Manage Schedule and Manage Quality 2 Flashcards
A project has three critical paths. How does this affect the project?
A. It makes it easier to manage.
B. It increases the project risk.
C. It requires more resources.
D. It increases the project budget.
Answer: B
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Having more than one critical path will increase the project risk (schedule risk, specifically). There are now multiple chains of activities on which if any delays are encountered, the project completion will be delayed.
Your team has discovered an issue during testing and the resolution is proving to be very challenging. They have unsuccessfully tried many different approaches to fix the issue, however you notice that their approach to fixing the issue has been tedious and time-consuming, since they are randomly selecting possible variables which often have nothing to do with the issues. What would be your best advice to the team?
A. Use the Design of Experiment approach to change several factors at a time instead of just one factor
B. First determine the root cause of this issue using the Ishikawa approach
C. Monitor the results through the use of control charts to determine the trend and where the process may be going out of control
D. Plot the results of all the changed factors using the Pareto Diagram approach
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Ishikawa (or Cause and Effect, or Fish bone) diagram is best used to determine the root cause of the issue, and from there you can focus your attention on the factors that could actually be causing the problem (instead of just grasping at straws).
A skincare company reports that customers are increasingly complaining that a product is underweight. A project manager needs to determine if something needs to be changed in the production line. Which tool or technique can the project manager use for this task?
A. Scatter diagram
B. Affinity diagram
C. Control chart
D. Histogram
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Control charts are used to determine whether or not a process is stable or has predictable performance. PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) PMI/PMI/8.3.2.5/304
You are the project manager in a semiconductor company. You are producing a batch of 100 computer chips for your project. Your manager has told you that high quality is very important. If the acceptance sampling defect attribute for the production lot is 10 percent, then you know which of the following is true?
A. Ten computer chips must be tested
B. Ten percent of the computer chips must be tested
C. All of the chips must be tested and they must have 10 percent or fewer defects
D. A sampling of the lot must have 10 percent or fewer defects
Answer: D
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Sampling is a statistical technique where a small number of units are tested and the results are assumed to be representative of the entire batch. Answer choices A and B are wrong because the 10 percent is not the number that should be tested, but rather the maximum percent of allowable defects in order to pass the quality acceptance test. Answer choice C is wrong because you would not test all of the chips.
You and your team are working on creating laptops and tablets to be used under military conditions. Consequently, they must be much more rugged and durable than the ones used in the home. In discussion with your quality manager, you ask her how she can be sure they will not break under battle conditions. She advises you what?
A. Her team will try to break some of them as part of appraisal costs
B. She is confident if the specifications are good enough, they will get through Control Quality
C. Her team will try to break some of them as part of prevention costs
D. They will have to ship a few samples to the military and have them tested there
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
This is called destructive testing loss and is part of the appraisal costs of cost of quality. Be sure to understand all parts of cost of quality.
An externally imposed project completion time sets the project duration at 75 days. The critical path of the project is established as 75 days, with a standard deviation of 3 days. What could be the maximum project float available?
A. Six days
B. Zero days
C. Three days
D. Cannot be established
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Project float is the difference between an externally-imposed completion period and estimated project duration, which is equal to the length of the critical path. The difference is zero. Add to this the standard deviation of 3 days (implying that the critical path could be +/- 3 days from the estimated one). The maximum float could be 0+3 = 3 days.
You are a project manager for an aerospace company. You manage a project that calls for the production of many special alloy screws which must adhere to very particular standards for use in the aerospace industry. Each screw is measured and weighed, and a notation is made to show value in relation to the mean you have established. What are you using and what is the primary purpose?
A. Control Chart, which is a tool and technique of Plan Quality Management, used to track occurrences.
B. Control Chart, which is a tool and technique of Control Quality, used to track repetitive activities or results.
C. Check sheet, a tool and technique of Control Quality, used to organize facts in a manner that will facilitate the effective collection of useful data about a quality problem.
D. Histogram, a tool and technique in Manage Quality, used to show a graphical representation of numerical data.
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Control charts are used to track repetitive activities or results. Information discovered from a control chart can help determine the stability of a process and whether it would have a predictable performance.
You are evaluating and recording the results of project deliverables to determine if they meet the quality standards. Which of the following is not part of this process?
A. Audit
B. Statistical sampling
C. Histogram
D. Inspection
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Audit is a structured, independent review to determine whether project activities comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures, and is part of Manage Quality
Which of the following helps achieve continuous improvement in project management processes?
