CAPM Chapter 8
causal factors
Factors that increase risk for an event.
Gold plating is:
Giving the customer extra functionality, adds no value to the project; the customer didn't ask for it.
Marginal Analysis Method
Increase promotion expenditures so long as each additional dollar spent generates more than a dollar of additional contribution
28. You are a project manager working on a large, highly visible project. Your most recent control chart shows seven consecutive points on one side of the mean. What should you do next? A. Find the cause of the change. B. Nothing. The project is not necessarily in trouble. C. Notify your sponsor that there is a problem. D. Adjust the chart to reflect the new mean.
. Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - This is a trick question of sorts. Hopefully, the first thing you would do is notice the Rule of Seven was in play and you needed to determine why you had 7 consecutive cases on one side of the mean.
Design for X (DFX)
A design process that ensures the outcome is manufacturable, maintainable, cost effective, and high quality.
SIPOC diagram
A diagram that defines the boundaries of a process and shows how its Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs, and Customers affect process quality.
scatter diagram (scatterplot)
A plot of paired (x,y) data with a horizontal x-axis and a vertical y-axis. Data is paired in a way that matches each value form one data set with a corresponding value from a second data set. Helps to determine whether there is some relationship between two variables. pg. 37
Matrix Diagrams
A quality management and control tool used to perform data analysis within the organizational structure created in the matrix. The matrix diagram seeks to show the strength of relationships between factors, causes, and objectives that exist between the rows and columns that form the matrix.
Test-driven development (TDD)
A way of developing software where the test cases are developed, and often automated, before the software is developed to run those test cases. Tests are written before the code.
Kaizen
Japanese term for continuous improvement
JIT
Just in Time. A system that eliminates work-in-process (WIP) inventory by scheduling arrival of parts and assemblies for an operation at the time they are needed and not before.
Quality vs Grade
Low Grade is OK; Low Quality is always bad
Manage Quality
Manage Quality INPUTS 1. Project management plan 2. Project documents 3. Organizational process assets
In which of the following processes do you ensure that the quality standards will allow the project to achieve its desired quality goals?
Manage quality PMBOK® Guide p. 288 - Manage quality is the process where the project team uses systematic quality activities to ensure that the project will employ all the processes needed to meet requirements.
Your project team is currently using Cost-Benefit Analysis. In which of the quality management processes are you in?
Plan quality management PMBOK® Guide p. 272 - Cost-benefit analysis is a tool and technique used in the Plan Quality Management Process.
G. Taguchi
Quality as part of design, not inspection Taguchi Method
P. Crosby
Quality is free 0 defect conforming to requirements Doing It Right the First Time (DIRFT)
J.M. Juran
Quality planning, control & improvement People are the cause Fitness for use
Logical Data Model
Shows the organization of data without indicating how it is stored, created, or manipulated
7. Which of the following is NOT a valid definition of project quality? A. The degree to which the project team meets customer expectations B. The degree to which a set of characteristics fulfill requirements C. The degree to which a product has no obvious defects D. Quality is something that both the project manager and project management team are responsible for delivering
Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 274 - Quality should never be defined as meeting customer expectations. Quality is best defined as the ability to fulfill the project's stated requirements. This definition explains why requirements definition is so critical to project success.
17. You are leading an engineering project. Your team is completing a quality audit. In which of the quality management processes are you in? A. Manage quality B. Quality planning C. Control quality D. Close project
Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 288 - A quality audit is a tool or technique used in the perform quality assurance process.
23. You are a project manager working through some issues on your project. A member of your team suggests you make use of a Pareto diagram. Why might a Pareto diagram be helpful? A. Focus on the most critical issues to improve quality. B. Allow you to effectively brainstorm. C. Examine potential future outcomes. D. Determine if a process is out of control.
Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - A Pareto diagram is a type of histogram an is conceptually related to Pareto's law, which holds that a relatively small number of causes will typically produce a majority of the problems or defects.
