Chapter 5: Project Scope Management

Question 1

Define “Managing Project Scope”

Answer 1

Managing the project scope is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project

Question 2

The Project Scope Management processes are:

Answer 2

Plan Scope Management, Collect Requirements, Define Scope, Create WBS, Validate Scope, and Control Scope

Question 3

Define “Plan Scope Management” (as a scope management process)

Answer 3

The process of creating a scope management plan that documents how the project and product scope will be defined, validated, and controlled

Question 4

Define “Collect Requirements” (as a scope management process)

Answer 4

The process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet project objectives

Question 5

Define “Define Scope” (as a scope management process)

Answer 5

The process of developing a detailed description of the project and product

Question 6

Define “Create WBS” (as a scope management process)

Answer 6

The process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable
components

Question 7

Define “Validate Scope” (as a scope management process)

Answer 7

The process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables

Question 8

Define “Control Scope” (as a scope management process)

Answer 8

The process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline

Question 9

True or false: scope management processes should rarely overlap

Answer 9

False. The Project Scope Management processes are presented as discrete processes with defined interfaces while, in practice, they overlap and interact in ways that cannot be completely detailed in the PMBOK Guide

Question 10

Define “Product scope”

Answer 10

The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result

Question 11

Define “Project scope”

Answer 11

The work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions. The term “project scope” is sometimes viewed as including product scope

Question 12

Describe the differences between a predictive life cycle, and an adaptive or agile life cycle

Answer 12

In a predictive life cycle, the project deliverables are defined at the beginning of the project and any changes to the scope are progressively managed. In an adaptive or agile life cycle, the deliverables are developed over multiple iterations where a detailed scope is defined and approved for each iteration when it begins. More on pg 131

Question 13

Projects with predictive life cycles use backlogs (including product requirements and user stories) to reflect their current needs

Answer 13

False. Projects with ADAPTIVE life cycles use backlogs (including product requirements and user stories) to reflect their current needs

Question 14

Trends and emerging practices for Project Scope Management include but are not limited to a focus on collaborating with business analysis professionals to:

Answer 14

Determine problems and identify business needs, Identify and recommend viable solutions for meeting those needs, Elicit, document, and manage stakeholder requirements in order to meet business and project objectives, Facilitate the successful implementation of the product, service, or end result of the program or project

Question 15

The relationship between a project manager and a business analyst should be a ______ partnership

Answer 15

collaborative

Question 16

The project manager will need to tailor the way Project Scope Management processes are applied. Considerations for tailoring include but are not limited to:

Answer 16

Knowledge and requirements management, Validation and control, Development approach, Stability of requirements, Governance

Question 17

Inputs for the process “Plan Scope Management” include, but are not limited to:

Answer 17

Project charter, Project management plan, Enterprise environmental factors, Organizational process assets

Question 18

The organizational process assets that can influence the Plan Scope Management process include but are not limited to:

Answer 18

Policies and procedures, Historical information and lessons learned repositories

Question 19

Project teams may attend project meetings to develop the scope management plan. True or False: Attendees of these initial meetings should only include project managers and specialists, and experts to lend their knowledge from past projects

Answer 19

False. Attendees may include the project manager, the project sponsor, selected project team members, selected stakeholders, anyone with responsibility for any of the scope management processes, and others as needed

Question 20

The components of a scope management plan include:

Answer 20

Process for preparing a project scope statement, Process that enables the creation of the WBS from the detailed project scope statement, Process that establishes how the scope baseline will be approved and maintained, Process that specifies how formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables will be obtained

Question 21

True or false: the scope management plan should be formally written and highly detailed

Answer 21

False. The scope management plan can be formal or informal, broadly framed or highly detailed, based on the needs of the project

Question 22

Define “requirements management plan”

Answer 22

The requirements management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project and product requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed

Question 23

Define the process “Collect Requirements”

Answer 23

Collect Requirements is the process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet objectives

Question 24

Outputs of the Collect Requirements process may include:

Answer 24

Requirements documentation, Requirements traceability

matrix

Question 25

True or false: product requirements are not detailed in the PMBOK Guide. Why or why not?

Answer 25

True. The PMBOK Guide does not specifically address product requirements since those are industry specific

Question 26

A business document that can influence the Collect Requirements process is the ______

Answer 26

Business Case

Question 27

Data-gathering techniques that can be used for the Collect Requirements process include but are not limited to:

Answer 27

Brainstorming, Interviews, Focus Groups, Questionnaires and surveys, benchmarking

Question 28

What are questionnaires and surveys best used for in information gathering?

