PMP 2021 Practice Exam 1

You are the project manager for one of the top golf equipment producers in the world, and you are currently overseeing the development of this year's club models. You are currently reviewing information to ensure that the project is on track and within schedule. Which project document would be updated as a result of this? Answers A. Project schedule B. Schedule management plan C. Schedule baseline D. Cost baseline

A

Carmen is a project manager working on the development of a new sleeping aid, which is an enterprise-wide project. She reports to Bill, the program manager, who is in charge of five projects related to the development of five different sleeping aids. Which is Carmen's MOST applicable responsibility? Answers A. Achieving the objectives for the sleeping aid. B. Authorizing the development of the new sleeping aid. C. To be ultimately responsible for the success of the development of the new sleeping aid. D. To perform the work in developing the new sleeping aid.

A project manager is assigned by an organization to achieve specific project objectives. For an enterprise-wide project, the project manager works closely with the program manager or portfolio manager to meet the project objectives. Therefore, Carmen would be responsible for achieving the objectives for the sleeping aid. To fulfill these objectives, Carmen must have an array of skills, including problem solving, communicating, negotiating, facilitating, budgeting, organizing, and planning.

As a project manager for a project that your company has undertaken, you are responsible for determining project costs. Early in the project, you develop an estimate that has an accuracy range of 50 percent. Which type of estimate are you developing? Answers A. Definitive estimate B. Preliminary estimate C. Conceptual estimate D. Rough order of magnitude estimate

A rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate has an accuracy range of -25 percent to +75 percent. It is used in the early stages of the project. This is not the most accurate estimation technique.

During an entire sprint, your team argues over the test cases being used to test the user stories. They've tried their own approaches with no success. You've had extensive experience with this. How should you handle this? A. Ask the stakeholders for advice B. Make them collaborate C. Let them work it out D. Ask the team to take your approach

Ask the team to take your approach If individuals have tried failed approaches, the project manager should take a more directive leadership style and lead the team. A directive leadership style favors more ownership or authoritative approaches to get the work done. On the other hand, a collaborative leadership style facilitates and supports the project team is useful in situations requiring more input from the team in decision-making, and so on.

Lewis is a project team member taking part in team building exercises with the project manager and other team members. Lewis is shy and typically keeps to himself unless prompted for his input. Lewis is struggling with the current communication activity. Lewis wishes that he could be more like Becky. Becky is very well liked and highly regarded by everyone else. While she is not part of the project management team, she is seen by others as a role model since she is able to get others to see her way on many issues. Which type of power does Becky possess? Answers A. Expert power B. Referent power C. Reward power D. Coercive power

Becky possesses referent power. She can influence and lead others by virtue of her charisma. Referent power is based upon another person liking you or wanting to be like you. It generally requires a special personality as well as a special set of circumstances to create someone with this kind of power.

You are managing a construction project to build a new hotel for a customer. The budget provided is $300,000,000 with a two year completion schedule. Up to this point, $20,000,000 has been spent in planning, and project work has been in progress for a week. Already, there have been five major, unforeseen problems brought to your attention that need to be addressed. What should you do FIRST? Answers A. Refer to the risk register to determine the strategy or strategies to implement. B. Bring the problems to the attention of the sponsor to have the business case re-evaluated. C. Discuss the problems with your team members and brainstorm options. D. Submit five change requests to the change control board.

Bring the problems to the attention of the sponsor to have the business case re-evaluated. As there have been five major, unforeseen problems brought to your attention, the project has not been properly planned. As the project manager, you are responsible for bringing the major problems to the attention of the sponsor to have the business case re-evaluated. If it is determined that the project is no longer justified, the project will be prematurely closed.

You have recently started working at a company as a senior project manager. Some junior project managers have been asking you for assistance in dealing with some work-related issues. Which course of action would BEST fulfill your responsibility? Answers A. Do nothing; it was not in your job description to mentor other employees. B. Look at replacing the junior project managers with more skilled project managers. C. Offer to conduct periodic coaching sessions for the employees seeking assistance. D. Tell the junior project managers that you will take care of the issues.

C

You have been assigned to replace a project manager at the beginning of project execution. You are in the process of reviewing the activities completed by the previous project manager. You determine that the previous project manager has completed the schedule and budget. The previous project manager also determined the quality specifications and began checking the products from the project. After confirming that a process improvement plan was created and roles and responsibilities of project team members have been identified, what should you do NEXT? A. Determine if the project management plan was implemented. B. Ensure team members know what they are working on next. C. See if project risks were identified. D. Check to see if communications had been planned.

Check to see if communications had been planned Even though you took over for another project manager during project execution, as a project manager, you need to identify the activities that have already been completed during planning. After confirming that a process improvement plan was created and roles and responsibilities of project team members have been identified, you then need to check to see if communications have been planned.

