Project Management constraints

Inform the client of the impact of the change.

A customer has sent a change request asking to alter the specifications of the product. As the project manager, Ross discovers that implementing the changes will add two weeks to the project schedule. Which of the following actions should Ross take first?

The project manager did not caution the team members against gold plating. The project management plan lacked a detailed scope statement. Requirements were not correctly gathered.

A customer of NuTex, LLC approached them after hiring an analyst to write the requirements document for a new project. Joel Hall, the project manager, accepted the requirements document and started the project. Twenty resources were assigned to the team. However, after the system design was underway, Joel realized that several key requirements were poorly defined. As a result, the initial discussion of what the customer wanted did not match the requirements document. What are three potential sources of the scope mismatch? (Choose three.)

an event that indicates that a risk has occurred or is about to occur

A risk trigger is:

Preventing unnecessary changes while implementing the required changes only Alan should focus on preventing unnecessary changes while implementing only the required changes. Change requests should be independent of each other and should be evaluated separately. If a change is approved, then the project documents should be edited to incorporate the approved change.

Alan walks into work one morning and finds a change request from the customer about the software being developed. The change request requires an important alteration to one of the software's features and states that it is imperative to change all affected areas before moving forward with the remaining project work. While working out implementation of this sudden change request, which of the following options should Alan most likely to focus on?

Pause work on the project, and meet with the customer to speak about the funding issue.

Allison Patel, the project manager of the development of an e-commerce app, receives a call from the customer informing her that they have run out of money to pay for the project. What should Allison do first?

Explain to management the consequences of not being given the promised resources.

Audrey Thomas has been working on a project, and her team is in the midst of executing a major modification to an existing product. Her company handles several projects that have similar resource requirements. Upon beginning the current phase, she discovers that the five resources that were promised to her for this phase are not available. How can Audrey deal with this issue?

Risk register

Carol, a project manager, is using root-cause analysis and cause-and-effect diagrams to identify risks. Which document will she be using to document the risks?

Accept risk.

Carol, project manager at Metroil Inc., has been overseeing a software development project. After working on the project for three months, a senior developer puts in his resignation. To minimize the impact of resource loss, Carol scouts within the department and finds a suitable replacement. Which risk response strategy did Carol use?

The customer is considering the accept risk strategy.

Dale Miller is a project manager for software development project. After uncovering an unknown risk, Dale contacts the customer informing her that they would need to migrate data, increase costs, and delay timelines to address the risk. The customer says that she is willing to pay for extra costs; however, she wants the timelines to remain the same. Which of the following statements is true regarding the customer's response?

Understand what functionality is proposed, and if Danielle is gold plating, halt her progress.

Danielle, a team member, notifies the project manager that she is about to add extra functionality to the project. Danielle says that there will be no impact on the cost or the schedule. Which of the following actions should the project manager complete first?

Jason must weigh the pros and cons of the change with respect to the cost, time, and scope.

Darren Thomas, a project team member, went to his project manager, Jason, with an idea for a feature enhancement. Jason asks Darren to write a report describing the benefits of the change. What statement best describes this situation?

Delay submission of the deliverable at the moment, and suggest a delivery date in near future.

David Hall, a project manager, discovers that two designers discussed the requirements of a scheduled deliverable and then made certain changes to its scope. The deliverable is complete, and the designers are beginning the next task. During quality review, David discovers that the completed deliverable does not match the documented requirements. What should David do FIRST to mitigate the issue?

Determine a resource management strategy to ensure quality completion of all deliverables.

Diana Lewis is a project manager who has been assigned to take over a project from another project manager, Joel Clark, who is leaving the company. Joel informs Diana that the project is on schedule, but only because Joel has continuously been pushing the team to perform. Which of the following activities should Diana perform first to begin her work on the project?

Speak to the management about how his allocation to the new project will affect the ongoing project. Ask to employ a project coordinator who can help Doug with both projects.

Doug White, a project manager, starts a new project. The project is valued at $4,500,000 and is scheduled to begin in the next two months. However, Doug is currently working on another project with a similar goal that is due to be complete in the next six months. Which activities should Doug perform with respect to project resources? (Choose all that apply.)

Scope management

During a project team meeting, a team member suggests an enhancement to the project that is beyond the project scope. The project manager, Colin, clarifies that the team must focus only on the tasks required to map the final product to the project scope. Which process is Colin practicing?

Plan risk response

During which risk management process would a project manager decide to transfer a risk?

