PMP Study Questions Flashcards
PMI has an established talent triangle that reflects the skills needed by today’s project professionals. This component of the talent triangle focuses on critical interpersonal skills needed to influence, inspire change, and build relationships.
A) People Skills
B) Power Skills
C) Ways of Working
D) Business Acumen
B) Power Skills
Which of the following are examples of OPAs? (Choose three)
A) Project document templates from other projects
B) Standard operating procedures
C) Trade forums that keep an open communication about the profession
D) Governmental regulations establishing requirements
E) Organizational repository with lessons learned from past projects
A) Project document templates from other projects
B) Standard operating procedures
E) Organizational repository with lessons learned from past projects
Which of the following are examples of EEFs? (Choose three)
A) Economic Environment
B) Past Projects
C) Political climate
D) PMO Support
E) Project Management Info
A) Economic Environment
C) Political climate
E) Project Management Info
Which of the following are frameworks or prompts that can help to understand external factors that can introduce risk, uncertainty, or provide opportunities and affect the value and desired outcomes of a project? (Choose 3)
A) PESTLE
B) EVM
C) TECOP
D) VUCA
E) OPA
A) PESTLE
C) TECOP
D) VUCA
Project A is expected to last five years and has a NPV of $500. Project B is expected to last five years and has a NPV of ($600). Which project should be selected?
A) Project A because the costs are minimal and the project will yield a larger return
B) Project A because the value of the project is $500.
C) Project B because the cost is only $600.
D) Project B because the value of the project is $600.
B) Project A because the value of the project is $500.
Explanation: The time and costs are part of the NPV calculation and not provided in the scenario above. So the larger positive dollar amount is the better choice. A profitable project is one where the NPV is positive. Project B is a negative dollar amount. NPV= Cash flow / (1 + i) t – initial investment
A company’s contracting office is evaluating an request for proposal from a potential customer for a firm fixed price contract. They are not sure if submitting a proposal is a good financial decision because the contract would require a very complex project with a 5 year timeline. The contracting office realizes that the time-value of money is important to consider as well as project costs. Which method would be best for making a good financial decision?
A) Business Case
B) A/B Testing
C) Decision Tree Analysis
D) Net Present Value
D) Net Present Value
Explanation: Net present Value (NPV): NPV is a difference between the present value of cash inflow and the present value of cash outflow after a given period. To calculate the NPV you should know the time period of project and discount rate (required rate of return). NPV is very useful to check profitability of particular project. NPV can also be used to compare more then one project and find which one is the best. It helps to make the decision to either invest or not.
The PM of an agile project nearing it’s first release after several iterations has just been notified by the customer that they are not sure they can accept the deliverables in their current state. They say that some of the items from prior iterations did not meet their expectations. What could the project manager have done better to help prevent this?
A) Communicated to the customer the importance of their involvement during sprint reviews.
B) Collect the requirements early and upfront so the details of the project were well understood.
C) Determine the cost benefit analysis of the project to ensure the project was worthwhile.
D) Conducted A/B Testing to ensure the project met future customer needs.
A) Communicated to the customer the importance of their involvement during sprint reviews.
Explanation: The project has undergone several iterations and is about to release. The opportunity for customer feedback is during the sprint review. Communicating the importance of feedback to the customer so they understand their involvement is necessary to meet the project goals would have helped to prevent this from occurring.
Your organization has just completed a feasibility study to determine the types projects that they should undertake based on financials, organizational capabilities, and past successful projects. They have assigned a sponsor and some key members to a team to develop a project charter for an upcoming capital project. Which of the following source documents should they reference as the complete the charter? (Choose 2)
A) Project Management Plan
B) RFP
C) Business Case
D) Business Need
E) Benefits Management Plan
C) Business Case
E) Benefits Management Plan
Explanation: Business Documents are used to help develop the project charter and are completed before the formal establishment of a project. There are two business documents that PMI outlines: The business case, and the benefits management plan.
Which of the following best describes the benefits management plan?
A) A document to determine what the project undertaking should be and how it should be done.
B) A document that describes who will benefit from the project and when the benefits should be realized.
C) A document that formally authorizes the project and is signed by the project sponsor.
D) A document that determines the budget and benefit of the project so business decisions can be made.
B) A document that describes who will benefit from the project and when the benefits should be realized.
Explanation: BENEFITS MANAGEMENT PLAN - The documented explanation defining the processes for creating, maximizing, and sustaining the benefits provided by a project or program. It also describes how and when the benefits of a project will be derived and measured. Both the business case and the benefits management plan are developed with the benefits owner prior to the project being initiated. Additionally, both documents are referenced after the project has been completed. Therefore, they are considered business documents rather than project documents or components of the project management plan.
The quarterly results demonstrate that competition is driving down prices. The company is losing market share, and it appears that the sponsoring unit will not see a return on their investment midway into the project. Which two steps should the project manager take to accommodate these new circumstances? (Choose TWO).
A) Re-scope the project to deliver the same features as the competitors to match their pricing.
B) Make a cost/benefit analysis of deliverables to optimize delivery cost and speed.
C) Fast-track the remainder of the project to deliver the intended scope with lower overhead costs.
D) Incrementally replace local staff with outside expert staff who can work at half the hourly rate or less.
B) Make a cost/benefit analysis of deliverables to optimize delivery cost and speed.
D) Incrementally replace local staff with outside expert staff who can work at half the hourly rate or less.
Explanation: Cost/benefit analysis and fixed-budget incremental development are correct because they address the loss of profitability without disruption to business.
Your organization is in the midst of a major change initiative, and you have been tasked with leading a team responsible for implementing the new strategy. You have been studying Kotter’s eight-step theory of change and have identified that your team is currently in the “Create a Sense of Urgency” step. However, there are some members of the team who are hesitant to fully commit to the change. What is the best course of action for addressing the team’s reluctance to fully commit to the change?
A) Ignore their concerns and continue moving forward with the change initiative
B) Address their concerns by clearly communicating the potential benefits of the change and how it aligns with the organization’s overall goals
C) Use fear tactics to convince them to support the change
D) Agree with the team and ask the team to help identify a better solution
B) Address their concerns by clearly communicating the potential benefits of the change and how it aligns with the organization’s overall goals
Explanation: According to Kotter’s theory, creating a sense of urgency is the first step in successfully implementing a change initiative. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone may be on board with the change right away. By clearly communicating the potential benefits of the change and how it aligns with the organization’s overall goals, you can help to address any concerns and build buy-in from the team. It is not recommended to ignore their concerns or to use fear tactics as it can cause more harm than good.
You are a project manger for a company that is experiencing difficulty in aligning its strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, staff, and style. Your team has identified that the main problem is a lack of clear shared values and alignment within the organization. What should be the first step in addressing the problem?
A) Re-structuring the organization’s hierarchy
B) Implementing new systems and processes
C) Developing a clear set of shared values and aligning them throughout the organization
D) Focusing on improving the skills of the staff
C) Developing a clear set of shared values and aligning them throughout the organization
Explanation: According to McKinsey’s 7S model, shared values are one of the core elements that drive organizational alignment. By having a clear set of shared values, the organization can align its strategy, structure, systems, skills, staff, and style to support these values, and improve overall performance. Re-structuring the organization, implementing new systems and processes, and focusing on staff skills will only be effective if they align with the company’s shared values.
You are a consultant working with a company that specializes in manufacturing products using eco-friendly materials. The company has been struggling to increase its profits and has asked for your help in improving their operations. Which of the following changes would be the most effective in increasing the company’s profits?
A) Implementing a new production line that uses more efficient machinery
B) Offering discounts on products made with eco-friendly materials
C) Introducing a new product line that is made with recycled materials
D) Providing training to employees on how to improve their productivity
A) Implementing a new production line that uses more efficient machinery
Explanation: A would be a first-order change as it addresses the company’s operations directly and has the potential to increase production efficiency and lower costs, leading to an increase in profits.
An organization is undergoing a major change in their business structure, moving from a centralized to a decentralized model. This change will impact the way projects are managed and executed within the company. How will the organizational change from centralized to decentralized affect the current project you are working on?
