Mastering PMP: A Comprehensive Project Management Quiz

1. In which document will you find the code of account identifier, description of work, responsible organization, and list of schedule milestones?

2. WBS Dictionary

PERT/CPM Charts

WBS

Roles and Responsibilities Matrix

The correct answer is WBS Dictionary because it contains detailed information about the work elements in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) such as the code of account identifier, description of work, responsible organization, and list of schedule milestones. The WBS itself just outlines the hierarchy of project tasks, PERT/CPM Charts show project time dependencies, and Roles and Responsibilities Matrix outlines who is responsible for what.

Explanation

The correct answer is WBS Dictionary because it contains detailed information about the work elements in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) such as the code of account identifier, description of work, responsible organization, and list of schedule milestones. The WBS itself just outlines the hierarchy of project tasks, PERT/CPM Charts show project time dependencies, and Roles and Responsibilities Matrix outlines who is responsible for what.

2. When referring to inputs for Develop Schedule process, responsibility (i.e., who will perform the work), activity type (i.e., summary or detailed), and WBS classification are :

1. Constraints

3. Resource pool description

4. Activity duration estimates

Activity attributes can be used to identify the person responsible for executing the work, geographic area, or place where the work has to be performed, and activity type such as level of effort (LOE), discrete effort, and apportioned effort (AE). Activity attributes are used for schedule development and for selecting, ordering, and sorting the planned schedule activities in various ways within reports.

Explanation

Activity attributes can be used to identify the person responsible for executing the work, geographic area, or place where the work has to be performed, and activity type such as level of effort (LOE), discrete effort, and apportioned effort (AE). Activity attributes are used for schedule development and for selecting, ordering, and sorting the planned schedule activities in various ways within reports.

3. In your project, you are estimating schedule activity costs by determining the unit cost rates, e.g., staff costs per hour. All the following could be used to determine resource cost rates EXCEPT:

4. Commercial databases or seller published price lists

2. Gathering quotes

3. Standard rates with escalation factors (for contracts)

Parametric estimating uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables.

Explanation

Parametric estimating uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables.

4. You are the project manager responsible for manufacturing a particular variety of soap. You decide to do a statistical sampling for this project, because surveying the entire population involves all the following problems EXCEPT:

3. Longer time

2. Very expensive

1. Inaccurate data Survey of the entire population yields accurate data.

4. More resources

Survey of the entire population yields accurate data.

Explanation

Survey of the entire population yields accurate data.

5. When you started creating a work breakdown structure for your project, you realized that it was too complicated to be done on a single piece of paper. You then started using a work breakdown structure numbering system to:

4. Present justification for the project

2. Determine the level at which individual WBS elements are found

1. Determine the complexity of the project

3. Help in automating the WBS using appropriate software

The correct answer is to determine the level at which individual WBS elements are found. This numbering system allows for a hierarchical representation of project elements, aiding in organizing and understanding the project structure.

Explanation

The correct answer is to determine the level at which individual WBS elements are found. This numbering system allows for a hierarchical representation of project elements, aiding in organizing and understanding the project structure.

6. Please refer to the diagram given below (all units are in days): What is the project float if management wants to complete this project within 13 days?

Cannot be determined, because information given in the question is incomplete

0 days

2 days

The correct answer is -3 days as the project float is calculated by subtracting the project duration from the desired completion time. In this case, with the critical path of 16 days and a desired completion time of 13 days, the project float is -3 days.

Explanation

The correct answer is -3 days as the project float is calculated by subtracting the project duration from the desired completion time. In this case, with the critical path of 16 days and a desired completion time of 13 days, the project float is -3 days.

7. In your project, you are using cost aggregation, expert judgment, and historical relationships to establish a cost performance baseline. This is performed during:

4. Create WBS

1. Control Costs

3. Estimate Costs

Determine Budget is the process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish an authorized cost baseline. Cost aggregation, expert judgment, and historical relationships are some of the tools used in this process.

Explanation

Determine Budget is the process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish an authorized cost baseline. Cost aggregation, expert judgment, and historical relationships are some of the tools used in this process.

8. You are a project manager. At the executing stage of the project, all the following statements are correct EXCEPT:

2. The project manager and the team implement the planned methods and standards.

4. The project manager and the team manage risks and implement risk response activities.

1. Most of the project budget will be expended in project plan execution.

When closing the project, the project manager will review all prior information from the previous phase closures to ensure that all project work is complete and that the project has met its objectives.

Explanation

When closing the project, the project manager will review all prior information from the previous phase closures to ensure that all project work is complete and that the project has met its objectives.

9. Determining and delivering the required levels of quality for the project is the responsibility of:

4. All stakeholders in the project

1. Project sponsor

3. Project team

The project manager and the project management team are responsible for managing the tradeoffs involved to deliver the required levels of both quality and grade.

Explanation

The project manager and the project management team are responsible for managing the tradeoffs involved to deliver the required levels of both quality and grade.

10. In your project, you need to verify whether deliverables meet requirements and product acceptance criteria. For this purpose, which of the following would you rely on?

3. Observations

4. Focus groups

2. Expert judgment

11. What is the conflict resolution strategy characterized by facing conflict directly and working through disagreements with a problem-solving approach?

