Project Management Chapter 5

Tina has just been told that four additional engineers are unexpectedly available and can be added to her project, to help her complete her deliverables ahead of schedule. Adding these people to the project would be an example of ________. a) crashing b) fast tracking c) sequential scheduling d) imposed personnel scheduling

a) crashing

Which of the following is the most important factor to consider when fast tracking a schedule? a) dependencies among activities b) backward pass calculations c) activity owners d) project start dates

a) dependencies among activities

True or False? The confidence interval is determined by subtracting the optimistic estimate from the pessimistic estimate, and then dividing that number by six. a. True b. False

b. False

True or False? The project description in a scope statement can be modified, but the product description cannot. a. True b. False

b. False

Which one of these statements about Project Scope Management is correct? a. It deliberately excludes some processes involved in making sure that the project includes all the work required. b. It includes all processes involved in making sure all required work to complete the project successfully is included. c. It includes most of processes involved in making sure all required work to complete the project successfully is included. d. It does not include any processes at all.

b. It includes all processes involved in making sure all required work to complete the project successfully is included.

_________ are similar to bar charts but only identify the scheduled start or completion for major deliverables. a. Project network diagrams b. Milestone charts c. Schedule models d. Schedule baselines

b. Milestone charts

________ is focused on the work to deliver features or functions, while ________ is concerned with creating the actual features and functions themselves. a. Product scope; project scope b. Project scope; product scope c. Scope creep; variance analysis d. Scope management; replanning

b. Project scope; product scope

A project's sponsor has announced that a project deliverable must be done by the end of the day on Thursday, but this has caused confusion for the project team. Why? a. The project sponsor cannot impose a due date on a project. b. The announcement is not specific enough. c. Deliverables should only be presented at the end of the work week, not in the middle of the week. d. The sponsor should have asked the project manager to make the announcement to the team.

b. The announcement is not specific enough.

Which of the following statements is true? a. The scope statement shows the sequence of project activities as a series of rectangles and arrows. b. The scope statement can be used to measure variance on a project. c. The scope statement describes the product scope but does not describe the project scope. d. The scope statement documents the initial expectations for the project so it cannot be modified after the project has been launched.

b. The scope statement can be used to measure variance on a project.

Which of these items are not included in the detailed project scope statement? a. project deliverables b. alternatives analysis c. product scope description d. project assumptions

b. alternatives analysis

Rolling wave planning is ________. a. an iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the future is planned in detail, while the work in the near term in planned at a higher level b. an iterative planning technique where work to be accomplished in the near term in planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level c. an iterative planning technique where the work to be accomplished in the future is planned at all levels d. an iterative planning technique where the work to be accomplished is planned at constant high levels

b. an iterative planning technique where work to be accomplished in the near term in planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level

After watching a customer interact with a prototype for a new product, Neville takes a few minutes to ask the customer some specific questions about the interaction. What is he doing? a. creating a work breakdown structure b. collecting requirements c. performing quality assurance d. monitoring and controlling the project

b. collecting requirements

Which schedule compression technique involves the addition of resources? a. leads & lags b. crashing c. resource saturation d. fast tracking

b. crashing

When crashing a schedule, which of the following would be the least important consideration? a. how much activities will cost under maximum crashing b. how many activities have already been completed c. what the shortest possible activity times would be d. how much activities cost before crashing

b. how many activities have already been completed

What does the term 'scope' refer to in the project context? a. the project's charter b. product scope and project scope c. analysis of the project d. project deliverables

b. product scope and project scope

A prominent stakeholder wants to add several new product features that were not listed in the project charter. This is commonly known as ________. a. scope growth b. scope creep c. scope explosion d. scope embellishment

b. scope creep

Which of the following would be an example of fast tracking? a. requiring that employees work overtime to finish an upcoming marketing campaign b. starting to edit the first chapters of a book before the last chapters are finished c. hiring temporary help to complete a landscaping project d. paying a supplier to expedite delivery of lumber to a construction site

b. starting to edit the first chapters of a book before the last chapters are finished

Bryce is replacing the current project manager on an existing project and wants to see why a specific requirement was included in the project. Where would he find this information? a. the network diagram b. the requirements traceability matrix c. the responsibility assignment matrix d. the risk register

b. the requirements traceability matrix

What is not included in the Control Scope input? a. project management plan b. variance analysis c. requirements documentation d. work performance data

b. variance analysis

Typically, a project's critical path has ________ total float. a. positive b. zero c. free d. large

b. zero

Practitioners are often asked to fast track or crash a project because they have to ________. a) increase the project duration without affecting the project scope b) increase the project scope without affecting the project duration c) decrease the project duration without affecting the project scope d) decrease the project scope without affecting the project duration

c) decrease the project duration without affecting the project scope

If the early finish date for Activity A is 11 days and Activity B follows Activity A (with no leads or lags between the activities), what is the early start date for Activity B? a. 10 days b. 11 days c. 12 days d. There is not enough information to calculate the early start date.

