PMP Final Exam Flashcards
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Determining whether a process is stable or has predictable performance by monitoring the results of a process over time is best described as which tool and technique:
A. Statistical sampling
B. Scatter diagrams
C. Pareto diagrams
D. Control chartsD
PMTI Blue Book: Page 193, 194 Control charts is the tool that is used to control quality over time. A control chart is a graphic display of process data over time. Scatter diagram is a graph showing the relationship between an independent and dependent variable. Pareto diagrams are histograms with rank ordered frequency of defect occurrence. Statistical sampling is choosing a part of a population of interest for inspection.
If it becomes obvious that the BAC is no longer viable, the project manager develops a forecasted estimate at completion (EAC). Once approved, the EAC effectively supersedes the BAC as the cost performance goal. Whether or not EAC is approved an excellent way of calculating the to-complete performance index is:
A. Cumulative earned value minus cumulative actual cost
B. Work remaining divided by funds remaining
C. Budget multiplied by estimate at completion
D. Budget divided by cost performance index
B
PMTI Blue Book: Page 180, 181 The formula for TCPI = (BAC-EV) / [(BAC-AC) or (EAC-AC)]. The numerator represents the work remaining in terms of $$. Budget is the estimated cost for all the work on project. Earned value is the estimated cost for the work completed. The difference between them (the numerator) represents the work remaining. The denominator represents the funds remaining depending on whether BAC or EAC is being considered as the basis. The denominator is Budget or Estimate at Completion minus the actual cost i.e. the funds actually expended. TCPI represents the performance efficiency required to get back to the EAC or the BAC. A is the formula for CPI not TCPI, D is the formula for EAC. C is made up formula. The correct answer is B.
Projects could benefit from iterative life cycles when they have any of the following except?
A. Requirement of speed of delivery
B. Complexity is high
C. Project can incur frequent changes
D. Scope is subject to differing stakeholders’ views of desired final product
A
PMTI Blue Book: Page 26 Projects benefit from iterative life cycles when complexity is high, when the project incurs frequent changes, or when the scope is subject to differing stakeholders’ views of the desired final product. Iterative life cycles may take longer because they are optimized for learning rather than speed of delivery. Symptoms of an agile project – “We will know the requirements when we deliver a prototype that the business approves.”. Some projects optimize for speed of delivery. Many businesses and initiatives cannot afford to wait for everything to be completed; in these cases, customers are willing to receive a subset of the overall solution. This frequent delivery of smaller deliverables is called an incremental life cycle.
Risks are assigned a priority level based on:
A. Risk register
B. Risk management plan
C. Assessed probability and impact
D. Risk attitudeC
PMTI Blue Book: Page 127 Risk ratings are a result of their assessed probability and impact.
A project to measure the physical characteristics of tornados was chartered. The project manager recognized that the project involved many risks. Soon after the project has been initiated, the project manager started identifying the project risks. Given the nature of the project, the project manager was prepared to iterate this process a few times. Which of the following documents contributes information to identify risks and helps the project manager conduct this process efficiently?
A. Stakeholder register
B. Stakeholder Management Plan
C. Risk register
D. Checklist analysisA
PMTI Blue Book: Page 123 Stakeholder register provides input on who needs to be interviewed during Identify Risks. Checklist analysis is not a document. It is a tool and technique. Risk register is the output of identify risks. The question is asking for the input of identify risks.
After a lengthy and difficult process of interviewing the stakeholders and using several interpersonal and team skills, the PM was able to organize the requirements. The requirements were characterized by the well-known conflict between the legal department and the financial department. The due diligence in collect requirements paid off when the deliverables were easily described in the scope statement. The project manager is now in the process of acquiring new team members to assist in the progressive elaboration of the work breakdown structure. When these team members are hired for creating the project WBS, which one of the following is updated:
A. Team resource management
B. RACI chart
C. Project team assignments
D. Activity resource estimatesC
PMTI Blue Book: Page 149 When Acquire Resources is implemented at any time in the project, appropriate people are added through various means including negotiation with functional managers/other PMs and acquiring new hires or contractors. The project team assignments (an output of Acquire Resources) are updated. D is a tempting answer. However, resource estimates must have already been completed before hiring team members. Team resource management is part of resource management plan and is completed earlier.
