CompTIA Project+ Cert Study Guide

WBS Dictionary

-Accompanying document to WBS -Includes info about WBS entries and work packages that don't fit in the visual framework

Role of WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

-Includes all work to be done on a project -Visually similar to organization charts -May include as many levels as necessary to best represent project work

Strong Matrix

-PM holds most control and budget -May select staff directly or in conjunction with functional managers -Has broad authority over resources and utilization

Common Project Constraints

-Scope -Schedule -Budget -Risk -Quality -Resources

Why can a focus group be counterproductive? A. The participants may not understand the technology. B. The management involved may not like the technology being implemented. C. The participants may focus on the problems of the old technology rather than the goals of the project. D. Team members may have political agendas against the project manager.

C. The participants may focus on the problems of the old technology rather than the goals of the project.

You are working with Sarah on developing a project charter for a new project. All of the following elements should be included in the project charter except for which one? A. Key project deliverables B. High-level milestones C. Stakeholders D. Company mission statement

D. Company mission statement

Balanced Matrix

-Authority is balance between project and functional managers -Project manager typically focuses on project full-time while resources do not

Importance of Scope Baseline

-Describe the project's work in totality -Primary point of comparison for many controlling processes -Strong change control important to protecting scope baseline's value -Updates must be made when changes are approved

Weak Matrix

-PM's hold little power over personnel -More akin to an expeditor or coordinator -Unable to make or enforce many project decisions on their own

Requirements Traceability Matrix

-Ties product requirements to final deliverables -Describes links between business and project objectives -Enables tracking of requirements status throughout project lifecycle

summarize the properties of a project

-start and end date -temporary -unique -reason/purpose -project part of program -project part of portfolio

Jane is the project manager for her organization. She is preparing the business case and identifying the business goals and objectives for an identified problem that a project may solve. Jane is comparing two different applications for performance, cost, scalability, and the expected time for the end users to learn the software applications. What tool is Jane using as part of her creation and documentation of the business goals and project objectives? A. Benchmarking B. Brainstorming C. Business rules analysis D. Functional decomposition

A. Benchmarking

Mark is the project manager of the BGH Project. This project doesn't have much time for planning, as the project customer is urgent for a solution to be implemented. Mark has a limited amount of time to complete the research for the solution. When time is of the essence, what can a project manager do to increase research productivity? A. Delegate the research topics among team members. B. Use only one or two research outlets. C. Limit the time spent doing the research. D. Hire a vendor to do the implementation.

A. Delegate the research topics among team members

Beth is an Agile project manager and she wants to create a dashboard for her team. A dashboard can also be known as a what? A. Information radiator B. Kanban board C. Burnup chart D. Queue

A. Information radiator

You are the IT project manager for your organization. Several projects being initiated in your organization have large financial requirements, entail extensive usage of human resources, and require access to network facilities. You suggest that project priority be established. What is project priority? A. It is the ability of a project manager to determine which project is the most valuable to an organization. B. It is the ability of a project sponsor to determine which projects should be implemented and which should be discarded. C. It is a process project managers and project sponsors must go through when conflicting projects arise within an organization. D. It is a process project sponsors use to determine which project is of greater importance when two projects conflict.

A. It is the ability of a project manager to determine which project is the most valuable to an organization.

Percy is the project manager of a large project that spans three countries. The project team is operating as a virtual team. There have recently been some arguments among the project team members over the technical implementation of the project. What causes internal conflicting IT projects? A. Lack of communication B. Lack of planning C. Technology that develops too quickly D. Conflicting technology

A. Lack of communication

What is the primary difference between projects and operations? A. Projects are temporary and operations are ongoing. B. Projects are unique, while operations are administrative. C. Projects are constrained by time and costs, while operations have budgets. D. Projects are paid for by customers, while operations are paid for by management.

