Resources Flashcards
Earned Schedule (ES) is an extension to the theory and practice of EVM. Earned schedule theory replaces the schedule variance measures used in traditional EVM with ES and actual time (AT). Using the alternate equation for calculating schedule variance:
EV – PV
PV – EV
ES – AT
AT – ES
The alternate equation for calculating schedule variance is SV = ES – AT.
You are forming a virtual project team that includes members from four different countries around the world. What is NOT an obstacle you must overcome to build an effective team?
Members wanting to work from home
Cultural differences
Communication issues
Different time zones
Members wanting to work from home
Virtual teams share a common project goal but share little time in a traditional, face-to-face business environment. The virtual team concept is made possible with electronic communication; one of the benefits of such teams is the ability of members to work from home. The other choices are potential issues that can occur as a result of forming a virtual team.
A project was awarded based on a competitive proposal. Management made a commitment that a few key team members would work on the project. When such assignments happen, they are:
Bargaining agreements Assignment risk Pre-assignments Schedule constraints
Pre-assignments
When team members are assigned to projects in advance of the start of the project, they are termed as pre-assignments. Such assignments can happen when resources are promised as part of a competitive proposal, when projects are dependent on critical resources, or if some staff assignments have been defined in the project charter.
A project has been initiated to search a large area for debris from an explosion of a failed prototype. The project is now in planning, and there is a debate among the team members on the type and quantity of resources needed to complete this activity. What should the project manager do first?
Utilize a PMIS to manage resource pools and allocate resources Request the team to vote and make a decision based on majority Research various levels of resource capability and skills, types, and sizes Select any resource and quantity to complete the task by the due date
The question implies the team is carrying out the Estimate Activity Resources process. This process uses many tools and techniques. One technique to understand the resource needs and the best potential solutions for the activity resources is data analysis. Data analysis can be conducted in many forms and formats. The objective is to evaluate possible options or approaches or values to determine the best activity resource estimates. Once a value or a narrowing of values have been determined as reasonable, estimates can be set or decisions that are most suitable for the participants made. Therefore, of the choices provided, before making any decision, researching various resources levels, types, and methods is what the project manager should do first.
As part of your resource management plan, you have created a chart indicating the number of hours (Y-axis) that a senior programmer will be working over the months (X-axis) of the project. This is an example of a:
Ishikawa Diagram Resource Histogram Staff Acquisition Chart Pareto Chart
Resource Histogram
Resource histogram is a bar chart showing the amount of time that a resource is scheduled to work over a series of time periods.
All team members have not yet been hired for a project. However, the project manager went ahead with estimating activity durations, budgeting, and other activities. What could likely happen to the activity durations?
The activity durations are likely to increase.
The activity durations are likely to change.
The activity durations are likely to decrease.
The activity durations will remain the same.
Project team assignments are an input to the estimate activity durations process. Estimating activity durations without this input is risky. When estimating of activity durations is done when all team members have not been acquired, it is possible that the competency levels of the newer team members will be different from those planned. Therefore, it can only be said that the activity durations will likely change. Whether they will remain the same, increase, or decrease, will depend on the competency levels of the new team members.
Which of the following documents the formal or informal assessments of the project team’s effectiveness?
Observations
Team Performance Assessments
Conversations
Project Performance Appraisals
Team Performance Assessments
Team performance assessments document the formal or informal assessments of the project team’s effectiveness.
Which tool is BEST used to display how a company structures itself departmentally?
WBS BOM RBS OBS
OBS
The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is a hierarchical organization chart that includes employees, department structures, and associated responsibilities. It is organized by the company’s teams or department breakdown.
In a project that was yet to begin, many of the project team members were known in advance. This is:
Staffing assignment Skill matching Pre-assignment Proactive planning
Pre-assignment
This is known as pre-assignment. This situation can occur if the project is the result of specific persons being promised as part of a competitive proposal, if the project is dependent on the expertise of particular persons, or if some staff assignments are defined within the project charter.
Late in the project cycle, it was discovered that some of the project’s human resources should have trained in a specific methodology. Where should these training strategies have first been documented?
Resource management plan In the company HR policy In the project scope statement In the procurement contract
Training needs and strategies are captured and documented in the project’s resource management plan.
A project manager would like to resolve conflicts by a give-and-take attitude rather than by a one-sided approach. Which of these approaches is he likely to use?
Directing Problem-solving Withdrawing Forcing
Problem-solving
Problem solving involves treating conflict as a problem to be solved by examining alternatives. This requires a give-and-take attitude. In contrast, the other alternatives listed—directing, forcing and withdrawing —are more one-sided.
A project employs a virtual team with team members located in different offices in the same city as well as across different cities. The project manager wishes to build trust and good working relationships. One of the best ways to do this is:
To use team-building strategies Write a memo to the team detailing the need for good working relationships Plan for job-rotation on a weekly basis To encourage the use of telephonic conversations as much as possible
To use team-building strategies
Use of team-building activities helps in building trust and establishing good working relationships. As for the other choices: encouraging the use of telephone calls can also help in building relationships, especially in distributed teams. However, this cannot be an alternative to email communication. Job-rotation within the team may also help team morale; however, doing it on a weekly basis may be counterproductive and inefficient.
Which of the following statements is incorrect?
High team performance can be achieved using open and effective communications.
Developing a project team is the responsibility of the project manager.
A project manager must not acquire resources needed to develop effective project teams.
Teamwork is a critical success factor for a project.
A project manager must not acquire resources needed to develop effective project teams.
Although project team development is the responsibility of the project manager, the project manager may acquire experts needed to develop effective project teams.
A project manager wishes to illustrate the connections between the work that needs to be done and the project team members. According to the PMBOK, the resulting document is a:
Resource Assignment Chart (RAC) Resource Planning Chart (RPC) Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Task Assignment Model (TAM)
Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
The correct response is responsibility assignment matrix (ram). This illustrates the connections between the work that needs to be done and the various team members. On larger projects, rams can be developed at various levels.
As a project manager, you are developing a resource management plan for your software development project, and you need to find a way to document and communicate the detailed descriptions of the team members’ roles and responsibilities. What tool will best meet your needs?
Hierarchical chart Resource breakdown structure Role-responsibility-authority form RACI chart
The question implies that the Plan Resource Management process is underway. Data representation techniques that may be used for this process include charts. Various formats exist to document and communicate team member roles and responsibilities, but most fall into hierarchical, matrix, or text-oriented formats. A hierarchical format may be used to represent high-level roles, while a text-based format may be better suited to document the detailed team member responsibilities. Text-oriented documents provide detailed information such as responsibilities, authority, competencies, and qualifications. These documents are known by various names including position descriptions and role-responsibility-authority forms. Since the question is asking to find a way to document and communicate the ‘detailed’ descriptions of the team members’ roles and responsibilities, using a role-responsibility-authority form is the best answer to the question asked.
A team member in your project is constantly providing incomplete deliverables and not performing well. What should you do first?
Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of the project sponsor Discuss the issue with the team member in private Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of other team members Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of the company's HR manager
Discuss the issue with the team member in private
Discuss the issue with the team member in private. Conflicts should be first addressed in private, using a direct and collaborative approach.
A RACI chart is an example of a _________________.
Network Responsibility assignment matrix Hierarchical-type organization chart Flowchart
Responsibility assignment matrix
A RACI chart outlines in matrix form, the project tasks and for each task, who is responsible, who is accountable, whom to consult, and whom to inform.
A project manager had scheduled a number of training programs for his team. However, he was aware that apart from planned training, unplanned training also took place in a number of ways. Which of these is not one of the ways in which unplanned training can take place?
Classroom Project performance appraisals Conversation Observation
Scheduled training occurs as stated in the human resource plan and can include online, classroom, on-the-job, etc. Unplanned training can take place through conversation, observation, and project performance appraisals.
Which of these is not an Enterprise environmental factor that can influence the Plan Resource Management process?
Lessons learned on organizational structures Marketplace conditions Organizational culture Facilities and resources
Lessons learned are important inputs to the plan resource management process. However, these are organizational process assets and not enterprise environmental factors.
Lesley is managing a software development project for the World Climate Control Organization. Since her team members are dispersed across the globe, she would like to set up online conferences in the next two months to let everyone in her project know what is going on and what their roles are within the project. She wants to use these conferences as team development activities to learn and exchange information in the project. To schedule such activities, which of the following should she use to keep track of the availability of team members?
Project charter Project staff assignments Responsibility assignment matrix Resource calendars
Resource calendars track the availability of team members for team development activities. The responsibility assignment matrix describes the responsibilities assigned to various team members. Project staff assignments give details of individual assignments, and project organization charts display team members and their reporting relationships. The project charter does not supply any of that information. Hence, lesley must use resource calendars to know that information.
The morale of the team members of a project is very low. The team members feel they were not given opportunities to participate in the organizational team development activities due to over-allocation to project tasks, and so, they missed opportunities to develop. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this situation?
Use of zero-sum rewards in the project Too many senior team members Poor interpersonal skills in the team A poorly defined resource calendar
Resource calendars identify times when the project team members can participate in team development activities. If the team members are unable to find time for such activities because they are over allocated, it is likely that the calendar has been poorly planned.