A) The project will be delayed due to the need for re-planning and re-organization.
B) The project will not be affected and will continue as planned.
C) The project will be completed faster due to the new decentralized model.
D) The project will be cancelled due to the organizational change.
A) The project will be delayed due to the need for re-planning and re-organization.
Explanation: The project will most likely be delayed as the change in structure will require teams and project managers to adjust their approach to project management.
A government agency is in charge of managing several projects related to infrastructure development. Recently, the agency’s leaders have announced a shift in priorities, prioritizing projects related to renewable energy over those related to traditional infrastructure development. You are the project manager of a renewable energy project. How may this change in program priorities affect the resources available for projects within the agency?
A) Resources will increase as funding is redirected towards renewable energy projects.
B) Resources will decrease as funding is redirected away from traditional infrastructure development projects.
C) Resources will remain unchanged as funding for all projects comes from the same budget.
D) Resources will be redistributed among the different projects, but not necessarily increased or decreased overall.
A) Resources will increase as funding is redirected towards renewable energy projects.
Explanation: The shift in priorities may mean that resources are redirected away from traditional infrastructure development projects and towards renewable energy projects, leading to a decrease in resources available for traditional infrastructure development projects.
Your company has recently undergone a change in management and the new leadership team has shifted the company’s priorities to focus on developing new products rather than improving existing ones. As a result, your current project, which was focused on updating an existing product, has had its resources and budget significantly reduced. How should the project manager respond to this change in program priorities and resource allocation?
A) The project manager should continue with the project as planned, and request additional resources and budget from the new leadership team.
B) The project manager should propose a new plan for the project that aligns with the company’s new priorities and work to secure the necessary resources and budget.
C) The project manager should scrap the project altogether, as it is no longer in line with the company’s priorities.
D) The project manager should continue with the project as planned and rely on team members to make up for the reduced resources and budget through overtime and increased efficiency.
B) The project manager should propose a new plan for the project that aligns with the company’s new priorities and work to secure the necessary resources and budget.
Explanation: The project manager should respond to the change in program priorities by developing a new plan for the project that aligns with the company’s new priorities and objectives. This includes proposing new goals, strategies and tactics that align with the company’s overall direction and communicating these changes to stakeholders. It is also important for the project manager to work on securing the necessary resources and budget to support the new plan, which may involve seeking external funding, partnerships or other financial options. Continuing with the project as planned or relying on team members to make up for reduced resources and budget may lead to delays, budget ove uns or even project failure.
The new shopping center project will take three years from design through construction to complete. You are new to the term “governance” and you want to test yourself to confirm that you have a solid understanding of it. Which of the following best represents the definition of governance?
A) A set of practices to help assure the success of the project.
B) Phase-to-phase relationships within the project.
C) The PMO directive on managing the project.
D) The sponsor’s directive on managing the project.
A) A set of practices to help assure the success of the project.
Explanation: Governance is an organizational structure placed on projects to ensure that they align with business objectives and align with portfolios and programs. These practices help assure the success of projects by establishing things such as gates to ensure assumptions and expected value are correct.
As a project manager you know it is important to get the deliverables right. This is especially important in a phased project. In a phased project, you know that a phase output is typically:
A) Used for marketing purposes.
B) An input to the next phase.
C) Used by the project manager to justify an increased budget from the sponsor.
D) Not important as long as the final deliverable meets the customer’s needs.
B) An input to the next phase.
Explanation: It is important to have a quality deliverable as the output of each phase because it is generally an input to the next phase. Othe wise, issues from phase to phase will snowball over time.
The new shopping center project will take three years from design through construction to complete. You are new to the term “governance” and you want to test yourself to confirm that you have a solid understanding of it. The decision point to move from one phase to another is known as which of the following (Choose three.)
A) Kill point
B) Go/No go
C) Phase gate
D) Phase endpoint
E) Continuance threshold
F) Governance Gate
A) Kill point
C) Phase gate
F) Governance Gate
Explanation: Kill point, Phase Gate, Governance Gate, and Tollgates are all interchangeable terms, a quality gate is a specific type of phase gate that is used to determine if the anticipated quality is being met or exceeded usually specifically to software development.
The new shopping center project will take three years from design through construction to complete. You are new to the term “governance” and you want to test yourself to confirm that you have a solid understanding of it. Which of the following describes the most common phase-to-phase relationship in multi-phase projects?
A) Finish-to-start
B) Sequential
C) Orderly
D) Non-overlapping
B) Sequential
Explanation: Project phases are either planned sequentially or overlapping.
You are the project manager for a multi-phased project. Phase gates have been established between each phase of the project. Your project team asks you what the importance of the phase gates are. As the project manager what will you tell your project team?
A) Phase gates are review points at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification(s), or to end a project or program.
B) Phase gates are the points in a project where the sponsor injects additional funds into the project.
C) Phase gates are performed in an agile project at the end of each iteration to receive feedback before moving to the next iteration.
D) Phase gates are milestones mandated by an industry as checkpoints for compliance with industry standards.
A) Phase gates are review points at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification(s), or to end a project or program.
Explanation: Phase gates (also called governance gates, tollgates, or kill points) are review points at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification(s), or to end a project or program. They’re used to check if each phase has fulfilled the exit criteria and is eligible to move to the next step.
Which of the following best describes a Quailty Policy?
A) A list of organizational resources used for quality and a defined project scope of work that will be used to ensure quality.
B) The basic principles that should govern the organization’s actions as it implements its system for quality management.
C) It ensures all compliance requirements will be met, tracked, and validated before customer delivery.
D) It is a set of policies and procedures to ensure that defects are never produced.
B) The basic principles that should govern the organization’s actions as it implements its system for quality management.
Explanation: A quality policy is the basic principles that should govern the organization’s actions as it implements its system for quality management. If a quality policy does not exist, then it should be established within the quality management plan. The quality management plan is a component of the project or program management plan that describes how applicable policies, procedures, and guidelines will be implemented to achieve the quality objectives. B is the BEST answer
A recently approved project is conducting a review of requirements when a project team member learns that there is a new compliance requirement from a recently passed law that may impact the baseline assumptions made in the business case for the project. How should the project manager proceed?
A) Research the requirement and possible consequences, then give the sponsor a recommendation.
B) Address the requirement through the creation of a quality management plan.
C) Decline to address the issue, as the new requirement is not part of the project’s documented charter.
D) Acknowledge the requirement by documenting it in the risk register, then ask all stakeholders for guidance.
A) Research the requirement and possible consequences, then give the sponsor a recommendation.
Explanation: Before any action is taken, the project manager must determine the impact of the the change. Once the impact is understood, the project manager should refer to the project sponsor since it is an item that would possibly impact the approved project charter.
A project has multiple security related compliance requirements that must be tracked and monitored during multiple phases of a project. How should the project manager plan to meet this requirement?
A) Create a security plan and ensure that it is checked regularly by the development team.
B) Arrange for cyclical reviews of security compliance and recommend remedial steps if noncompliance is found.
C) Require that all security related compliance requirements be reviewed by the project manager to ensure compliance.
D) Hire a new resource in charge of compliance to ensure these requirements can be met.
B) Arrange for cyclical reviews of security compliance and recommend remedial steps if noncompliance is found.
Explanation: Compliance and quality related reviews a should be conducted on a predictable cyclic timeline to ensure items are not missed.
A project manager is asked by the sponsor where the processes are that explain how deliverables will be verified for accuracy and accepted are documented. Where should this be documented?
A) The Scope Management Plan
B) The Quality Management Plan
C) The Requirements Management Plan
D) The Acceptance Criteria
B) The Quality Management Plan
Explanation: The quality management plan will have how and when inspections will occur and the remedy for non-conformance.
A project manager for a project in the execution phase has just learned of a new law that mandates immediate compliance, the law will impact the projects scope costs and schedule. What should the project manager do first?
A) Notify the Sponsor
B) Escalate the issue to senior management
C) Begin the change request process
D) Conduct a risk assessment to see the impact of noncompliance
C) Begin the change request process
This is a change management issue, before taking action, the project manager should refer to the plan which describes the change request process. The change request process is usually found as part of the change management plan.