A. Audits
B. Quality planning
C. Control quality
D. Project management office
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
A) An Audit is a structured review of existing processes for product creation and project management practices. Audits identify lessons learned on what works and what does not, and are used for making recommendations for improvement. B) Quality planning is identifying and establishing the quality policy for the project and relevant standards. C) Quality control is checking the compliance of actual work results as compared to specified requirements and provides inputs to the quality assurance process. D) The project management office brings together the best practices for project management, and it provides templates and other useful tools for project management.
An __ is a structured review of existing processes for product creation and project management practices. __ identify lessons learned on what works and what does not, and are used for making recommendations for improvement.
An Audit is a structured review of existing processes for product creation and project management practices. Audits identify lessons learned on what works and what does not, and are used for making recommendations for improvement.
__ __is identifying and establishing the quality policy for the project and relevant standards.
Quality planning is identifying and establishing the quality policy for the project and relevant standards.
__ __is checking the compliance of actual work results as compared to specified requirements and provides inputs to the quality assurance process.
Quality control is checking the compliance of actual work results as compared to specified requirements and provides inputs to the quality assurance process.
The __ __office brings together the best practices for project management, and it provides templates and other useful tools for project management.
The project management office brings together the best practices for project management, and it provides templates and other useful tools for project management.
You are a project manager mentoring a junior project manager on various project related topics. You are discussing the importance of critical path and how to use it to your advantage when managing a project. Which of the following statements is not true regarding the critical path?
A. The critical path may change during the execution of the project.
B. It is the network path with the longest total duration
C. The critical path is the sequence of activities that must be completed to produce the deliverables
D. The critical path is used to find the shortest time required to complete the project.
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
All the activities must be completed to finish the project, not just those on the critical path.
You are the project manager for a manufacturing company that specializes in the production of telescopes. You are managing a project that will create a lens that is 3x as powerful and is the same cost of current lenses. You must ensure that the production has minimal defects and your company is ISO 9001 certified. Which of the following is not an input to the Manage Quality process?
A. Project management plan
B. Quality metrics
C. Deliverables
D. Quality control measurements
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Deliverables are not an input to the Manage Quality process; they are an input to the Control Quality process.
You are the project manager for a large newspaper company. You are responsible for a project that will significantly change how your company will get information. Everything will be done remotely with applications built into smartphones. It is critical that all employees have uninterrupted access to this information and are able to quickly and reliably contact the company with updates and articles. Of the following, which would not be an output of Control Quality?
A. Change requests
B. Project document update
C. Quality management plan
D. Verified deliverables
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The outputs of the Control Quality process are quality control measurements, verified deliverables, work performance information, project management plan updates, change requests, and project document updates. The quality management plan is an output of the Plan Quality Management process.
You are the project manager for a small media company. You are currently managing a project to create a personal finance website that teaches people little known or unusual ways to make and save money. It is important that you deliver this project as quickly as possible. Currently, a similar product does not exist, so you must be first to market. Which is true regarding the critical path?
A. Shows all the necessary activities in a project
B. Is the work currently underway
C. Is the sequence of work which determines the project finish date
D. Should be determined at the project’s beginning and not changed
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Critical path is the sequence of work that determines the project finish date. It is the longest duration path throughout the schedule network diagram, and thus, delays along the critical path will delay the project. Note that the critical path can change if other activities fall behind, thus causing a new longest sequence to emerge. Multiple critical paths can also exist if their durations are equal (and higher than all others).
You are the project manager for a large bio-industrial company. You are currently managing a project with a risk adverse sponsor who is very influential in the company. This project must be delivered on time to meet federal milestones. Schedule is a critical constraint for this project. The outputs from Control Schedule include all of the following except:
A. Project management plan updates
B. Schedule revisions
C. Change requests
D. Work performance information
Answer: B
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
The outputs from the Control Schedule process are work performance information, schedule forecasts, organizational process assets updates, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates. Schedule revisions are not an output from the Control Schedule process.
You are the project manager for a large business products and services company. You are currently managing a project to specialize in HR compliance, payroll, and benefits administration for companies that do business in international markets. The customer has asked you to show that your schedule has vertical traceability. To do this you will show which of the following?