A company has been awarded a software development project which requires the development team to work at the client’s office. The client has assigned each developer a cubicle from which to perform their work. During a daily standup meeting, a developer states that the team members are too isolated and colocating the team in a war room would increase productivity and quality. What should the project manager do first?
Explain to the team that a war room was not specified in the contract Capture a description of the developer's concern in the issue log Negotiate with the client to make a war room available to the team Explain to the team that colocation would impede productivity due to the inevitable distractions
The question describes a situation where a project team member has raised a concern which is affecting productivity and quality. The proposed solution is to make a meeting room available to the project team to be used as a war room. The request for a meeting room seems reasonable and would likely enhance the developers’ ability to perform as a team. In addition to the project team, the client also has a vested interest in the success of the project and should be receptive to any reasonable requests that might improve productivity and quality. Thus, the project manager should negotiate with the client for access to a meeting room for the team to use as a war room. However, the question is asking what the project manager should do ‘first’ in this situation. The concern raised by the developer is an issue that should first be captured in the issue log where the issue can be tracked and monitored to ensure a timely resolution. Therefore, of the available options, capturing a description of the developer’s concern in the issue log is the best answer to the question asked.
The RACI chart is an example of a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). The letters R and C in “RACI” stand for:
Resource and consult
Resource and consultant
Responsible and consult
Responsible and categorize
Responsible and consult
The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) describes the relationship between resources and work packages. An RACI chart is an example of a RAM. The letters in “raci” stand for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform.
Skills such as empathy, influence, creativity, and group encouragement are valuable assets when managing the project team. These skills are often referred to as ______________.
Effort-based management Ad hoc skills Soft skills Feedback-based skills
Soft skills
Interpersonal skills, sometimes known as “soft skills,” are particularly important to team development. By understanding the sentiments of project team members, anticipating their actions, acknowledging their concerns, and following up on their issues, the project management team can significantly reduce problems and increase cooperation.
Long hours to meet a looming deadline and immense pressure for success from management are causing a decline in team morale. There are occasional conflicts between team members over priorities and resources. How should these non-disruptive conflicts be handled?
Escalation to senior management Use of disciplinary actions Arbitration Using a private, direct, and collaborative approach first
Using a private, direct, and collaborative approach first
Conflicts should be addressed early. A private, direct and collaborative approach should be employed first.
Teams go through various stages of development. According to the Tuckman ladder of development, the stage during which the least amount of work gets done is usually the:
Forming phase Norming phase Performing phase Storming phase
The forming phase is the phase where the team gets to know each other and learns about the project. Teams are usually on their “best behavior” and little tangible work gets accomplished. The project manager needs to guide the team and move them through this phase into the performing phase.
Which of the following statements about project teams is incorrect?
The project management team is a subset of the project team.
For smaller projects, the entire team can share the project management responsibilities.
The project management team is usually a team external to the project team.
For smaller projects, the project manager can solely administer project management responsibilities.
The project management team is usually a team external to the project team.
The project management team is a subset of the project team.
Recently, you promoted your star programmer, Sam, to lead the development team. Sam was a fantastic software coder, and you thought the promotion would mean that he could now share his expertise with the other development team members. However, you are surprised to learn that the performance of Sam in his new role is not meeting your expectations. Which empirical rule did you forget while considering the promotion of Sam?
Pareto concept Expectancy theory Peter principle Murphy's law
The Peter Principle states “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his/her level of incompetence.” Most project team members are motivated by an opportunity to grow, accomplish, and apply their professional skills to meet new challenges. Their achievements continuously promote them within an organization to a certain level until they are unable to perform. Sam might have risen to his incompetency level. While the topic of this question is not included in the PMBOK® Guide, the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content Outline, June 2015, covers cross-cutting knowledge and skills with which PMP aspirants are expected to be familiar.
Which of the following is a tool or technique of the Develop Team process?
Organizational charts Acquisition Influence diagrams Co-location
Co-location
Colocation is a tool and technique of the develop team process. The other choices are not valid responses.
As part of a new project you just started on as project manager, you are assembling your team and discovering that one of the critical pieces of work requires a specialist from one of the functional departments. However, you are aware the functional manager may be reluctant to assign that resource to your project since your project is not a high-profile one. Which of the following techniques will you need to apply?
Negotiation Coercion Acquisition Politics
Negotiation
The correct response is negotiation. This is done on many projects. The project management team may need to negotiate with functional managers to ensure that the team receives appropriately competent staff in the required time frame. The project management team may also need to negotiate with other project management teams.
A Responsibility Assignment Matrix illustrates the connections between the work that needs to be done and the project team members. A RACI chart is a type of Responsibility Assignment matrix in which the names of the roles being documented are:
Reportable, Actionable, Check, and Inform Reportable, Actionable, Consult, and Implement Responsible, Administration, Check, and Inform Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform
Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform
In a RACI chart, the names of roles are responsible, accountable, consult and inform.
You are in a meeting with your senior manager, who is helping you to organize and manage a team of IT people from diverse backgrounds. While you are discussing the creativity and breakthrough performance your team is demonstrating now, your senior manager indicates that your team has moved from the storming to the performing stage. Which of the following describes the characteristics of the performing stage?
In the performing stage, the team starts to work together and adjust their behavior. In the performing stage, the team function as a well organized unit and resolve issues effectively. In the performing stage, the team completes the work and disbands as a project team. In the performing stage, the team members are not collaborative.
There are five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. In the forming stage, the team members work independently. In the storming stage, the team begins to understand the project work. In the norming stage, the team begins to learn from one another. In the performing stage, they work as a wellorganized unit and reach maximum performance. In the adjourning stage, the team completes the work.
You have a team of engineers working on your project. Two of the engineers have frequent disagreements. You ask them to resolve their differences through a discussion. However, that does not yield any results. Subsequently, you intervene, and based on your analysis of the situation, you suggest some changes in the way they work with each other. This still does not yield results, and you find that the project schedule is beginning to suffer. What is your next course of action?
Ensure that they work in different shifts so that they don't clash with each other. Speak to the two team members and ask them to resolve their conflict amicably. Take disciplinary action, if required, since the needs of the project are not being met. Don't do anything. Differences of opinion among the team members are a healthy situation.
After the project manager has tried intervening, it is time to employ more formal conflict resolution mechanisms, such as disciplinary action.
Which of the following is not an example of soft skills?
Negotiation
Influencing
Team skills
Intelligence quotient
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is an assessment of an individual’s intelligence. This is not a soft skill. Soft skills are an individual’s interpersonal skills.
Which of the following enterprise environmental factors is not applicable to the Plan Resource Management process?
Marketplace conditions
Lessons learned
Organizational culture and structure
Existing resources, capabilities and competencies
Lessons learned from historical projects are valuable inputs to the plan resource management process. However, these are classified as organizational process assets.
The most effective method of resolving conflict or other issues with stakeholders is _________.
Ignore Arbitrate Avoid Collaborate
Collaborate
Collaboration requires incorporating multiple viewpoints from different perspectives. It requires a cooperative attitude and open dialogue, and typically leads to consensus and commitment.
Upon obtaining the project charter, the Project Manager of a project starts acquiring the project team immediately. Is this correct?
Yes. The project manager needs to get the team together as soon as the project starts. Yes. Acquisition of the project team is primarily an Initiating Process Group activity. No. Acquisition of the project team is primarily an Executing Process Group activity. No. It is the responsibility of the project sponsor to provide the team for execution.
No, the project team is not acquired immediately after signing of the project charter. Acquisition of a project team starts with resource management planning in the planning process group, followed by the acquisition of the resources in the execution phase. The other choices are wrong, because the acquisition of the project team is mentioned in the wrong phase.
You are setting up your project team, and you are looking at a chart that shows that Systems Development will perform programming, Infrastructure Systems will implement the infrastructure, and the Call Center will handle the customer communication. This is an example of what type of chart?
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) RACI Work Breakdown Structure Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
A hierarchically organized depiction of the project organization arranged to relate the work packages to performing organizational units is an example of organizational breakdown structure (OBS).
Public recognition of superior performance creates positive reinforcement for the team members. When is the best time for a project manager to recognize team members’ performance?
As mandated by the HR department
At the end of every phase of the project
At the end of the project
During the lifecycle of the project
A good strategy for project managers is to give the team all possible recognition during the life cycle of the project rather than after the project is completed. This will keep the team members motivated through the duration of the project.
A project involved team members situated in Arizona, Nebraska, New York, and Ireland. Which of the following activities becomes crucial in such a team environment?
Status reporting Team-building Communication planning Conflict resolution
Communication planning is critical when virtual teams are involved. Lack of face-to-face interaction can cause misunderstandings and conflict. These risks need to be addressed by proper communication planning.
What is the best way to show, at a glance, all the work packages or project activities assigned to a specific organizational department?