You are managing the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital. As with any project, this one has had its share of problems. The customer would like to add a new wing to the hospital and designate it solely for the use of diagnostic medicine. Which action should occur if the change request is rejected? Answers A. The change is channeled back to the Direct and Manage Project Work process. B. Explanation and documentation is sent to the project sponsor. C. Documentation explaining the reasoning is returned to the requestor. D. A change control meeting is held to discuss the reasoning.

Documentation explaining the reasoning is returned to the requestor In the event that a change request is rejected, the proper procedure is to return the rejected change, documentation, and an explanation to the requestor (the customer in this case). This is performed as part of the Perform Integrated Change Control process.

You have identified the risks associated with a project that you are managing. You now need to perform a qualitative analysis on the risks. Which of the following will help you with this? Answers A. Cost management plan B. Schedule management plan C. Monte Carlo analysis D. Enterprise environmental factors

Enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) is used as an input to the Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis process. One EEF used for this process are industry studies performed on similar projects.

You have been managing the execution of the project plan for a month when you overhear a conversation between two of the project team members. Based on what you heard, you learn that these team members are exhibiting ethnocentric views. Which action should you take? Answers A. Reward the team members as an example of the attitude that other team members should strive for B. Implement leadership training to help improve the project team members' leadership skills C. Look into providing cultural sensitivity and diversity training for your project team members D. Perform a team assessment to gauge the project team's attitude overall

Ethnocentrism can be seen as not accepting other cultures. This can result in negative stereotypes towards other ethnic groups. To proactively handle this type of situation, you should look into providing cultural sensitivity and diversity training for your project team members.

You run into the senior product manager. She asks you how the inventory management project is going and have being meaning to speak to you, she has a customer that wants to make a minor tweak to the reporting feature. What should you do in this situation? Answers A. Politely decline B. Involve the product owner C. Adjust the product backlog D. Ask for more information

Involving the product owner is the best option. The product owner may add the tweak to the next sprint planning meeting during discussions about priority. Technically, anyone can add to the product backlog, but the product owner should be involved. Often, people say 'yes' to small features to satisfy stakeholders, but it could have larger implications. The job of the project manager or Scrum Master is to not only address and remove roadblocks for the team, but to guard against increased scope and project risks.

A team begins an independent review of project work to see if it complies with the project's policies, processes, and procedures. What is this team currently engaged in? Answers A. Variance analysis B. Quality audit C. Risk analysis D. Risk audit

Quality audit A quality audit is an independent review to see if the project work complies with the project's policies, processes, and procedures. This activity would be performed as part of the Perform Quality Assurance executing process.

A project is 50% complete and the project team members are feeling great. The project manager learns that certain team members are talking about other team member failures without them being present. Which document should be used to help discourage gossiping? A. Recognition plan B. Assumption log C. Project charter D. Team charter

Team charter A team charter is a document used to identify team values and communication guidelines. When gossiping is used to put down other people, it indicates a lack of team values and is destructive to an effective team. It also shows a lack of effective communication since project failures should be discussed with the team during meetings without assigning blame to any particular person. The team charter gives everyone on the project team values and guidelines to help bond team members and exclude negative factors such as gossiping.

Pam is leading a new project designed to create an internal web site for Imagenie, Inc employees that will allow them to view a company events calendar. The project team members work together in the same office building. Regular team meetings for all project team members are held in a single meeting room. Also, meetings that involve team members working on specific aspects of the project meet in different rooms throughout the office. For the most part, the project team members are meeting their targets and are on schedule. However, you notice that three team members who are grouped together are not sure how to complete their tasks. Which technique would be MOST helpful in this situation? Answers A. Training B. Colocation C. Mediation D. Brainstorming

Training

You are working on implementing a new corporate intranet. The project has a set timeline for delivery and is to be built to scope. During a recent stakeholder meeting you noticed a talkative employee has shown some aversion to the new product. You are concerned that this individual might derail your launch and possibly cause problems with user adoption. What should you do? A. Update the project plan to include more time for use adoption training B. Ask the individual to speak up during the meeting and address concerns openly C. Update your stakeholder register to include the employee D. Update the risk register and work on a mitigation strategy

Update the risk register and work on a mitigation strategy The project is using the traditional waterfall methodology. When you notice a personality issue within a project team or from a stakeholder within waterfall projects you need to take a measured approach. In this case, you would want to update your risk register to include change aversion and come up with a mitigation plan to help ensure project success.

You are managing a project where the project work has been in progress for six months. In the last month, the number of changes has jumped from 10 per month to 100. What is the BEST course of action? Answers A. Do nothing, as you expect the increase in changes was an isolated incident. B. Analyze the variance in the number of changes for the situation and implement a solution. C. Have the business case re-evaluated to determine if the project is still viable. D. Monitor the situation over the next month to see if the trend continues.