A. All milestones occur at the end of the month
B. The scheduled work can be traced to the contract or statement of work.
C. The earlier planned start date, among the subordinate activities, is the start date shown in the summary schedule
D. The hierarchy of the schedule follows the WBS
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Vertical traceability means that all subordinate work fits within the timeframe shown in a summary schedule of the same work. The earlier planned start and latest planned finish date of the work should correspond to the dates in the summary schedule line. There should not be any time buffer.
Which of the following is not a category of waste, according to Lean Six Sigma?
A. Re-estimating
B. Transportation
C. Waiting
D. Over-processing
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The seven kinds of waste are defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion, and over-processing.
The seven kinds of waste are?
defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion, and over-processing.
In order to bolster the performance of team members working on key outputs being delivered for your project, you have opted to use peer reviews to get a better handle on how things are being accomplished. A peer review would include all of the following except?
A. A documented list of any omissions, additions, and deviations
B. A defined activity for the individual doing the review
C. All scope, schedule, and cost work performance information
D. All of the source information that was used to develop the item being reviewed
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The goal of a peer review is to reduce defects and rework in a deliverable by having another individual review the work of the individual who produced the deliverable. All source information is reviewed to verify that the deliverable is correct. Any omissions, additions, and deviations are documented for accurate identification and clarification. A peer review activity needs to be identified, estimated, scheduled, and tracked. Work performance information does not have any bearing on a peer review.
You are taking measurements and plotting the results on a control chart. What process are you performing?
A. Manage quality
B. Control Quality
C. Plan quality
D. Monitor and control project work
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Remember that Control Quality is when you do the actual testing and measurement. Manage quality is when you audit the process to make sure you are following the correct quality policies and procedures. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the types of charts and graphs you would use in both of these processes - sometimes that is your only clue.
Assuming a PERT weighted average computation, what is the probability of completing the project within plus or minus 3 standard deviations of the mean?
A. 68.26%
B. 99.73%
C. 95.44%
D. 75%
Answer: B
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Applying normal probability analysis (bell curve), the work will finish within plus or minus 3 standard deviations (SD) 99.73% of time. Work will finish within plus or minus 2 SD’s 95.44% of the time. Work will finish within plus or minus 1 SD 68.26% of the time. With each SD you add you are making the ranger wider, so that the probability of completing the work in that time frame becomes higher.
For an agile project which of the following is not typically used to evaluate progress on agile projects?
A. Compare the total amount of work delivered and accepted to the work that was estimated to have been completed within the same timeframe.
B. Determine the rate at which deliverables are produced, validated and accepted.
C. Determine the remaining total float for each activity and the new critical path and project finish date.
D. Review completed work in regular sprint demos.
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Calculating total float and the critical path is typically done for predictive projects, not for agile projects. Answer A is issued to calculate earned value from a schedule standpoint on agile projects. Answer B is used to calculate velocity by the agile team. Answer D is done for agile projects each time deliverables are completed by the team.
You are a project manager on a biotech project. Your client is very demanding and your sponsor is currently engaged at a neutral level. You have documented requirements, defined scope, and created an initial schedule. When would you review and possibly update your schedule?
A. Never; once a schedule baseline is established it cannot be updated.
B. Only after an approved change request from the Change Control Board.
C. Iteratively throughout the project life cycle.
D. At the end of the Planning Process Group.
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Developing an acceptable project schedule is an iterative process. Revising and maintaining the project schedule model to sustain a realistic schedule continues throughout the duration of the project. Choice A is incorrect because baselines can be changed (through Perform Integrated Change Control). Choice B is incorrect for two reasons: First, the schedule is a project document and can be changed without a change request - the schedule baseline is a separate document; it is part of the project management plan and does need a change request to change it; and second, the schedule is where we record what has actually happened on the project and does not need a change request to add the information related to actual start, actual finish or actual duration of activities. Choice D is incorrect since Planning Process Group processes are iterative and can happen throughout the project.
You are using a Control Chart and you notice that a data point is outside of the Lower Control Limit, but seven or more data points are below the mean but inside the Lower Control Limit. This is an example of:
A. Common Cause Variation that needs to be addressed by Management
B. Special Cause Variation that needs to be addressed by the Operator
C. Common Cause Variation that needs to be addressed by the Operator
D. Special Cause Variation that needs to be addressed by Management
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
This is out of control and is therefore a Special Cause Variation. All Special Cause variations are addressed by the Operator.