c. 12 days

What is the correct order for developing realistic schedule goals? a. Obtain stakeholder approval; examine the project charter and milestone chart; develop a more-detailed schedule b. Examine the project charter and milestone chart; obtain stakeholder approval; develop a more-detailed schedule c. Examine the project charter and milestone chart; develop a more-detailed schedule; obtain stakeholder approval d. Develop a more-detailed schedule; examine the project charter and milestone chart; obtain stakeholder approval

c. Examine the project charter and milestone chart; develop a more-detailed schedule; obtain stakeholder approval

Why is configuration management important in managing project scope? a. It helps align project activities with imposed due dates b. It explains what processes the project team will use to produce results. c. It ensures that the project's products are correctly and completely described. d. It prevents stakeholders from making changes to the project.

c. It ensures that the project's products are correctly and completely described.

Which of the following statements about the Estimate Activity Durations process is false? a. It requires that the amount of work effort required to complete the activity be estimated and the amount of resources to be applied to complete the activity be estimated. b. It approximates the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources. c. It estimates the type and quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity d. It is progressively elaborated and considers the quality and availability of the input data.

c. It estimates the type and quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity

Izolda has completed a forward pass and a backward pass through a schedule network diagram. She has found a path in which the early start dates for the activities on the path are the same as the late start dates for those activities, and the early finish dates for each of the activities are the same as the late finish date for those activities. Which of the following statements is true? a. Izolda has discovered that the project will be completed on time. b. Izolda has miscalculated the schedule. c. Izolda has found the critical path. d. Izolda has to realign the schedule with the project stakeholders' expectations.

c. Izolda has found the critical path.

A requirements traceability matrix tracks requirements back to ________. a. the prototype it was developed from b. lessons learned from previous projects c. a business need that must be met d. work packages in the work breakdown structure

c. a business need that must be met

Which of the following elements is not an input in the Define Activities process? a. scope baseline b. enterprise environmental factors c. activity attributes d. schedule management plan

c. activity attributes

The WBS dictionary would probably not include which one of the following items? a. account identifier code b. agreement information c. change control process d. technical references

c. change control process

If Yong is calculating the early start date and early finish dates on a network diagram, he is ________. a. measuring the schedule variance b. compressing the schedule c. completing a forward pass d. completing a backward pass

c. completing a forward pass

Which one of the following is not involved in the Collect Requirements process? a. requirements management plan b. scope management plan c. decomposition d. requirements traceability matrix

c. decomposition

When two activities converge into one node in a backward pass, the smallest of the ________ from the activities becomes the late finish date in the node. a. early start dates b. early finish dates c. late start dates d. late finish dates

c. late start dates

Which one of these items would not be used to describe a dependency's attributes in a precedence diagram? a. mandatory external b. discretionary internal c. mandatory discretionary d. mandatory internal

c. mandatory discretionary

Which one of the following is not a tool or technique in the Sequence Activities process? a. precedence diagramming method (PDM) b. leads and lags c. milestone list d. dependency determination

c. milestone list

A project manager wants to track a project requirement back to the business need that inspired it. Where would she look? a. the work breakdown structure b. the business needs chart c. the requirements traceability matrix d. the requirements networking diagram

c. the requirements traceability matrix

A project has three paths through its network diagram: paths ABE, ACE, and ADE. Activity A will take two days. Activity B will take two days. Activity C will take three days. Activity D will take four days. Activity E will take two days. What will happen if activity C is delayed by three days? a) The critical path will not change. b) The critical path will change from path ABE to path ACE. c) The critical path will change from path ACE to path ABE. d) The critical path will change from path ADE to path ACE.

d) The critical path will change from path ADE (took 8 days) to path ACE (now take 10 days)

How should a project manager deal with a noncooperative team member? a. He should have the noncooperative member immediately removed from the team. b. He should call an emergency meeting with the team to ask what should be done. c. He should ignore the noncooperative member. d. He should meet with the noncooperative member in a one-on-one meeting.

d. He should meet with the noncooperative member in a one-on-one meeting.

What publication provides industry-specific examples of WBS templates that can be tailored to specific projects in a particular application area? a. The Project Communications Institute b. Project Quality Management c. Project Risk Management Quarterl d. Project Management Institute Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures

d. Project Management Institute Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures

A forward pass through a network diagram answers which of the following questions? a. What is (and what is not) included in the project? b. What business needs are met by a specific project requirement? c. What resources can I add to the project to shorten the schedule? d. What is the earliest that a project activity may start or finish?

d. What is the earliest that a project activity may start or finish?