Scope management

Ellen Yang, a project manager at Metroil Inc., is assigned to a website improvement project for a large corporation. Metroil Inc. is the project sponsor, whereas the large corporation is the customer. The project is underway and discussions about finalizing the documents are being held. She visits a work event that evening and speaks to few industry colleagues who happen to use the website. They tell her certain existing features of the website are annoying and could use improvement. The following morning, Ellen meets the project sponsor and hands him a list of feature improvements, encourages changes to the design of the website, and requests that they speak to the customer. Which of the following options best describes Ellen's action?

Evaluate the change request to find its impact on project constraints.

Ellen, a project manager at InterConn LLC, receives a change request from the customer that would be easy to complete. Ellen determines the change would not affect the project timeline. Which of the following steps should Ellen perform FIRST?

She should plan the project as she would any other project, but include flexibility in the schedule.

Erica has been assigned to manage a new project that has a brief scope of work. Because it is one of several pro-bono initiatives, the customer has not quoted a completion date for the project. What would be the first thing for Erica to do?

Developing the scope management plan and quality management plan

Ethan, a project manager, has specified the level of involvement expected from everyone in the course of the project lifecycle to prevent rework, conflict, and quality problems. His efforts should save costs and time while ensuring requirements are met. Which work was Ethan was carrying out?

Ability to implement system on budget

Examine the risk ranking in the exhibit. All of the following risks would appear in the top three risks in your prioritized list of risks, EXCEPT:

Vendor's ability to deliver on time

Examine the risk ranking in the exhibit. Which risk should you list first in your prioritized list of risks?

risks with a high probability and high impact

For which risks would it be MOST important to develop risk response plans?

Ask the sales person for a formal change request.

George Thomas, a project manager at an IT firm, is assigned to a software project. The project is sponsored by a company that is represented by several independent sales people. During the user testing phase, a sales person employed by the sponsor mentions that he would like an important feature tweaked in the application. How should George address this issue?

When the risk is identified, but there is no way to change the project to avoid it When a contingency plan has been created to mitigate the impact on the project should the risk occur

In which of the following situations is it viable to accept risk? (Choose two.)

When the risk event has a high possibility of occurrence and high impact

In which of the following situations will the risk avoidance strategy be used?

The schedule constraint is one of the main priorities. The scope constraint is one of the main priorities.

InterConn has initiated a project to design a prototype product for Verigon Inc. The project is expected to take six months and has a budget of $1.5 million. After Verigon discovers that a competitor is developing a similar product, the project sponsor decides to speed up the design and development process to finish the prototype in two months. Verigon is willing to increase the budget to $3 million to retain the original scope. Which statements are true? (Choose all that apply.)

To determine whether it would be beneficial to have the scope change approved

Jane Robinson is a project manager for a software firm. She receives a change request from the customer. The request directly negates two items on the project scope. Jane wants to study the project charter, so she can make a decision accordingly. What is Jane trying to accomplish?

Interaction between constraints

Jason Brown, a project manager, has been working with Todd, a software developer, on developing software under very aggressive timelines. The first development phase is complete. Jason has been contacted by the customer to begin the second phase, which involves adding certain features to the software and performing testing. Meanwhile, Todd has moved on to another company. Upon reviewing Todd's code, Jason discovers that Todd did not add any comments to hundreds of lines of code, which implies that implementing changes to the code and testing it will be a challenge. Jason contacts Todd at his new job to ask about the missing documentation, and Todd explains that he did not have enough time to document his code and also meet task deadlines. Which of the following options describes what happened in this case?

The triple constraints In most project management documentation, the triple constraints are defined as cost (budget), scope (quality), and schedule (time). A project constraint is anything that restricts or dictates the actions of the project team. Cost, scope, and schedule are called the triple constraints because a change to one constraint usually affects one or both of the others.

Jill Moore, the project manager at a manufacturing plant, receives a change request from the customer asking for the waste-bag in their product to be replaced with a filtering mechanism. This change request must be honored. Which of the following must Jill monitor closely?

An inefficient team characterized by poor performance, leading to an environment that spells low motivation, conflict, and inefficiency

John Taylor, project manager at NuTex Inc., has been assigned to manage a construction project. However, John is unfamiliar with the area and the topography where the construction is to be done. He delegates cost estimation, schedule development, and task definition and allocation to the other team members who have worked on similar construction projects in the past. Which of the following results are likely to occur with John's strategy of beginning this project?

Delphi technique

Karen Brown has been working on risk quantification. She plans to interview several experts to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying issues. Which of the following techniques is she using?

Kate should meet with the Clarks to gain their approval of the alteration and the added value.

Kate Lewis, project manager at TXGlobal Construction Co., is managing a project to build a mansion for the Clark family. The architect tells Kate that the plan could be altered to include another bedroom and a larger garden at the same cost. Kate thinks the additions are a good idea because they are likely to add value to the Clarks' home. How should Kate approach these changes while ensuring that the Clarks' requirements are met?