When an excessive number of project changes occur during a given period of time, the project manager should be concerned about the health of the project. It is necessary to review and re-evaluate the business case to ensure that the project remains viable.

You are the project manager for Imagenie, a large organization specializing in graphic design. One of the various projects that you manage is ready to begin the processes involved in the closing of the project. Which of the following is NOT an input for the Close Project or Phase process? Answers A. Assumptions log B. Scope management plan C. Organizational process assets D. Final Report

he final report summarizes the project performance and is an output of the Close Project or Phase process, not an input to the process.

The project manager has asked you to review a process to see how it can be made more efficient. Which tool or technique would BEST meet your needs? A. Flowcharting B. Scatter diagram C. Histogram D. Statistical sampling Flowcharting is used when managing quality to find unnecessary steps that repeat or do not add any value to a given process. By removing these steps, the process can be made more efficient.

Flowcharting

The audit team is auditing the quality requirements for a process that can be improved. Senior management needs to know whether or not they should consider changing the process and require your input as a project manager. The audit team has identified issues and recommended a change to the process. What should you do FIRST to provide the most appropriate information for senior management to make a decision on this investment? Answers A. Create a balanced matrix B. Perform a force field analysis C. Create a business case D. Perform a cost-benefit analysis

You should perform a cost-benefit analysis first to provide the most appropriate information for senior management to make a decision on this investment. During a cost-benefit analysis, you determine whether the benefits of making the change outweigh the costs of making the changes.

Your team has recently completed building a desktop support toolkit and handed it over to operations. The project team has been returned to their operating groups and you are closing out the project. In development of the toolkit, you had run into delays because the network security team had to vet all systems changes. You want to make sure that projects in the future plan for this delay. What tool would be best for this? Answers A. Lessons learned documentation B. Project charter C. Project status updates D. Project management plan

A

You're on a complex project. You have selected your team, some of which are external contractors. As a team, you've established a team charter but notice the team doesn't know who has responsibility for a task. What can help this situation? Answers A. GANTT chart B. SWOT analysis C. RACI chart D. WBS

A RACI chart or matrix is a tool used to identify who is responsible, accountable, consulted or informed of project tasks. It helps the project team and stakeholders identify and understand their roles and responsibilities. It also helps reduce confusion and set expectations.

You are the project manager for a new project. You need to introduce project ground rules to the project team. How should you convey the project ground rules to the team? Answers A. Team-building activities B. Training C. Project staff assignments D. Kickoff meeting

A kickoff meeting is used to introduce team members, identify the purpose of the project, discuss the project plan, and identify the ground rules that are expected of the project members. The kickoff meeting is also used to discuss the change, risk, communication, and quality management plan requirements.

Which option describes the MAIN purpose for creating a management reserve? Answers A. Create a reserve for unidentified risks on the project that may or may not occur B. Create a reserve for identified risks on the project that will occur C. Create a reserve for unidentified risks on the project that will occur D. Create a reserve for identified risks on the project that may or may not occur

A management reserve is used to create a reserve for unidentified events that may or may not occur during the project. Management can use their experience to determine the prudence to provide a reserve for unknown events that are uncertain to occur. This type of event is sometimes described as an unknown unknown.

You are part of a small organization developing mobile project management suite. The project will need to be adapted during the project execution phase in order to meet any changes in business needs. The project is to be ongoing as clients may request new features at any time. What project management methodology should you use? Answers A. Agile B. Constructed C. Waterfall D. Predictive

A project that requires the team to be adaptive to change is best suited for the Agile methodology. The Agile methodology embraces change and delivers high value items first. It is best suited for projects that can be built upon.

An organization is moving from paper to a new payroll system where clients can access pay and tax statements online. The project sponsor requests some performance information in the form of BAC versus EAC and completion dates. Which document contains this test data? Answers A. Risk audit B. Reserve analysis C. Variance analysis D. Trend analysis

A trend analysis is a monitoring tool that analyzes data over a given length of time in an attempt to determine a pattern. A trend is a pattern and a trend analysis is used to reveal this information. A trend analysis can be used to show performance-to-date and compare it to future performance forecasts. This is done in the form of BAC versus EAC and completion dates.