If your project encountered more defects than expected, missed many of the scheduled milestones due to greater than expected wait times for activity hand-offs, and went over budget because of many redundant processes, which of the following could most help improve this environment?
A. Lean Six Sigma
B. Stakeholder identification
C. Resource optimization
D. WBS
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Lean Six Sigma is a quality improvement initiative and could improve not only the quality of the project’s management but also the quality of the project’s product.
You are a project manager and have been working on a manufacturing project. You have paid particular attention to the schedule since you must meet stringent store delivery requirements. You are reviewing your network diagram in preparation for a meeting with your sponsor. You discover that the total float on the project is 5 weeks and SPI is greater than 1. What does this tell you about the project?
A. More work was performed than had been planned at this point in time
B. Critical path work is behind schedule
C. Critical path activities are on schedule, but non-critical path activities are behind schedule
D. Less work was performed than had been planned
Answer: A
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
More work was performed than had been planned at this point, since the Schedule Performance Index is greater than 1.0.
Walter is running a project to create a report regarding the impact of smoking on middle-aged men. He has deployed fifteen college graduates to conduct a survey. His organization has made a commitment to the customer to have this information publicized by December 1st. The customer is nervous about the deadline and is risk adverse. Walter has noticed a delay in the project and has more resources at hand. What should he use increase the chances the project will hit the deadline?
A. Crashing
B. Smoothing
C. Leveling
D. Fast tracking
Answer: A
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
The two schedule compression techniques used to shorten the project schedule are crashing and fast tracking. Crashing works for activities where additional resources will shorten the duration. Fast tracking works if activities can be overlapped to shorten the duration. However, fast tracking may result in rework and increased risk. Smoothing and leveling are resource optimization techniques and will not shorten the schedule. So crashing is the only viable alternative in this scenario.
__ works for activities where additional resources will shorten the duration.
Crashing works for activities where additional resources will shorten the duration.
__ __works if activities can be overlapped to shorten the duration.
Fast tracking works if activities can be overlapped to shorten the duration.
__ and leveling are resource optimization techniques and will not shorten the schedule.
Smoothing and leveling are resource optimization techniques and will not shorten the schedule.
You are a project manager for a large telecommunications company. You are leading a project for the installation of a new cellular tower. You are working with your project management team to plan your project. Which of the following is done after the Define Activities process is completed?
A. Plan Quality Management
B. Develop Schedule
C. Estimate Activity Durations
D. Sequence activities
Answer: D
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Activity lists, activity attributes and the milestone list are generated from Define Activities. Next, the project network diagram is used for sequencing the activities based on their dependencies. From there you will estimate activity resources, then estimate activity durations, and finally, develop a schedule.
the stakeholders?
A. EV
B. CPI
C. SPI
D. PV
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) measures actual schedule performance with respect to the schedule baseline. The formula for SPI is EV/PV. A result of 1.0 means you are exactly on schedule, while anything above 1.0 means you are ahead of schedule and anything below 1.0 means you are behind schedule.
In Quality Management, Control Quality is the process whose key benefit is verifying project deliverables meet the requirements specified by key stakeholders. An output of this process is quality control measurements. These measurements later become inputs to which other process?
A. Direct and Manage Project Work
B. Monitor and Control Project Work
C. Validate Scope
D. Manage Quality
Answer: D
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
While some of the processes have quality reports as inputs, only Manage Quality has quality control measurements as an input. They are used to analyze and evaluate the quality of the processes and deliverables of the project against the standards of the organization or project requirements.
You are managing a manufacturing project that has a SPI of .89 and a CPI of .91. What is the best explanation for why this may have occurred?
A. The equipment purchased for the project was more expensive than expected.
B. Contract workers received a pay increase.
C. Less-experienced and high demand resources were used.
D. The human resources used were more expensive than anticipated.
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Performance is poor in both schedule and cost and options A, B, and D focus on only one aspect (cost or schedule). Less-experienced resources could account for both factors – cost overruns and schedule delays.
You have discovered numerous quality defects on your project. You decide to create an Ishikawa diagram to do which of the following?
A. Facilitate design of experiments
B. Complete statistical analysis of defects
C. Prioritizes the order of problems
D. Perform cause-and-effect analysis
Answer: D
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
An Ishikawa diagram (aka Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram) facilitates cause-and-effect analysis. It lists many potential factors which may be causing a particular outcome and is heavily used in quality management.