Which one of the following is the MOST appropriate example of a corrective action?
A. Detailed review by experts of the mall construction project plans and drawings
B. Fixing leaks in a newly built oil pipeline that were detected during inspection
C. Taking a known alternate route to the party after being stuck in traffic for thirty minutes. You are hoping to arrive at the party on time.
D. A large software company providing frequent updates to their operating system to thwart security issues
C
PMTI Blue Book: Page 173, 202 Taking action to bring expected future project performance into conformance with the project management plan is a corrective action. In this case, you come up with an alternative impromptu solution (corrective action), taking a different route to get to the party on time (your end goal). A and D are preventive actions; B is defect repair (“fix” “leaks”)
A project consists of five tasks. The tasks each have optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic duration estimates (in days) as follows: Task 1: 10, 14, 15; Task 2: 19, 29, 54; Task 3: 3, 5, 9; Task 4: 4,5,5; Task 5: 13, 13, 13. The budget planned for each of the five tasks was as follows: $65,000, $35,000, $50,000, $21,000, $29,000. Thus far, the project has spent $50,000 on task 1, and $25,000 on task 2 and $10,000 on the portion of task 3 that was completed. The cumulative CV at this point is $45,000; what percent of the project is complete?
A. 153%
B. 53%
C. 42.5%
D. 65%D
PMTI Blue Book: Page 180, 181 BAC = sum of all planned budget of all tasks = $65,000 + $35000 + $50,000 + $21,000 + $29,000 = $200,000 ACc = Money spent on tasks completed thus far = $50,000 + $25,000 + $10,000 = $85,000. EVC = CVC + ACC = $45,000 + $85,000 = $130,000. Percent Complete = EVC / BAC = $130,000 / $200,000 = 65%. The PERT duration estimates are superfluous information.
A project has seven activities: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Activities A, B and D can start anytime. A takes three weeks, B takes five weeks, and D takes 11 weeks. A and B must be completed before C can start. C requires six weeks to complete. B, C and D must be completed before E can start. E requires two weeks. F takes four weeks and can start as soon as C is completed. E must be completed before G starts. G requires three weeks. F and G must be completed for the project to be completed. What is the critical path?
A. Start, A, C, F, End and B,C,E,G, End
B. B, C, E and G, End
C. D, E and G, End
D. Both Start, B, C, E, G, End and Start, D, E, G, End
D
PMTI Blue Book: Page 83-86 There are 5 paths in all: Path 1: Start A C E G End Duration: 14 Weeks Path 2: Start A C F End Duration: 13 Weeks Path 3: Start B C E G End Duration: 16 Weeks Path 4: Start B C F End Duration: 15 Weeks Path 5: Start D E G End Duration: 16 Weeks Longest Path Duration = Critical Path Duration = Path 3 = Path 5 = 16 days Another easy but not an accurate way to come up with the answer is to add up the paths in the answers and find the longest ones. There is, of course, the danger that an answer may include a path not even in the network.
Your boss meets with you, the project manager, to audit the performance on your project to confirm that the quality processes are used, and the project is implementing processes as defined in the quality management plan. In what process is your boss engaged in?
A. Quality Planning
B. Control Quality
C. Total Quality Management
D. Manage QualityD
Blue Book: Page 164 Manage Quality process implements a set of planned and systematic acts and processes defined within the project’s quality management plan that helps to: design an optimal and mature product by implementing specific design guidelines that address specific aspects of the product, build confidence that a future output will be completed in a manner that meets the specified requirements and expectations through quality assurance tools and techniques such as quality audits and failure analysis, confirm that the quality processes are used and that their use meets the quality objectives of the project, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes and activities to achieve better results and performance and enhance stakeholders’ satisfaction.