Work Breakdown Structure
RACI chart
Organizational Breakdown Structure
Roles and Responsibilities Chart
Organizational Breakdown Structure
The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) looks similar to the WBS; however, instead of being arranged according to a breakdown of project deliverables, it is arranged according to an organization’s existing departments, units, or teams.
Which of the following is not a tool and technique of the Plan Resource Management process?
Rewards and recognition
Organizational theory
Meetings
Hierarchical charts
Rewards and recognition
Rewards and recognition is a tool and technique used in the develop team process, not in the plan resource management process.
Two of your team members are constantly arguing with each other about work assignments. Due to their attitude, the project is delayed, and pressure is building on other team members. What should you do?
Issue a memo Meet with them to understand their concerns Replace the team members Inform the concerned functional manager
Meet with them to understand their concerns
One of the mandatory standards in the pmi code of ethics and professional conduct is respect. A project manager must listen to others’ points of view and understand them. Hence, you must meet with the team members first to understand their concerns. If the problem continues, you may issue a memo or even replace the team members if necessary. Talking to the functional manager may not resolve the problem as the team members are managed by you in your project.
A project manager is managing a project in which there are teams located in remote locations in order to obtain cost savings. This is in accordance with organizational guidelines that require that at least 25 percent of the work should be done from a remote location. This is an example of:
A necessity An assumption A constraint A choice
A constraint
This is an example of a constraint. Constraints are factors that can limit the project management team’s options. An organizational mandate requiring that a certain part of the team operate from a different location to obtain cost savings is a constraint that the project management team needs to incorporate into their planning.
You have the project management responsibility of a virtual team comprising team members from the same company who live in widespread geographic areas, employees who work from home offices and employees with mobility impairments. Virtual teams are formed as a result of which of the following processes?
Develop Schedule Estimate Activity Resources Plan Resource Management Acquire Resources
Acquire Resources
Virtual teams are formed as a result of the acquire resources process.
The Manage Team process is part of what process group?
Closing Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling
Executing
The manage team process is part of the executing process group.
When writing the roles and responsibilities for team members, you should document the role, authority, responsibility, and competency for each team member. Where must you document this information?
Resource management plan Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) RACI chart Resource calendar
Information regarding team roles, responsibilities, authorities and competencies is documented in the resource management plan.
Which of these items are important to address when determining each person’s role in the project team?
Role and responsibility Role, authority, and competency Role, authority, responsibility, and competency Role, responsibility, and competency
Role, authority, responsibility, and competency
All four of these are important to consider when considering someone for a position within the project team: role, authority, responsibility, and competency.
Which of the following tools give a visual representation of an organization’s data, described in business language that is independent of any specific technology?
Mind maps Flowcharts Logical data model Matrix diagrams
Logical data models give a visual representation of an organization’s data, described in business language and independent of any specific technology.
Bill and Jake are two team members in a project. They do not get along well and are constantly involved in verbal conflicts. The project manager understands the characteristics of conflict and the conflict management process and tries to resolve the situation. Which of the following is not a correct statement?
Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. The project manager is not responsible for conflict management. Conflict is natural and forces a search for alternatives Openness resolves conflict
The project manager is not responsible for conflict management.
Project team members are initially responsible for resolution of their conflicts. If conflict escalates, the project manager should help resolve it.
You are leading a project to design a high-efficiency solar cell. The materials that you are acquiring for this project include copper, silver, and silicon among others, and you have also ordered custom built manufacturing equipment. Additionally, you have secured permission from the landlord to install a solar array on the roof of the corporate office for testing, and reserved a conference room for daily stand-up meetings. What is the result of your efforts?
Physical resource assignments Resource management plan Resource assignment matrix Resource histogram
It can be inferred from the question that the process of acquiring resources is being performed. One of the outputs from the Acquire Resources process is physical resource assignments. Documentation of the physical resource assignments records the material, equipment, supplies, locations, and other physical resources that will be used during the project. Based on the description provided by the question, the physical resource assignments is what has been accomplished.
Your project team members have just started to work together and are now adjusting their work habits and behaviors to support each other. Which stage of the Tuckman ladder has your team just entered?
Forming Storming Norming Performing
During the norming stage, the project team members start to work together and adjust their work habits and behaviors to support each other.
A Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) breaks down the project by type of resources. The RBS is an example of a:
Flow chart Linear chart Hierarchical chart Matrix chart
Hierarchical chart
The resource breakdown structure (RBS) is a hierarchical chart. It is used to break down the project by type of resources. For example, an rbs can depict all of the welders and welding equipment used in different areas of a ship, even though these resources may be scattered among different branches of the organizational breakdown structure and RBS.
As a project manager, you are leading a software development project where the developers are colocated within rented office space. Writing the code is taking longer than anticipated, and you have contacted the office facility to ensure the office will be available for another week. Unfortunately, the office is already booked, so you need to find another solution. After capturing the problem in the project documents, what should you do next?
Revise the resource management plan
Request additional funds
Update the schedule baseline
Record the issue in the issue log
Revise the resource management plan
Contacting the office space facility to ensure that the resource will be available for another week is a function of the Control Resources process. Control Resources is the process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilization of resources and performing corrective action as necessary. In this case, the actual utilization of the office space will exceed the planned utilization. The resource management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. As a result of the Control Resources process, the resource management plan may be updated as an output of this process to reflect actual experience in managing project resources. Therefore, of the available options, revising the resource management plan is what you should do next. Note, even though the correct answer choice does not state this explicitly, an approved change request will be required to update the resource management plan as it is a component of the project management plan.
You are a non-technical project manager. Two highly skilled and knowledgeable resources on your project are in conflict over the best technical solution to meet a project requirement. However, this is not affecting the project schedule. Who is initially responsible for the conflict resolution?
Either of the team members is responsible for the conflict resolution. Both team members are initially responsible for the conflict resolution. The project sponsor is initially responsible for the conflict resolution. The project manager is initially responsible for the conflict resolution.
Both team members are initially responsible for the conflict resolution.
Initially, both team members are responsible for the conflict resolution. If the conflict escalates, the project manager should help facilitate a satisfactory resolution
RACI stands for______________, ________________, ___________, _______________.
Review, Analyze, Calculate, Implement
Responsible, Actual, Complete, Informative
Roles, Activities, Costs, Instructions
Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform
Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform
While preparing a resource management plan, a project manager designated one of the senior programmers on the team to make decisions on whether the quality of deliverables met the project’s documented standards. Which of the following aspects of a resource management plan does this address?
Role Authority Competency Responsibility
Authority is the best choice. Authority is the right to apply project resources and make decisions within the project. These decisions could include quality acceptance, selection of the method for completing an activity, and how to respond to project variances.
An international project is entering its final phase. Some work in this phase must be done in the foreign country. Unsure if company policy requires a full-time employee onsite for project work in that country, which project artifact should the project scheduler reference?
Stakeholder register Resource breakdown structure Stakeholder engagement plan Team management plan
The resource management plan describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. The plan may be divided between the team management plan which is concerned with the human resources and the physical resources management plan which is focused, as its name implies, with the physical resources. The team management plan describes when and how team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed. While the PMBOK® Guide does not specifically indicates that the team management plan defines company policy regarding whether or not a full-time employee is required onsite for project work in that country, of the choices provided, the team management plan is the most plausible option and is, therefore, the best answer to the question asked. It is reasonable to assume that the policy specifying work in foreign countries would be included in the organizational process assets. Resource requirements document would be another plausible option that would specify the types and quantities of resources required for each work package. However, none of these options is provided among the answer choices. Prospective PMP aspirants should keep in mind that the questions on the real PMP exam may be short and vague with all four answer choices apparently looking like the correct answers or, on the other hand, all four being seemingly incorrect. The goal is always to select the ‘best’ option of those provided even if that option does not look like the perfect/ideal choice or the choice that you would prefer to see among the answers.
Clear criteria for rewards and a planned system for their use promotes and reinforces desired behaviors in the project. Creating a recognition plan with established times for rewards ensures that recognition takes place and is not forgotten. This is usually part of the:
Project Dashboard
Company HR plan
Resource Management Plan
Communications Management Plan
The plan for rewards and recognition is part of the resource management plan. The recognition and rewards are developed as part of the plan resource management process.
While conducting a brainstorming session to identify stakeholders, a process manager disagrees with you on a decision you made regarding the influence and impact of each stakeholder on the project. He even makes some comments against you in front of other stakeholders. As a senior project manager, what should be your immediate response?
Take the help of other stakeholders and present your argument Propose an immediate meeting between the two of you to resolve the differences Remove the process manager from the project Do nothing in the meeting but later escalate this issue to the sponsor
The pmi code of ethics and professional conduct requires you to conduct yourself in a professional manner even when it is not reciprocated. Therefore, you must not start arguing with the process manager. Removing the process manager will only worsen the situation. You must directly approach those persons with whom you have a conflict or disagreement—the process manager in this case. Propose an immediate meeting with him or her to resolve your differences. Escalating this issue will not resolve your differences.
A project is underway to construct a 50 story office building. With construction nearly complete, a government inspector has issued a stop order because one of the cranes failed inspection. The schedule reserves are inadequate to cover the resulting delay from the unavailability of the key resource. What should the project manager do next?