Initiate a formal change control process.

Mark Miller, project manager at a construction firm, has been working on a commercial building for a customer. The scope and requirements were in place, the cost budget was fixed, and the schedules were being met consistently. When the building was 90% complete, the customer requested a last-minute change to incorporate a wall mural and different tile in the lobby. Meeting these requests would result in higher costs and a delayed timeline. Which of the following options is Mark most likely to pick?

Risk transference

Martina Singh has been aligned with a construction project. She performs risk assessment and discovers a risk of material losses at the construction area due to frequent hurricanes in the state. Her organization purchases insurance to cover likely losses. Which of the following strategies did the organization use?

An effective change management plan

Mary King has been the project manager for a project involving construction of a parcel of buildings. The project is half completed. After an earthquake, the customer calls Mary to request that they use a different, sturdier type of steel for the remainder of the project. The customer is willing to make adjustments to the project cost. Mary calls a meeting with the team to discuss how to proceed with the change. What does the project require the most at this time?

Accept - The risk is acknowledged, but no action is taken. Mitigate - The probability of the risk is reduced. Transfer - The risk impact is shifted to another party. Avoid - The risk is eliminated, or the project is altered to prevent the risk from occurring. Exploit - The project team ensures that the risk occurs. Enhance - The risk drivers are identified and adjusted to increase the probability of the risk occurring. Share - Partial ownership of the risk is allocated to a third party.

Match the risk strategies with the appropriate descriptions. (Each risk strategy will be matched once.)

Confirm and review the scope of work and meet with the subcontractors.

Peter Williams is a project manager overseeing a construction project. Halfway through the project lifecycle, he realizes that the subcontractors have been working with an incorrect version of the scope statement. Which of the following should Peter do FIRST?

Implement the change control process to validate the change.

Robert, a project manager, is informed by a team member that she made a minor improvement to the design of the training software they have been creating for a client. The team member already made the change with no additional cost or time. What should Robert do FIRST?

incurring costs of purchasing raw materials

Several changes have been requested for the project you are currently managing. Which action would NOT require a change to the cost performance baseline?

You would not do anything. You would not do anything because the project would still finish on the planned date. Because the total float for Activity A is eight days, the delay in commencement of Activity A by seven days would not affect the project finish date.

The free float and total float for Activity A in a project are five days and eight days, respectively. The Early Start date of Activity A is delayed by seven days. What corrective action would you take to ensure that the project finishes on the planned date?

Risk register updates may include outcomes of risk reassessments, risk audits, and periodic risk reviews.

The outcomes of which of the following activities may be added to a project's risk register? (Choose all that apply.)

Schedule

The project manager has discovered that project procurement is taking longer than expected. However, the actual cost of the procurements should not be affected. Which project constraint will the project manager need to edit?

Poor use of change control Poor communication between stakeholders, sponsors, and management

Three months into a project, the customer requested certain changes to be made to the product. The customer made the request in an e-mail to the developers, and the developers implemented the changes without informing Joan, the project manager. During the final testing phase, Joan discovered that the results were not mapping to the scope that had been planned at the project's inception. Which two reasons contributed to this case of scope creep? (Choose two.)

Initiate and follow the change control system.

Vanessa Moore, a project manager, has been selected to manage a fixed-price software project. Vanessa received a large change request from the customer. She is worried that it will negatively affect the project schedule. What should she do first?

Vivian is the project manager, and the sponsor will approve the project charter.

Vivian Taylor works for Verigon LLC. Vivian has been selected to lead the project. She is creating the project charter for the project. Which of the following statements is true?

contingency reserve

What is used to fund the activities that are not initially planned and which result from an emerging risk?

Identify risks, analyze risks, and respond to risks

Which of the following activities are performed as part of risk management during a project's lifecycle?

Risk identification means determining risks that might affect the project, either positively or negatively. Risk identification also involves documentation of the characteristics. Risk identification is an iterative process.

Which of the following activities tries to determine which risks might affect the project either positively or negatively to a greater or lesser degree?

Risk breakdown structure (RBS)

Which of the following documents helps in risk identification?

Risk register

Which of the following documents should be updated with possible responses to each identified risk?

It does not identify an uncertainty where further investigation is required.

Which of the following options is FALSE with respect to risk prioritization?

Risk quantification

Which of the following options refers to the process of evaluating risks that have been identified and developing data needed to make decisions as to what should be done about them based on numerical values?

Risk mitigation

Which of the following risk response strategies means taking action to reduce a risk's occurrence or impact to an acceptable threshold?

This strategy indicates that no action will be taken after the risk occurs.

Which of the following statements is FALSE about risk acceptance?