A project manager working for a global information technology firm in India is assigned to a project with a budget of 850 million rupees. Due to the size of the project and the level of uncertainty, the project was divided into several phases. The project manager was careful in documenting the charter for the project and the goals for each phase because the PM knew that one of the following is not true regarding project phases?
A. Project phases are never closed without the decision to initiate the next phase
B. Project phases are marked by hand-off and go/no-go decisions
C. Project phases may be necessitated by the complexity of the project
D. Project phases may be agile, iterative, or incremental
A
PMTI Blue Book: Page 26, 27 Some project phases may end with a decision not to continue with the project i.e. the remainder of the phases. Hence a decision may be made not to initiate the subsequent phase
Sandy is a Project Manager in SuperInfra Services Limited, a multinational infrastructure services company. The current project she is managing is running behind schedule with a cumulative SPI of 0.78 and a cumulative CPI of 1.02. To recover from the project delays, she hired two subject matter experts from Australia. If the initial team included 3 virtual team members and 2 in-house programmers excluding Sandy and the Sponsor, what is the number of communication channels for the Project?
A. 10
B. 21
C. 36
D. 29C
PMTI Blue Book Page 40, 118 5 team members + 2 new SMEs from Australia + 1 Project Manager + 1 Sponsor = 9. So, the # of communications channel is 9 (9-1) / 2 = 9x8/2 = 9x4 = 36. Remember, the size WAS (past) 5 excluding PM and Sponsor and is now 7 plus PM and sponsor. Don’t forget to include all those who need to be. Remember all team members – virtual or otherwise are treated same for communication channels purposes.
A project manager who is managing a high-risk project has immediately started on the task of documenting individual risks, overall risk, their root causes, and potential risk owners. What is the PM doing?
A. Reserve analysis
B. Identify Risks
C. Plan Risk Responses
D. Monte Carlo SimulationB
PMTI Blue Book: Page 123 - 125 Risks, potential risk owners and root causes of risks are identified during risk identification.
Which one of the following is a directive PMO?
A. A person authorized to use resources to achieve the goals of a charter
B. Group that provides support by supplying templates, and best practices
C. Group that requires compliance or conformance to PM frameworks or methodologies
D. Group that directly manages projects
D
PMTI Blue Book: Page 29 A is a project manager who is authorized to use organizational resources to achieve the goals of a project charter. Supportive PMOs provide a consultative role to projects by supplying templates, best practices, training, access to information and lessons learned from other projects. Controlling PMOs provide support and require compliance through various means. Directive PMOs take control of the projects by directly managing the projects. The degree of control provided by the PMO is high.
A Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS):
A. Is a breakdown of types of human-resources required by the project
B. Helps with tracking project costs
C. Is a type of Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS)
D. Helps communication between project team & all the stakeholders
B
PMTI Blue Book: Page 108 A is only partly correct. RBS is a breakdown by resource types both HR & non-HR. RBS is not a type of OBS. WBS helps communication between team & all stakeholders not RBS.
A project that had recently hired 3 new team members immediately started showing great progress. After carefully evaluating the work completed, costs incurred, and comparing with the project management plan, the PM reported a cumulative cost variance (CV) of $20,000 and a cumulative CPI of 1.3; What were the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) incurred thus far?
A. $26,000
B. $33,333
C. $6,000
D. $66,667D
PMTI Blue Book: Page 180, 181 Remember the formula: AC = CV/(CPI-1) AC = CV/(CPI – 1) = $20,000/ (1.3 – 1) = $20,000/.3 = $66, 667
A 9-month project is in the 7th month and its cumulative SPI=0.9, cumulative CV=-3 million USD. What will be the value of AC (Actual Cost of Work Performed) & CPI if the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (PV) = 10 million USD?