Terminate the project since the project objectives cannot be met
Update the resource management plan
Submit a change request to update the schedule baseline
Submit a change request to update the cost baseline
Control Resources is the process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilization of resources and performing corrective action as necessary. In this case, a key resource will not be available as originally planned, and the schedule reserves are inadequate to cover the resulting delay. As a result of the Control Resources process, the schedule baseline may be updated to reflect the actual versus planned availability of assigned resources. With inadequate schedule reserves, the schedule baseline must be revised in order for the project to continue. Therefore, of the available options, submitting a change request to update the schedule baseline is the best response.
One of your team leaders informs you that a team member criticizes him constantly about the allocation of tasks. The team leader also asserts that this team member is also responsible for the delay of many tasks, leading to delays in the project schedule. What action should you take as a project manager?
Direct your team leader to issue a memo Conduct a meeting with the sponsor, team leader, and the team member Replace the team member Approach the team member and understand his point of view
A project manager should manage such a conflict by directly approaching the team member who caused the conflict. According to the pmi code of ethics and professional conduct, a project manager must be responsible and show respect. He or she must listen to others’ viewpoints, seeking to understand them before making a decision. Neither replacing the team member nor issuing a memo is an appropriate action. Involving the sponsor in team issues is not an appropriate action either, unless the issues are beyond the project manager’s control.
You have been asked by your project manager to help create a chart that illustrates the project resources that will be working on each work package. What would be the best type of chart to use?
WBS Project organization chart RACI chart Milestone chart
RACI chart
RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consult, and inform. This is a type of responsibility assignment matrix that is used to illustrate the relationship between team members and work that needs to be completed. In a raci chart, a matrix is created with work packages in the rows and team member roles in the columns. Typically, a raci chart assumes that one person will be accountable for a work package, and more than one person may be responsible for completing the work package.
You have been assigned as a project manager of a new project to be executed out of New York. However, you determine the project requires a Global Positioning Systems expert who is not available within the company in New York. After doing a little checking, you determine that the company has an expert based in London who is suitable for the project. However, the London-based employee is not willing to relocate to New York for the project. In such a case:
Co-location of resources is a key factor for the success of projects. As per PMI guidelines, you cannot proceed with the project since the resources are not available in New York. Manage the project without the key resource and flag this as a risk. Write to the manager of the London-based employee and inform him that the employee needs to be convinced to relocate to New York due to project requirements. You look at the option of moving ahead with the project by using a virtual team.
The use of virtual teams has created possibilities of having teams in different global locations who are working towards a common goal. The availability of email and videoconferencing has made such teams possible. Virtual teams do present additional challenges, but these can be managed in most cases. The other choices are not valid.
Ground rules are established to set clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by the project team members. Whose responsibility is it to enforce ground rules?
The HR team
The project manager
The project manager and senior team members
All project team members share the responsibility for enforcing the rules once they are established in the Team Charter
All project team members share responsibility for enforcing the rules once they are established in the team charter.
A project manager needs team members that report to a functional manager. What technique is the project manager most likely to use to obtain these resources?
Coercion Pre-assignment Authority Negotiation
Staff assignments are negotiated on many projects. The project manager will negotiate with functional managers to ensure that the project receives competent staff in the required time frame.
Conflict management is a tool and technique of which of the following processes?
Close Project or Phase Manage Team Identify Stakeholders Control Procurements
Conflict management is a tool and technique of the manage team process. Claims administration, a tool and technique of the control procurements process, relates somewhat to conflict management.
As part of the Develop Team process, the project manager has planned for some Team Building activities. Team Building Activities should take place throughout the project lifecycle but will have greater benefit when conducted:
At the end of the project lifecycle On a need basis In the middle of the project lifecycle Early in the project lifecycle
Team building activities should take place throughout the project life cycle, but have greater benefit when conducted early in the project life cycle.
Creating a sense of community is a benefit of what type of strategy?
Hoteling Co-location Virtual teams Group-based management
Co-location involves placing many or all of the most active project team members in the same physical location to improve their ability to perform as a team. Co-location strategy can include a team meeting room, places to post schedules, and other conveniences that enhance communication and a sense of community
A tool that provides a visual representation of human resource allocation to a project, number of working hours, and availability on the project is a:
Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS) Resource Histogram Staff release plan
The correct response is resource histogram. This bar chart illustrates the number of hours that a project, department or project team will be working each week or month over the course of the project. The chart can include a horizontal line that represents the maximum number of hours available for a particular resource. Bars that extend beyond the maximum available hours indicate the need for a resource leveling strategy.
Which of the following is not a tool or technique of the Acquire Resources process?
Negotiation Pre-assignment Multi-criteria decision analysis Conflict management
Conflict management is not a tool and technique of the acquire resources process. The other choices are valid tools and techniques of this process.
A RAM diagram shows the relationship between ______________ and _____________ in a tabular format.
Deliverables and costs
Work packages and project team members
Risks and mitigation plans
Cause and effect
Work packages and project team members
A responsibility assignment matrix (ram) chart is used to illustrate the connections between work packages and project team members.
What is the traditional way to display a reporting structure among project team members?
Matrix-based responsibility chart Project organization charts Text-oriented role description Flowchart
A hierarchical-type organization chart can clearly show roles and reporting relationships within a team.
You are the project manager of a project whose team has interacted with a number of stakeholders. You believe that in order to have an objective project performance appraisal, you would like to obtain feedback for the project team members from all the people they have worked with, including superiors, peers and subordinates. Project performance appraisals are performed during which of the following processes?
Acquire Resources Develop Team Close Project or Phase Manage Team
Project performance appraisals are performed during the manage team process.
Your project team works in two different buildings across the city. The team has been struggling to perform effectively and has a difficult time resolving problems. What would be the BEST team development technique to resolve this issue?
Training Mediation Rewards Co-location
Co-location is an organizational placement strategy where the project team members are physically moved or placed next to one another to improve communication, working relationships and productivity.
Which of the following statements about team-building activities is incorrect?
The objective of team-building activities is to help team members work individually and effectively. It can be a five-minute agenda item in a status review meeting. Informal communication and activities help in building trust and establishing good working relationships. It can be a professionally facilitated experience designed to improve interpersonal relationships.
The objective of team-building activities is to help team members work together and not individually.
Which of the following is not an organizational process asset used during the Plan Resource Management process?
Historical information about previous projects Standardized stakeholder list Template for resource management plan Resource management policies and procedures
Standardized stakeholder list
Standardized stakeholder list is not a valid organizational process asset used in the plan resource management process. The other choices are valid assets. Other assets include historical information on organizational structures that have worked in previous projects and organizational processes and policies.
You are managing a project. An audit team wants to know where they can find information on training plans for the project team members and certification requirements. This are in the:
Communications Management Plan
Staff Release Plan
Resource Breakdown Structure
Resource Management Plan
The correct response is the resource management plan. This documents information such as training plans, certification requirements and compliance issues.
Which of the following approaches encourages plan definition but also acknowledges that once work starts, the priorities may change and the plan needs to be updated to reflect this change?
Upfront planning
Adaptive planning
Waterfall approach
Predictive life cycle
Adaptive planning defines a plan but acknowledges that once work starts, the priorities may change and the plan might need to be updated.
A project manager created a resource histogram. On the histogram, some bars extended beyond the maximum available hours. What does this usually signify?
This means that the resources on those bars are being underused.
This means the resources are producing outputs at a rate faster than the average rate.
This means that a resource optimization strategy needs to be applied.
This means that resources need to be reduced from the project.
If the bars in a resource histogram extend beyond the maximum available hours, it means that a resource optimization strategy needs to be applied, such as adding more resources or modifying the schedule.
A project manager manages a distributed team with team members located in five countries. Due to time zone differences, he cannot find a time that is acceptable to all team members. Which conflict resolution technique is best suited for this situation?
Withdraw Avoid Force Compromise
A compromise requires searching for options that bring some degree to satisfaction to all parties in order to temporarily or partially resolve the conflict. This would be the best way to handle the current situation, since time zone differences are not under anyone’s control.
A project manager is leading a project to build a new model of all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The initial plan called for the suspension parts to be painted. However, in response to an issue captured in the issue log, it has been recommended to use powder coating instead of paint for better corrosion resistance. As it pertains to the acquisition of resources, what should be done next?
Deny the recommendation as it represents gold plating Follow the resource management plan Purchase the powder coating equipment and supplies Submit a change request
If the recommendation to use powder coating instead of paint is accepted as corrective action, it will change the requirements that address corrosion resistance of suspension parts. In order to implement the recommended corrective action, the project manager will need to acquire the powder coating material and supplies. As it pertains to the acquisition of resources, an approved change request will be required to update the resource management plan to permit the acquisition of the powder coating equipment and supplies. While the correct answer choice does not specifically mention what project artifact the change request is supposed to address, it can be reasonably assumed that the resource management plan is one of those artifacts. Therefore, of the available answer choices, submitting a change request is what the project manager should do next.