Tajo is trying to uncover sensitive or confidential information about requirements for his project. Which of the following techniques would be best to use in this situation? a. benchmarking b. a focus group c. a facilitated workshop d. an interview

d. an interview

How long should a scope statement be? a. no more than one page b. no more than two pages c. as long as the project plan d. as long as necessary

d. as long as necessary

Which of the following would be least helpful in collecting requirements? a. interviews b. prototypes c. benchmarking d. network analysis

d. network analysis

In scope management, the term scope can refer to ________. a. project scope b. product scope c. practitioner scope d. project scope or product scope

d. project scope or product scope

A project manager wants to collect requirements for an upcoming project from a large number of respondents at one time. What would be the best tool to use? a. interviews b. facilitated workshops c. context diagrams d. questionnaires

d. questionnaires

What tool and technique is not used in the Estimate Activity Durations process? a. analogous estimating b. expert judgment c. parametric estimating d. resource calendars

d. resource calendars

How many processes are included in the Project Schedule Management knowledge area? a. four b. three c. seven d. six

d. six

True or False? Fast tracking can be applied to any activities in a schedule. a. True b. False

b. False

Which of the following items contains the correct definition of a control account? a. A management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement b. The document that sets out the format and establishes the activities and criteria for planning, structuring, and controlling the project costs c. A specific version of the time-phased budget used to compare actual expenditures to planned expenditures to determine if preventive or corrective action is needed to meet the project objectives d. The area composed of three standard deviations on either side of the centerline, or mean, of a normal distribution of data plotted on a control chart that reflects the expected variation in the data

a. A management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement

Ilana and Brock are arguing about what can and cannot be included in the scope statement for their project. Ilana wants to list the prototype that the team will develop in the initial stages of the project, but Brock insists that only the final deliverables belong in the scope statement. Which person is correct? a. Ilana b. Brock c. both Ilana and Brock d. neither Ilana nor Brock

a. Ilana

True or False? In a beta distribution, the numerator of the equation is divided by six to get the final estimate. a. True b. False

a. True

True or False? Project practitioners conduct variance analysis to determine if corrective action is needed. a. True b. False

a. True

Nancy's boss told her to "crash" the project schedule. What does she need to do? a. add resources to the project so the completion of project activities can be accelerated b. adjust the schedule so project activities can be run simultaneously c. build a new schedule with fewer project activities d. recalculate the backward pass through the schedule

a. add resources to the project so the completion of project activities can be accelerated

What are the two most commonly used techniques to shorten the project schedule? a. fast tracking and crashing b. earned value management and benchmarking c. the forward pass and the backward pass d. configuration management and scope comparison

a. fast tracking and crashing

Which of the following is the most important technique in the scope validation process? a. inspection b. WBS dictionary c. validated deliverables d. change requests

a. inspection

To ensure that a project team can meet the scheduling goals set for a project, a disciplined enforcement of ________ is critical. a. milestones b. costs c. work packages d. quality assurance

a. milestones

What document provides guidance and an overview of how project scope should be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and verified? a. scope management plan b. project scope statement c. scope control charter d. define scope metric

a. scope management plan

Why do project teams crash or fast-track a schedule? a. to shorten the amount of time it will take to complete the project b. to eliminate some of the project's activities c. to eliminate scheduling risks d. to prevent rework on the project

a. to shorten the amount of time it will take to complete the project

You are using a triangular distribution for a three-point estimate. The calculated expected value from the triangular distribution is 14 hours. The optimistic estimate is 4 hours, and the pessimistic estimate is 26 hours. What would the expected value be if you wanted to use the beta distribution equation for your estimate? a) 11 hours b) 13 hours c) 16 hours d) 18 hours

b) 13 hours

You are using a beta distribution to calculate a three-point estimate. In the best-case scenario, it will only take 18 days to finish the work. The most likely scenario suggests that it will take 39 days to complete all of the needed activities, but if problems arise, it could take up to 54 days to come to completion. What is the expected value for this estimate? a) 37 days b) 38 days c) 39 days d) 41 days

b) 38 days

You are using a triangular distribution to calculate a three-point estimate. The optimistic estimate is 2 days. The most likely estimate is 4.5 days. The pessimistic estimate is 10 days. What is the expected value for the duration estimate? a) 5 days b) 5.5 days c) 2.75 days d) You cannot calculate the expected value with the information provided.

b) 5.5 days

A project has three paths through its network diagram: ABEF, ACEF, and ADEF. Activity A will take four days. Activity B will take three days. Activity C will take two days. Activity D will take one day. Activity E will take two days. Activity F will take four days. Which path is the critical path? a) ABCF b) ABEF c) ACEF d) ACDF

b) ABEF, it will take 13 days

Michel has been told that he needs to compress his project's schedule but that he will not be provided with additional resources. Which of the following would be the best course of action? a) crash the activities on the project's critical path b) fast track the activities on the critical path c) crash the activities not on the critical path d) fast track the activities not on the critical path

b) fast track the activities on the critical path

In a beta distribution for a three-point estimate, which estimate is multiplied by four to give it additional weight in the calculation? a) the optimistic estimate b) the most likely estimate c) the pessimistic estimate d) none of the above

b) the most likely estimate

True or False? An emergency that occurs because a stakeholder has been procrastinating is an example of a "hurry up and wait" situation. a. True b. False

b. False

True or False? Fast tracking and crashing work best on activities that are not on the project's critical path. a. True b. False

b. False