ISQS FINAL EXAM

A ________ report is a reflective statement that documents important knowledge gained from working on the project. a. lessons-learned b. project archive c. progress d. kanban

A

A(n) _______ report describes where a project stands at a specific point in time. a. status b. forecast c. earned value d. performance

A

As a project is crashed and project duration is reduced, cumulative indirect costs typically ________. a. decrease b. become unreliable c. stay the same d. become unstable e. increase

A

Assume you are a project manager for a project that has an absolute deadline that must be adhered to. Your project is in the middle of the executing phase. The project is substantially behind schedule, but the CFO will provide additional funds if necessary. The scope cannot be reduced at this point. Which of the following time reduction techniques is most appropriate under these circumstances? a. Use overtime b. Compromise on quality c. Hire additional personnel to work on tasks that are behind schedule d. Do it right the first time e. Scrub requirements

A

At the bottom of Maslow's pyramid or hierarchy of needs is ________ needs. a. physiological b. safety c. money d. esteem e. self-actualization

A

Concepts of organizational maturity were originated by ________. a. Software Engineering Institute b. Abraham Maslov c. Fredrick Hertzberg d. W. Edwards Deming e. Peter Senge

A

Crashing activities ________ direct costs for those same activities. a. Increase b. Have no effect on c. Decrease d. Diminish e. Both decrease and diminish

A

David is managing a project team responsible for erecting a new office building. He notices that team members are trying out different behaviors to see what is acceptable to the project and personal relations. Which stage of development is the team in? a. Forming b. Adjourning c. Storming d. Performing e. Norming

A

During which stage of team development is high performance not a top priority and team member emotions run from upbeat to depressed? a. Adjourning b. Performing c. Storming d. Forming e. Norming

A

If you add four more people to a project team of five, how many more communications channels do you add? a. 26 b. 15 c. 10 d. 18

A

Josh is new-product project manager for a retail company. Recently the team has exhibited a high degree of conflict over who will control the group and how decisions will be made. Which stage of development is the team in? a. Storming b. Forming c. Adjourning d. Norming e. Performing

A

Project execution involves taking actions to ________. a. ensure that activities in the project plan are completed on-time and within budget b. establish a good plan c. close out the project d. provide feedback to key vendors e. All of these alternatives are correct.

A

Safety and the removal thereof applies to which of the following time reduction techniques? a. Use critical chain concepts (Goldratt) b. Reuse, reuse, reuse c. Reduce scope d. Do it right the first time e. Look for parallelism opportunities

A

The task "Determine Requirements" is a 10-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $2,000. Day 5 is just completed. If the SPI is .48, the BCWP ________. (Hint: SPI = EV/PV) a. is $4,800 b. is the same as the PV c. is $8,000 d. depends on the AC e. None of these alternatives is correct.

A

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. Assume the percent complete is 25%. What is the EV? a. $3,000 b. $6,000 c. $12,000 d. $2,500 e. $4,000

A

Under which heading of the Wrap-up closure checklist should the question "Has an in-depth project review and evaluation interview with the customer been conducted?" be answered. a. Customer/Users b. Team c. Profit and loss statement d. Vendors/contractors e. Equipment and facilities

A

What is the top reason for global outsourcing of IT services? a. A shortage of qualified personnel b. Cost reduction c. Decreasing time to market d. Increasing revenues

A

Which of the following is not a competence for the project manager? a. Be a good developer/coder b. Be a good motivator c. Be a good communicator d. Be a good delegator e. Be a good mentor

A

Which of the following is not a recommendation for improving project communications? A. Do not use facilitators or experts outside of the project team to communicate important information B. Use templates to help prepare project documents C. You cannot over communicate. D. Project managers and their teams should take time to develop their communications skills.

A

Which of the following is not one of the five steps utilized by Goldratt in his Theory of Constraints? a INSERT the project constraint b. Decide how to EXPLOIT that constraint c. SUBORDINATE everything to that decision d. ELEVATE the systems' constraint e. Go back to step A, and find another constraint

A

Which of the following is true about late and early finishes? a. Late finishes tend to accumulate leading to a project that is finished late while early finishes do not. b. Early finishes lead to a project that is finished early while late finishes do not. c. Early finishes tend to accumulate leading to a project that is finished early while late finishes do not. d. Late finishes lead to a project that is finished early while early finishes do not. e. Early finishes lead to a project that is finished late while late finishes do not.

