at a major pharmaceuticals company. You are planning the release of a new drug and must wait for regulatory approval before you can begin manufacture of the drug. This is an example of what kind of dependency?
A. Discretionary 
B. Mandatory 
C. Internal 
D. External

Answer 5

D

Question 6

Which of the following is a type of bar chart?
A. Gaussian distribution 
B. Scatter plot 
C. Gantt Chart 
D. Logit model

Answer 6

C

Question 7

As a general rule, which of the following is better illustrated by network diagrams than by bar charts?
A. Project progress
B. Logical relationships between activities
C. The project’s critical chain
D. Resource needs

Answer 7

B

Question 8

Which of the following is not correct about PDM?
A. The critical path always has dummy tasks
B. Every network has at least one critical path
C. The network displays all task interdependencies
D. Tasks not on the critical path have slack or float

Answer 8

A

Question 9

Which of the following terms represents a method of problem solving that relies on inductive reasoning from past experience or expert judgment when there is no relevant mathematical algorithm available?
A. A heuristic 
B. A logit 
C. GERT 
D. Analogous estimating

Answer 9

A

Question 10

Which of the following best describe the amount of time that one activity can be delayed without impacting the early start of its succeeding task or activity?
A. Lead time 
B. Float 
C. Lag time 
D. None of the above

Answer 10

C

Question 11

Which of the following terms best represents the amount of time one activity can begin prior to the completion of its preceding dependent task?
A. Lag time 
B. Lead time 
C. Float 
D. None of the above

Answer 11

B

Question 12

Which of the following statements is correct?
A. A network diagram allows you to determine the amount of time the project will take.
B. A WBS allows you to determine the longest chain of dependent tasks.
C. Changing the end date of the project will cause the network diagram to change.
D. The critical path will always contain dummy tasks.

Answer 12

A

Question 13

Which of the follow statements about a milestone is true?
A. A milestone can have any duration
B. A milestone has the same duration as the task, activity or deliverable it represents
C. A milestone always has zero duration
D. None of the above

Answer 13

C

Question 14

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between standard deviation and risk?
A. Standard deviation provides the level of uncertainty about the estimate
B. Standard deviation defines whether or not safety is in the estimate
C. Standard deviation defines the accuracy of the estimate
D. There is no relationship between risk and standard deviation

Answer 14

A

Question 15

Your boss asks you to use Monte Carlo Analysis to evaluate your project. For what purpose was this request most likely made?
A. To create an activity’s estimated length
B. To gain an indication of the risk in the project
C. To define the order in which activities occur
D. Define project resource requirement

Answer 15

B

Question 16

On Monday morning your boss comes into your office and asks about the amount of slack you have on a specific activity in your project. This is determined by which of the following:
A. Performing a PERT analysis
B. Estimating the task or activity length
C. Creating a PDM diagram
D. Determining the total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed without impacting the project delivery

Answer 16

D

Question 17

Your boss enters your office and is concerned that a particular activity will delay the delivery of the project. What is the best thing to do?
A. Determine if the activity is on the critical path
B. Explain why your boss should not worry
C. Perform a GERT analysis
D. Examine the activity’s risk triggers

Answer 17

A

Question 18

You and your project team have obtained estimates for your project, assigned resources, and developed a Precedence Diagram of the project. Several of your resources are very concerned that two of the activities are not being focused on enough and will end up delaying the project because they are critical components of the project’s end product. What is the best thing to do?
A. Sit down with the resources to discuss the project Gantt Chart
B. Determine if the activities in question are on the Critical Path
C. Examine the project’s Risk Register
D. Evaluate alternative project execution paths

Answer 18

B

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the impact of multiple Critical Paths on a project?
A. The project takes longer to complete
B. The project is more expensive
C. The project takes more resources to manage
D. The project risk increases

Answer 19

D

Question 20

You and your project team have just completed the development of your PDM Diagram. The current diagram shows there are three critical paths in your project. What is the best thing to do next?
A. Re-evaluate the network for errors
B. Develop the project schedule
C. Examine the project risk register
D. Discuss alternative networks with your team

Answer 20

B

Question 21

In discussing your project with management you determine that the project schedule is the most flexible and the project scope is the least flexible. If the allowable monthly project expenditures are fixed, then what is the best thing to do?
A. Level the resources
B. Examine the project’s critical path
C. Analyze the project’s life cycle costs
D. Crash the project

Answer 21

A

Question 22

Your manager asks you to produce a report on your project for management. Which of the following would best meet the request?
A. Bar Chart 
B. PERT Chart 
C. Milestone Chart 
D. Gantt Chart