Answer 28

They are designed to quickly accumulate information from a large number of respondents. Questionnaires and/or surveys are most appropriate with varied audiences, when a quick turnaround is needed, when respondents are geographically dispersed, and where statistical analysis could be appropriate

Question 29

Define “Benchmarking”

Answer 29

Benchmarking involves comparing actual or planned products, processes, and practices to those of comparable organizations to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance. The organizations compared during benchmarking can be internal or external

Question 30

Define “Plurality” in the context of voting

Answer 30

A decision that is reached whereby the largest block in a group decides, even if a majority is not achieved. This method is generally used when the number of options nominated is more than two

Question 31

Define “Multicriteria decision analysis”

Answer 31

A technique that uses a decision matrix to provide a systematic analytical approach for establishing criteria, such as risk levels, uncertainty, and valuation, to evaluate and rank many ideas

Question 32

Define “Affinity diagram”

Answer 32

Affinity diagrams allow large numbers of ideas to be classified into groups for review and analysis

Question 33

Define “Mind mapping”

Answer 33

Mind mapping consolidates ideas created through individual brainstorming sessions into a single map to reflect commonality and differences in understanding and to generate new ideas

Question 34

Define “Nominal group technique”

Answer 34

The nominal group technique enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or for prioritization. The nominal group technique is a structured form of brainstorming consisting of four steps

Question 35

Describe the four steps of the nominal group technique

Answer 35

1. A question or problem is posed to the group. Each person silently generates and writes down their ideas. 2. The moderator writes down the ideas on a flip chart until all ideas are recorded. 3. Each recorded idea is discussed until all group members have a clear understanding. 4. Individuals vote privately to prioritize the ideas, usually using a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Voting may take place in many rounds to reduce and focus in on ideas. After each round, the votes are tallied and the highest scoring ideas are selected

Question 36

Facilitation skills are used in the following situations, but are not limited to:

Answer 36

Joint application design/development (JAD), Quality function deployment (QFD), User stories

Question 37

Define “Joint application design/development (JAD)”

Answer 37

JAD sessions are used in the software development industry. These facilitated sessions focus on bringing business subject matter experts and the development team together to gather requirements and improve the software development process

Question 38

Define “Quality function deployment (QFD)”

Answer 38

In the manufacturing industry, QFD is another facilitation technique that helps determine critical characteristics for new product development. QFD starts by collecting customer needs, also known as voice of the customer (VOC). These needs are then objectively sorted and prioritized, and goals are set for achieving them

Question 39

What is VOC?

Answer 39

The voice of the consumer

Question 40

Define “User Stories”

Answer 40

User stories, which are short, textual descriptions of required functionality, are often developed during a requirements workshop. User stories describe the stakeholder role, who benefits from the feature (role), what the stakeholder needs to accomplish (goal), and the benefit to the stakeholder (motivation)

Question 41

Define “Context Diagram”

Answer 41

The context diagram is an example of a scope model. Context diagrams visually depict the product scope by showing a business system (process, equipment, computer system, etc.), and how people and other systems (actors) interact with it. Context diagrams show inputs to the business system, the actor(s) providing the input, the outputs from the business system, and the actor(s) receiving the output

Question 42

Define “Prototyping”

Answer 42

Prototyping is a method of obtaining early feedback on requirements by providing a model of the expected product before actually building it. Examples of prototypes are small-scale products, computer generated 2D and 3D models, mock-ups, or simulations

Question 43

True or false: Storyboarding is a prototyping technique

Answer 43

True. Storyboarding is a prototyping technique showing sequence or navigation through a series of images or illustrations

Question 44

Define “Requirements Documentation”

Answer 44

Requirements documentation describes how individual requirements meet the business need for the project. Requirements may start out at a high level and become progressively more detailed as more information about the requirements is known

Question 45

Define “Solution Requirements”

Answer 45

These describe features, functions, and characteristics of the product, service, or result that will meet the business and stakeholder requirements. Solution requirements are further grouped into functional and nonfunctional requirements

Question 46

Define “Functional requirements” vs. “Non-Functional requirements”

Answer 46

Functional requirements describe the behaviors of the product. Examples include actions, processes, data, and interactions that the product should execute. Nonfunctional requirements supplement functional requirements and describe the environmental conditions or qualities required for the product to be effective. Examples include: reliability, security, performance, safety, level of service, supportability, retention/purge, etc.

Question 47

Define “Transition and readiness requirements”

Answer 47

These describe temporary capabilities, such as data conversion and training requirements, needed to transition from the current as-is state to the desired future state

Question 48

Define “requirements traceability matrix”

Answer 48

The requirements traceability matrix is a grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them. The implementation of a requirements traceability matrix helps ensure that each requirement adds business value by linking it to the business and project objectives

Question 49

Tracing requirements includes but is not limited to:

Answer 49

Business needs, opportunities, goals, and objectives, Project objectives, Project scope and WBS deliverables, Product design, Product development, Test strategy and test scenarios, High-level requirements to more detailed requirements

Question 50

Typical attributes used in the requirements traceability matrix may include:

Answer 50

a unique identifier, a textual description of the requirement, the rationale for inclusion, owner, source, priority, version, current status (such as active, cancelled, deferred, added, approved, assigned, completed), and status date, etc.