You have completed a brainstorming session to help determine the best development approach for your project. You have identified the following characteristics of your project:dynamic requirementsactivities must be repeated until correctfrequent small deliveriescustomer value achieved through frequent feedback and deliveriesWhich project life cycle best meets these characteristics? Answers A. Agile B. Incremental C. Predictive D. Iterative

Agile

You have been developing a new mobile game for your company. Your project team consists of 5 developers and you are adding features to the game in iterations. When the team first came together a working agreement was developed as a group. It has come to your attention that a staff member has violated a core component of the working agreement and has not asked teammates for help when getting stuck. This has caused performance issues and you want to correct this. What should you do? Answers A. Meet with the individual staff member and discuss the rule violation B. Punish the individual as per the working agreement C. Assign the individual lower difficulty tasks D. Meet with the team and discuss the rule violation

Agile teams will often come together at the project outset and develop a working agreement. The working agreement is the set of rules that the team will abide by. If a team member is violating one of the rules in the working agreement, then the project manager should meet with that individual and discuss the violation. There may be a good reason for the violation and a plan to rectify the situation should come from the infracting staff member.

A project you are managing has many interconnecting parts. During a morning stand-up meeting, a new team member said he would take a complex task that connects to several other modules. You are concerned that the new team member may accidentally introduce issues into the product as he doesn't have familiarity with all of the components. What should you do? Answers A. Allow him to work on the task, and let all staff know that they are at his disposal for any information he may require B. Allow him to work on it and assume any issues will be picked up during code review C. Use a buddy system D. Assign the task to a more senior staff member

Allow him to work on the task, and let all staff know that they are at his disposal for any information he may require Agile projects often have many interconnecting parts that are being developed simultaneously. When introducing a new team member, you will need to make sure they are supported in learning the ins and outs of the project. This is best supported by giving them autonomy to request assistance as needed. Ensuring staff are available to give support is a key part of ensuring successful knowledge transfer.

Your Scrum team just found out through office chatter that 4 of the 9 members may be reassigned to another project in the next few days. You knew this was going to happen but wanted to keep the team focused on delivering the current sprint. The stakeholders are asking for updates. What should you do? Answers A. Be honest and take ownership B. Direct them to the other project sponsor C. Be positive about the change D. Deny the change until the sprint is complete

Be honest and take ownership Stakeholders and team members alike respect honesty and leaders that take ownership. They expect the project manager to lead by be accountable, predictable, and reliable. The best project managers or Scrum Masters lead by relating to the team and understanding the needs of the stakeholders. Keeping people informed, whether it be positive or negative, will help the project stay focused and address issues, immediately.

Steve, a long serving project manager within your organization is retiring. You have been asked to step in to replace Steve on the flagship project he has been managing for the past 18 months. The team is currently on their fourth iteration, and the product backlog is still quite extensive. Steve has built tremendous rapport with key stakeholders on the project. You are worried that stakeholders won't afford you the same respect that Steve has earned over his career. What should you do? Answers A. Conduct a team building exercise with stakeholders B. Be honest with your stakeholders about your background C. Focus on completing tasks quickly D. Focus solely on delivering business value

Be honest with your stakeholders about your background Agile teams need stakeholders to provide open and honest feedback in order to be successful. The project manager in turn, should maintain an open and honest relationship with stakeholders. The best way for a project manager to build respect is through giving it.

Bill is leading a project team in the development and building of a new hotel. He has assembled his project team members for the project's kick-off meeting. The team members are highly experienced in developing and building hotels. Bill provides the team members with his background. Bill explains that he started out as a construction worker helping to build houses, malls, hotels, and business offices. He decided to go back to college to get a degree in business administration. He worked his way through various management levels and eventually became a project manager for a multi-national company. He also mentors other employees of the company who are training for project management positions, and regularly attends project management seminars. Which form of power will Bill MOST likely express during this project? Answers A. Coercive power B. Referent power C. Expert power D. Reward power

Bill possesses expert power, and would most likely express that during the project. Expert power is based on a person's technical knowledge, skill, and credibility. We know from Bill's background in the construction industry that he has helped on many building projects, that he is also a mentor to up and coming project managers, and has project management experience. He also regularly attends project management seminars. This indicates he has a great amount of technical knowledge and skill.

Calvin, a project manager, has scheduled a meeting for his team to discuss problems that have developed over the course of the project. Lou, a team member responsible for assisting with updating the project schedule, expresses his concern about the time constraints over the next month. He is concerned there will not be enough time to attend the upcoming training seminar on how to use a new software program that is designed to help him with his tasks for maintaining the project schedule. Lou maintains that it is of the utmost importance to be able to attend the training. Jane, who is part of the project management team, needs Lou to be available to work on some key tasks. Jane reminds Lou and Calvin that the training seminar will be presented three months from today's date and Lou can attend it when there is more flexibility in the project schedule. Calvin asks Jane and Lou to come up with a solution. Which action is Calvin taking? Answers A. Calvin is being accommodating B. Calvin is problem solving C. Calvin is forcing a resolution D. Calvin is retreating from the situation

By letting Jane and Lou come up with a solution, Calvin is retreating from the situation. Avoiding is a conflict resolution technique where the project manager retreats from a potential or actual conflict between project team members.