Two of your expert team members have been in a heated argument over the use of a new software product for your research project. Recently, you noticed that the argument, instead of increasing creativity, is causing conflict between the team members. To prevent the conflict from escalating, you want to resolve it by open dialogue and evaluating alternatives. All the following statements about conflict are false except:
Scarce resources cannot be a source of a conflict. Personal work style cannot be a source of a conflict. Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. Reducing the amount of conflict is not desirable.
Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. The other statements are incorrect.
An apartment building construction project is currently in the planning stage. The project manager has decided to use analogous estimating to create the resource requirements and resource breakdown structure. What should the project manager do first?
Create estimates for the team and physical resources at the activity level Review the lessons learned register Develop the algorithm which will be used to calculate resource quantities Research the organizational process assets
The question implies that the Estimate Activity Resources process is underway with the creation of the resource requirements and resource breakdown structure. Bottom-up, analogous, and parametric are all estimating techniques which may be used during this process. In this scenario, the question states that analogous estimating is being used for this project. Analogous estimating uses information regarding resources from a similar previous project as the basis for estimating resources for the current project. It is used as a quick estimating method and can be used when the project manager can only identify a few top levels of the work breakdown structure (WBS). The organizational process assets include historical information regarding types of resources used for similar work on previous projects. Therefore, of the available choices, the first logical step is for the project manager to research the organizational process assets.
In a ship design project, a project manager is in the process of negotiating with a consulting company to ensure that the project receives certified and specialized consultants for creating the hull design. The project manager wants to make certain that the consultants will be able to work until their assignments are completed. He is using all his negotiation skills and interpersonal skills to get competent staff on time. Based on the scenario described above, the project manager is engaged in:
Manage Team process
Resource Leveling process
Plan Resource Management process
Acquire Resources process
Negotiation skills are used by project managers throughout the project. In this scenario, the project manager is negotiating with vendors to get talented consultants in sufficient number within the scheduled time. This process ensures the availability of scarce resources during critical phases of the project. This effort is done during the acquire resources process.
A critical resource is on another project team. It is essential that you get his time for your project. You have contacted the resource’s team manager several times but have received a poor response. What should you consider doing next?
Try to use management influence to obtain the resource’s time.
Contact the manager once again to see if he can help.
Train another resource within your project.
Plan for an alternate resource since this resource is not available.
Contacting the manager once again will not help since you have already had a poor response. The best option is to try using management influence to obtain the resource’s time for your project. Should all efforts to obtain the resource prove unsuccessful, alternatives include planning for an alternate resource or training another resource.
The output of the Validate Scope process is accepted deliverables that are formally signed off by the stakeholders. The stakeholders, on some projects, can get involved with the project as early as:
During the project monitoring & controlling During the project initiation During the project planning During the project execution
During the project initiation
The stakeholders may get involved as early as project initiation to provide inputs about required quality of deliverables so that control quality can assess the performance and recommend necessary changes.
Which of the following is not a Tuckman’s team development stage?
Norming Forming Confronting Adjourning
Confronting is not a valid choice. The tuckman ladder’s team development stages are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.
Dave, a first-time project manager, was of the opinion that all training activities need to be planned. He discussed this with an experienced project manager who understood that some training was necessarily unplanned. Which of the following are good candidates for unplanned training?
Training by observation, conversation, and project management appraisals Training by mentoring, observation, and coaching Training by mentoring, on-the-job training, and online courses Training by conversation, coaching, and classroom training
Unplanned training takes place in a number of ways that include observation, conversation, and project management appraisals conducted during the controlling process of managing the project’s team.
A project manager has scheduled technical training for his or her project team members to increase their skills. During which of the following processes will the team member receive this training?
Acquire Resources Plan Resource Management Develop Team Manage Quality
Training is part of the develop team process.
Which of the following is not a Tuckman's team development stage? Select one Mark question Norming Confronting Adjourning Forming
Confronting is not a valid choice. The tuckman ladder’s team development stages are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.
Which of the following enterprise environmental factors is not applicable to the Plan Resource Management process?
Select one Mark question
Existing resources, capabilities and competencies
Organizational culture and structure
Marketplace conditions
Lessons learned
Lessons learned from historical projects are valuable inputs to the plan resource management process. However, these are classified as organizational process assets.
Two of your team members are constantly arguing with each other about work assignments. Due to their attitude, the project is delayed, and pressure is building on other team members. What should you do?
Select one Mark question
Replace the team members
Issue a memo
Meet with them to understand their concerns
Inform the concerned functional manager
One of the mandatory standards in the pmi code of ethics and professional conduct is respect. A project manager must listen to others’ points of view and understand them. Hence, you must meet with the team members first to understand their concerns. If the problem continues, you may issue a memo or even replace the team members if necessary. Talking to the functional manager may not resolve the problem as the team members are managed by you in your project.
A project manager has scheduled technical training for his or her project team members to increase their skills. During which of the following processes will the team member receive this training? Select one Mark question Develop Team Plan Resource Management Manage Quality Acquire Resources
Training is part of the develop team process.
An international project is entering its final phase. Some work in this phase must be done in the foreign country. Unsure if company policy requires a full-time employee onsite for project work in that country, which project artifact should the project scheduler reference? Select one Mark question Stakeholder register Stakeholder engagement plan Team management plan Resource breakdown structure
The resource management plan describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. The plan may be divided between the team management plan which is concerned with the human resources and the physical resources management plan which is focused, as its name implies, with the physical resources. The team management plan describes when and how team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed. While the PMBOK® Guide does not specifically indicates that the team management plan defines company policy regarding whether or not a full-time employee is required onsite for project work in that country, of the choices provided, the team management plan is the most plausible option and is, therefore, the best answer to the question asked. It is reasonable to assume that the policy specifying work in foreign countries would be included in the organizational process assets. Resource requirements document would be another plausible option that would specify the types and quantities of resources required for each work package. However, none of these options is provided among the answer choices. Prospective PMP aspirants should keep in mind that the questions on the real PMP exam may be short and vague with all four answer choices apparently looking like the correct answers or, on the other hand, all four being seemingly incorrect. The goal is always to select the ‘best’ option of those provided even if that option does not look like the perfect/ideal choice or the choice that you would prefer to see among the answers.
A project manager had scheduled a number of training programs for his team. However, he was aware that apart from planned training, unplanned training also took place in a number of ways. Which of these is not one of the ways in which unplanned training can take place? Select one Mark question Observation Project performance appraisals Conversation Classroom
Scheduled training occurs as stated in the human resource plan and can include online, classroom, on-the-job, etc. Unplanned training can take place through conversation, observation, and project performance appraisals.
While conducting a brainstorming session to identify stakeholders, a process manager disagrees with you on a decision you made regarding the influence and impact of each stakeholder on the project. He even makes some comments against you in front of other stakeholders. As a senior project manager, what should be your immediate response?
Select one Mark question
Remove the process manager from the project
Propose an immediate meeting between the two of you to resolve the differences
Take the help of other stakeholders and present your argument
Do nothing in the meeting but later escalate this issue to the sponsor
The pmi code of ethics and professional conduct requires you to conduct yourself in a professional manner even when it is not reciprocated. Therefore, you must not start arguing with the process manager. Removing the process manager will only worsen the situation. You must directly approach those persons with whom you have a conflict or disagreement—the process manager in this case. Propose an immediate meeting with him or her to resolve your differences. Escalating this issue will not resolve your differences.
You are forming a virtual project team that includes members from four different countries around the world. What is NOT an obstacle you must overcome to build an effective team? Select one Mark question Cultural differences Communication issues Members wanting to work from home Different time zones
Virtual teams share a common project goal but share little time in a traditional, face-to-face business environment. The virtual team concept is made possible with electronic communication; one of the benefits of such teams is the ability of members to work from home. The other choices are potential issues that can occur as a result of forming a virtual team.
A project employs a virtual team with team members located in different offices in the same city as well as across different cities. The project manager wishes to build trust and good working relationships. One of the best ways to do this is:
Select one Mark question
Plan for job-rotation on a weekly basis
To use team-building strategies
To encourage the use of telephonic conversations as much as possible
Write a memo to the team detailing the need for good working relationships
Use of team-building activities helps in building trust and establishing good working relationships. As for the other choices: encouraging the use of telephone calls can also help in building relationships, especially in distributed teams. However, this cannot be an alternative to email communication. Job-rotation within the team may also help team morale; however, doing it on a weekly basis may be counterproductive and inefficient.
Which of the following is not a tool and technique of the Plan Resource Management process? Select one Mark question Organizational theory Hierarchical charts Meetings Rewards and recognition
Rewards and recognition is a tool and technique used in the develop team process, not in the plan resource management process.
Public recognition of superior performance creates positive reinforcement for the team members. When is the best time for a project manager to recognize team members’ performance?
Select one Mark question
At the end of the project
At the end of every phase of the project
During the lifecycle of the project
As mandated by the HR department
A good strategy for project managers is to give the team all possible recognition during the life cycle of the project rather than after the project is completed. This will keep the team members motivated through the duration of the project.
