PMP Exam Prep - (Focus On Quality Management)

1. You are interviewing a candidate for a position as a Quality Manager on a project. Which of the following qualifications should count towards experience in performing Quality Assurance?

Any project experience spent collecting requirements during Scope Definition

Any project experience spent writing test scripts that are mapped to requirements collected during Scope Definition

Experience in determining Quality Metrics within the Planning process of a project

Exoerience in performing Quality Audits during the Monitoring and Controlling process

The experience in performing Quality Audits during the Monitoring and Controlling process should count towards experience in performing Quality Assurance because Quality Audits are a key component of Quality Assurance. During the Monitoring and Controlling process, Quality Audits are conducted to ensure that project activities are being performed according to the defined processes and standards. This helps to identify any non-compliance issues and allows for corrective actions to be taken. Therefore, having experience in performing Quality Audits demonstrates a candidate's ability to assess and ensure the quality of project deliverables.

Explanation

The experience in performing Quality Audits during the Monitoring and Controlling process should count towards experience in performing Quality Assurance because Quality Audits are a key component of Quality Assurance. During the Monitoring and Controlling process, Quality Audits are conducted to ensure that project activities are being performed according to the defined processes and standards. This helps to identify any non-compliance issues and allows for corrective actions to be taken. Therefore, having experience in performing Quality Audits demonstrates a candidate's ability to assess and ensure the quality of project deliverables.

2. Root Cause Analysis, a type of process Analysis that helps identify a problem and it's causes in order to develop actions that will prevent the problem, is a Tool and Technique for which of the following Processes?

Perform Quality Assurance

Plan Quality

Control Costs

Monitor and Control Project Work

Root Cause Analysis is a tool and technique used in the Perform Quality Assurance process. This process involves auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure that project activities are being executed correctly. Root Cause Analysis helps to identify the underlying causes of any quality issues or problems that may arise during the project. By understanding the root causes, the project team can develop appropriate actions to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future.

Explanation

Root Cause Analysis is a tool and technique used in the Perform Quality Assurance process. This process involves auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure that project activities are being executed correctly. Root Cause Analysis helps to identify the underlying causes of any quality issues or problems that may arise during the project. By understanding the root causes, the project team can develop appropriate actions to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future.

3. A project manager is attempting to to vary each part of a four-step manufacturing process alone, and in combination with the other parts, to see which adjustments will result in the product staying within the Upper and Lower Specification limits. This technique is commonly known as:

Regression Analysis

Statistical Regression Sampling

Quality Auditing

Design of Experiments

Design of Experiments is a technique used by project managers to systematically vary each part of a manufacturing process alone and in combination with other parts. This technique helps to identify which adjustments will result in the product staying within the Upper and Lower Specification limits. Regression Analysis is a statistical technique used to model the relationship between variables, while Statistical Regression Sampling is a method used to select a representative sample from a population. Quality Auditing is a process of evaluating the quality management system of an organization. Therefore, the correct answer is Design of Experiments.

Explanation

Design of Experiments is a technique used by project managers to systematically vary each part of a manufacturing process alone and in combination with other parts. This technique helps to identify which adjustments will result in the product staying within the Upper and Lower Specification limits. Regression Analysis is a statistical technique used to model the relationship between variables, while Statistical Regression Sampling is a method used to select a representative sample from a population. Quality Auditing is a process of evaluating the quality management system of an organization. Therefore, the correct answer is Design of Experiments.

4. The project sponsor is continually directing the Project Manager to continually improve quality, seemingly without regard to cost. The Project Manager wishes to identify the point at which increasing the cost of achieving the quality stops producing additional benefits. The Project Manager is applying which of the following Quality activities?

Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)

Marginal Analysis

Total Quality Management

Inverse Quality Benchmarking

The Project Manager is applying Marginal Analysis. Marginal Analysis is a decision-making tool that helps identify the point at which increasing the cost of achieving quality stops producing additional benefits. It involves analyzing the additional cost incurred for each unit of improvement in quality and determining whether the benefits gained are worth the cost. In this scenario, the Project Manager wants to determine the point at which increasing the cost of achieving quality no longer adds significant benefits, indicating the application of Marginal Analysis.

Explanation

The Project Manager is applying Marginal Analysis. Marginal Analysis is a decision-making tool that helps identify the point at which increasing the cost of achieving quality stops producing additional benefits. It involves analyzing the additional cost incurred for each unit of improvement in quality and determining whether the benefits gained are worth the cost. In this scenario, the Project Manager wants to determine the point at which increasing the cost of achieving quality no longer adds significant benefits, indicating the application of Marginal Analysis.

5.

As a project manager, you are tracking the project work using a network logic diagram. You would like to enter an actual finish date in order to calculate float for a finished activity. How will this affect your ability to calculate float for the finished activity?

Finished activities will prevent float from being calcuated correctly unless the actual finish date is equal to the scheduled finish date.

Calculating free float and total float is typically not done for finished activities.

Once the activity is finished, the amount of total float will be converted to free float.

Once the activity is finished, the amount of total float will be converted to slack.

Calculating free float and total float is typically not done for finished activities because float is a measure of flexibility or slack in the schedule. Once an activity is finished, it no longer has any flexibility as it has been completed. Therefore, calculating float for a finished activity is not relevant or necessary.

Explanation

Calculating free float and total float is typically not done for finished activities because float is a measure of flexibility or slack in the schedule. Once an activity is finished, it no longer has any flexibility as it has been completed. Therefore, calculating float for a finished activity is not relevant or necessary.

6. Early in the Planning process, the Project Manager identifed several risks that would result if certain project requirements were not met. The project is now in the closing and several requirements were not met as predicted. This situation can best be described by the following phrase:

Risks were identified at the Work Package level, but not the Project Level

Quality was not achieved

Risk Thresholds were not set high enough

Quality Metrics were not adequately defined

The given situation can be best described by the phrase "Quality was not achieved". This is because the project manager identified risks that would result if certain project requirements were not met, and now that several requirements were not met as predicted, it implies that the desired level of quality was not achieved.

Explanation

The given situation can be best described by the phrase "Quality was not achieved". This is because the project manager identified risks that would result if certain project requirements were not met, and now that several requirements were not met as predicted, it implies that the desired level of quality was not achieved.

7. The following are not inputs to Perform Quality Control EXCEPT:

Risk Register

Quality Control Measurements

Enterprise Environment Factors

Approved Change Requests

Approved Change Requests are not inputs to Perform Quality Control because this process focuses on reviewing the quality of deliverables and ensuring that they meet the required standards. Approved Change Requests, on the other hand, are the outputs of the Perform Integrated Change Control process, where changes to the project are evaluated and approved. Therefore, they are not considered inputs to the Perform Quality Control process.

Explanation

Approved Change Requests are not inputs to Perform Quality Control because this process focuses on reviewing the quality of deliverables and ensuring that they meet the required standards. Approved Change Requests, on the other hand, are the outputs of the Perform Integrated Change Control process, where changes to the project are evaluated and approved. Therefore, they are not considered inputs to the Perform Quality Control process.