A

Which type of contract has the least amount of risk for the buyer? a. Fixed price b. Cost plus fixed fee c. Cost plus incentive fee d. Time and material

A

Within PMBOK (6th edition) there are ________ process groups and ________ knowledge areas. a. 5 | 10 b. 4 | 10 c. 5 | 9 d. 10 | 5 e. 4 | 9

A

________ is best known for distinguishing between motivational factors and hygiene factors when considering motivation in work settings. a. Frederick Herzberg b. Philip Crosby c. David McClelland d. Abraham Maslow e. Douglas McGregor

A

According to psychological gurus Hertzberg, Maslow, McGregor and others, salary is ________. a. always a motivational factor b. sometimes a motivational factor c. never a motivational factor d. All of these alternatives are correct. e. None of these alternatives is correct.

B

From the standpoint of delivering value to the customer, which is faster? a. Traditional waterfall b. Agile methods c. Predictive methods d. Both predictive and agile methods e. Both predictive and waterfall methods

B

In face-to-face interactions, how is most information conveyed? a. By the words spoken b. By the body language c. By the tone of voice d. By the background noise e. By word-of-mouth

B

In which of the following theories does the project group transition from a lower level to a higher level of performance about halfway through the project? a. five Stage Team Development Model b. Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Group Development c. Dysfunctional Transition Model d. Synergistic Transition Development Model e. Nominal Group Technique

B

The section of the final project report that new project teams are likely to find most useful is the ________. a. Classification of project b. Lessons learned c. Analysis d. Strategic objectives e. Recommendations

B

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. What is the PV? a. $12,000 b. $3,000 c. $5,000 d. $10,000 e. $9,000

B

We suggested three factors as important to motivating individuals. Which of the following is not one of the three factors? a. Compelling vision b. Synergy c. 'Hot button' d. Work challenge e. All of the above are motivational factors for individuals.

B

What are the five stages of Tuckman's model for team development, in chronological order? a. Storming, forming, norming, performing and adjourning b. Forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning c. Forming, storming, performing, norming, and adjourning d. Norming, forming, storming, performing and adjourning e. Norming, storming, forming, performing and adjourning

B

What do many experts agree is the greatest threat to the success of any project? a. Inadequate staffing b. A failure to communicate c. Lack of proper funding d. Poor listening skills

B

Which of the following contracts constitutes the greatest risk to the seller? a. Time and materials contracts b. Firm fixed price c. Cost-reimbursable contracts d. Cost plus incentive fees e. All of these alternatives are correct.

B

Which of the following contracts is a hybrid mixture of fixed price and cost reimbursable contracts? a. Firm fixed price b. Time and materials contracts c. Cost-reimbursable contracts d. Cost plus incentive fees e. All of these alternatives are correct.

B

Which of the following is not part of project human resources management? a. Managing the project team b. Resource estimating c. Developing the project team d. Acquiring the project team

B

Which of the following is the best organizational structure for getting projects done fast? a. Weak matrix b. Dedicated project team c. Strong matrix d. Functional e. Projectized

B

Which of the following time reduction techniques will reduce scope? a. Use smaller batch sizes b. Requirements scrubbing c. Reuse, reuse, reuse d. Crashing e. Critical chain concepts (Goldratt)

B

Which of the following tips for shortening projects aligns with the issue of quality? a. Reduce scope b. Do it right the first time c. Reuse, reuse, reuse d. Look for parallelism opportunities e. Use critical chain concepts (Goldratt)

B

________ causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment. a. Extrinsic motivation b. Intrinsic motivation c. Social motivation d. Self motivation

B

________ involves using incentives to induce people to do things. a. Legitimate power b. Reward power c. Coercive power d. Referent power e. None of these alternatives is correct.

B

A work package is 70% done and $10,000 was budgeted for it. If this work package has an ACWP of $7,000 then ________. a. cost variance is $3,000 b. cost variance is -$3,000 c. the work package is on budget d. Both a. and c. are correct. e. Both b. and c. are correct.