A project manager was chosen to manage the day-to-day activities of a new project to create a new sales system and test the system for sixth months. The new sales system is to deliver an annual 15 per cent increase in revenue and 10 percent increase in sales orders.After a year working on the project, the new sales system is complete and is tested for six months before the project is closed. What should the project manager use to check to see if the system meets the required advantages? Answers A. Assumption log B. Final report C. Benefit management plan D. Support documents

C A benefit is an improvement that can be measured and is considered an advantage by the customer requesting the new system. The annual 15 per cent increase in revenue and 10 percent increase in sales orders are benefits of the new system. The benefits are documented in the benefit management plan, which can be used to check to see if the results from the trial for the system meets the required advantages.

Your project team has been developing AI for warehouse automation. After a successful pilot in a warehouse in Toledo, the company has decided to rollout your product companywide while you continue to increase the effectiveness of the system. With this decision, the company has created a new management structure to ensure the transition is a success. These changes have introduced several new key stakeholders to the mix. How should you handle this sudden change? Answers A. Review your resource management plan to determine if you have enough resources to dedicate a staff member to communications B. Send a form email to all new stakeholders asking them for their contact information and preferred method of contact C. Conduct a meeting with new stakeholders and update your stakeholder engagement plan D. Update your change log to include the new stakeholders and place them into the keep informed group

Conduct a meeting with new stakeholders and update your stakeholder engagement plan If you have a large change in the number or stakeholders or have brought several new key stakeholders into a project it is always best to sit down with them in a meeting to determine and set expectations for communications. This information should be kept in a stakeholder engagement plan that should outline their communication requirement and their engagement level with the project. The stakeholder engagement plan should be updated periodically throughout the project lifecycle.

A new project has been assigned to you to revolutionize education through technology. The project team consists of several very creative and talented individuals. You plan to deliver the project in iterations, prioritizing based on business value. You have assembled your team and brainstormed a few items for the product backlog. During the assessment process a rather heated debate has begun about a user story. Some feel it will be very difficult to implement, while others feel it will be easy. What should you do? Answers A. Continue discussion and use a system like planning poker to decide B. Assign the user story a middle difficulty level C. Assign the user story to a developer that feels it will be easy to implement D. Make an executive decision and estimate the user story based on your own opinion

Continue discussion and use a system like planning poker to decide There are different techniques you can use for estimating user stories. One of these methods commonly used is called planning poker. It allows the team to come together to assign story points to items in the product backlog. Planning poker allows each team member to assign a value to a user story, then give their reasoning behind the value. Then the exercise is conducted again until there is a consensus reached.

You are managing the activities of your project team when the customer unexpectedly asks you to provide information about a competitor's product. You recently helped develop this product and it is related to the scope of the current project. You respectfully explain to the customer that the information is confidential and that you cannot provide the requested information. However, you do discuss the scope of the current project. What are you currently engaged in with the customer? Answers A. An illegal activity B. Determining communication channels C. Breaking PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct D. Managing communications

D

Jim is taking over as project manager on a project to build a machine learning trading platform. The previous project manager left the organization abruptly. The team is in the middle of an iteration and several user stories are being developed. Jim is piecing together information from stakeholders, documents, and other team members. Jim is not sure what the plan currently is to finish this iteration and he is getting information in piecemeal. How can this situation be avoided? Answers A. The current iteration should have been scrapped and restarted B. Stakeholders should have been consulted and then redevelop the project plan from scratch on day 1 C. The previous project manager should have been kept on this project at all costs D. An information radiator such as a burn-down chart would show the team's progress toward meeting the iteration goal

D In Agile development the project plan should contain important information on the current iteration along with a broad plan for future iterations. The project plan document is a living document during the development cycle and should be updates with every change in the project. In this case, Jim needs a project plan document so he can see what the current plan is and what the current product roadmap looks like.

You work as a supervisor for the Engineering department of an organization that mainly performs operational activities with the occasional project on the side. The organization is made up of both union and nonunion workers and most of the revenue is derived from the operational side of the business. The projects for your organization are normally handled by an external company that specializes in project work. However, due to budget constraints, you are currently working on a new project for your organization. The project charter has been created, identifying you as the project manager. However, no other team members have been assigned to the project. You have been working closely with the Human Resources department to identify the project roles and responsibilities that are going to be required on the project team.Which of the following is a possible constraint for this scenario? Answers A. Market research B. Environmental regulations C. Business need D. Organizational structure

D The scenario mentions that an external company is normally used to manage projects for the organization. In the case of the current project, the external company is not being used. Because your organization usually only performs operational activities, as opposed to project work, the necessary management support and employee skill set may not be a part of the organization. For example, you normally work as a supervisor in the engineering department. It is possible that you do not have the required experience to manage this project. In general, your organization may be limited in the makeup of the project team members.