A. AC = 12 million USD, CPI = 0.75
B. AC = 12 million USD, CPI = 1.25
C. AC = 10 million USD, CPI = 0.75
D. AC = 10 million USD, CPI = 1.25A
PMTI Blue Book: Page 180, 181 We have SPI and PV (also known as BCWS), so (1) calculate EV (also known as BCWP) first from the formula SPI = EV/PV. So, EV = SPI x PV. (2) Then using the formula of CV=EV – AC, we can arrive at AC as follows: AC = EV - CV. (3) Then, calculate CPI using EV & AC (=EV/AC). We are given SPI = 0.9, CV = -3M, PV=10M So, from (1) above, EV = SPI x PV = 0.9 x 10M = 9M From (2) above, AC = EV – CV = 9M – (-3M) = 12M From (3) above, CPI = EV/AC = 9M/12M = 0.75 Another easy way to answer this question is to see that CV is negative, hence CPI is less than one. This leaves A and C. Since SPI is still less than 1, AC has to be greater than PV. So, A is now the only choice.
A buyer from the Department of Clean Energy has narrowed down the potential sellers for a huge contract to three vendors. The buyer meets the seller representative from iCleanEnvU, who has been a vendor for the department for the last several years. A cost reimbursable (CR) contract and a lump sum contract are both being discussed as possible contracts between the customer and the vendor. Both parties eventually agree on a CR contract because:
A. Scope is not well defined and variability is high and unpredictable
B. Scope is well defined and variability is high and unpredictable
C. Scope is not well defined and variability is minimal and predictable
D. Scope is well defined and variability is minimal and predictable
A
PMTI Blue Book: Page 136, 137 A cost reimbursable contract is appropriate whenever the scope of work cannot be precisely defined at the start and needs to be altered, or when high risks may exist in the effort.
A buyer from the Department of Clean Energy has narrowed down the potential sellers for a huge contract to three vendors. The buyer meets the seller representative from iCleanEnvU, who has been a vendor for the department for the last several years. A cost reimbursable (CR) contract and a lump sum contract are both being discussed as possible contracts between the customer and the vendor. Both parties eventually agree on a CR contract because:
A. Scope is not well defined and variability is high and unpredictable
B. Scope is well defined and variability is high and unpredictable
C. Scope is not well defined and variability is minimal and predictable
D. Scope is well defined and variability is minimal and predictable
A
PMTI Blue Book: Page 136, 137 A cost reimbursable contract is appropriate whenever the scope of work cannot be precisely defined at the start and needs to be altered, or when high risks may exist in the effort.
A project manager has received an email from the customer requesting changes to the delivery dates of a few activities in the project schedule. In this scenario, which one of the following is true?
A. Approved schedule changes will require changes to the WBS
B. Unapproved schedule changes may or may not require changes to the WBS
C. Approved schedule changes may or may not require changes to the WBS
D. Unapproved WBS changes may require changes to the schedule
C
PMTI Blue Book: Page 178, 177, 205, 206 B and D are incorrect and can be eliminated. A, changes to the schedule will not necessarily impact the scope of the project, whereas scope changes may impact the schedule. The correct answer is C. Unapproved scope changes, also called creep, should not occur if PMI framework is followed.
In the following network diagram, A represents printing books, B represents teaching class, F represents students taking exam. Since the class is now done offsite, a new requirement activity S, shipping books, is now approved. If activity S has a duration of 3 days with a shipping lag of 2 days and it occurs after printing books but before teaching class, what is your observation about the project?
A. The new requirement needs to go through integrated change control
B. The critical path has not changed because A-D-C-E-End still has most activities
C. The project risk has increased
D. The critical path has changed because there is a new path with 19 days durationD
PMTI Blue Book: Page 83-86 Since the new requirement is already approved; it implies that it already has gone through Integrated Change Control (ICC). The Critical Path is the longest path in terms of duration, not in terms of activities. New requirement approval implies the project risk was already considered by the CCB in the ICC. So, there is no variance from the new baseline. So, answer 3 is moot and irrelevant. The only correct answer in this situation, therefore, is D which is true because the new path A-S(+lag)-B-F-End is now 3 + (3 + 2) + 7 + 4 = 19 days. Thus the critical path has changed and its new duration is 19 days.