In a ship design project, a project manager is in the process of negotiating with a consulting company to ensure that the project receives certified and specialized consultants for creating the hull design. The project manager wants to make certain that the consultants will be able to work until their assignments are completed. He is using all his negotiation skills and interpersonal skills to get competent staff on time. Based on the scenario described above, the project manager is engaged in: Select one Mark question Resource Leveling process Acquire Resources process Manage Team process Plan Resource Management process
Negotiation skills are used by project managers throughout the project. In this scenario, the project manager is negotiating with vendors to get talented consultants in sufficient number within the scheduled time. This process ensures the availability of scarce resources during critical phases of the project. This effort is done during the acquire resources process.
A key output of Plan Resource Management is a list of project roles and responsibilities. What should this document include?
Select one Mark question
Role, Title, Resource Cost, Responsibility
Role, Authority, Responsibility, Competence
Work packages, Effort, Authority, Duties
Role, Responsibility, Authority, Risk
The following items should be addressed when listing the roles and responsibilities of team members needed to complete the project: role, authority, responsibility, and competence.
You have the project management responsibility of a virtual team comprising team members from the same company who live in widespread geographic areas, employees who work from home offices and employees with mobility impairments. Virtual teams are formed as a result of which of the following processes? Select one Mark question Acquire Resources Develop Schedule Estimate Activity Resources Plan Resource Management
Virtual teams are formed as a result of the acquire resources process
Ground rules are established to set clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by the project team members. Whose responsibility is it to enforce ground rules?
Select one Mark question
The HR team
The project manager and senior team members
The project manager
All project team members share the responsibility for enforcing the rules once they are established in the Team Charter
All project team members share responsibility for enforcing the rules once they are established in the team charter.
Two of your expert team members have been in a heated argument over the use of a new software product for your research project. Recently, you noticed that the argument, instead of increasing creativity, is causing conflict between the team members. To prevent the conflict from escalating, you want to resolve it by open dialogue and evaluating alternatives. All the following statements about conflict are false except:
Select one Mark question
Personal work style cannot be a source of a conflict.
Scarce resources cannot be a source of a conflict.
Conflict is inevitable in a project environment.
Reducing the amount of conflict is not desirable.
Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. The other statements are incorrect.
A Responsibility Assignment Matrix illustrates the connections between the work that needs to be done and the project team members. A RACI chart is a type of Responsibility Assignment matrix in which the names of the roles being documented are:
Select one Mark question
Responsible, Administration, Check, and Inform
Reportable, Actionable, Check, and Inform
Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform
Reportable, Actionable, Consult, and Implement
In a RACI chart, the names of roles are responsible, accountable, consult and inform.
You are managing a project and find you need to apply resource leveling. Which of the following tools can help you identify resources that are overallocated? Select one Mark question Resource Histogram Resource Breakdown Structure Resource Assignment Matrix Network diagram
The resource histogram is a tool for charting human resources. It illustrates the number of hours that a person, department or entire project team will be needed each week or month over the course of the project. The chart can include a horizontal line that represents the maximum number of hours from a particular resource. This can be used for a resource leveling strategy.
You are in a meeting with your senior manager, who is helping you to organize and manage a team of IT people from diverse backgrounds. While you are discussing the creativity and breakthrough performance your team is demonstrating now, your senior manager indicates that your team has moved from the storming to the performing stage. Which of the following describes the characteristics of the performing stage?
Select one Mark question
In the performing stage, the team completes the work and disbands as a project team.
In the performing stage, the team starts to work together and adjust their behavior.
In the performing stage, the team members are not collaborative.
In the performing stage, the team function as a well organized unit and resolve issues effectively.
There are five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. In the forming stage, the team members work independently. In the storming stage, the team begins to understand the project work. In the norming stage, the team begins to learn from one another. In the performing stage, they work as a wellorganized unit and reach maximum performance. In the adjourning stage, the team completes the work.
The output of the Validate Scope process is accepted deliverables that are formally signed off by the stakeholders. The stakeholders, on some projects, can get involved with the project as early as:
Select one Mark question
During the project execution
During the project initiation
During the project planning
During the project monitoring & controlling
The stakeholders may get involved as early as project initiation to provide inputs about required quality of deliverables so that control quality can assess the performance and recommend necessary changes.
In a project that was yet to begin, many of the project team members were known in advance. This is: Select one Mark question Staffing assignment Pre-assignment Proactive planning Skill matching
This is known as pre-assignment. This situation can occur if the project is the result of specific persons being promised as part of a competitive proposal, if the project is dependent on the expertise of particular persons, or if some staff assignments are defined within the project charter.
Clear criteria for rewards and a planned system for their use promotes and reinforces desired behaviors in the project. Creating a recognition plan with established times for rewards ensures that recognition takes place and is not forgotten. This is usually part of the: Select one Mark question Project Dashboard Company HR plan Resource Management Plan Communications Management Plan
The plan for rewards and recognition is part of the resource management plan. The recognition and rewards are developed as part of the plan resource management process.
A RAM diagram shows the relationship between \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ in a tabular format. Select one Mark question Work packages and project team members Cause and effect Risks and mitigation plans Deliverables and costs
A responsibility assignment matrix (ram) chart is used to illustrate the connections between work packages and project team members.
Which of the following statements about project teams is incorrect?
Select one Mark question
The project management team is usually a team external to the project team.
For smaller projects, the project manager can solely administer project management responsibilities.
For smaller projects, the entire team can share the project management responsibilities.
The project management team is a subset of the project team.
The project management team is a subset of the project team.
Which of these items are important to address when determining each person’s role in the project team?
Select one Mark question
Role, authority, responsibility, and competency
Role and responsibility
Role, authority, and competency
Role, responsibility, and competency
All four of these are important to consider when considering someone for a position within the project team: role, authority, responsibility, and competency.
A key project in an organization has been ignored, due to high travel expenses associated with the movement of subject matter experts and other specialists across various project locations. Which of the following might allow such a project to be undertaken in a cost-efficient manner? Select one Mark question Negotiation Co-location Virtual teams Management sign-off
Virtual teams overcome the hurdle of high travel expenses by forming teams of people based in different geographical areas. It might appear that management sign-off or co-location may also permit the project to move forward. However, those approaches will not be as costefficient as virtual teams.
Skills such as empathy, influence, creativity, and group encouragement are valuable assets when managing the project team. These skills are often referred to as \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Select one Mark question Effort-based management Soft skills Ad hoc skills Feedback-based skills
Interpersonal skills, sometimes known as “soft skills,” are particularly important to team development. By understanding the sentiments of project team members, anticipating their actions, acknowledging their concerns, and following up on their issues, the project management team can significantly reduce problems and increase cooperation.
The Manage Team process is part of what process group? Select one Mark question Executing Closing Monitoring and Controlling Planning
The manage team process is part of the executing process group.
As part of your resource management plan, you have created a chart indicating the number of hours (Y-axis) that a senior programmer will be working over the months (X-axis) of the project. This is an example of a: Select one Mark question Resource Histogram Ishikawa Diagram Pareto Chart Staff Acquisition Chart
Resource histogram is a bar chart showing the amount of time that a resource is scheduled to work over a series of time periods.
A project to construct a new subway line is underway, and the tunnel boring machine has slowed due to unexpected changes in rock composition. It has been decided to implement the planned risk response by increasing the speed of the machine to 100% of rated capacity. The team believes that the additional strain on the machine will not cause more downtime for its maintenance thus negating the benefit of faster boring. What should the project manager do first? Select one Mark question Update the lessons learned register Revise the assumption log Order another machine as a backup Update the schedule baseline
Control Resources is the process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilization of resources and performing any corrective action as necessary. In this scenario, the resource availability may or may not be limited by additional downtime. This situation presents an additional assumption for the project. The assumption log is a project document used to record all assumptions and constraints throughout the project life cycle. According to the scenario, the project team believes that the additional strain on the machine will not cause more downtime for its maintenance thus negating the benefit of faster boring. This is an assumption. Assumptions should be captured in the assumption log. Therefore, of the available choices, revising the assumption log is what the project manager should do first.
Which of the following is a tool or technique of the Develop Team process? Select one Mark question Acquisition Co-location Organizational charts Influence diagrams
Colocation is a tool and technique of the develop team process. The other choices are not valid responses.
A project manager would like to resolve conflicts by a give-and-take attitude rather than by a one-sided approach. Which of these approaches is he likely to use? Select one Mark question Directing Forcing Withdrawing Problem-solving
Problem solving involves treating conflict as a problem to be solved by examining alternatives. This requires a give-and-take attitude. In contrast, the other alternatives listed—directing, forcing and withdrawing —are more one-sided.
Upon obtaining the project charter, the Project Manager of a project starts acquiring the project team immediately. Is this correct?
Select one Mark question
No. Acquisition of the project team is primarily an Executing Process Group activity.
Yes. Acquisition of the project team is primarily an Initiating Process Group activity.
No. It is the responsibility of the project sponsor to provide the team for execution.