A. Projects are temporary and operations are ongoing.

You are working with management to evaluate and understand their goals for a new technical project you'll be leading. You want to use the SMART approach in your assessment of the project goals. What does SMART mean? A. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound B. Specific, metrics, action, relevant, time-bound C. Schedule, monitoring, action, risk, time-bound D. Scope, metrics, action, risk, time-bound

A. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound

How long does a daily standup meeting last in an Agile project? A. One day B. 15 minutes C. As long as needed D. One hour

B. 15 minutes

Gary is the business analyst for his organization, and he's created a proposed solution for the company to implement. Management has asked you to create a feasibility study based on Gary's findings. What is a feasibility study? A. A plan for researching the project B. A plan based on the project research C. A plan that recommends the proposed technology D. A plan that does not recommend the proposed technology

B. A plan based on the project research

You are helping to create the project charter. One of the elements you need to include is the high-level risks in your project. Which one of the following is the best definition of a risk? A. A potential event that can cause the project to lose time and monies B. An uncertain event or condition that can have a negative or positive effect on the project C. An uncertain event or condition that will cause the project to lose time and/or monies should it come into fruition D. A potential event or condition that may affect the project's ability to meet the project quality expectations

B. An uncertain event or condition that can have a negative or positive effect on the project

What research technique breaks down large problems into smaller, manageable components? A. Root cause analysis B. Functional decomposition C. Focus groups D. Brainstorming

B. Functional decomposition

Why should a project manager demonstrate return on investment (ROI) in the financial obligation portion of a feasibility study? A. He should not; it will be determined by the project sponsor. B. He should include ROI to demonstrate the validity of the project. C. He should include ROI to demonstrate the initial cash outlay for the technology. D. He should include ROI to make certain his project is approved.

B. He should include ROI to demonstrate the validity of the project.

Of the following, which topic is not usually included in a feasibility study? A. Executive summary B. Market research C. Defined business problem D. Assumptions used in the study

B. Market research

You are the project manager for your organization, and management has presented a new project to you. This project requires that you adhere to several government regulations for the project deliverable. In this instance, what are the government regulations considered? A. Scope B. Requirements C. Assumptions D. Standards

B. Requirements

A project manager would like to use an anonymous tool to gain a consensus on the needs of the project. Which tool is the project manager likely to use? A. A survey on an intranet site B. The Delphi Technique C. An e-mail message to all users within the organization D. A Monte Carlo simulation

B. The Delphi Technique

You are an IT project manager for the UYQ Organization and are working on a new project to create new software for manufacturers. You are just starting to work on the intent of the project, the high-level goals, and the opportunity for the organization to formulate a document that links the project objectives to the business needs. What type of document are you creating? A. The project scope statement B. The concept definition statement C. The key performance indicators D. The project charter

B. The concept definition statement

Management has asked that you hire a moderator for a new focus group. What is a focus group? A. An interview process for elective team members B. An interview process by the team members to determine the success of a project manager C. A sampling of users affected by the proposed technology D. A sampling of management affected by the proposed technology

C. A sampling of users affected by the proposed technology

2. All of the following are project management process groups except for which one? A. Initiating B. Planning C. Implementing D. Monitoring and controlling

C. Implementing

The "Agile Manifesto" values what more than processes and tools? A. Completed activities B. Customer collaboration C. Individuals and interactions D. Product backlog

C. Individuals and interactions

What is project portfolio management? A. It is the risk the project manager is taking when implementing a project. B. It is the pool of available project managers. C. It is the management and selection of which projects will be engaged, allowed to continue, or stopped based on conditions within the organization or project. D. It is the relationship between the project manager and a third party that will implement the proposed technology.

C. It is the management and selection of which projects will be engaged, allowed to continue, or stopped based on conditions within the organization or project.