2. A project manager and team from a firm that designs railroad equipment are tasked to design a machine to load stone onto railroad cars. The design allows for 2% spillage, amounting to over two tons of spilled rock per day. In which of the following does the project manager document quality control, quality management, and quality improvements for this project? A. Quality management plan B. Quality policy C. Control charts D. Project management plan
Answer A. The Quality Management Plan contains all the information that documents how quality will be managed throughout the project.
15. Your project team is currently using Cost-Benefit Analysis. In which of the quality management processes are you in? A. Plan quality management B. Manage quality C. Control quality D. Integrated change control
Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 272 - Cost-benefit analysis is a tool and technique used in the Plan Quality Management Process.
flow charts and diagrams
The HACCP process uses ___ to show the entire food processing operation
quality
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.
What is the effect of a project product, service or result that meets customer requirements while being ahead of schedule and over budget?
The only thing that can be stated definitively is that the project's quality level has been achieved. With the information provided you cannot be sure the project was successful as the project is over budget. However, you also cannot tell if the project is significantly over budget. The project is not behind schedule.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
The standards body. Most nations have one. In PMBOK PMI is the standard, and thus international standard for PM
Affinity Diagram
This technique allows large numbers of ideas to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.
Types of Refactoring
Yuck, The Not Understood, New Insights, and Long Term Refactoring.
Pareto Chart
a bar graph whose bars are drawn in decreasing order of frequency or relative frequency. A bar and a line usually. identifies the 80-20 rule.
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Histogram
a diagram consisting of rectangles whose area is proportional to the frequency of a variable and whose width is equal to the class interval.
Total Quality Management (TQM)
a management philosophy that focuses on satisfying customers through empowering employees to be an active part of continuous quality improvement
PDCA cycle
a plan-do-check-act cycle using observed data for continuous improvement of operations
Benchmarking
a process by which a company compares its performance with that of high-performing organizations
Quality Control (QC)
a program that monitors each phase of a process to make sure that chemicals and other materials used for tests are of acceptable quality and that instruments are working accurately
Six Sigma Quality
a quality measure that allows only 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Quality exists on a bell curve. Standard deviation--what is your sigma?
Run Charts and Control Charts
a run chart is a line graph with data plotted over time; control charts include control limits.
Design of Experiments (DOE)
a statistical methodology to determine cause-and-effect relationships between process variables and output
cost-benefit analysis
a study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good
SIPOC diagram
a type of process map that includes suppliers, inputs, processing, outputs, and customers
Domain Model
collection of computers sharing common configurations, resources, and security principles
Quality Assurance (QA)
gathering and evaluating information about the services provided as well as the results achieved and comparing this information with an accepted standard
Rule of Seven
if 7 or more observations occur in one direction, or a run of 7 observations occurs either above or below the mean, they should be investigated to determine if they have an assignable cause.
14. Sally is talking to a coworker and states she believes her boss is being unfair with her regarding her current project and the project's level of quality. Who is owns final responsibility for project quality? A. Project resources B. Project sponsor C. Project manager D. The entire project team
Answer C. PMBOK® Guide p. 273-275 - The project management team and not the entire project team is ultimately responsible for the level of quality on a project. However, in this case the best answer is the project manager.
16. You are a project manager leading a team that is currently using the cost of quality to evaluate the project. In which of the quality management processes are you in? A. Manage quality B. Control quality C. Develop project management plan D. Plan quality management
Answer D. PMBOK® Guide p. 272 - Benchmarking is a tool and technique used in the plan quality management process.
variable versus attribute sampling
measured vs you have it or you don't
Sampling Plan
plan to determine how the sample will be selected and recruited
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
process to identify underlying factors that contribute to variation in outcomes in sentinel event. Prevent problems from occurring, try to ID the root problem.
11. Which of the following is a tool and technique used in the plan quality management process? A. Project charter B. Process analysis C. Cause and Effect Diagrams D. Design of Experiments
Answer D. PMBOK® Guide p. 277 - The tools and techniques used in plan quality management include: .1 Expert judgment .2 Data gathering .3 Data analysis .4 Decision making .5 Data representation .6 Test and inspection planning .7 Meetings
26. All of the following are examples of the cost of conformance except: A. Auditing B. Controlling C. Appraisal D. Expediting
Answer D. PMBOK® Guide p. 283 - The costs of conformance include: Prevention Appraisal Planning Training Auditing Testing Controlling
As a project manager which of the following will a Control chart help you do?