Answer 22

C

Question 23

You and your project team have just completed the development of your project schedule. Based on the constraints provided by the project sponsor, the project is scheduled to be completed after the project deadline. Assuming that costs are the least important constraint and scope is the most important constraint, which of the following is the best thing to do?
A. Fast track the project
B. Crash the project
C. Reassess the critical path
D. Develop a critical chain model for the project

Answer 23

B

Question 24

You and your project team have just completed the development of your project schedule. Based on constraints provided by the project sponsor, the project is scheduled to be completed after the project deadline. Assuming that costs are the most important constraint and scope is the least important constraint, which of the following is the best thing to do?
A. Crash the project 
B. Reassess the critical path 
C. Develop a new project schedule 
D. Fast track the project

Answer 24

D

Question 25

Your manager comes to you and demands that you complete your project three weeks early. What is the best thing to do?
A. Meet with your project team to examine alternatives for crashing and fast tracking
B. Tell your boss the project critical path does not allow for a three week early completion
C. Ask the project to work overtime
D. Ask your manager if you can reduce the scope of the project.

Answer 25

A

Question 26

When evaluating the impact that crashing will have on your project, which of the following should be included in the evaluation?
A. The project sponsor’s interest
B. Risks associated with the schedule changes
C. The amount of overtime to be worked
D. The impact of a reduction in project scope

Answer 26

B

Question 27

Which of the following PM processes requires the project manager to reach an agreement with the activity resources on the calendar date for each activity?
A. Sequence activities 
B. Estimate activity durations 
C. Estimate resources 
D. Develop schedule

Answer 27

D

Question 28

It is late Friday afternoon when your project sponsor informs you that the project schedule has been reduced by two weeks. What is the best thing to do?
A. Meet with your project team to determine options for schedule compression
B. Cut the project scope
C. Crash the project
D. Inform management that the date cannot be met

Answer 28

A

Question 29

As the project manager, you estimate the time that is needed for each activity, assign tasks to specific resources and then add the estimates to create the project estimate. You then use this value to establish the project delivery date which you provide to the project sponsor. What is incorrect with this process?
A. The project manager created the estimates without the team. Additionally, summing the tasks will lead to a significantly longer project duration.
B. Project duration estimates should be developed by the project sponsor.
C. The project manager created the estimates without the project resources and did not use a network diagram to define the Critical Path.
D. The project completion date should be derived from an evaluation of the triple constraints.

Answer 29

A

Question 30

You are the project manager for a large construction project. It is early in the project lifecycle and you have completed the activity definition. In analyzing the activities you see a number of activities that are dependent on each other but can start at the same time. Which methodology is the best one to properly evaluate this project?
A. CPM 
B. PDM 
C. AOA 
D. GERT

Answer 30

B

Question 31

You are the project manager for a $250,000 software development project. You are working with your project team and you determine that the project has a number of project tasks that are dependent on each other. However, one of your team members also points out that the tasks can finish at the same time. Which of the following is the best technique to understand this situation?
A. Critical Path Method
B. Activity on Arrow Method
C. Precedence Diagramming Method
D. Program Evaluation and Review Technique

Answer 31

C

Question 32

You are the project manager for a large consulting company leading a process improvement project for your organization’s largest client. The project currently has a CPI of 1.04 and SPI of .98. Your customer has just asked if you can produce a diagram that shows the probabilistic project path. Which of the following tools would be best in this situation?
A. Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique
B. Program Evaluation and Review Technique
C. Critical Path Method
D. Precedence Diagramming Method

Answer 32

A

Question 33

Which of the following is best suited to define a project network that has potential looping of the activities, deliverables or tasks?
A. PERT 
B. CPM 
C. GERT 
D. PDM

Answer 33

C

Question 34

You are the project manager for a software development project with an estimated budget of $650,000. You have just completed the duration estimates, and activity sequencing for your project. Which of the following do you still need to complete the initial project schedule?
A. Approved change request 
B. Contingency reserves 
C. Recommended change requests 
D. Schedule management plan

Answer 34

B

Question 35

You are just taking over for a project manager who was forced to take a medical leave of absence. Your project has a CPI of .93 and an SPI of .89. To gain a better understanding of how the previous project manager was managing schedule changes, to which of the following would you turn?
A. The project plan 
B. The project schedule 
C. The Schedule Management Plan 
D. The project Gantt Chart

Answer 35

C

Question 36

You are taking over for a project manager who was terminated. The previous project manager was using weighted average duration estimates to develop the schedule network. What type of modeling are you using?
A. Monte Carlo Analysis
B. Project Evaluation and Review Technique Analysis
C. Critical Chain Analysis
D. Critical Path Analysis