Your team is made up of a variety of cultures and nationalities. It seems each member has aligned their expectations separately with customer, the end user, or the vendor. The team wants to satisfy everyone with an exceptional product, but the team has a hard time agreeing on what the first sprint will cover. What is the source of the conflict? Answers A. Conflicting project management style during the storming stage B. Cultural differences in the norming stage C. Different stakeholder interests during the forming stage D. Lack of trust during the performing stage

Different stakeholder interests during the forming stage Different stakeholder interests are often a cause of conflict and happens more often during the forming stage of team development. Other common sources of conflict are timelines, project priorities, cultural or personality differences, stressful situations or environments, and poor planning. The team stages start with forming where a new team is created, and then storming is when opinions are offered, and conflict may arise. The third stage of conflict is norming when disagreements are resolved, and finally the performing stage where the team is working smoothly together.

You are currently managing a project relating to infrastructure renovations for a large IT organization. Several activities for the project are classified as critical, as they can directly impact internal operations and overall departmental productivity. Which of the following would result in a change request? Answers A. A major delay of a non-critical path activity B. A short delay of a critical path activity C. An overall SPI of 1 D. An overall SPI of 1.05

Even a short delay of a critical path activity can have devastating results on the project schedule. For instance, if the material required for one the project deliverables became in short supply, it could cripple the project. Without being able to manufacture the product within the timeframe agreed upon, the project could fail. A short delay of a critical path activity would result in a change request.

You are the project manager for one of the top golf equipment producers in the world, and you are currently overseeing the development of this year's club model. The project has gotten off to a slow start and is behind schedule. In previous years, club types were worked on one at a time (for instance, the woods first and then the irons). To save time this year, they will be worked on concurrently. Which technique is this an example of? Answers A. This is a practical application of resource leveling B. This is a form of fast tracking the schedule C. This is a way of limiting the effects of residual risk D. This is an example of crashing the schedule

Fast tracking a schedule takes place when activities that are typically performed in sequence are done in parallel. Fast tracking is a schedule compression technique that is commonly used to shorten overall project duration. One of the problems that exists with this technique is the chance of having to redo work, which heightens risks.

You need to ensure planned expenditures never exceed planned funds-on-hand. Which method should you use to achieve this? Answers A. Historical relationships B. Reserve analysis C. Funding limit reconciliation D. Cost aggregation

Funding limit reconciliation is a technique used in the Determine Budget process and involves regulating cash flow over the life of a project. It involves arranging the time-phased budget so that planned expenditures never exceed planned funds-on-hand. Sometimes, work must be rescheduled to level out cash flow projections.

Motivating the project team using recognition and reward systems is essential to the successful completion of a project. Which concept is part of Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory? Answers A. There are two ways to categorize people in the workplace. B. People are always in a state of need. C. Greater financial reward brings greater motivation. D. Hygiene factors do not act as motivators by themselves.

Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory includes the concept that Hygiene factors do not act as motivators by themselves. Hygiene factors fall into a category of factors that, if absent, will make a person unsatisfied. However, hygiene factors by themselves do not make a person satisfied. Some examples of Hygiene factors include salary, status, supervision, and personal life.Motivation factors do just that, they motivate. Some examples of Motivation factors include advancement, growth, and responsibility.

Your company specializes in delivering finance-based solutions and has completed over 700 custom development projects for firms all over the globe. Your company has been contacted to build a quantitative analysis platform for a bond trading firm in London. You have been tasked with determining the budget for the project. Where could you start gathering information to base a budget from? Answers A. Historical Information B. Start by estimating resources required C. Check the project schedule and build in a weekly cost D. Make an educated guess and build in some slack

Historical information The firm in this case would have extensive historical information and records that should be used to determine costs. Historical records could include bid sheets, budgets, and change management records for similar projects that should clearly define costs and challenges from previous projects. When designing a budget, it is often best to use organizational assets to ensure that the budget is accurate.

As a project manager, you have completed planning for the project and are two months into project execution. You have scheduled a project team meeting with four items on the agenda. Which item should have the highest priority? Answers A. Informing team members about changes in staff that will occur as work is complete and new work begins B. Discussing risks not considered before and review risk response strategies C. Team members updating what they have accomplished and what they will be doing next D. Ensuring team members are accurately submitting their expenses

How you plan for and manage risk is of the utmost importance when it comes to a project being successful or not. When setting up project team meetings, discussing new risks and reviewing risk response strategies for their continued relevancy should be given the highest priority.