Determine if a process is functioning within set limits. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - Control Charts are used to determine whether or not a process is stable or has predictable performance.
cause and effect diagram (Ishikawa diagram)
Diagram that maps out a list of factors that are thought to affect a problem or a desired outcome.
Consumer Risk (beta)
risk of accepting a bad batch
Cost of Quality (COQ)
the cost of doing things wrong - that is, the price of nonconformance
Producer's Risk (Alpha)
the probability of rejecting a good lot
Precision vs. Accuracy
• Precise measurements are not necessarily accurate. • A very accurate measurement is not necessarily precise. • The project management team must determine appropriate levels of accuracy and precision
7 QC Tools
flowcharts, checksheets, histograms, pareto diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, scatter diagrams, and control charts
12. What is the effect of a project product, service or result that meets customer requirements while being ahead of schedule and over budget? A. The project is successful. B. The project is significantly over budget. C. Project quality has been achieved. D. The project is behind schedule.
. Answer C. The only thing that can be stated definitively is that the project's quality level has been achieved. With the information provided you cannot be sure the project was successful as the project is over budget. However, you also cannot tell if the project is significantly over budget. The project is not behind schedule.
29. You are a project manager leading a large project within your organization. Last week you were on vacation. Upon your return you discover the team added several deliverables to the project because they determined it would benefit the customer. What is wrong with this situation? A. The project manager was not present when the decision was made. B. Nothing, this is the best way to have a happy customer. C. Nothing. The team needed to keep moving in your absence. D. The team is gold plating.
. Answer D. Be careful in reading the question. Nothing gives you an indication that the customer actually approved the changes. Do not simply assume they have. The correct answer is the team is gold plating.
22. Which of the following best defines quality? A. Meeting and exceeding the customer's expectations. B. Conformance to management's objectives. C. Adding extras to keep the customer happy. D. The degree to which the project meets requirements.
. Answer D. PMBOK® Guide p. 273-274 - This question is almost a straight definitional question. Quality is "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements." 23. Answer A. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - A
You are working on creating a financial plan for your project. If you are planning on using JIT, how much inventory should you plan on maintaining?
0 JIT refers to Just in Time inventory management. It is a technique where you attempt to carry no inventory and only have material arrive when needed. Therefore, 0% is the correct answer.
3 Types of Means
1. The Mean-the sum of the values divided by the count. Most common. 2. Median-The MIddle Value. 3. Mode-The most commonly occurring value.
statistical sampling techniques
1. attribute sampling 2. monetary-unit sampling 3. classical variables sampling
W. Edwards Deming
14 steps to quality management plan, do, check, act cycle improving production during WWII teaching senior managers in Japan about quality
21. Quality attributes from the perspective of a project: A. Provide the basis for judging the project's success or failure. B. Determine how effectively the team supports the project. C. Are specified characteristics for which a product is designed and tested. D. Are objective criteria that must be met.
21. Answer C. PMBOK® Guide p. 273-274 - This question is almost a straight definitional question. Quality is "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements."
24. As a project manager which of the following will a Control chart help you do? A. Focus on the most critical issues to improve quality. B. Determine if a process is functioning within set limits. C. Allow you to effectively brainstorm. D. Examine potential future outcomes.
24. Answer B. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - Control Charts are used to determine whether or not a process is stable or has predictable performance.
25. You are a project manager trying to decide the best way to evaluate the quality of a manufactured product. Which of the following best explains why you choose not to test the entire population? A. It would create noise in the data. B. It would exclude other testing methods. C. It would take too long. D. It would show type II errors.
25. Answer C. PMBOK® Guide p. 303 - The primary reason for not testing an entire population is that it can be extremely time consuming. For this reason sampling is often used.