It is also referred to as risk prioritization.

Which of the following statements is FALSE about risk quantification?

It does not seek to eliminate project uncertainties.

Which of the following statements is FALSE about the risk exploitation strategy?

Risk identification is performed during the Initiating and Planning phases.

Which of the following statements is FALSE with respect to risk identification and its importance?

Transferring risk is a risk response strategy wherein the risk is assumed by the company responsible for the project.

Which of the following statements is FALSE with respect to risk transference strategy?

Reducing project risks so that the impact is controlled Identifying risk, gauging the impact of risks, and developing strategies to treat the risks

Which of the following strategies can be developed and implemented through project risk management? (Choose two.)

Technology risk

Which of the following types of risk includes errors and defects in a platform or service, and unprecedented delays owing to hardware or software issues?

project budget

Which project document is mainly affected when the costs for procurement increase?

It is a comprehensive array of documentation and analysis of a project's risk.

Which statement best describes the risk register?

Accept risk, avoid risk, mitigate risk, transfer risk

Which strategies are appropriate for responding to negative risks?

Risk mitigation is a process to decrease the risk to the project.

With respect to risk mitigation which of the following statements is correct?

time

You are a project manager for a direct mail company. You have recently been assigned a project to migrate your existing mail-sorting software from the company's mainframe environment to a new platform that will provide enhanced functionality at a lower cost. The preliminary budget for the project has been approved, and the sponsor has notified you that the maintenance contract on the existing mainframe software is up for renewal in the last quarter of the year. The system must be implemented prior to the renewal date to ensure that cost is minimized and no additional payments for mainframe maintenance are incurred. Which constraint is the primary constraint for your project?

Prepare a report listing their common areas of interest. Work toward a compromise with them at a face-to-face meeting. Identify their common areas of interest.

You are a project manager. Upper management, the project sponsor, and the CFO on your project have different objectives for the project. Which three actions should you take to resolve their differences? (Choose three.)

Develop and present a matrix of common needs to the stakeholders and facilitate discussions on ways of reaching agreement on the deliverables.

You are having difficulty obtaining consensus among the stakeholders regarding a project's deliverables. Most of the project stakeholders are from varying functional areas and have conflicting views on which deliverables are required. You have met with the stakeholders individually and have a clear understanding of the stakeholders' common interests and concerns. What should you do next to reach a consensus among the stakeholders?

scope creep

You are managing a project that is developing an order-entry program. The project plan has been signed off on, and the project is well under way. You have discovered that end users have been requesting that additional screens be added to the system, and the programmers on the team have been fulfilling their requests. These additional screens were not part of the original project scope. Which problem is occurring due to these additional requests being fulfilled?

acceptance

You are managing a project to develop a new commercial software package to be resold by your company. One of your senior software developers has recently had some health problems. You are concerned that he may soon be undergoing a surgical procedure while the project is in progress. You decide to leave the original project schedule unchanged, but develop a contingency plan of using outside contractor resources to complete the coding if necessary. Which type of risk response strategy are you demonstrating?

avoidance

You are managing a project to develop a new product line for your company. During the risk identification process, you identify a risk tied to a specific component that might jeopardize the project. You decide to narrow the product line to eliminate the use of the risky component. Which type of risk response strategy are you demonstrating?

risk PI matrix

You are the PM for a new development project. You are creating a prioritized list of project risks. Which tool would you use?

benchmarking You would not use benchmarking to identify risks. Benchmarking is used in quality planning. With benchmarking, project planned or actual values are compared against other projects to identify potential areas of improvement or to serve as a standard of measurement.

You are the project manager for a large ERP implementation project. You are identifying potential risks for your project. Which technique would you NOT use?

Trend analysis will be used to measure the performance of the project.

You are working on project planning for a new project. You need to identify the main project constraints. What is NOT an example of a constraint?

$30,000

Your organization has been awarded a contract. Under the terms of the contract, your company will supply the buyer with equipment components. The contract stipulates that if you are unable to deliver the components on time, there will be a $100,000 penalty. If there is a 30 percent probability that you will not deliver the components on time, what is the expected value associated with this risk?

$20,000

Your organization has been awarded a contract. Under the terms of the contract, your company will supply the buyer with equipment components. The contract stipulates that if you are unable to deliver the components on time, there will be a $200,000 penalty. If there is a 10 percent probability that you will not deliver the components on time, what is the expected value associated with this risk?

Transference. Transference involves transferring the risk, and its consequences, to a third party. The third party is then responsible for owning and managing the risk.

Your project contains an extremely high-risk task that you do not have in-house skills to address. You decide to procure contracted resources to accomplish this task. Which type of risk response strategy are you demonstrating?