While putting together a plan, it is important to establish a baseline to judge the overall performance of the project. What three baselines are part of a project management plan?
A) Scope, Control, and Schedules baselines.
B) Scope, Costs, and Schedules baselines.
C) Sponsor, Cost, and Schedule Baselines
D) Scope, Quality, and Costs baselines
B) Scope, Costs, and Schedules baselines.
Explanation: The three baselines are scope, schedule, and cost baselines.
As a project progresses the work performed is compared to the plan to determine if the project is meeting objectives and is on task. What type of evaluation best describes the area of focus on a project?
A) Executing the project to ensure deliverables meet quality standards.
B) Monitor and Control the project’s work to ensure it meets the planned scope, costs, schedule, and quality.
C) Planning the project to ensure all risks are accounted for so that the project finishes on schedule.
D) Closing the project by evaluating what went well, and what did not go well.
B) Monitor and Control the project’s work to ensure it meets the planned scope, costs, schedule, and quality.
Explanation: Monitoring and Controlling a project ensures that the project is completed according to plan. This also measures the projects performance and helps identify the need for change to get back on track.
During a project that requires close adherence to regulations the project sponsor requests a change that you believe would violate legal requirements. What should be the first step the project manager should take?
A) Immediately schedule a meeting with the stakeholders to review the situation.
B) Establish a change control board to review the change request.
C) Check with the organization’s legal SME for guidance.
D) Review the organization’s lessons learned database for precedents and direction.
C) Check with the organization’s legal SME for guidance.
Explanation: When a project is faced with potential legal or regulation violations it is important to dete mine the threats to compliance and determine the necessary approach and action to address compliance needs.
While conducting an evaluation of the business environment to determine the viability of a project a senior manager would like you to use PESTLE to help make the assessment. What external factors should you consider as part of this assessment?
A) Policies, Economic, Scope, Technical, Liability, Ecosystem
B) Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal, Environmental
C) Policies, Engineering, Social, Technical, Liability, Ecosystem
D) Political, Economic, Scope, Technical, Liability, Environmental
B) Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal, Environmental
Explanation: In the same way that potential internal business environment changes can affect the project’s value, external factors can also affect the value and desired outcomes of the project. Many best practice frameworks refer to these as PESTLE factors. It is critical that project managers are aware of PESTLE factors that can impact their project’s business case and need to be prepared to adapt accordingly. Political Changes in the political landscape may affect governmental policies, financial models, and the viability of certain business strategies. Economic Changes in economic conditions may affect a project’s ROI model, the desirability of certain solutions, and even the most basic assumptions of the project’s viability. Social Changes in social behaviors, norms, and actions may affect the project’s perception and desirability. Technical Changes in technical capabilities may make newer approaches to solving business problems possible and may alter both the viability of projects and the approach the organization may use to enabling solutions. Legal Changes in legal and regulatory requirements may fundamentally alter what is needed for the project’s products to meet compliance requirements, and may increase costs, reduce benefits, or both. Environmental Increasingly companies are being asked as part of their social responsibility practices to consider environmental impacts of their solutions and in many cases to alter their approaches in a way that improves the sustainability of the environment.
You are working on a project tracking the progress and identifying variations from the plan to what is actually being produced. What is created as a result of this analysis?
A) Work performance data because it shows the variance between planned and actual.
B) Work performance information because it shows the variance between planned and actual.
C) Work performance reports because it shows the variance between planned and actual.
D) Change requests because it shows the variance between planned and actual and what corrective action is needed to resolve the variance.
B) Work performance information because it shows the variance between planned and actual.
Explanation: Work Performance Information: Analyzed #s used for decision-making like SV, SPI, CV & CPI. It looks for variance between their PM plan & actual work performance data which is the raw unanalyzed obse vations from project execution.
A key team member is asked to move to another project during the middle of a technical project. The team believes this is an unwise move and expresses concern.
Which action will help to resolve the issue?
A) Discuss the conflict with the project sponsor and formulate a response.
B) Use coaching tools and techniques to motivate the project team.
C) Replace the key team member with a new resource who has the same skills.
D) The PM should acknowledge the teams’ concern and also analyze the impact to the project.
D) The PM should acknowledge the teams’ concern and also analyze the impact to the project.
Explanation: PM should know how to handle key personnel changes and keep the team motivated and productive. It is important that the team member’s concerns are acknowledged so they know they have been heard. Whenever analyzing a problem you need to first understand the impact to the project and (if unknown) the root cause.
A Project Manager with limited experience managing globally-distributed team members receives a project that has team members from five countries, spanning three continents. To successfully manage this project, the Project Manager needs to develop cultural sensitivity. What should the Project Manager do?
A) Be flexible when working with team members, recognize that culture is learned, and be aware of local customs.
B) Seek guidance from the human resource department, and request to be certified in this topic.
C) Request for another Project Manager to lead the project and follow behind this person to gain necessary skills.
D) Gather requisite learning material to better understand every detail of each team member’s culture to be sensitive to their needs.
A) Be flexible when working with team members, recognize that culture is learned, and be aware of local customs.
Explanation: The project management team should capitalize on cultural differences, focus on developing and sustaining the project team throughout the project life cycle, and promote working together interdependently in a climate of mutual trust.
The members of a small project team have known each other for many years. The project is currently in the execution phase. A team member recently reported to the new project manager that another team member has been complaining about the way the project is being managed.
How should this new project manager respond?
A) Review the current stakeholder engagement plan to identify how to resolve this difficulty.
B) Schedule a team meeting to discuss the current team charter and ground rules, especially around communication and teamwork expectations.
C) Hold a team-building event to improve morale and team culture.
D) Speak with each team member individually to determine why they are unhappy.
B) Schedule a team meeting to discuss the current team charter and ground rules, especially around communication and teamwork expectations.
Explanation: A team meeting is the best solution because it encourages every team member to participate and results in a clear set of guidelines for the team.
A team new to agile is wondering how work will be assigned and who will do the work. What should the project manager tell them?
A) The Project Manager will assign work to ensure speed and the value delivery.
B) The Kanban will tell everyone what work needs to get done.
C) The team will assess work and determine who will do the work.
D) The Work Breakdown Structure shows all assignable work for the project and who will do the work.
C) The team will assess work and determine who will do the work.
Explanation: In Agile, teams are self-organizing and will assess work requirements and determine who will do the work.
The agile team is very good at finding solutions to technical issues, but when the product owner asks for ideas that are creative or linked to business, the team goes completely quiet. Is there an issue with this?
A) Yes, specialist teams make too many mistakes to be productive.
B) No, specialist teams are more productive than generalist teams.
C) Yes, a lack of diversity will limit the team’s adaptability.
D) No, the team can not be expected to do everything. These distractions only take away from more productive things.
C) Yes, a lack of diversity will limit the team’s adaptability.
Explanation: T-shaped skills are desirable in agile team members. Having a broad set of skills enables people to work more independently and with a greater ability to adapt to changing needs.
Which tool or technique should you use to determine the communications needs of your project stakeholders?
A) Stakeholder analysis
B) Research material
C) Project report materials
D) Executive board schedule
A) Stakeholder analysis
Explanation: Stakeholder analysis will aid in determining the information each stakeholder needs, the frequency of engagement required, and what expectations the stakeholders have.
You have assigned roles and responsibilities to your project team members and now you need to define in your communications management plan how you and your project team will communicate with each other. Although most of your team is local, there are a few key members that are dispersed across several states. Given the scenario, what would be a good technology for enhancing team member interactions and building relationships throughout the life of the project?
A) Team building event at project kick-off
B) Project team threaded discussion board
C) Use email and databases to collect and store information
D) High-quality virtual teleconferencing on a semi-weekly or weekly basis
D) High-quality virtual teleconferencing on a semi-weekly or weekly basis
Explanation: The question states “throughout the life of the project.” A kick-off meeting will help to establish and build relationships, but only at the start of the project. Face-to-face communication is preferred so verbal and non-verbal communication can be observed such as body language. If co-location cannot be achieved than virtual teleconferencing on a cyclic basis is the best alternative to help ensure interaction and establishment of relationships throughout the project.