C

At what level must a contractor be in order to do work for the U.S. Department of Defense? a. Level 1 b. Level 2 c. Level 3 d. Level 4 e. Level 5

C

Closing out ________ is often messy and filled with untied ends. a. invoices b. teams c. contracts d. project review meetings e. reports

C

During which stage of team development do team members try to find out what behaviors are acceptable and what performance expectations are? a. Storming b. Norming c. Forming d. Adjourning e. Performing

C

________ address where the project stands in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost goals. a. Technical reports b. Requirements reports c. Status reports d. Lessons-learned reports e. None of these alternatives is correct.

C

Experience and research indicate that high-performance project teams are much more likely to develop under all the following conditions except ________. a. There are 10 or fewer members per team. b. The project involves a compelling objective. c. Team members are selected by their managers. d. Members are assigned to the project full time. e. Members report solely to the project manager.

C

How long does it take to go from one level to the next within the Capability Maturity Model or its sequel the CMMI? a. Two years b. One decade c. One year d. One quarter (year) e. Six months

C

In order for projects to finish on-time and within budget, the project manager must stay ________. a. use salary as a motivator b. in control c. focused d. on site e. must exercise authority and penalty

C

In project procurement management, the process of conducting procurements is part of the ________ lifecycle phase. a. initiating b. planning c. executing d. monitoring and controlling e. closing

C

In the Snapshot from Practice, New Balls Goes Flat in NBA, is an example of a project gone wrong when the ________ is/are not consulted. a. the Fans b. manufacture c. end-users d. equipment and facilities managers e. project manager

C

In which level are 'best practices' institutionalized? a. Level 1 b. Level 2 c. Level 3 d. Level 4 e. Level 5

C

Measurements and rewards should ________. a. measure and reward everything b. be totally oblivious to those being measured c. induce the parts of the system to do what is good for the system as a whole d. be reported to upper management weekly e. assess progress relative to budget

C

The essence of positive synergy can be found in the phrase ________. a. There is no "I" in team b. Two heads are better than one c. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts d. Front of ship sink---back of ship sink e. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger

C

To enable meetings to run more effectively and expeditiously, use all but which of the following? a. Make certain the meeting starts on time and stays on task b. Determine if a meeting can be avoided c. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly d. Build relationships e. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting

C

Which community of practice stresses extensive measurement (of schedule, budget, productivity and quality)? A. Productivity community B. Production community C. Maturity community D. Project community E. Learning community

C

Which of the following is not a guideline to help improve time spent at meetings? a. Build relationships b. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting c. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly d. Determine if a meeting can be avoided

C

Which of the following is not a process within the communications knowledge management area? a. Manage communications b. Plan communications management c. Manage stakeholders d. Control communications

C

Which of the following is not one of the five levels that make up the CMMI? a. Managed b. Optimizing c. Repeatable d. Defined e. Quantitatively Managed

C

Your organization hired a specialist in a certain field to provide training for a short period of time. Which reason for outsourcing would this example fall under? a. Reducing costs b. Providing flexibility c. Accessing skills and technologies d. Allowing the client organization to focus on its core business

C

In which level are quality and productivity measured? a. Level 1 b. Level 2 c. Level 3 d. Level 4 e. Level 5

D

________ involves tracking team member performance, motivating team members, providing timely feedback, resolving issues and conflicts, and coordinating changes to help enhance project performance. a. Acquiring the project team b. Developing the human resource plan c. Managing the project team d. Training the project team e. Developing the project team

C

________, a highly respected psychologist, rejected the dehumanizing negativism of psychology and proposed the hierarchy of needs theory. a. Eliyahu Goldratt b. Sigmund Freud c. Abraham Maslow d. Philip Zimbardo e. Carl Jung

C

A work package is 70% done and $10,000 was budgeted for it. If at this point in time the work package should be 90% complete then ________. a. schedule variance (= BCWP - BCWS) is -$2,000 b. the work package is behind schedule c. the work package is ahead of schedule d. Both a. and b. are correct. e. Both a. and c. are correct.

D

A work package is 70% done and $10,000 was budgeted for it. What is its BCWP? a. $7,000 b. $70,000 c. Simply the value earned d. Both a. and c. are correct. e. Both b. and c. are correct.