A product deliverable is undergoing acceptance testing. A senior-level stakeholder raises concern that an essential product feature for their department was not developed. The project manager wants to avoid this issue in the future. What is one way to accomplish this goal?
A. Properly manage stakeholder expectations.
B. Prepare a change management plan.
C. Ensure a scope management plan gets approved.
D. Hold a product demo with stakeholders.
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
A scope management plan documents how the project and product scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) PMI/PMI/5.1.3.1/137
You are a project manager for Kitchen Kings. They market and sell homemade sauces to Food World grocery store chains. Your project involves adding two new machines to the production line. You have just finished calculating potential dates for each of your activities. The Prepare Flooring activity is scheduled for an early start date of May 16, an early finish date of May 30, a late start date of June 1, and a late finish date of June 15. The float for this activity is zero. The Install Lighting activity is scheduled for an early start date of June 3, an early finish date of June 30, a late start date of July 1, and a late finish date of July 28. The float for this activity is two days. All other activities have zero float and total 320 days. Which of the following statements is true? Choose the best answer.
A. The Critical Path for this project is 335 days taking into account the multiple activity duration estimates for each activity.
B. Critical Path Method utilizes multiple duration estimates.
C. The Critical Path for this project is 348 days, taking into account the multiple activity duration estimates provided using expert judgment techniques.
D. Using float to determine the activities with the least scheduling flexibility is a function of the Critical Path Method
Answer: D
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
The Critical Path for the project is 335 days, but the Critical Path Method uses single duration estimates. Choices A, B and C are incorrect, since they talk about using multiple duration estimates for an activity (which is not done – only one estimate is used for each activity). Comparing late start/early start dates and late finish/early finish dates will show you the float of each activity, which tells you how much cushion you will have for that activity.
Execution of a non-critical path task is started later than its late start date. As the project manager for this high-profile project, you begin investigating the possible effect of this change in start date. Given your understanding of the activity network, what would you most likely expect to discover in your exploration?
A. The project’s critical path should be accelerated
B. Since the activity is not critical, it should be eliminated from the project and the resources applied to critical path
C. The critical path that was determined during planning may no longer be the critical path
D. No action is needed since the activity is off the critical path
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
At some point, non-critical activities can become part of the critical path if they are late enough to use the entire float. Answer A is incorrect because we may have a different critical path now as a result of the delay. Option B is wrong because non-critical path activities still have to be completed. Option D is wrong because the delay might put this activity on the critical path.
You are a project manager in a consulting company. Quality is critical for project success. You have had some recent setbacks that you need to control and minimize. You are looking for a method that can demonstrate the relationship between events and their resulting effects. Which of the following is the best choice for accomplishing your objective?
A. Histogram
B. Pareto diagram
C. Ishikawa diagram
D. Control chart
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
An Ishikawa diagram, also called a cause and effect diagram or fishbone diagram, serves this purpose.
You are working on an aerospace project which has very rigorous quality requirements. Much time has been spent mapping out the quality requirements and methods for ensuring they are met. Who has the primary responsibility of ensuring that these quality requirements are reflected in the final deliverables?
A. The project sponsor
B. The project team
C. All stakeholders
D. The customer end-users
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The project team (the individuals completing the project work) is responsible for the quality of the project deliverables.
A project manager is attending a periodic review with stakeholders. The project sponsor asks the project manager how deliverables will be verified for accuracy and accepted. In which project document is this information found?
A. Scope management plan
B. Requirements management plan
C. Quality management plan
D. Work performance reports
The quality management plan identifies the quality requirements and/or standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality requirements and/ or standards.
The __ __ __ identifies the quality requirements and/or standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality requirements and/ or standards.
The quality management plan identifies the quality requirements and/or standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality requirements and/ or standards.
You are the project manager for an automobile manufacturer. You are making major revisions to your production line to automate many processes. This will speed up the manufacturing line while saving cost. However, this is a new project and the first major revision in years. Which of the following tools and techniques are not used in the Sequence Activities process?
A. Precedence diagramming method (PDM)
B. Dependency determination
C. Expert judgment
D. Leads and Lags
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
The tools and techniques of the Sequence Activities process are precedence diagramming method (PDM), dependency determination, and leads and lags and project management information system. Expert judgment is not a tool and technique used in the Sequence Activities process.
You and your team are brain storming multiple variables that may impact the efficiency of your processes. What would be the best tool to complete this?