You are working with your project team and management to determine how long the project will take. One of your team members suggests padding all of the activities by 10-20 hours to ensure there's enough time in case there are problems with the work. You disagree with this idea. Why? A. Law of Diminishing Returns B. Moore's Law C. Parkinson's Law D. Pareto's Law

C. Parkinson's Law

What is project management? A. The ability to complete a task within a given amount of time B. The ability to complete a task with a given budget C. The ability to manage a temporary endeavor to create a unique product or service—on time and within budget D. The ability to administer a series of chronological tasks within a given amount of time and under budget

C. The ability to manage a temporary endeavor to create a unique product or service—on time and within budget

You are the project manager for the JHW Organization. Management has come to you with a proposed solution to standardize all workstations and laptops in your organization. They would like you first to complete a feasibility study for the solution with a focus on the total cost of the project implementation. You agree but insist that you should also address the users of the project who will be affected by the change the project will create. Why must a project manager address the users impacted by the technology in a feasibility study? A. To determine their willingness to use the product B. To determine how many users will use the product C. To determine the downtime caused by the product D. To determine the validity of changing or adding technology

C. To determine the downtime caused by the product

A new project has been launched by Shelly Dere, the project sponsor. Shelly insists that the project manager have total autonomy over the project decisions, but Shelly will retain the control of the project budget. What is the goal of a project sponsor? A. To manage the project manager B. To delegate duties to the project manager C. To increase profits through the project led by the assigned project manager D. To increase productivity through technical implementations

C. To increase profits through the project led by the assigned project manager

A new business is discovered to have copied products from another business. Which of the following documents will MOST likely be used between the two businesses? A. Letter of intent B. Non-disclosure agreement C. Cease and desist letter D. Memorandum of understanding

Cease and desist letter

Marci is a project manager in her organization and she is collecting requirements for a new project. She is working with Frances, an end user, to see how Frances is using the current software that Marci's project deliverable will replace. Marci asks Frances questions as she works, stops Frances to explore the purpose behind the software activities, and quizzes Frances on each step of the software activity. What is Marci doing in this instance? A. Gathering project requirements B. Exploring the learning curve C. Cross-training D. Active observation

D. Active observation

You are a project manager in your organization and would like to present a project to management. What organizational component is most likely to review your project to determine if it is worthy of investment? A. Project sponsor B. Functional management C. Program managers D. Portfolio review board

D. Portfolio review board

What individual has the authority over all of the project resources? A. Project manager B. Program manager C. Project customer D. Project sponsor

D. Project sponsor

What is the purpose of the project charter? A. To launch the project team B. To identify the project manager C. To assign a budget to the project D. To authorize a project

D. To authorize a project

A project manager has identified performance shortcomings with a new project team member. Which of the following is the MOST effective way of addressing the problem? A. Face-to-face meeting B. Formal performance plan C. Email communications D. Phone conversation

Face-to-face meeting

Which of the following is required in a business case? A. Justification B. Schedule C. Portfolio strategy D. List of requirements

Justification

During the execution phase of an ongoing project, a project manager realizes management has decreased the project's priority due to two other higher-priority projects that have just started. Which of the following effects will this MOST likely have on the ongoing project? A. Loss of resources B. Decreased risks C. Increased cost D. Change in requirements

Loss of resources

Which of the following is MOST likely to be considered as a team building event? A. Onboarding process B. Milestone celebration C. Project meeting D. Key stakeholder meeting

Milestone celebration

Which of the following project team organization structures gives the MOST authority to the project manager? A. Functional B. Matrix C. Projectized D. Cross-functional

Projectized

Which of the following is the FIRST step in recording a risk in the risk register? A. Risk identification B. Risk planning C. Risk quantification D. Risk management

Risk Identification

A new project manager is assigned to take over a project that is already underway. The project manager wants to quickly determine if any risk events have occurred in the project. Which of the following would be the BEST document for the project manager to review? A. Risk register B. WBS C. RBS D. RACI matrix

Risk register

A company has dictated project scope changes but has stated that the original budget still applies. Which of the following will MOST likely be impacted by the changes? A. Project initiation B. Regulations C. Schedule D. Project team

Schedule

Decomposition divides project scope and deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts The lowest level of the WBS is the work package All project work enclosed in work packages

Steps to Decomposition -Identify and analyze deliverables and work associated with them -Structure and organize the WBS -Decompose upper levels of WBS -Assign IDs to each component -Determine if further decomposition is necessary

A key stakeholder asks the project manager to send status reports twice a week. Which of the following should the project manager do NEXT? A. Update the risk management plan. B. Update the communications plan. C. Update the schedule. D. Update the issue log.

Update the communications plan.