D

Determining the earned value involves collecting data on the percent complete for each work package and then converting this percentage to a dollar amount by multiplying the ________ of the work package by the percent complete. a. duration b. contract cumulating amount c. total cumulative fees d. budgeted cost e. None of these alternatives is correct.

D

During which stage of team development do close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness? a. Storming b. Adjourning c. Performing d. Norming e. Forming

D

During which stage of team development is the team fully functional and accepted? a. Storming b. Norming c. Adjourning d. Performing e. Forming

D

Goldratt maintains that most project managers utilize a ________ world. Such mentalities are a ________. a. holistic | valuable asset to the firm b. critical path | mirage c. micro-management | waste d. cost | mirage e. throughput | useful understanding

D

Goldratt suggests that project managers should manage in a ________ world. Such mentalities are a ________. a. holistic | valuable asset to the firm b. critical path | mirage c. micro-management | waste d. throughput | useful understanding e. cost | mirage

D

Intense global competition and rapid technological advances create pressure to develop projects rapidly. This is an example of reducing project duration caused by ________. a. high overhead b. imposed project deadlines c. incentive contracts d. time to market e. unforeseen project delays

D

John is the coach of a high school soccer team and has noticed that some close relationships have formed as well as feelings of camaraderie and shared responsibilities for the team's success. Which stage of development is the team in? a. Storming b. Adjourning c. Performing d. Norming e. Forming

D

Releasing the project team typically occurs ________ during the closure phase. a. rarely b. rapidly c. all at once d. gradually e. without bombast

D

Studies suggest that great-performing project teams are much more likely to develop under all the following conditions except ________. a.members are assigned to the project full time b. members report solely to the project manager c. the project involves a compelling objective d. team members are selected by their line managers e. there are 7 or fewer members per team

D

Technical improvements and corrective actions typically appear in the ________ section of the final project report. a. Analysis b. Strategic objectives c. Lessons learned d. Recommendations e. Classification of project

D

The only sustainable competitive advantage is the rate at which teams, organizations and individuals ________. a. become more mature b. use information technology c. innovate d. learn e. take risks

D

The task "Determine Requirements" is a 10-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $2,000. Day 5 is just completed. What is its BCWS? a. $10,000 b. Simply the planned value, PV c. Simply the earned value, EV d. Both a. and b. are correct. e. Both a. and c. are correct.

D

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. Assume the percent complete is 25%. What is the schedule variance, SV? a. -$3,000 b. $2,000 c. $3,000 d. $0 e. -$2,000

D

Under which heading of the Wrap-up closure checklist should the question "Have project accounts been finalized and all billing closed?" be answered. a. Equipment and facilities b. Profit and loss statement c. Customer/Users d. Vendors/contractors e. Team

D

What term best describes information that is sent to recipients at their request via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means? a. Customer communications b. Push communications c. Interactive communications d. Pull communications

D

Which 'phase' of the project lifecycle is performed throughout all of the other phases? a. Initiating b. Planning c. Executing d. Monitoring and controlling e. Closing

D

Which of the following communication methods would be most appropriate for assessing the commitment of project stakeholders and building consensus? a. E-mail b. Wikis c. Messages d. Meetings e. Web sites

D

Which of the following is commonly associated with high-performing project teams? a. Risk taking is controlled and not allowed to jeopardize the overall project b. Roles and specific responsibilities are well-defined c. A degree of competition among team members is encouraged d. Mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning e. All of these are associated with high-performing teams

D

Which of the following is not a Goldratt recommendation in regard to critical chain concepts? a. Place incentives in contracts for early or on-time completion. b. Remove safety from task estimates and place it in a project buffer at the end of the project. c. At the point where each feeding path intersects with the critical path, place another time buffer, called a feeding buffer. d. Assign your weakest people to the non-critical tasks. e. Expect the persons performing the tasks to do nothing but their tasks (150% focus) until they get it done.