You are managing a large project for your company and you have decided to contract out a portion of the development work. You have offered to pay a consulting company for their employee expenses, $2,500 for completion of the job, and an additional $1,000 if it is completed within a six-week timeframe. Which contract type is MOST appropriate to use in this scenario? Answers A. A fixed-price contract B. A cost-plus-fixed-fee contract C. A cost-plus-incentive-fee contract D. A time and materials contract

In a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract, the seller is repaid for allowable costs and they receive a fee for meeting certain performance objectives set in the contract. In this scenario, you have offered to pay the company for their work and expenses, and an incentive fee if they complete the project within a six-week timeframe. Therefore, a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract type is most appropriate.

You have been assigned to lead a project soon after it was selected by your organization's project management office. You have been asked to assist with the creation of the initiation documentation. The project sponsor has provided you with a completed business case, a project benefits management plan, access to the lessons learned knowledge base, and a signed contract. Based on the information provided, which statement is TRUE? Answers A. Contracts are always required to create the initiation documentation. B. The project is being completed for an external customer C. The lessons learned knowledge base is not required until planning begins. D. The creation of initiation documentation is not required when you have a signed contract.

In this scenario, you are in the Develop Project Charter process. A contract is only an input for the Develop Project Charter process when the project is being completed for an external customer. Not all projects are done for external customers, so the contract input is not always required.

Your organization is offering buyout packages for early retirees. You've matched a few junior and senior team members to cross-train. It seems there's a lack of responsibility and ownership of the training. You are concerned about trained resources for future projects. What is the most useful approach that could have help prevent this situation? Answers A. Outsource to contractors B. Invest in knowledge management C. Recruit potential hires D. Define a succession plan

Knowledge management is important in a fast-paced environment where teams are dynamic and ever changing. It is also important for global or virtual workforces to be able to capture, recall, and apply lessons learned so projects don't go through the same mistakes. Knowledge management can also be one of the costliest initiatives without proper management support, planning, coordination, and buy-in.

You are currently engaged in documenting the approach that will be used to acquire some widgets needed for a project that you are managing. Which methods are MOST likely to help you achieve this? Answers A. Contract types, contract change control system, bidder conferences B. Make-or-buy analysis, expert judgment, proposal evaluation C. Make-or-buy analysis, expert judgment, market research D. Expert judgment, independent cost estimates, inspection

Make-or-buy analysis, expert judgment, market research The tools and techniques that are commonly utilized within the Plan Procurement Management process of the Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area include make-or-buy analysis, expert judgment, market research, and meetings. Make-or-buy analysis is used to determine whether it is best to perform the work in-house, or to procure it from an external entity. Expert judgment is used to make the decisions related to the procurement process. Market research looks at capabilities that are typically provided by other vendors in the industry. Meetings are used to exchange information with potential bidders to ensure a mutually beneficial method can be established.

You are a project manager for a large project-oriented organization. You are currently working on a project proposal and are considering potential stakeholders that may influence the project. Which stakeholders are the MOST critical at this point in the project? Answers A. Support function representatives B. Team members C. Managing stakeholders D. End user representatives

Managing stakeholders Project proposals are created during project initiation. When you are working on a project proposal, you need to try and identify all potential project stakeholders. While there are many stakeholders that are essential to your project, the most critical stakeholders at this early stage of the process are the managing stakeholders. The managing stakeholders include the project manager, the project sponsor or customer, and the portfolio manager. The project sponsor or customer are responsible for providing funding for the project, so they have significant influence on deciding if the project moves forward to planning.

You are currently executing the activities for a project to produce an effective and safe drug that can be sold to pharmacies around the world. One of the ingredients in the drug is only manufactured by a few suppliers, two of which are reputable and one that is known for quality control issues. The supplier with the quality control issues sells the ingredient at a cost of 50% less than the two reputable suppliers. The customer wants you to change suppliers to purchase the ingredient from the supplier that sells the ingredient at a cheaper price point, as costs for the ingredients from your current supplier have increased. You explain the risks that are known with this supplier and the benefits of buying the ingredient from one of the other suppliers. You remind the customer that one of the major goals for the project is to produce an effective and safe drug. You address their cost concerns and help resolve the issue. Which activity BEST describes what you are you currently engaged in? Answers A. Ensuring the ingredient meets the specifications B. Controlling costs to meet the project's goals C. Managing the customer's expectations D. Making relevant information available to the customer

Managing the customer's expectations The activity described in the overall scenario is managing the customer's expectations. Managing stakeholder expectations begins with having a good understanding of the stakeholder's needs and desires for the project. This process involves negotiating with and influencing stakeholder decisions to help better meet their expectations and to ensure that the goals of the project are met.

You are working on a project to build a supply chain analytics platform. You have a distributed team that is working from offices all over the globe. The project is using a product backlog to facilitate delivering business value in small iterations. A new team member is joining the team and will be based out of one of your remote offices. You want to make sure the team member can contribute quickly without much interruption to the team dynamic you have established. What should you do? Answers A. Assign the new team member to shadow another developer in the remote office B. Ask for the team member to travel to headquarters to meet with you C. Meet with the new team member and establish the ground rules D. Give the team member access to the team web portal

Meet with the new team member and establish the ground rules It is important that all team members understand the ground rules set out at the beginning of the project. When a new team member comes onboard, it is helpful to meet with the team member to discuss the rules. With remote teams it is very important that staff understand how the team works together to achieve goals and what expectations there are of remote staff.