Which of the following would you tell your team not to include in the communications management plan?
A) The initiator and receiver of project communications
B) The Stakeholder Register
C) The collection and transfer of institutional knowledge
D) The frequency of each communication
B) The Stakeholder Register
Explanation: The stakeholder register is a project document used to track stakeholders’ point of contact info
After integrating the communications management plan into the overall project plan, what would be the next logical step?
A) Determining whether there will be changes to the proposed technology before the project is over.
B) Creating a schedule for the production of each type of communication.
C) Creating a description of stakeholder communication requirements.
D) Distributing the plan to all the stakeholders.
D) Distributing the plan to all the stakeholders.
Explanation: After a plan is complete, it is important to ensure all stakeholders have the plan to stay aligned. Distributing plans. changes, and project status is essential to ensure stakeholders expectations are managed, and timely decisions about the project can be made.
What is an important part of communications that helps a sender understand if the receiver properly understood the message that was sent?
A) Empathy
B) Noise
C) Feedback
D) Kanban
C) Feedback
Explanation: Communication is a two-way street. Effective feedback is clear, specific, and offered in a timely manner. Feedback can be positive if received and understood as intended. Feedback can be negative because of misunderstanding. No feedback provides an implicit acceptance of the message by the receiver.
While completing the planning of your project you realize that there a requirement for a resource that another directory own. The project’s outcomes will be mutually beneficial for both directorates. What type of agreement could you negotiate with the other directorate to utilize the required resource?
A) Memorandum of Understanding
B) Term of Contract
C) Service Level Agreement
D) Partner Agreement
A) Memorandum of Understanding
Explanation: Agreements help to define relationships between a service provider (internal or external) and the end user. These agreements can incorporate expectations for service utility (functional performance) and service warranty (including availability, speed, security, continuity, and other usability expectations). Can take the form of contracts, MOUs, SLAs, letters, verbal, or email correspondence. SLAs govern a service after a project is delivered and define the expected level of performance. Ideally, effective SLAs should reflect business-driven metrics, including such things as transaction processing, customer satisfaction, etc. When working with other agencies to utilize resources memorandums of understand, emails, and verbal agreements can be utilized.
To ensure you have the necessary buy-in, commitment, and resources required to make the project a success, you offer to assist them in creating a formal project charter. What should be included in the charter? (Choose 4)
A) Objectives and Goals
B) Full Scope
C) Overall Risk
D) Milestones
E) Assumptions and Constraints
F) A team charter
G) Ground Rules
A) Objectives and Goals
C) Overall Risk
D) Milestones
E) Assumptions and Constraints
Explanation: There are many things that can be included in a project cha ter depending on if it is a agile or predictive project. The main items that should be included in all charters though are goals, objectives, milestones, overall risk, assumptions and constraints, overall budget (or costs) and funding source, identification of the PM (Product Owner if agile) and their responsibilities.
What benefit, if any, is there for a project manager to get all the various stakeholder groups—the business, the inventory staff, the developers, and the design team—to understand the project’s vision and mission?
A) There is no real benefit, the project manager took the time to collect the requirements of all stakeholders and is the only one who understands how the project needs to be integrated. Involving the external stakeholders now would only slow down the project and cause unnecessary confusion on who is doing what.
B) Having all parties appreciate and align to the project’s goals and overall mission helps ensure that all understand the primary aims of the project. Drawing attention to how each group is working together to strive towards a common goal push for more collaboration, support, and shared understanding.
C) It is important to ensure that each stakeholder has their expectations and requirements addressed, that should be the primary focus of the project manager because 90% of the project manager’s time is spent communicating with stakeholders. Bothering stakeholders with extra items that are outside of their expectations or requirements will only create new requirements that are outside of the scope of work.
D) The benefit exists only in agile projects because in agile projects customer feedback is important so the deliverable can focus on generating value to the customer and not on unnecessary features.
B) Having all parties appreciate and align to the project’s goals and overall mission helps ensure that all understand the primary aims of the project. Drawing attention to how each group is working together to strive towards a common goal push for more collaboration, support, and shared understanding.
Explanation: Part of developing a lean enterprise and agile mindset is aligning on a shared vision and goal. By bringing all parties together for a shared understanding, the project manager gains commitment and accountability among the team, stakeholders, and business leaders increasing the likelihood of success.
In order to identify strategic and operational assumptions and constraints, a project manager must involve stakeholders. A lack of participation makes it difficult for the project manager to obtain consistent feedback.
How can the project manager encourage participation and collaboration among stakeholders? (Choose TWO)
A) Use political awareness techniques.
B Be a servant leader.
C) Timebox meetings.
D) Use effective facilitation techniques.
E) Remove unsupportive stakeholders.
B Be a servant leader.
D) Use effective facilitation techniques.
Explanation: Facilitation is the ability to effectively guide a group event to a successful decision, solution, or conclusion. A facilitator ensures effective participation, so that participants achieve a mutual understanding, that all contributions are considered, that conclusions or results have full buy-in according to the decision process established for the project, and that the actions and agreements achieved are appropriately dealt with afte ward.
A new project team is establishing early priorities with the intention of gaining the customer’s trust by delivering value quickly. Tim, a member of the team, mentions that they have collaborated with the project sponsor on previous endeavors. How could the project manager leverage this knowledge for the benefit of the team and project?
A) Make Tim the project leader since they already know the sponsor.
B) Ask Tim to tell the whole team everything they know about the sponsor so that the team can work better.
C) Explore how the team can use Tim’s personal influence with the sponsor to increase the project’s potential for benefits realization.
D) Discuss whether Tim has a conflict of interest in order to maintain an ethical standard.
C) Explore how the team can use Tim’s personal influence with the sponsor to increase the project’s potential for benefits realization.
Explanation: Personal influence is a leadership skill that enables project teams and individuals to use existing relationships, building on them to further project activities and goals. In this case, Tim has an existing relationship that may help the project team to understand more quickly the needs of the project sponsor.
A company is undergoing an IT transformation project which has three (3) deliverables, and they have the following characteristics, according to the project team:
- Deliverable 1 has strictly scheduled milestones, with no expected variation in the timeline.
- Requirements for deliverables 2 and 3 will change quickly during development.
Which project life cycle should the project manager use for this project?
A) Select a fully agile project model, with a common user story and three-week sprints.
B) Select a waterfall project model for deliverables, with firm milestones and change control procedures.
C) Select a hybrid project model; position deliverable 1 as a single agile sprint embedded in an overall waterfall project.
D) Select a hybrid project model; position deliverable 1 as a single waterfall phase embedded in an overall agile project.
D) Select a hybrid project model; position deliverable 1 as a single waterfall phase embedded in an overall agile project.
Explanation: In this project, two (2) deliverables have unknown durations or changing requirement sets—both of which are appropriate conditions for use of the agile life cycle. Deliverable 1 requires strict schedule control and external dependencies, which require a traditional or waterfall project life cycle.
Despite significant investments in quality control and marketing campaigns, the targeted consumers are unsatisfied with an innovative product. Which agile practice would prevent similar future failures most effectively?
A) Align objectives between the product owner and marketing.
B) Run continuous consumer usability testing on product releases.
C) Broaden the persona type definition of the target consumer.
D) Add more features and tests to the minimum viable product (MVP).
B) Run continuous consumer usability testing on product releases.
Explanation: Continuous user testing and feedback is the most effective way to align requirements to user needs and integrate them incrementally into product releases.
A customer has some ideas on how the project could bring more value to them. When would be a good time to discuss these ideas and provide feedback?
A) During sprint planning so the team can collaborate.
B) During the daily stand-up so the team can adapt quickly to new ideas.
C) During the retrospective so team can develop a plan of action.
D) During the sprint review so the product owner and team can discuss the business value of these changes for future prioritization.
D) During the sprint review so the product owner and team can discuss the business value of these changes for future prioritization.
Explanation: In Scrum, the sprint review is utilized to show the work completed by the team from last complete sprint (iteration), and it serves and an opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback on completed work and to ask for changes.
Where is an agile approach most appropriate?