Answer 36

B

Question 37

You are the project manager for a large mechanical engineering project. You have completed your scope statement, the WBS, the resource estimate, duration estimates, and the network diagram. Which of the following is the thing you should do next?
A. Create the schedule 
B. Complete the cost estimates 
C. Define the project budget 
D. Solicit purchase

Answer 37

A

Question 38

You work as a project manager and have completed the scope statement, resource estimates, and the WBS. You’ve just received the activity duration estimates. Which of the following is your best course of action?
A. Finalize the schedule 
B. Compress the schedule 
C. Complete the risk register 
D. Develop RFPs

Answer 38

B

Question 39

You are part of an internet development company. Your firm has many graphic artists who are part of every project. When you start your new project one of your artists tells you that her work is too creative for a single exact estimate. She has done similar projects in the past so you both agree to use the labor hours from those projects. This is an example of which of the following?
A. Monte Carlo Analysis 
B. Three point estimating 
C. Parametric estimating 
D. Analogous estimating

Answer 39

C

Question 40

One of your resources comes into your office to discuss their task. The project has a CPI of .89 and an SPI of .92. The resource’s task has an early start of week 14 and a late start of week 17. What do you know about this activity?
A. It is ahead of schedule 
B. It is behind schedule 
C. It is on the critical path 
D. It is not on the critical path

Answer 40

D

Question 41

You have an activity that has an ES of 12 weeks, an LS of 15 weeks, an EF of 21 weeks, and an LF of 24 weeks. What do you know about this activity?
A. It is not on the critical path 
B. It is ahead of schedule 
C. It is behind schedule 
D. It is on the critical path

Answer 41

A

Question 42

You are leading a project that you have just learned is 3 weeks behind schedule. The dependencies are discretionary. The project has an SPI of .81 and a CPI of .83. Due to cost overruns you cannot add more resources. What is the best thing to do?
A. Move resources from tasks with discretionary dependencies
B. Complete activities in parallel where possible
C. Reduce resources
D. Reduce project scope

Answer 42

B

Question 43

You’ve been brought into the organization because senior management is struggling to get a strong understanding of the state of their projects. You only have a week to prepare a 30 minute presentation on the status of all the projects. Which of the following would best help senior management understand the current portfolio status?
A. Project management plan executive summaries
B. Detailed cost and schedule analysis
C. Milestone Reports
D. Gantt Charts

Answer 43

C

Question 44

Sally is a brand new project manager within a company that manufactures household products. She’s just taken over a project that is seriously over budget and behind schedule. Originally, the project was slated to have spent $135,000 and they have already spent $170,000. It appears that most of the overage is because of flawed original estimates. This project is critical to the organization’s success. Who has primary responsibility to solve these issues?
A. The project sponsor 
B. The project manager 
C. The project team 
D. Senior management

Answer 44

B

Question 45

You are the project manager for a project that you have just learned is 30 days behind schedule. You do not have any additional resources that may be engaged. The project has a CPI of .84 and an SPI of .79. The BCR is 1.45 and only a few of the project tasks have mandatory dependencies. What is the best thing to do?
A. Meet with the project sponsor to inform them of the delay
B. Reduce the project scope to meet the deadline
C. Crash the project
D. Make more activities concurrent

Answer 45

D

Question 46

Rearranging dependent tasks or activities so they are done in parallel is called what?
A. Fast tracking 
B. Leveling 
C. Paralleling 
D. Crashing

Answer 46

A

Question 47

Rearranging resources and resource workloads so that the amount of work done in each month or specified time period is constant is called what?
A. Fast tracking 
B. Paralleling 
C. Leveling 
D. Crashing

Answer 47

C

Question 48

Adding additional resources to reduce the schedule time of a task or activity is called what?
A. Fast tracking 
B. Crashing 
C. Paralleling 
D. Leveling

Answer 48

B

Question 49

Which of the following is a benefit of a three point project estimate?
A. It shows a better understanding of the task
B. It allows the project manager to better manage stakeholder expectations
C. It helps determine if the project will meet the schedule
D. It provides a probabilistic estimate

Answer 49

D

Question 50

Which of the following is a benefit of analogous project estimates?
A. It helps to raise questions about expectations
B. The estimates will more accurately reflect actuals
C. It helps the project resources understand their obligations
D. It helps senior management feel better about the estimates