Question 51

True or false: Since all the requirements identified in Collect Requirements may not be included in the project, the Define Scope process selects the final project requirements from the requirements documentation developed during the Collect Requirements process

Answer 51

True

Question 52

Examples of project documents that can be considered as inputs for the Define Scope process include but are not limited to:

Answer 52

Assumption log, Requirements documentation, Risk register

Question 53

Define “Product analysis”

Answer 53

Product analysis can be used to define products and services. It includes asking questions about a product or service and forming answers to describe the use, characteristics, and other relevant aspects of what is going to be delivered

Question 54

Examples of product analysis techniques include but are not limited to:

Answer 54

Product breakdown, Requirements analysis, Systems analysis, Systems engineering, Value analysis, Value engineering

Question 55

Define “Project scope statement”

Answer 55

The project scope statement is the description of the project scope, major deliverables, and exclusions. The project scope statement documents the entire scope, including project and product scope. It describes the project’s deliverables in detail. It also provides a common understanding of the project scope among project stakeholders

Question 56

Define “Acceptance criteria”

Answer 56

A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted

Question 57

Define “Project exclusions”

Answer 57

Identifies what is excluded from the project. Explicitly stating what is out of scope for the
project helps manage stakeholders’ expectations and can reduce scope creep

Question 58

True or false: The project scope contains high- level information, while the project charter statement contains a detailed description of its components

Answer 58

False. The project charter contains high- level information, while the project scope statement contains a detailed description of the scope components

Question 59

Are project deliverables a component of the project charter or scope statement?

Answer 59

Scope statement

Question 60

Is the Summary milestone schedule a component of the project charter or scope statement

Answer 60

Project Charter

Question 61

Define “Create WBS”

Answer 61

Create WBS is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components. The key benefit of this process is that it provides a framework of what has to be delivered. This process is performed once or at predefined points in the project

Question 62

Define “work packages”

Answer 62

The planned work is contained within the lowest level of WBS components, which are called work packages. A work package can be used to group the activities where work is scheduled and estimated, monitored, and controlled. In the context of the WBS, work refers to work products or deliverables that are the result of activity and not to the activity itself

Question 63

Define “Decomposition”

Answer 63

Decomposition is a technique used for dividing and subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts. The work package is the work defined at the lowest level of the WBS for which cost and duration can be estimated and managed. The level of decomposition is often guided by the degree of control needed to effectively manage the project

Question 64

Decomposition of the total project work into work packages generally involves the following activities:

Answer 64

Identifying and analyzing the deliverables and related work, Structuring and organizing the WBS, Decomposing the upper WBS levels into lower-level detailed components, Developing and assigning identification codes to the WBS components, Verifying that the degree of decomposition of the deliverables is appropriate

Question 65

True or false: Different deliverables should have comparable levels of decomposition

Answer 65

False. Different deliverables can have different levels of decomposition

Question 66

How does one create a properly sized work package in creating the WBS?

Answer 66

To arrive at a work package, the work for some deliverables needs to be decomposed only to the next level, while others need additional levels of decomposition.

Question 67

True or false: there’s no such thing as excessive decomposition in creating the WBS

Answer 67

False. Excessive decomposition can lead to nonproductive management effort, inefficient use of resources, decreased efficiency in performing the work, and difficulty aggregating data over different levels of the WBS

Question 68

How much of the actual prospective work does the WBS need to include?

Answer 68

The WBS represents all product and project work, including the project management work. The total of the work at the lowest levels should roll up to the higher levels so that nothing is left out and no extra work is performed. This is sometimes called the 100 percent rule

Question 69

Define “planning package”

Answer 69

A control account may include one or more planning packages. A planning package is a work breakdown structure component below the control account and above the work package with known work content but without detailed schedule activities

Question 70

Define “WBS dictionary”

Answer 70

The WBS dictionary is a document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information about each component in the WBS. The WBS dictionary is a document that supports the WBS

Question 71

Information in the WBS dictionary may include but is not limited to:

Answer 71

Code of account identifier, Description of work, Assumptions and constraints, Responsible organization, Schedule milestones, Associated schedule activities, Resources required, Cost estimates, Quality requirements, Acceptance criteria, Technical references, and Agreement information

Question 72

Define “Validate Scope”

Answer 72

Validate Scope is the process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables

Question 73

The verified deliverables are obtained from what process?

Answer 73

The Control Quality process

Question 74

True or false: Control Quality is always performed before Validate Scope

Answer 74

False. Control Quality is generally performed before Validate Scope, although the two processes may be performed in parallel

Question 75

How is the Scope Baseline used or applied throughout a project?

Answer 75

The scope baseline is compared to actual results to determine if a change, corrective action, or preventive action is necessary

Question 76

Define “Verified Deliverables”

Answer 76

Verified deliverables are project deliverables that are completed and checked for correctness through the Control Quality process

Question 77

Define “Control Scope”

Answer 77

Control Scope is the process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline. This process is performed throughout the project

Question 78

_______ ensures all requested changes and recommended corrective or preventive actions are processed through the Perform Integrated Change Control process

Answer 78

Controlling the scope

Question 79

True or false: some type of change control process is mandatory for every project

Answer 79

True. Change is inevitable

Question 80

What kind of data is contained in the Work performance data?

Answer 80

Work performance data can include the number of change requests received, the number of requests accepted, and the number of deliverables verified, validated, and completed