A) When there is a low need for customer feedback but a high need for incremental delivery.
B) When there is a high need for customer feedback and a low need for speed of delivery.
C) When there is a high need for customer feedback and a high need for incremental delivery.
D) When there is a low need or customer feedback and a low need for incremental delivery.
C) When there is a high need for customer feedback and a high need for incremental delivery.
Explanation: Agile is best suited for projects that require significant customer feedback to get the right solution
(iterative), and a desire to generate value early and consistently throughout the project (incremental)
Which of the following projects would be best suited for a waterfall approach?
A) Project A is a one that the company is familiar with and the requirements are well known. The cost for change is expensive so there is a need to control change.
B) Project B is a project that the company has done many times, however requirements are dynamic and must be defined with the customer over the course of several iterations.
C) Project C is new project with a focus on innovation to include many prototypes to get to the right solution.
D) Project D is a update to a prior product where incremental delivery of new capabilities will be released over the course of 2 years.
A) Project A is a one that the company is familiar with and the requirements are well known. The cost for change is expensive so there is a need to control change.
Explanation: Project A is the closest project that would fit in a predictive or waterfall method of development. Whenever there is a high cost to change, there is a need to control the budget. Changes to should go through a formal approval process.
Why is it important to properly manage the scope of your project?
A) Because the project manager is in charge of the overall project
B) Because the scope determines the project desired outcome, it must be tracked to ensure approved changes still meet objectives.
C) Because the scope should not change, and it prevents scope creep and gold plating.
D) Because the scope is a list of the tasks and activities that need to be done to create the deliverables for the customer.
B) Because the scope determines the project desired outcome, it must be tracked to ensure approved changes still meet objectives.
Explanation: The project scope describes what needs to be accomplished to achieve the business value and serve the customer needs. Without a well defined scope, work cannot be assigned, a schedule can not be created, and a final budget can not be determined.
What are some techniques you could use to elicit project requirements? (Choose four)
A) Document Analysis
B) PM Plan
C) Observations
D) Work Breakdown Structure
E) Interviews
F) Questionnaires
A) Document Analysis
C) Observations
E) Interviews
F) Questionnaires
Explanation: The PM Plan and Work Breakdown Structure are not techniques. The WBS is part of the scope baseline for predictive projects, and the PM Plan is the integrated plan for the project to meet the project and business objectives.
You and the project team draft a project scope statement. Which of the following is commonly part of the project scope statement? (Choose 2)
A) Scope Creep
B) Acceptance Criteria
C) Budget
D) Scope Description
E) Schedule
B) Acceptance Criteria
D) Scope Description
Explanation: The project scope statement should include project and product scope descriptions, alternatives, exclusions, and acceptance criteria.
You are creating a scope statement which includes only the smallest collection of features that can be included in a product for customers to consider it functional. What product approach are you using?
A) Release Planning
B) Progressive Elaboration
C) Minimum Viable Product
D) Horizon Planning
C) Minimum Viable Product
Explanation: The minimum viable product is the “bare bones” collection of features for the customer to consider it
functional.
The project team decomposes the scope of the project to create a WBS. The work packages in the WBS have a dictionary with information and referenceable details. What type of details might be in a WBS dictionary for items on the WBS?
A) Quality Requirements, Cost Estimates, and Description of Work
B) Code of account identifier, Work package, and Acceptance criteria
C) Technical references, Assumptions, and Stakeholder register
D) Product Backlog, Epics, and User Stories
A) Quality Requirements, Cost Estimates, and Description of Work
Explanation: The WBS dictionary can include any of the following and potentially others not listed: Code of account identifier, Description of work, assumptions and constraints, responsible organization, schedule milestones, Associated schedule activities, resources required to complete the work, cost estimations, quality requirements, acceptance criteria, technical references, and agreement information.
As the project team decomposes a new upcoming feature into user stories, they begin to populate product backlog. When must the team have the product backlog finished?
A) By the first phase of the project
B) By the first iteration
C) By the time the business signs off on the project scope statement
D) The product backlog is a living artifact that is finished at the end of the project.
D) The product backlog is a living artifact that is finished at the end of the project.
Explanation: The product backlog is a prioritized list of the product’s functions and features (sometimes includes risks, and enablers) used to develop the product through a series of timeboxed intervals called iterations. Intervals are planned by determining the team’s capacity for work and committing to work from the product backlog that is highest in value that can be completed in a single iteration. This process is repeated until all work is complete or the project is terminated.
To capture the business and end user needs and the value desired, user stories are often used to populate a product backlog. If the project seeks to make it easier for company employees to submit travel expense reports, which example shows how you could write a user story based on this need? (Choose the best example)
A) As a company employee who travels for work, I want to submit my travel expense reports with little hassle, so that I may get reimbursed and get back to working on more important items.
B) As a company designer, I need to design an interface that is capable of handling travel expense reports, so that the employees can get back to work.
C) As a company employee who travels for work, I want to submit my travel expense reports using a complex system that will allow the unique circumstances that my travel may present, so that the system works for anyone that needs to use it.
D) As the product designer I need to ensure I understand the company employee’s needs for a travel expense repo t system that is capable of variable situations, so that the employee can get reimbursed, and get back to work on more important things.
A) As a company employee who travels for work, I want to submit my travel expense reports with little hassle, so that I may get reimbursed and get back to working on more important items.
Explanation: A user story has three components As a (Role), I want (Need), So That (Value). User stories are taken from the user’s perspective. A employee would normally want the simplest solution possible.
You are brought into a company because of your understanding of projects, programs, portfolios, and operations. Which of the following would be considered a project?
A) Ensuring all employees are paid on time through an automated payment processing center.
B) A new aircraft that consists of the aircraft, weapon delivery system, training program for pilots, navigation systems, and modular plug and play avionicsenabling the aircraft to meet different mission sets.
C) Creating and designing a new enterprise server to support a growing market in the b2b ecommerce workspace.
D) A business leader providing goals and objectives for next quarter that must be met.
C) Creating and designing a new enterprise server to support a growing market in the b2b ecommerce workspace.
Explanation: Projects are a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Ensuring employees get paid is operational. A new aircraft with multiple systems requiring development would be considered a program because each of those items are projects or programs within themselves. A business leader providing goals and objectives is strategic leadership. The only item above that fits the definition of a project is creating a new enterprise server.
Your company is having problems organizing lessons learned to make them useful for other project managers. The company also has a desire to ensure training is provided to all project managers on standards, SOPs, and procurements for projects. One manager suggests establishing a Project Management Office (PMO). What type of PMO should you recommend?
A) A supportive PMO because it will allow for the development of best practices, and provide coaching mentoring and training for project managers while monitoring the project managers for compliance.
B) A controlling PMO so project managers can be monitored for compliance and adherence of standards policies, procedures, and templates via project audits.
C) A directive PMO because the company wants managers to be coordinated through the PMO, and resources shared across projects
D) A supportive PMO because it will allow for the development of best practices, and provide coaching mentoring and training along with providing templates, methodologies and standards for the company and its project managers.
E) A controlling PMO because it will allow for the development of best practices, and provide coaching mentoring and training along with providing templates, methodologies and standards for the company and its project managers.
D) A supportive PMO because it will allow for the development of best practices, and provide coaching mentoring and training along with providing templates, methodologies and standards for the company and its project managers.
Explanation: Supportive: Provide a consultative role to projects by supplying templates, best practices, training, access to information and lessons learned from other projects. Controlling: Provide support and require compliance through various means. Compliance may involve adopting project management frameworks or
methodologies; using specific templates, forms and tools; or conforming to
governance. Directive: Take control of projects by directly managing the projects or shared resources, including project managers. A relatively small number of PMOs fall into this category.
Senior management asked you to consider the types of organizational structure and working styles that might be followed at your development company that builds homes for low-income families, and the possible impact on the projects you will be managing. Your organization has departments for donations, construction, marketing, volunteers, and finance. But before you start working on it, you need to verify your knowledge on the organizational structures and functions.
In addition to the departments listed in the scenario, your company also has a manager of project management to oversee all of the ongoing projects. As one of the project managers, you report directly to the project management department but share staff with other
departments. What type of organizational structure does this describe?