D

Which of the following is not a PMI process within project communications management? a. Monitoring communications b. Managing communications c. Planning communications management d. Communicating with stakeholders

D

Which of the following processes of project procurement management involves managing relationships with sellers, monitoring contract performance, and making changes as needed? a. Closing procurements b. Settling contracts c. Selecting vendors d. Controlling procurements e. Deciding on the services to procure

D

Which of the following time reduction techniques involves the concept of lean? a. Reduce scope b. Critical chain concepts c. Reuse, reuse, reuse d. Eliminate non-value adding activities e. Crash activities

D

Which of the following tips for shortening the duration of projects involves prioritizing the functions of the product? a. Look for parallelism opportunities b. Do it right the first time c. Reuse, reuse, reuse d. Reduce scope e. Use critical chain concepts (Goldratt)

D

________ begins with a review of the strategic intent of the project, selection criteria, project charter, project objectives, project scope, and acceptance criteria. a. Recommendations b. Project Overview c. Directing d. Process Review e. Analysis

D

________ contracts involve payment to the supplier for direct and indirect actual costs and often include fees. a. Lump sum b. Firm-fixed-price c. Fixed-price incentive fee d. Cost-reimbursable e. All of these alternatives are correct.

D

BCWS stands for ________ and is equal to _____. a. Budgeted Cost of Work Systems, PV b. Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled, EV c. Budget Cumulative of Working Systems, EV d. Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled, PC e. None of the alternatives is correct.

E

During which stage of team development do members accept that they are part of a project group but resist the constraints that the project and the group put on their individuality? a. Adjourning b. Forming c. Norming d. Performing e. Storming

E

From the standpoint of completing and delivering the total project, which is faster and cheaper? a. Traditional waterfall b. Agile methods c. Predictive methods d. Both predictive and agile methods e. Both predictive and traditional waterfall methods

E

In which level is there a focus on continuous improvement and innovation? a. Level 1 b. Level 2 c. Level 3 d. Level 4 e. Level 5

E

Only of the following is commonly associated with great-performing teams. Which one is it? a. Team members are selected with similar talents to enhance cohesion. b. A degree of competition among team members is encouraged. c. Risk taking is controlled and not allowed to jeopardize the overall project. d. Roles and specific responsibilities are well-defined. e. Mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning.

E

Researchers have found that high-performance teams have norms for team interaction. Which of the following is not one of those norms? a. There is no tolerance for bulling a way through a problem or issue. b. Hard work does not get in the way of having fun. c. It is acceptable to be in trouble, but not to surprise others. d. No information is shared outside the team unless all agree to it. e. When a decision has to be made, everyone should agree before moving forward.

E

The most common circumstance for project closure is ________. a. project completion meeting costs, schedule, and quality b. premature completion with some features eliminated c. project termination due to technical difficulties d. perpetual projects that seem to go on and on before completion e. project completion after modification of costs, schedule, or quality

E

The shortest possible time an activity can be completed realistically is called ________ time. a. optimistic b. accelerated c. expedited d. optimal e. crash

E

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. Assume the percent complete is 25% and the actual cost is $6,000. Is the task over, under or on budget? Is the task ahead, behind or on schedule? a. Over budget and behind schedule b. On budget and ahead of schedule c. On budget and behind schedule d. Under budget and on schedule e. Over budget and on schedule

E

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. Assume the percent complete is 25% and the actual cost is $6,000. What is the cost variance, CV? a. $3,000 b. $2,000 c. -$2,000 d. $0 e. -$3,000

E

The task "Plan Schedule Management" is a 4-day task. Expenditures/day are set at $3,000 per day. Day 1 is just completed. What is the budgeted cost of this task? a. $3,000 b. $5,000 c. $9,000 d. $15,000 e. $12,000

E

What is the name of the maturity model used by the Project Management Institute? a. CMMI b. PMP c. CMHC d. CMM e. OPM3

E

Which of the following is a reason for the increased popularity of project management? a. Diversity of new products and product markets b. Shorter life span of products c. Rapid technological changes d. Only a. and b. are correct. e. All of these alternatives are correct.

E

Which of the following is not one of the ten PMI knowledge areas? a.Quality management b. Scope management c. Stakeholder management d. Time management e. Inventory management

E

Which of the following phrases captures the concept of positive synergy? a. There is no "I" in team. b. Two heads are better than one. c. Front of ship sink—back of ship sink. d. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. e. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

E

Which of the following would you regard as a fundamental principle of the discipline of project management? a. Slack b. Satisfaction c. Safety d. Surplus e. Focus

E

Information on the project type, size, number of staff, and technology level would be included in which section of the audit report? a. Analysis b. Classification of project c. Strategic objectives d. Lessons learned e. Recommendations

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