Yes. The project manager needs to get the team together as soon as the project starts
No, the project team is not acquired immediately after signing of the project charter. Acquisition of a project team starts with resource management planning in the planning process group, followed by the acquisition of the resources in the execution phase. The other choices are wrong, because the acquisition of the project team is mentioned in the wrong phase.
Conflict management is a tool and technique of which of the following processes? Select one Mark question Identify Stakeholders Manage Team Close Project or Phase Control Procurements
Conflict management is a tool and technique of the manage team process. Claims administration, a tool and technique of the control procurements process, relates somewhat to conflict management
A team member in your project is constantly providing incomplete deliverables and not performing well. What should you do first?
Select one Mark question
Discuss the issue with the team member in private
Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of the project sponsor
Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of other team members
Discuss the issue with the team member in the presence of the company’s HR manager
Discuss the issue with the team member in private. Conflicts should be first addressed in private, using a direct and collaborative approach.
As a project manager, you are developing a resource management plan for your software development project, and you need to find a way to document and communicate the detailed descriptions of the team members' roles and responsibilities. What tool will best meet your needs? Select one Mark question Resource breakdown structure Role-responsibility-authority form RACI chart Hierarchical chart
The question implies that the Plan Resource Management process is underway. Data representation techniques that may be used for this process include charts. Various formats exist to document and communicate team member roles and responsibilities, but most fall into hierarchical, matrix, or text-oriented formats. A hierarchical format may be used to represent high-level roles, while a text-based format may be better suited to document the detailed team member responsibilities. Text-oriented documents provide detailed information such as responsibilities, authority, competencies, and qualifications. These documents are known by various names including position descriptions and role-responsibility-authority forms. Since the question is asking to find a way to document and communicate the ‘detailed’ descriptions of the team members’ roles and responsibilities, using a role-responsibility-authority form is the best answer to the question asked.
All team members have not yet been hired for a project. However, the project manager went ahead with estimating activity durations, budgeting, and other activities. What could likely happen to the activity durations?
Select one Mark question
The activity durations are likely to change.
The activity durations are likely to decrease.
The activity durations are likely to increase.
The activity durations will remain the same.
Project team assignments are an input to the estimate activity durations process. Estimating activity durations without this input is risky. When estimating of activity durations is done when all team members have not been acquired, it is possible that the competency levels of the newer team members will be different from those planned. Therefore, it can only be said that the activity durations will likely change. Whether they will remain the same, increase, or decrease, will depend on the competency levels of the new team members.
Which of these is not an Enterprise environmental factor that can influence the Plan Resource Management process?
Select one Mark question
Marketplace conditions
Facilities and resources
Organizational culture
Lessons learned on organizational structures
Lessons learned are important inputs to the plan resource management process. However, these are organizational process assets and not enterprise environmental factors.
Your project team members have just started to work together and are now adjusting their work habits and behaviors to support each other. Which stage of the Tuckman ladder has your team just entered? Select one Mark question Forming Storming Performing Norming
During the norming stage, the project team members start to work together and adjust their work habits and behaviors to support each other.
As part of the Develop Team process, the project manager has planned for some Team Building activities. Team Building Activities should take place throughout the project lifecycle but will have greater benefit when conducted: Select one Mark question In the middle of the project lifecycle Early in the project lifecycle At the end of the project lifecycle On a need basis
Team building activities should take place throughout the project life cycle, but have greater benefit when conducted early in the project life cycle.
Which of the following approaches encourages plan definition but also acknowledges that once work starts, the priorities may change and the plan needs to be updated to reflect this change? Select one Mark question Upfront planning Adaptive planning Waterfall approach Predictive life cycle
Adaptive planning defines a plan but acknowledges that once work starts, the priorities may change and the plan might need to be updated.
The most effective method of resolving conflict or other issues with stakeholders is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Select one Mark question Collaborate Ignore Arbitrate Avoid
Collaboration requires incorporating multiple viewpoints from different perspectives. It requires a cooperative attitude and open dialogue, and typically leads to consensus and commitment.
One of your team leaders informs you that a team member criticizes him constantly about the allocation of tasks. The team leader also asserts that this team member is also responsible for the delay of many tasks, leading to delays in the project schedule. What action should you take as a project manager?
Select one Mark question
Direct your team leader to issue a memo
Approach the team member and understand his point of view
Conduct a meeting with the sponsor, team leader, and the team member
Replace the team member
A project manager should manage such a conflict by directly approaching the team member who caused the conflict. According to the pmi code of ethics and professional conduct, a project manager must be responsible and show respect. He or she must listen to others’ viewpoints, seeking to understand them before making a decision. Neither replacing the team member nor issuing a memo is an appropriate action. Involving the sponsor in team issues is not an appropriate action either, unless the issues are beyond the project manager’s control.
A project is underway to construct a 50 story office building. With construction nearly complete, a government inspector has issued a stop order because one of the cranes failed inspection. The schedule reserves are inadequate to cover the resulting delay from the unavailability of the key resource. What should the project manager do next?
Select one Mark question
Submit a change request to update the schedule baseline
Update the resource management plan
Submit a change request to update the cost baseline
Terminate the project since the project objectives cannot be met
Control Resources is the process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilization of resources and performing corrective action as necessary. In this case, a key resource will not be available as originally planned, and the schedule reserves are inadequate to cover the resulting delay. As a result of the Control Resources process, the schedule baseline may be updated to reflect the actual versus planned availability of assigned resources. With inadequate schedule reserves, the schedule baseline must be revised in order for the project to continue. Therefore, of the available options, submitting a change request to update the schedule baseline is the best response.
A project was awarded based on a competitive proposal. Management made a commitment that a few key team members would work on the project. When such assignments happen, they are: Select one Mark question Bargaining agreements Assignment risk Schedule constraints Pre-assignments
When team members are assigned to projects in advance of the start of the project, they are termed as pre-assignments. Such assignments can happen when resources are promised as part of a competitive proposal, when projects are dependent on critical resources, or if some staff assignments have been defined in the project charter.
You are managing a project. An audit team wants to know where they can find information on training plans for the project team members and certification requirements. This are in the: Select one Mark question Resource Breakdown Structure Resource Management Plan Staff Release Plan Communications Management Plan
The correct response is the resource management plan. This documents information such as training plans, certification requirements and compliance issues
You are leading a project team with a technology upgrade project within a project-oriented organizational structure. You were recently informed that one of your project team members falsified required certifications on their resume’, and you have verified the information as accurate. You want to terminate the team member’s employment. What should you do first?
Select one Mark question
Seek guidance from the resource management plan
Review the enterprise environmental factors
Refer the issue to the employee’s functional manager
Immediately terminate the employee for cause
The performing organization’s human resource management policies represent one of the enterprise environmental factors which may influence the Develop Team process. The human resource management policies and procedures should provide guidance on the criteria as well as the steps which must be taken in order to terminate an employee’s employment. Therefore, of the available choices, before taking any action regarding the team member’s employment, you should first review the enterprise environmental factors, specifically, the human resource management policies that specify hiring and termination procedures.
Which of the following is not a tool or technique of the Acquire Resources process? Select one Mark question Multi-criteria decision analysis Negotiation Pre-assignment Conflict management
Conflict management is not a tool and technique of the acquire resources process. The other choices are valid tools and techniques of this process.
A Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) breaks down the project by type of resources. The RBS is an example of a: Select one Mark question Hierarchical chart Linear chart Flow chart Matrix chart
The resource breakdown structure (RBS) is a hierarchical chart. It is used to break down the project by type of resources. For example, an rbs can depict all of the welders and welding equipment used in different areas of a ship, even though these resources may be scattered among different branches of the organizational breakdown structure and RBS.
A project manager manages a distributed team with team members located in five countries. Due to time zone differences, he cannot find a time that is acceptable to all team members. Which conflict resolution technique is best suited for this situation? Select one Mark question Force Avoid Compromise Withdraw
A compromise requires searching for options that bring some degree to satisfaction to all parties in order to temporarily or partially resolve the conflict. This would be the best way to handle the current situation, since time zone differences are not under anyone’s control.
A project manager wishes to illustrate the connections between the work that needs to be done and the project team members. According to the PMBOK, the resulting document is a: Select one Mark question Resource Assignment Chart (RAC) Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Resource Planning Chart (RPC) Task Assignment Model (TAM)
The correct response is responsibility assignment matrix (ram). This illustrates the connections between the work that needs to be done and the various team members. On larger projects, rams can be developed at various levels.
You are a non-technical project manager. Two highly skilled and knowledgeable resources on your project are in conflict over the best technical solution to meet a project requirement. However, this is not affecting the project schedule. Who is initially responsible for the conflict resolution?
Select one Mark question
Both team members are initially responsible for the conflict resolution.
The project sponsor is initially responsible for the conflict resolution.
Either of the team members is responsible for the conflict resolution.
The project manager is initially responsible for the conflict resolution.
Initially, both team members are responsible for the conflict resolution. If the conflict escalates, the project manager should help facilitate a satisfactory resolution.