Withdrawal

....

Forcing

Smoothing

Confrontation involves directly addressing and working through conflicts, unlike withdrawal, smoothing, or forcing which involve avoiding, de-emphasizing, or exerting viewpoints at the expense of others.

Explanation

Confrontation involves directly addressing and working through conflicts, unlike withdrawal, smoothing, or forcing which involve avoiding, de-emphasizing, or exerting viewpoints at the expense of others.

12. You are creating a cost performance baseline for your project. In this context, all the following statements related to cost performance baseline are correct EXCEPT:

3. It is used to measure, monitor, and control overall cost performance.

2. To measure disbursements, a spending plan can be used as a cost-baseline.

1. It is a time - phased budget.

In the earned value management technique, the cost performance baseline is referred to as the performance measurement baseline (PMB).

Explanation

In the earned value management technique, the cost performance baseline is referred to as the performance measurement baseline (PMB).

13. You have been managing a project to construct a flyover on Interstate 10. You have divided the project into phases to provide better management control. Which of the following is a characteristic of a project phase?

Formal phase completion necessarily includes authorization for the subsequent phase.

All deliverables in the project phase should correspond to the project management process.

A project phase should not be divided into sub-phases even in complex projects, because it will be difficult to manage.

Formal phase completion does not necessarily include authorization for the subsequent phase. For instance, if the risk is deemed to be too great for the project to continue or if the objectives are no longer required, a phase can be closed with the decision not to initiate any other phase.

Explanation

Formal phase completion does not necessarily include authorization for the subsequent phase. For instance, if the risk is deemed to be too great for the project to continue or if the objectives are no longer required, a phase can be closed with the decision not to initiate any other phase.

14. In your new project, you have to provide a critical deliverable within five months and do not have time to go through the Conduct Procurements process. You decide to sign a contract with a supplier with whom your company has done some work in the past. The risk you are accepting in this situation is:

Lack of a legally binding agreement

Lack of proper scope definition

Collusion between the supplier and your team

The risk here is that even though the supplier has worked with the company in the past, they may not have the required skills for the current project.

Explanation

The risk here is that even though the supplier has worked with the company in the past, they may not have the required skills for the current project.

15. In your project, you are using Report Performance process to organize and summarize the information gathered. Later, you present the results of the analysis as a comparison to the performance measurement baseline. Some common formats for performance reports that you could use are:

2. S-curves, responsibility assignment matrices, histograms

1. S-curves, histograms, Pareto diagrams

4. Bar charts, control charts, histograms

Common formats for performance reports include bar charts, S-curves, histograms, and tables. Option 1: Pareto charts are used in Perform Quality Control process. Option 2: Responsibility assignment matrices are used in Develop Human Resource Plan process. Option 4: Control charts are used in Perform Quality Control process.

Explanation

Common formats for performance reports include bar charts, S-curves, histograms, and tables. Option 1: Pareto charts are used in Perform Quality Control process. Option 2: Responsibility assignment matrices are used in Develop Human Resource Plan process. Option 4: Control charts are used in Perform Quality Control process.

16. You are in the process of performing Develop Schedule process to determine planned start and finish dates for project activities. Which of the following inputs will be helpful in this process?

2. Activity list, activity attributes, and schedule data

3. Project calendar, requested changes, and schedule data

4. Work performance information, schedule baseline, and performance reports

In Develop Schedule process, planned start and finish dates for project activities are determined by using activity attributes, project scope statement, and activity list as inputs. Schedule data and schedule baseline are outputs of Develop Schedule process; and work performance information is an input to Control Schedule process.

Explanation

In Develop Schedule process, planned start and finish dates for project activities are determined by using activity attributes, project scope statement, and activity list as inputs. Schedule data and schedule baseline are outputs of Develop Schedule process; and work performance information is an input to Control Schedule process.

17. In your project, you have been sub-contracting your IT development work to four consultancy firms. In this context, all the following statements relating to transferring of risk to a contractor are true EXCEPT:

3. Cost-plus contracts may transfer the cost risks to the buyer.

1. Risk transference nearly always involves payment of a risk premium.

4. Contracts may be used for the transference of liability for specified risks to another party.

A fixed-price contract may transfer risk to the seller if requirements are well defined and seller has the capacity to handle the risk.

Explanation

A fixed-price contract may transfer risk to the seller if requirements are well defined and seller has the capacity to handle the risk.

18. In your project, you wish to identify and document the specific actions to be performed to produce the deliverables. This is done as part of:

3. Define Scope

2. Decomposition

4. Sequence Activities

Define Activities is the process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.

Explanation

Define Activities is the process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.

19. In your project, you have conducted a communication requirements analysis to determine the total number of possible communication channels. What is the relationship between the number of communication channels and the number of people involved?

Decreases in inverse proportion to the number of people

Increases in direct proportion to the number of people

3. Increases in exponential proportion when the number of people increases

Depends on the type of project

The number of communication channels in a project increases exponentially as the number of people involved in the project increases, leading to a higher potential for miscommunication and complexity.

Explanation

The number of communication channels in a project increases exponentially as the number of people involved in the project increases, leading to a higher potential for miscommunication and complexity.