A) Functional
B) Projectized
C) Matix
D) Composite
C) Matix
Explanation: In a matrix organization the Project Manager and Functional Manager share power. The project manager is not part of a functional area and is either assigned by the PMO or through projects directorate.
The team on an agile project spends a lot of time ensure that processes are setup, and tools are created to ensure deliverables are being built with consistency. The customer is reviewing the completed release and is unhappy with a lot of the deliverables as they do not meet the needs as they described early on in the project. Which agile principle did the team most likely fail to consider?
A) Individuals and interaction over process and tools.
B) Working software over comprehensive documentation.
C) Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
D) Responding to change over following a plan.
A) Individuals and interaction over process and tools.
Explanation: Had the team recognized the value of Individuals and interaction over process and tools, they would of spoken to the customer more often to solicit feedback.
The organization wants to ensure all projects fit for the environment and culture of the company and project itself. What approach would you suggest the company take in project management?
A) A predictive approach
B) An agile approach
C) A tailored approach
D) A complex approach
C) A tailored approach
Explanation: Tailoring is the deliberate adaptation of the project management approach, governance, and processes to make them more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand.
Which of the following would be considered a project?
A) Processing payroll for employees each week.
B) Conducting daily operations with members of a team.
C) Fulfilling a purchase order for new customers.
D) Creating a Standard Operating Procedure for a new process.
D) Creating a Standard Operating Procedure for a new process.
Explanation: A Project is any temporary endeavor to produce a unique product, service or result. Processing payroll, and fulfilling purchase orders would be part of everyday operations. Daily operations are not considered projects because these are the activities that you would do even in the absence of a project. Creating a new SOP would be considered a project because it creates something new, it is temporary, and unique to the process. Once complete the SOP would be used in operations to ensure the process is followed.
Which of the following would best describe how governance should be handled within a project?
A) The project manager is responsible for ensuring governance and should make all decisions related to the issue.
B) The project manager is responsible for ensuring governance within the project and should include other decision makers to establish a governance structure.
C) The organization is responsible for governance of the project and senior managers should provide oversight of projects when dealing with governance.
D) The project management office handles compliance requirements and will provide the structure needed for governance needs.
B) The project manager is responsible for ensuring governance within the project and should include other decision makers to establish a governance structure.
Explanation: Appropriate project governance should involve the organization’s decision managers, who are frequently its senior managers.
The project manager is reviewing the life-cycle of the project to determine where phase gates make the most sense. What is the purpose that phase-gates serve within the project?
A) They serve as decision points within the project to determine to continue, modify, or terminate the project.
B) They will establish natural transition from one phase to the next to enable team members to shift focus to other areas.
C) They are used as triggers to enable the acquisition of new resources to perform future work.
D) They help track the progress of the project.
A) They serve as decision points within the project to determine to continue, modify, or terminate the project.
Explanation: A phase gate is a review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification, or to end a project or program.
Who does the PMI code of ethics not apply to?
A) PMI Members.
B) Non-members who hold a PMI cettification.
C) Non-members who apply to commence a PMI certification process.
D) Non-members who use PMI processes and procedures.
D) Non-members who use PMI processes and procedures.
Explanation: PMI Code of ethics apply to the following: All PMI members, Non-members who hold a PMI
certification, Non-members who apply to commence a PMI certification process, and Non-members who serve PMI in a volunteer capacity.
A new resources was added to a high performing team to meet requirements. The new resource seems to be unhappy with the way the team operates and is starting to tell the team what needs to change to meet the deadlines. The team just doesn’t see how the new recourse fits in with the group. In what performing stage is the team currently at?
A) Forming
B) Storming
C) Norming
D) Performing
B) Storming
Explanation: All phases of Tuckman’s model can be repeated as new member come in and others leave. In this
instance the group is going through the storming phase as each team member figures out how they fit in with the new group dynamic.
Which of the following methods embraces change in a project to bring the customer the most value?
A) Traditional
B) Incremental
C) Agile
D) Waterfall
C) Agile
Explanation: Agile embraces change and is managed throughout the project as part of each iteration.
A co-worker is taking on a new project. Although the business and project goals are known; the details and requirements will have to be figured out over the course of multiple iterations. There is also a requirement to ensure they have something to offer customers as soon as possible. What would you suggest as a possible project approach?
A) Predictive so the customer and sponsor can see what they need through design before it is built.
B) Incremental because they want the something to offer the customer right away.
C) Agile because it will allow for changing requirements and offer a viable product sooner.
D) Hybrid will allow the project to build what it knows utilizing a predictive methodology, and then things that will need to be determined later with feedback can be agile.
C) Agile because it will allow for changing requirements and offer a viable product sooner.
Explanation: Because details and requirements are not well known, and there is a need to provide a product early, agile is the best approach in this situation.
While working on gathering requirements the team is trying to figure out how best to collect requirements from a large diverse group of potential customers. Which of the following may be a good approach?
A) Conduct interviews so you can get specifics on requirements.
B) Use brainstorming so the best ideas and requirements emerge.
C) Use document analysis to identify what requirements are actually needed.
D) Use Surveys to solicit thoughts and opinions on the potential product features to identify requirements.
D) Use Surveys to solicit thoughts and opinions on the potential product features to identify requirements.
Explanation: When trying to generate ideas from a large and diverse group surveys can be used to help identify requirements.
After collecting the requirements and defining the full scope of the project what should be done next?
A) Break the work down into the work packages needed to create the deliverables.
B) Talk with the sponsor to ensure there are no more requirements.
C) Ask senior management to move forward with the project.
D) Estimate the costs based on the scope of the project and the resources that are needed.
A) Break the work down into the work packages needed to create the deliverables.
Explanation: Once the scope is defined, the work needs to be broken down into the deliverables so teams can be assigned to complete the work.
The project manager is working with the team on a large project using a predictive framework. While meeting with some of the team, the team gets frustrated and confused about the difference between control accounts and a code of accounts. How could the project manager best explain the two items?
A) The code of accounts is the control point where scope, budget, actual costs, and the schedule are integrated and compared against performance measures. The control accounts are to uniquely identify each component of the Work Breakdown Structure.
B) Control account is the control point where scope, budget, actual costs, and the schedule are integrated and compared against performance measures. The code of accounts serve to uniquely identify each component of the Work Breakdown Structure.
C) They are the same thing. A management control point where scope,
budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
D) They are the same thing, but it is called the Code of Accounts for predictive projects and the Control Account for Agile projects.
B) Control account is the control point where scope, budget, actual costs, and the schedule are integrated and compared against performance measures. The code of accounts serve to uniquely identify each component of the Work Breakdown Structure.
Explanation: B is the correct answer. The control account is the place where project managers control the project performance and measure success form. The Code of accounts is a unique identifier assigned to work packages often times to help track of payable invoices and resource assignments against work packages.
A project designing a new phone for release early next year is gathering initial requirements. A discussion about meeting FCC requirements starts and the team is unsure what to do to ensure the requirements are met. Which technique would be best to capture these requirements?
A) Document Analysis to determine what regulation compliance requirements exist. B) Benchmarking because it will identify best practices and can be used as a basis for measuring performance.
C) Surveys so on what customers want most to help determine which features should be included.
D) Prototype to ensure that all features designed meet customer demands and functionality.
A) Document Analysis to determine what regulation compliance requirements exist.
Explanation: When dealing with governmental requirements such as regulations it is important to conduct document analysis to ensure that all requirements will be within the bounds of the regulation.
An organization brings on a new project manager on a project that has already started execution. As the project manager reviews the scope, he realizes that there are deliverables missing from the work breakdown structure. What should the project manager do next?
A) Talk with stakeholders to see if these missed deliverables should be added.
B) Ask senior management to approve additional funds for this work.
C) Include the work in the WBS, per the 100% rule, and recalculate the total project cost.
D) Determine whether these deliverables are necessary by verifying with experts in the field.
C) Include the work in the WBS, per the 100% rule, and recalculate the total project cost.