27. All of the following are examples of the cost of nonconformance except: A. Expediting B. Warranty service C. Auditing D. Recalls
27. Answer C. PMBOK® Guide p. 283 - The costs of nonconformance include: Scrap Rework Expediting Warranty service Recalls Failure
30. You are working on creating a financial plan for your project. If you are planning on using JIT, how much inventory should you plan on maintaining? A. 0% B. 15% C. 25% D. 40%
30. Answer A. JIT refers to Just in Time inventory management. It is a technique where you attempt to carry no inventory and only have material arrive when needed. Therefore, 0% is the correct answer.
4. You are a project manager for a major information systems project when someone from the quality department comes to see you about beginning a quality audit of your project. The team, already under pressure to complete the project as soon as possible, objects to the audit. You should explain to the team that the purpose of a quality audit is: A. Part of an ISO 9000 investigation. B. To check if customer is following its quality process. C. To identify lessons learned that can improve performance on the project. D. To check accuracy of costs submitted by the team.
4. Answer C. Lessons learned are always key elements of any project as they allow continuous process improvement. Constantly getting better is key to PMI®.
19. You are the project manager on a project that has struggled with the quality of the deliverables throughout the entire project. Your boss, the Senior Vice President has come to you and stated that quality is the most important project constraint. On Monday morning you come into the office and find that another problem with quality has occurred. What is the best thing for you to do? A. Absorb a cost increase to fix the root cause of the problem. B. Fix the problem immediately. C. Cut project costs and allow the schedule to slip. D. Allow project risks to increase by allowing the schedule to slip.
Answer A. The key phrase in the answers is "root cause". Only A fixes the root cause of the problem. B might only be a temporary solution. Neither C nor D provide a solution to the quality problem.
10. Which of the following is not an input to the quality planning process? A. Product scope baseline B. Risk register C. Enterprise environmental factors D. Organizational quality metrics
Answer A. The scope baseline includes both the project and the product. PMBOK® Guide p. 277 - The inputs to the plan quality management process include: .1 Project charter .2 Project management plan .3 Project documents .4 Enterprise environmental factors .5 Organizational process assets
3. The project has had a major defect, and the project manager has involved the project team and process engineers in analyzing the situation. One of the group says that the real fault is the age of the equipment. Another says it is the lack of a material for the correct quality. To address the root of the problem, the project manager decides to use an Ishikawa diagram. Which of the following BEST describes the step of the quality management process in which the group is involved in this situation? A. Quality analysis B. Control quality C. Manage quality D. Plan quality management
Answer B. At this point the team has already completed the planning steps and ensured that the plan will deliver the desired level of quality. The issue is making sure you are actually delivering against the plan.
6. The project has had a major defect, and the project manager has involved the project team and process engineers in analyzing the situation. One of the group says that the real fault is using a new machine when an older machine was specified. Another says it is a change in subcomponent suppliers. To address the root of the problem, the project manager decides to use a cause and effect diagram. Which of the following BEST describes the step of the quality management process in which the group is involved in this situation? A. Perform quality analysis B. Control quality C. Manage quality D. Plan quality management
Answer B. Don't be confused by the fact the project manager selected a cause and effect diagram (a poor choice for this situation). The correct answer is still control quality.
13. Which of the following statements best describes marginal analysis? A. The process of determining the point at which the value of incremental quality improvements will not equal the cost to attain them. B. The process of determining the point at which the value of incremental quality improvements equal the cost of those improvements. C. The process of determining the optimal quality standards for the project. D. The process for determining the optimal profitability based on the differentiation of the cost and pricing.
Answer B. Marginal analysis is an analytical process used in determining the point at which spending any more money to improve the project quality will exactly match the value of the improvements. It is a one for one exchange.
9. In which of the following processes do you ensure that the quality standards will allow the project to achieve its desired quality goals? A. Control quality B. Manage quality C. Plan quality management D. Perform quality definition
Answer B. PMBOK® Guide p. 288 - Manage quality is the process where the project team uses systematic quality activities to ensure that the project will employ all the processes needed to meet requirements.