When writing the roles and responsibilities for team members, you should document the role, authority, responsibility, and competency for each team member. Where must you document this information? Select one Mark question RACI chart Resource management plan Resource calendar Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Information regarding team roles, responsibilities, authorities and competencies is documented in the resource management plan.
Tom is a project manager who is assigned to a foreign country to manage a project. The project is a large one and comprises smaller sub-teams contributing to the entire project. As part of rewards and recognition within the project, Tom plans for a team award for the best sub-team. Recognition and Rewards is associated with which of the following processes? Select one Mark question Manage Team Close Project or Phase Develop Team Control Quality
Recognition and rewards is a tool of the develop team process.
A tool that provides a visual representation of human resource allocation to a project, number of working hours, and availability on the project is a: Select one Mark question Resource Histogram Staff release plan Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS) Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
The correct response is resource histogram. This bar chart illustrates the number of hours that a project, department or project team will be working each week or month over the course of the project. The chart can include a horizontal line that represents the maximum number of hours available for a particular resource. Bars that extend beyond the maximum available hours indicate the need for a resource leveling strategy.
Up until now, your project team has allowed the use of flextime where project team members may take time off during regular business hours and make up the time during the evening hours or weekends. Recently, excessive use of flextime has become a roadblock as some team members are not available when needed. The team feels they should set a standard that flextime is only to be used for personal emergencies. How should you handle this situation?
Select one Mark question
Discuss the issue with the team and update the team charter accordingly
Submit a change request to update the team charter based on the team’s inputs
Do nothing as the team has already agreed to use flextime for personal emergencies only
Contact the human resources department to update the corporate policies to prohibit flextime
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. The team charter may be updated to reflect changes to the agreed-upon team operating guidelines that result from team development. The team charter works best when the team develops it or at least has an opportunity to contribute to it. Of the available options, discussing the issue with the team and updating the team charter accordingly is the best course of action in this situation.
As a project manager, you are leading a software development project where the developers are colocated within rented office space. Writing the code is taking longer than anticipated, and you have contacted the office facility to ensure the office will be available for another week. Unfortunately, the office is already booked, so you need to find another solution. After capturing the problem in the project documents, what should you do next? Select one Mark question Record the issue in the issue log Request additional funds Revise the resource management plan Update the schedule baseline
Contacting the office space facility to ensure that the resource will be available for another week is a function of the Control Resources process. Control Resources is the process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilization of resources and performing corrective action as necessary. In this case, the actual utilization of the office space will exceed the planned utilization. The resource management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. As a result of the Control Resources process, the resource management plan may be updated as an output of this process to reflect actual experience in managing project resources. Therefore, of the available options, revising the resource management plan is what you should do next. Note, even though the correct answer choice does not state this explicitly, an approved change request will be required to update the resource management plan as it is a component of the project management plan.
Creating a sense of community is a benefit of what type of strategy? Select one Mark question Virtual teams Co-location Group-based management Hoteling
Co-location involves placing many or all of the most active project team members in the same physical location to improve their ability to perform as a team. Co-location strategy can include a team meeting room, places to post schedules, and other conveniences that enhance communication and a sense of community.
Recently, you promoted your star programmer, Sam, to lead the development team. Sam was a fantastic software coder, and you thought the promotion would mean that he could now share his expertise with the other development team members. However, you are surprised to learn that the performance of Sam in his new role is not meeting your expectations. Which empirical rule did you forget while considering the promotion of Sam?
Select one Mark question Murphy's law Pareto concept Expectancy theory Peter principle
The Peter Principle states “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his/her level of incompetence.” Most project team members are motivated by an opportunity to grow, accomplish, and apply their professional skills to meet new challenges. Their achievements continuously promote them within an organization to a certain level until they are unable to perform. Sam might have risen to his incompetency level. While the topic of this question is not included in the PMBOK® Guide, the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content Outline, June 2015, covers cross-cutting knowledge and skills with which PMP aspirants are expected to be familiar.
Which of the following tools give a visual representation of an organization’s data, described in business language that is independent of any specific technology? Select one Mark question Flowcharts Logical data model Mind maps Matrix diagrams
Logical data models give a visual representation of an organization’s data, described in business language and independent of any specific technology.
Your project team works in two different buildings across the city. The team has been struggling to perform effectively and has a difficult time resolving problems. What would be the BEST team development technique to resolve this issue? Select one Mark question Co-location Training Mediation Rewards
Co-location is an organizational placement strategy where the project team members are physically moved or placed next to one another to improve communication, working relationships and productivity.
As project manager, you scheduled a status update meeting. During the meeting, a problem developed, and the group discussed it. The day after the meeting, Kevin approached you and expressed his concern that the problem was not truly resolved. After thinking about it, he felt that his concerns were still valid and should be addressed. What conflict resolution method was likely used at the status meeting? Select one Mark question Withdrawal Collaboration Smoothing Forcing
Smoothing is the method that was most likely used to resolve the conflict that arose at the status meeting. Smoothing is a temporary way to resolve conflict.
Which of the following is not an organizational process asset used during the Plan Resource Management process?
Select one Mark question
Standardized stakeholder list
Resource management policies and procedures
Historical information about previous projects
Template for resource management plan
Standardized stakeholder list is not a valid organizational process asset used in the plan resource management process. The other choices are valid assets. Other assets include historical information on organizational structures that have worked in previous projects and organizational processes and policies.
You have been asked by your project manager to help create a chart that illustrates the project resources that will be working on each work package. What would be the best type of chart to use? Select one Mark question WBS Project organization chart RACI chart Milestone chart
RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consult, and inform. This is a type of responsibility assignment matrix that is used to illustrate the relationship between team members and work that needs to be completed. In a raci chart, a matrix is created with work packages in the rows and team member roles in the columns. Typically, a raci chart assumes that one person will be accountable for a work package, and more than one person may be responsible for completing the work package.
A company has been awarded a software development project which requires the development team to work at the client’s office. The client has assigned each developer a cubicle from which to perform their work. During a daily standup meeting, a developer states that the team members are too isolated and colocating the team in a war room would increase productivity and quality. What should the project manager do first?
Select one Mark question
Capture a description of the developer’s concern in the issue log
Explain to the team that a war room was not specified in the contract
Negotiate with the client to make a war room available to the team
Explain to the team that colocation would impede productivity due to the inevitable distractions
The question describes a situation where a project team member has raised a concern which is affecting productivity and quality. The proposed solution is to make a meeting room available to the project team to be used as a war room. The request for a meeting room seems reasonable and would likely enhance the developers’ ability to perform as a team. In addition to the project team, the client also has a vested interest in the success of the project and should be receptive to any reasonable requests that might improve productivity and quality. Thus, the project manager should negotiate with the client for access to a meeting room for the team to use as a war room. However, the question is asking what the project manager should do ‘first’ in this situation. The concern raised by the developer is an issue that should first be captured in the issue log where the issue can be tracked and monitored to ensure a timely resolution. Therefore, of the available options, capturing a description of the developer’s concern in the issue log is the best answer to the question asked.
A project has been initiated to search a large area for debris from an explosion of a failed prototype. The project is now in planning, and there is a debate among the team members on the type and quantity of resources needed to complete this activity. What should the project manager do first?
Select one Mark question
Select any resource and quantity to complete the task by the due date
Request the team to vote and make a decision based on majority
Research various levels of resource capability and skills, types, and sizes
Utilize a PMIS to manage resource pools and allocate resources
The question implies the team is carrying out the Estimate Activity Resources process. This process uses many tools and techniques. One technique to understand the resource needs and the best potential solutions for the activity resources is data analysis. Data analysis can be conducted in many forms and formats. The objective is to evaluate possible options or approaches or values to determine the best activity resource estimates. Once a value or a narrowing of values have been determined as reasonable, estimates can be set or decisions that are most suitable for the participants made. Therefore, of the choices provided, before making any decision, researching various resources levels, types, and methods is what the project manager should do first.
The RACI chart is an example of a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). The letters R and C in “RACI” stand for: Select one Mark question Responsible and consult Resource and consult Resource and consultant Responsible and categorize
The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) describes the relationship between resources and work packages. An RACI chart is an example of a RAM. The letters in “raci” stand for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform.
Which of the following statements about team-building activities is incorrect?
Select one Mark question
The objective of team-building activities is to help team members work individually and effectively.
Informal communication and activities help in building trust and establishing good working relationships.
It can be a professionally facilitated experience designed to improve interpersonal relationships.
It can be a five-minute agenda item in a status review meeting
The objective of team-building activities is to help team members work together and not individually.
What is the best way to show, at a glance, all the work packages or project activities assigned to a specific organizational department? Select one Mark question RACI chart Work Breakdown Structure Roles and Responsibilities Chart Organizational Breakdown Structure
The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) looks similar to the WBS; however, instead of being arranged according to a breakdown of project deliverables, it is arranged according to an organization’s existing departments, units, or teams.
Which tool is BEST used to display how a company structures itself departmentally? Select one Mark question OBS RBS WBS BOM
The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is a hierarchical organization chart that includes employees, department structures, and associated responsibilities. It is organized by the company’s teams or department breakdown.