Explanation: The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. The WBS organizes and defines the total scope of the project and represents the work specified in the current approved project scope statement. This must always reflect the complete and accurate scope of work.
Three months into a year long software development project, a team member is caught using code from another vendor to make a feature within the software work. His actions are a direct violation of team ground rules and ethics. The copied code could result in significant legal action against the software if it was released. After a short evaluation the team estimates it will take approximately two additional months to unwind all of the code that was integrated into the copywrite infringement. As the project manager what action should be taken for the violating team member?
A) The project manager should work with HR to terminate the team member.
B) The project manager should work with the team member to help understand the ramifications of the project.
C) The project manager should ask senior management what to do about the team member.
D) The project manager should ask the sponsor what to do about the team member.
A) The project manager should work with HR to terminate the team member.
Explanation: Knowingly violating ethics and ground rules are grounds for termination. The team member intentionally copied code and needs to be removed from the project. If not terminated, this could encourage fu ther violations in the future by the team member and other members of the team.
Three months into an agile project a new virtual resource from another country was added to the team to help with detection and error correction on software needed for navigation equipment. She is an expert in her field, and excited to be part of the team. What would help the new team member best integrate with the team?
A) No integration is needed since the resource is only there for error detection and correction.
B) A planned meeting where all team members can share their cultural experiences, viewpoints, and beliefs to gain a better understanding of each team members culture.
C) Clear ground rules so everyone on the team can understand what work conduct is considered acceptable.
D) Match her up with another person so pair-programing can be conducted to speed up the error detection and correction process.
B) A planned meeting where all team members can share their cultural experiences, viewpoints, and beliefs to gain a better understanding of each team members culture.
Explanation: Understanding and being aware of the different cultural viewpoints and beliefs of the individuals on your project team can help reduce miscommunication and misunderstandings.
The team is getting ready to establish a team charter, but they are asking questions that you realize may be a result of not knowing what should be included. What would be the best way to explain the team charter to the team?
A) The team charter is a document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines as well as establishing clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.
B) The team charter is a document used for the development of the project as a start point for how work should be prioritized by the team.
C) The team charter is a document that shows the roles and responsibilities of each team member and explains basic team assignments.
D) The team charter is a document that should be used only on new project that require detailed team assignments and establishes clear expectations regarding the acceptable behavior by project team members.
A) The team charter is a document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines as well as establishing clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.
Explanation: The team charter is a document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines as well as establishing clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.
Which of the following best describes a vision?
A) The instructions on what needs to get done.
B) A desired end-state with key objectives and outcomes.
C) A roadmap with potential release dates for different features.
D) Something created by the initiator that formally authorizes the project.
B) A desired end-state with key objectives and outcomes.
Explanation: A vision is a desired end-state—a set of desired objectives and outcomes. Vision statement might include:
Product or solution description
Intended users or consumers of the solution
Key desired objectives
Differentiators from competitive approaches
Key features and benefits
You are new to a team that is in a project which just completed its third sprint. The customer is expecting some high value new features in the next iteration and is excited to see how it will be implemented. When should you tell them to come in for a demonstration?
A) During Daily Standup so the customer can see what has gotten done.
B) During the Sprint Planning before the start of the next iteration so the customer can help with priorities and tweak features they are not happy with during the demo.
C) During the Sprint Review so you can demonstrate functionality for the customer and the customer can provide feedback.
D) Invite the customer to the Sprint Retrospective so they can help identify was for the team to improve its performance and collaboration.
C) During the Sprint Review so you can demonstrate functionality for the customer and the customer can provide feedback.
Explanation: A sprint review is done at the end of each iteration with the product owner and customer/stakeholders to review the progress of the product and receive feedback for that iteration. It often includes a demonstration of the product’s completed functionality and features.
A team works with the product owner to deliver a product early in the project and that can be improved on as new features become available that will be of benefit to the marketplace. Which of the following best describes these new features?
A) Minimum Viable Product
B) Minimum Viable Project
C) Minimum Business Increment
D) Minimum Business Investment
C) Minimum Business Increment
Explanation: Because the product’s future features are useful to the marketplace and can be released they would be
considered a Minimum Business Increments.
The organization has implemented a new diversity and inclusion initiative that will impact all on going projects. The project team seems supportive. What will be your primary role as the project manager for this initiative?
A) To develop the team by improving trust to raise team morale, reduce conflict, and improve teamwork.
B) To establish ground rules and let everyone know the code of ethics in the work place.
C) To agree with all team decisions related to diversity and inclusion.
D) To direct what diversity and inclusion activities the team will participate in.
A) To develop the team by improving trust to raise team morale, reduce conflict, and improve teamwork.
Explanation: Project managers are often asked to work on projects with a global scope, or at least a broadly diverse project team, with members from different cultural backgrounds, industry experiences, or who even speak in different languages. The project team may adopt a project “team language” that is different from their native language. The project manager should seek to create an environment that takes advantage of this diversity and builds a team climate of mutual trust. Team development
objectives might include:
- Improving team knowledge and skills to reduce cost and time and improve quality.
- Improving t ust to raise team morale, reduce conflict, and improve teamwork.
- Creating a collaborative culture to improve individual and team pe fo mance and facilitate cross-training and mento ing.
- Empowering the team to participate in decision making and own the solutions they create
During the Plan and Manage Scope process, what should the project manager do first?
A) Define the project scope
B) Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)
C) Develop a scope management plan
D) Obtain approval from stakeholders
C) Develop a scope management plan
Explanation: Developing a scope management plan is the first step in the Plan and Manage Scope process. This plan
outlines how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled throughout the project. It also
includes information on how changes to the scope will be managed.
While conducting backlog refinement, the team determines there is no obvious way to complete a backlog item as there are many possible solutions. What should the team do to allow this item to progress?
A) Add a spike item to the backlog
B) Prioritize the item based on its business value on the product backlog
C) Select the fastest alternative
D) Select the cheapest alternative
A) Add a spike item to the backlog
Explanation: Project spikes allow for investigation and experimentation. By allowing the team to conduct a spike, it will provide an opportunity to better size the backlog item and provide for the right solution.
You are getting ready to start working on your schedule for a new project. You want to ensure that your schedule is realistic. Where would be a good place to start?
A) Bottom-up estimation
B) 3-point estimation
C) Reviewing benchmarks and historical data from past projects
D) Building a precedence network diagram
C) Reviewing benchmarks and historical data from past projects
Explanation: When you begin a new effort, it is a good idea to leverage OPAs such as benchmarks and historical data from prior projects. This makes sure you know how past projects were set up and what you learned from them. It can also give you a good starting point for estimating before a detailed analysis is done.
Another project has pulled some resources from a project due to some priority changes within the organization. This has caused some issues with the availability of resources when originally scheduled. It is important that every activity on the critical path is not affected by this change. What should the project manager do to help ensure the project’s success?
A) Replace the resources by hiring a third party.
B) Negotiate with the other project manager to use resources during planned float and free float times to stay on track.
C) Exercise fast tracking so that the critical path is not affected
D) Exercise crashing since there is a contingency reserve for this type of problems.
B) Negotiate with the other project manager to use resources during planned float and free float times to stay on track.
Explanation: The PM does not want to affect items on the critical path so both fast tracking and crashing are not options. Hiring new resources takes time and items on the critical path may be negatively impacted. The best thing to try to do is negotiate with the other project manager and use resource smoothing techniques such as using resources during planned float and free float times.
The team wants to ensure that all the information needed to start work is present in a user story. This includes making sure the user story is small enough to be completed in a single iteration, the user story is understood by the team, acceptance criteria are developed and a definition of done is given. What does the product owner need to provide to the team?
A) A definition of done
B) A definition of ready
C) Acceptance criteria
D) Backlog refinement
B) A definition of ready
Explanation: The definition of ready is a team’s checklist for a user-centric requirement that has all the information team needs to be able to begin working on it.
The team is frustrated because the product owner keeps changing the priority of features on the backlog. This is causing an issue with the sequence of features needed to create the release. The release plan is now threatened with not being completed in time. What could the team leader coach the product owner to do that would help prevent this from happening again in the future?