Answer 50

A

Question 51

Which of the following is an advantage of parametric estimating?
A. It accounts for estimating uncertainty
B. It provides for improved communication
C. It provides a quantifiable deterministic estimate
D. It provides estimates at the lowest possible level

Answer 51

C

Question 52

You are the project manager for a very large and important project within your organization. Your project has been progressing very well until the last couple of weeks when you began to experience a large number of scope changes. Your current CPI is 1.02 and your SPI is .98. As the project manager, what should you do?
A. Maintain the baseline and make approved changes
B. Maintain the baseline and resist all changes
C. Make only the changes approved by the project sponsor
D. Initiate a discussion with management about the level of changes

Answer 52

A

Question 53

Jane is a project manager and has been asked to reanalyze her project to predict project duration. Within her company, she is required to analyze the sequence of activities with the least amount of scheduling flexibility. What technique does Jane’s company use?
A. Precedence diagramming 
B. Flowcharting 
C. Critical Path Method 
D. Critical Chain Method

Answer 53

C

Question 54

Your boss asks you to change a presentation slide showing a network diagram to one showing a bar chart. Which of the following best explain this request?
A. Bar charts show logical relationships more effectively than network diagrams
B. Bar charts better display resource trade-offs than network diagrams
C. Bar charts better show the critical path than network diagrams
D. Bar charts better display progress or status

Answer 54

D

Question 55

You are leading a large project for your organization. Early in the project the sponsor informs you that neither time nor costs are as important as the number of resources used each month. Which of the following is the best thing for you to do?
A. Level the project resources 
B. Crash the project 
C. Fast track the project 
D. Apply a heuristic

Answer 55

A

Question 56

Upon presenting your plan to your sponsor you are informed that the schedule exceeds the target completion date the sponsor desired. If the project network diagram cannot change, but the sponsor offers extra resources what is the best thing to do?
A. Crash the project 
B. Fast track the project 
C. Level the resources 
D. Perform a Monte Carlo Analysis

Answer 56

A

Question 57

You’ve determined that crashing your project is the best option for reducing your project schedule. The best approach to crashing would also include looking at the:
A. Sponsor’s opinion of which activities to crash
B. Risk impacts of crashing each activity
C. Customer or end user’s opinion of which activities to crash
D. When in the project timeline the activities occur

Answer 57

B

Question 58

You are assigned as the project manager for a manufacturing project within your organization. During the planning phase of the project, you estimate the time needed for each activity and then add the estimates to create the project estimate. You then commit to delivering the project by the defined date. What is wrong with this scenario?
A. The team did not create the estimate, and compilation was not used
B. The estimate is too short and should be created by management
C. The team did not create the estimate and a network diagram was not used
D. The estimate should be matched to the customer’s required completion date

Answer 58

C

Question 59

You have a project with the following activities: Activity A takes 40 hours and is the first task. Activity B takes 25 hours and should happen after the project starts. Activity C must happen after activity A and takes 35 hours. Activity D must happen after activities B and C and takes 30 hours. Activity E must take place after activity C and takes 10 hours. Activity F takes place after activity E and takes 22 hours. Activities F and D are the last activities of the project. Which of the following is true if activity B actually takes 37 hours?
A. The critical path is 67 hours
B. The critical path changes to Start, B, D, End
C. The critical path is Start, A, C, E, F, End
D. The critical path increases by 12 hours

Answer 59

C

Question 60

The WBS, activity duration estimates, and the precedence diagram are completed. Which of the following should you do next?
A. Validate project scope
B. Identify project risks
C. Sequence the activities
D. Create a preliminary schedule and get the team’s approval

Answer 60

D

Question 61

You are leading an engineering project for your organization and have developed a six level WBS that has been sequenced using PDM. The activity duration estimates have been received. What should you do next?
A. Create an activity list 
B. Begin the work breakdown structure 
C. Finalize the schedule 
D. Compress the schedule

Answer 61

D

Question 62

You are the project manager for an information technology project within your organization. A five-level work breakdown structure has been developed for the project. The network diagram and duration estimates have been created and the schedule has been developed and compressed. Which of the following time management activities should you do next?
A. Gain approval 
B. Estimate activity resources 
C. Use parametric estimating 
D. Control the schedule

Answer 62

A

Question 63

The project is calculated to be completed two weeks after your sponsor’s deadline. You have been told there are no additional resources. The project is low risk, the benefit cost ratio is expected to be 1.71, and the project dependencies are preferential. Under these circumstances, what is the best thing to do?
A. Remove non-critical activities from the project
B. Make more activities concurrent
C. Cut resources from non-critical activities
D. Move resources from preferential dependencies to external dependencies

Answer 63

B