A. Design of Experiment
B. Histogram
C. Pareto chart
D. Tornado analysis
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The design of experiments is the process of setting up series of tests in order to determine what outputs result from different combinations of inputs (variables). The design of experiments can be used to understand business processes and determine improvement strategies, by demonstrating in advance which factors can be changed to produce improvements in quality.
__ are vertical bar charts that show the graphical representation of numerical data.
Histograms are vertical bar charts that show the graphical representation of numerical data.
__ __are a special type of bar chart used in sensitivity analysis for comparing the relative importance the variables.
Tornado diagrams are a special type of bar chart used in sensitivity analysis for comparing the relative importance the variables.
In working with your quality team on your projects, you have collectively come to the realization the maturity of your organization in terms of getting things done is low. Processes are often poorly controlled and tend to be reactive. Your next step is to go to your executive leadership and recommend they consider implementing what?
A. Kanban
B. CMMI
C. Six Sigma
D. Lean Six Sigma
Answer: B
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is specifically designed to be a process improvement framework to help organizations build capability in their people and processes, with five maturity levels.
Which of the following techniques lead to higher quality software, improved responsiveness to changing requirements, and more frequent releases in shorter cycles?
A. Fishbone diagram
B. Root-cause analysis
C. eXtreme programing
D. The five whys
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Option C is correct. eXtreme programming is a software development method used to increase software quality, improve responsiveness to changing requirements, and deliver software more frequently. See page 102 of the Agile Practice Guide for more details.
You are the project manager for an international shipping company. All your projects are time sensitive and you use earned value management to assess schedule information and create forecasts. You are planning for how to deal with anticipated schedule changes on your project, and are setting up a common understanding among stakeholders for how to control the schedule. What are you working on?
A. The schedule management plan
B. Schedule updates
C. Change requests
D. Control schedule
Answer: A
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
The correct choice is A, which you would do during planning. The document that establishes the criteria and activities for developing and controlling the project schedule is the Schedule Management Plan, which is part of the Project Management Plan. The rest of the answer choices are done later in the project.
You have your activity list and resource requirements in hand and are planning on using PERT estimates plus reserve time to determine activity durations. Which of the following is true?
A. You are using inputs of the Estimate Activity Duration Process
B. You are using tools and techniques of the Estimate Activity Resources Process
C. You are using tools and techniques of the Estimate Activity Duration Process
D. Both A and C
Answer: D
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Activity list and activity resource requirements are both inputs of the Estimate Activity Durations process. Additionally, three-Point Estimating (PERT) and reserve analysis are two of the tools and techniques of the Estimate Activity Durations process. The other tools are expert judgment, analogous estimating and parametric estimating.
You are managing a software development project that is behind schedule. Which of the following statements about scheduling is not true?
A. Fast-tracking allows you to do two project phases in parallel to speed up the project delivery.
B. Crashing a non-critical path activity will help to speed up the project delivery.
C. Precedence diagramming method (PDM) allows you to have four types of logical relationships, and is more flexible than arrow diagramming method (ADM).
D. Critical path method will help you understand which activities to manage.
Answer: B
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Crashing a non-critical path activity will do nothing to speed up the project delivery. As a project manager you should focus your attention on critical path activities, because speeding those up will shorten the schedule. All of the other answer choices are accurate statements.
After analyzing the status of your project, you determine that the earned value is lower than the planned value. What should you expect as an outcome if this trend continues?
A. The actual cost will be lower than planned and you will finish behind schedule
B. The estimate at completion will be lower than planned and you will finish ahead of schedule
C. The project will finish behind schedule.
D. The project will finish below the original cost estimate and on time
Answer: C
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Schedule Variance = EV-PV. Since this value is negative here, the project will finish behind schedule if this trend continues.
Your project management plan determines that you will have a budget for appraisal costs. You are performing quality control for one portion of your project deliverables. Which of the following tools will be most important here?
A. Audit
B. Process analysis
C. Cost of Quality
D. Inspection
Answer: D
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Quality control requires an inspection of the work results. While quality is planned into a project, inspections ensure the quality requirements were met.
You have been advised by your quality manager he will be performing quality audits of your project on an ongoing basis. The goal of these audits is to determine if project activities comply with organizational and project policies and procedures. Your team is concerned this will interfere with their work. In a meeting, you advise them this is a welcome procedure because:
A. The sponsor prefers you do it
B. This should help prevent scope creep and keep the team focused on their work
C. Correcting deficiencies should result in reduced cost of quality and an increase in customer acceptance
D. Correcting deficiencies should result in less need for quality control and enhanced customer satisfaction
Answer: C
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
The PMBOK Guide specifically says correcting deficiencies should result in reduced cost of quality and an increase in customer acceptance.