A) Help the product owner with crashing techniques to stay on time
B) Work with the product owner to stop listening to the customer and better understand the needs of the team.
C) The product owner does not need coaching, change is a natural part of agile and the team needs to better understand this.
D) Help the product owner in utilizing story mapping
D) Help the product owner in utilizing story mapping
Explanation: When planning a release, it is a good idea to utilize story mapping to better understand the related features needed for the release. No matter how hard a team tries, some user stories may be dependent on prior user stories. By applying story mapping, the product owner can identify those dependent user stories with the team and avoid changing the priority of those items as it will affect the sprint goals and release plan.
You are assigning resources to the public meeting work package of the new shopping center project. Most of the labor will come from within your company, although some labor and the non-labor resources will be outsourced. You will need six professional security guards for four hours during the evening of the public meeting. What contract type should you negotiate for the security firm who will provide the guards?
A) Cost-reimbursable contract
B) Fixed-price contract
C) Term contract
D) Completion contract
E) Cost plus incentive fee contract
B) Fixed-price contract
Explanation: The service and time are well known. Because the conditions are unlikely to change a fixed-price term contract best fits the requirements stated above.
You are assigning resources to the public meeting work package of the new shopping center project. Most of the labor will come from within your company, although some labor and the non-labor resources will be outsourced.You will rent three large monitors so meeting attendees can see the speakers. Which of the following documents should you prepare first in order to procure the monitors?
A) Procurement Statement of Work
B) Waivers and Liabilities Agreement
C) Contract
D) Teaming agreement
A) Procurement Statement of Work
Explanation: A statement of work describes the work or service to be performed to include any specific requirements needed. It is needed before for a vendor to determine the needs of the procurement.
You are assigning resources to the public meeting work package of the new shopping center project. Most of the labor will come from within your company, although some labor and the non-labor resources will be outsourced. Your public meeting requires approximately 5,000 square feet of space. Which of the following selection criteria are most important? (Choose two.)
A) Past performance of company that owns the space
B) Size of the company that owns the space
C) Warranty
D) References from previous renters
E) Use of two smaller rooms if one large room is not availableranty
A) Past performance of company that owns the space
D) References from previous renters
Explanation: Past performance and references are typical items used to evaluate the viability of rented space. There is little to no warranty needed for a temporary space, the size of the company does not demonstrate the capabilities or competency of the company. If the requirement is for 5,000sqft of space, a company with two smaller spaces would not be considered.
What does it mean if you are identified as an “R” in a RACI chart?
A) You are accountable for the result.
B) You should be engaged to provide needed inputs.
C) You should be kept up to date on the status.
D) You are responsible for the activity’s execution
D) You are responsible for the activity’s execution
Explanation: RACI stands for “Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Info
Which of the following are components of a Resource Calendar? (Choose two)
A) Working days
B) Training Strategies
C) Availability of physical resource
D) Recognition Plans
A) Working days
C) Availability of physical resource
Explanation: The primary purpose of a resource calendar is to help identify availability of resources along with when work can be performed.
As part of the budgeting of an agile project a price per user story was agreed upon. Recently the team has run into trouble and has determined the project needs a new platform to complete the work. This will result in an increase of 200% from the original estimated costs for the project.
The project is now in jeopardy. Who should decide if the project should be cancelled?
A) The project manager
B) The scrum master
C) The product owner
D) The procurement manager
C) The product owner
Explanation: The product owner is empowered by the sponsor in agile
projects to set priorities and determine project viability, and therefore has the authority to decide if conditions warrant termination of a project. If sponsor is an option for questions like this, select sponsor.
A recent status update on a hybrid project has determined that the project is currently under budget, but behind schedule. What should the project manager consider as a way to get back on track?
A) Increase the contingency reserve to account for cost overruns due to schedule delays.
B) Consider crashing the project.
C) Consider reducing the scope of the project.
D) Consider fast-tracking the project.
B) Consider crashing the project.
Explanation: When the schedule is behind and there are available funds, the project manager should consider crashing the project. Crashing increases the number of resources for activities so they can be completed faster.
A project mid-way through execution is plagued with cost overruns well beyond estimates. What should the project manager do to help get back on track?
A) Ask the team to re-estimate costs using bottom-up estimating
B) Ask the team to re-estimate costs using 3-point estimating
C) Ask the team to reduce quality to save on costs
D) Ask the sponsor for a definitive budget for the project
A) Ask the team to re-estimate costs using bottom-up estimating
Explanation: When cost or schedule estimates are inaccurate, the team can conduct bottom-up estimate to re-baseline the project with more accurate estimates.
Your project has been authorized an overall budget of $125,000 for an 8-month project. The project will receive $15,000 a month for spending until the project is completed. During month 4, the project manager determines that 2 activities need to be completed at a cost of $20,000. How should the project manager address the issue?
A) Review the cost management plan to determine if sufficient contingency reserves exist.
B) Ask sub-contractors for a delay in payment.
C) Conduct funding limit reconciliation by extending one of the activities into the following month.
D) Re-estimate costs using 3-point estimating.
C) Conduct funding limit reconciliation by extending one of the activities into the following month.
Explanation: The project manager should conduct funding limit reconciliation by extending the activity into the following month. If this can not be performed then the PM could seek financing. The sub-contracts must be paid based on the terms of the contract, contingency reserves are for risks, and 3-point estimating will not make the estimates more accurate or change the need for funds in month 4.
You are a project manager for an upcoming project developing a GPS tracking system to optimize routes for shipping. What would be a good starting point to begin budgeting?
A) After determining the scope of the project, utilize past projects with similar scopes.
B) After determining schedule, utilize other on-going projects to determine budget.
C) Ask the sponsor for ample contingency reserves to account for the unknown scope.
D) Use the charter budget and reduce scope until it is within the authorization.
A) After determining the scope of the project, utilize past projects with similar scopes.
Explanation: Using past projects that are similar in nature is a good starting point for gaining estimates and determining an initial budget. Schedule, Resources, and Costs are planned together. The project charter provides a high-level budget, but requires more detailed planning to determine the budget needs. The contingency reserve is to address risks; however, the scope needs to be determined before budgeting can take place. In predictive projects this is done through the development of the scope baseline. In agile, this is done through the development of the Agile roadmap and release plan which identify what features need to be completed.
As a Project manager, how would you explain to your team the difference between an issue and a risk?
A) A risk is future focused and is always negative while an issue is present focused and can either be an opportunity or a threat.
B) A risk is present focused and can either be an opportunity or a threat while an issue is future focused and is always negative.
C) A risk is future focused and can either be an opportunity or a threat while an issue is present focused and is always negative.
D) A risk is present focused and is always negative while an issue is future focused and can either be an opportunity or a threat.
C) A risk is future focused and can either be an opportunity or a threat while an issue is present focused and is always negative.
Explanation: Risks are focused on the future and can either be positive (opportunities) or negative (threats) when looking at project success. Issues are focused on the present and are always looked at as negative.
Your project team is ready to evaluate risks for the project. What type of assessment do you tell your team to conduct first looking at every risk?
A) Risk Analysis
B) Qualitative Risk Analysis
C) Sensitivity Analysis
D) EMV Analysis
B) Qualitative Risk Analysis
Explanation: A Qualitative Risk Analysis is done on every identified risk using the Probability and Impact Matrix. This analysis helps the team prioritize the risks and focus on the risks with the highest probability or impact on the project for further analysis.
Your project team asks you where they should capture all of the risks identified during their analysis. What document do you tell your team to use to capture risks?
A) Issues Log
B) Lessons Learned Register
C) Change Log
D) Risk Register
D) Risk Register
Explanation: The Risk Register is where the team will capture all identified risks to include the trigger, who is responsible, the analysis of the risk, and the risk response.
You purchase insurance for the warehouse you are using during your project. What type of risk response is this?
A) Transfer
B) Accept
C) Avoid
D) Escalate
A) Transfer
Explanation: Transfer – If the level of overall project risk is high but the organization is unable to address it effectively, a third party may be involved to manage the risk on behalf of the organization. Where overall project risk is negative, a transfer strategy is required, which may involve payment of a risk premium.