18. Your project team is using control charts to determine the current quality status of your project. In what part of the quality management process are you in? A. Plan quality B. Control quality C. Manage quality D. Direct and manage project execution
Answer B. PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - Control charts are one of several tools and techniques that make up the control quality process.
20. You are a project manager leading a project that has an SPI 1.03 and a CPI 1.05. The ETC is $247,905. In a meeting you are conducting with your team to discuss the quality of the project one of your team members complains that the schedule is seriously compressed and you do not have time for the meeting. You have consistently rewarded your team according to the reward system you put in place and have a great team that has worked well together. Which of the following best explains why the complaining individual is wrong? A. Improved quality leads to increase productivity, decreased cost effectiveness, and increased technology risks. B. Improved quality leads to increased productivity, increased cost effectiveness, and decreased cost risk. C. Improved quality leads to increased productivity, increased cost effectiveness, and increased cost risk. D. Improved quality leads to increased productivity, decreased cost effectiveness, and decreased cost risk.
Answer B. This is a very long winded question, but is typical for the exam. Most of the question has little to do with coming up with the correct answer. Just remember from PMI's perspective improving the quality of the project will lead to lot of good stuff including decreasing the long term cost of the project, making the team more productive and reducing risks.
5. The project has had a major defect, and the project manager has involved the project team in analyzing the situation. One of the group says that the real fault is the technology being used. Another says it is the age of the material. To address the root of the problem, the project manager decides to use a Control Chart. Which of the following BEST describes the step of the quality management process in which the group is involved in this situation? A. Analyze quality B. Control quality C. Manage quality D. Plan quality management
Answer B. This is not a situation where you are planning for quality or making sure the plan would lead to the desired level of quality. You are in execution and trying to determine why you are not achieving the desired goals. This is control quality.
8. Which of the following is the first process in quality management? A. Manage quality B. Control quality C. Plan quality management D. Perform quality definition
Answer C. PMBOK® Guide p. 272 - Like most defined processes in the PMBOK® Guide, the first step is define what quality means for the project and the steps that will be used to achieve quality.
1. A new software development project is in progress and the project manager is working with the quality assurance department. They want to improve everyone's confidence that the project will satisfy the quality standards. Which of the following do they need to have before they start this process? A. Completed checklists B. Quality management plan C. Rework D. Results of quality control measurements
Answer D. To give the stakeholders confidence you first need to have information about where you are at. Your quality control measurements provide the information about where you are at in meeting the quality standards.
Quality attributes from the perspective of a project:
Are specified characteristics for which a product is designed and tested. PMBOK® Guide p. 273-274 - This question is almost a straight definitional question. Quality is "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements."
All of the following are examples of the cost of nonconformance except:
Auditing PMBOK® Guide p. 283 - The costs of nonconformance include: Scrap Rework Expediting Warranty service Recalls Failure
Control Charts for Variables
Characteristics that can take any real value May be in whole or in fractional numbers Continuous random variables
K. Ishikawa
Cause-effect (fishbone) diagram Design statistics Introduced quality circles
. The project has had a major defect, and the project manager has involved the project team and process engineers in analyzing the situation. One of the group says that the real fault is the age of the equipment. Another says it is the lack of a material for the correct quality. To address the root of the problem, the project manager decides to use an Ishikawa diagram. Which of the following BEST describes the step of the quality management process in which the group is involved in this situation?
Control quality At this point the team has already completed the planning steps and ensured that the plan will deliver the desired level of quality. The issue is making sure you are actually delivering against the plan.
The project has had a major defect, and the project manager has involved the project team and process engineers in analyzing the situation. One of the group says that the real fault is using a new machine when an older machine was specified. Another says it is a change in subcomponent suppliers. To address the root of the problem, the project manager decides to use a cause and effect diagram. Which of the following BEST describes the step of the quality management process in which the group is involved in this situation?
Control quality Don't be confused by the fact the project manager selected a cause and effect diagram (a poor choice for this situation). The correct answer is still control quality.
Your project team is using control charts to determine the current quality status of your project. In what part of the quality management process are you in?
Control quality PMBOK® Guide p. 304 - Control charts are one of several tools and techniques that make up the control quality process.