You are an experienced project manager working for a small hyper-growth software development company. Schedule discipline is a significant KPI for your project. You were very thorough in utilizing the critical path methodology to develop your schedule. All of the following terms describe additional time included in the schedule to account for uncertainty except for which one?
A. Contingency
B. Lag
C. Reserve
D. Buffer
A lag is used to delay the start date of a particular activity. All other choices refer to the additional time included in the schedule to protect against uncertain events.
A __ is used to delay the start date of a particular activity. All other choices refer to the additional time included in the schedule to protect against uncertain events.
Lag
Marcus has just finished a major defense project. He was responsible for developing a new all-terrain vehicle for the Department of Defense. This project took three years to complete and was done within budget and ahead of schedule. Which of the following factors that influence customer satisfaction should Marcus be most aware of?
A. The price point of the project and minimal maintenance costs of the product
B. Effective after-project service and well received project team
C. Effective use of project resources and skills of the project team
D. Conformance to project requirements and fitness for use of the deliverables
Answer: D
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
Choice D is the correct answer, conformance and fitness for use of the deliverables are required for customer expectations to be met. See PMBOK Guide page 275.
You have been experiencing defects in the manufacturing of your product. In discussion with your quality manager, you realize you may need to ask him to investigate the relationship between elements of your process and defects. The next thing you should ask him to do is?
A. Create a scatter diagram
B. Create a cause-and-effect diagram
C. Create a tornado diagram
D. Create a histogram
Answer: A
Process - Task 7 - Manage Quality
A scatter diagram will display the relationship between two variables. A cause-and-effect diagram will display multiple reasons why a certain effect occurred. A tornado diagram is an output of sensitivity analysis and is not a quality tool. A histogram displays a graphical representation of numerical data such as the number of times a given process is noncompliant.
A __ __ will display the relationship between two variables.
A scatter diagram will display the relationship between two variables.
A __-__-__ diagram will display multiple reasons why a certain effect occurred
A cause-and-effect diagram will display multiple reasons why a certain effect occurred
A __ __is an output of sensitivity analysis and is not a quality tool.
A tornado diagram is an output of sensitivity analysis and is not a quality tool.
A __ __ a graphical representation of numerical data such as the number of times a given process is noncompliant.
A histogram displays a graphical representation of numerical data such as the number of times a given process is noncompliant.
Your organization uses a project methodology that is a variant of the Critical Path Method for all projects within your department. You have been asked to run a project in support of operations for a different department. You have realized that this project is very different. Unlike other projects the requirements are not known and will have to be discovered as you make iterations of the project deliverables tailored to your customer’s needs. You have realized that the normal critical path method will not work in this environment and you are looking for a different scheduling tool that will explain to your key stakeholders the status of the work. What tool would be more appropriate in this project environment?
A. Critical Chain
B. Free Float Gant Charts
C. Mark Francesco’s Agile Glasses Viewer
D. Feature Burndown/Burnup Charts
Answer: D
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Feature Burnup/Burndown Charts are useful in the agile environment to illustrate the amount of completed work. These charts can be used to show trends in work completed per sprint. Read more in the Agile Practice Guide p 67 or in the PMPBOK Guide p 226.
Your organization uses a project methodology that is a variant of the Critical Path Method for all projects within your department. You have been asked to run a project in support of operations for a different department. You have realized that this project is very different. Unlike other projects the requirements are not known and will have to be discovered as you make iterations of the project deliverables tailored to your customer’s needs. You have realized that the normal critical path method will not work in this environment and you are looking for a different scheduling tool that will explain to your key stakeholders the status of the work. What tool would be more appropriate in this project environment?
A. Critical Chain
B. Free Float Gant Charts
C. Mark Francesco’s Agile Glasses Viewer
D. Feature Burndown/Burnup Charts
Answer: D
Process - Task 6 - Manage Schedule
Feature Burnup/Burndown Charts are useful in the agile environment to illustrate the amount of completed work. These charts can be used to show trends in work completed per sprint. Read more in the Agile Practice Guide p 67 or in the PMPBOK Guide p 226.