You have just started at a new company that specializes in providing contract services to the government. A new contract has been awarded to your company that has a specified budget and core set of deliverables. The project is to be developed in small iterations and releases, providing increasing functionality with each release. You have been assigned a liaison within the government to help facilitate development and answer any questions you have. You are concerned that the project requirements are restrictive, but any changes would require you to go through an approval process that can take several weeks. What should you do? Answers A. Build to specification B. Meet with the team early in the project to flag potential changes C. Ask the liaison to create a specialized process for this project D. Use the waterfall project methodology

Meet with the team early in the project to flag potential changes Some organizations are rigid in their project scope and budget requirements. Often you will be asked to deliver projects using the Agile methodology that are created using more traditional project requirements. When this happens, it is best to look at potential issues up front in a team environment to get a handle on what changes will likely need to take place. This will allow you to help manage any lag time in having changes to scope approved.

The project management office for your organization uses net present value (NPV) to assess potential projects. At this time, there is only money to begin one project. Given the following results, what is the opportunity cost? Project A has an NPV of $30,000Project B has an NPV of $55,000 Answers A. $55,000 B. $30,000 C. $25,000 D. $85,000

NPV is calculated by taking the total expected revenue and subtracting the estimated cost over the life of the project. A project that has a positive NPV would be considered a good investment; and the higher the NPV, the more attractive the option. Since project B has the greatest positive NPV, it should be chosen. Opportunity cost is the cost of the opportunity that you give up when you select one project over another one. In this case, we would select project B because it has the higher NPV value. Therefore, the opportunity cost would be the cost of project A, which is $30,000.

You are managing the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital. As with any project, this one has had its share of problems. The project sponsors would like to add a new wing to the hospital and designate it solely for the use of diagnostic medicine. Which process is sent approved changes related to the construction of the hospital? Answers A. Validate Scope B. Monitor and Control Project Work C. Close Project or Phase D. Direct and Manage Project Work

Once a change request is approved as part of the Perform Integrated Change Control process, the change is sent to the Direct and Manage Project Work process so that the work can be completed. The Direct and Manage Project Work process is where the actual project work takes place.

You are the project lead creating a new website for a major online retailer. Your team has put together a list of 40 features that should be implemented into the new website. What is one tool you can use to filter out possible features to find a minimum viable product? Answers A. Stakeholer register B. Project charter C. User journey/story D. Work performance data

Part of understanding the project goals is to understand how the end product or service will be used by end users. When designing a minimum viable product it is helpful to create a user journey/story to determine the main functions that will be required as a base to build upon.

You have been assigned a small team to start building a new version of your organizations flagship product. This is the first time many of the team members will be working on a high profile project. A few members of the team have privately expressed anxiety over the scope of the project. You want to help calm anxiety and set realistic expectations with the team for deliver. What tool would be best suited for this? Answers A. A pre-kickoff meeting B. A skills matrix C. A daily checklist D. Project plan document

Prior to starting work on the project, the project manager should hold a pre-kickoff meeting with staff to set expectations as a group and ensure that the current plan is realistic. This gives members of the project team an opportunity to express their concerns and address them collectively. Setting expectations is a key part of ensuring project delivery.

You are a project manager who has been recently hired by a large projectized organization. You have been assigned to an internal project and you are working closely with the project sponsor to develop the documentation that will formally authorize the first phase of the project. Who is responsible for providing information on the business needs? Answers A. Project sponsor B. Users C. Project manager D. External customer

Project Sponsor

You are currently reviewing information to ensure that the project is on track and within schedule. You have identified causes of schedule variances and the corrective actions that were used. Where would you document this information? Answers A. Change requests B. Project Documents updates C. Project management plan updates D. Schedule forecasts

Project documents Project Documents include a number of project documents including the assumption log, the lessons learned register, and basis of estimates The causes of variances, corrective actions that were used, and lessons learned are going to be project document updates from the Control Schedule process. These will be helpful for future projects if a similar issue arises.

Which statement is true concerning quality audits? Answers A. Quality audits involve monitoring specific results from a project and determining if they meet acceptable standards. B. Quality audits should be performed using statistical sampling. C. Quality audits are structured reviews that examine whether an organization's policies and procedures are being applied correctly. D. Quality audits should be performed during the executing and closing phases of a project.

Quality audits are structured reviews that examine whether an organization's policies and procedures are being applied correctly and whether they achieve their purpose.

You have recently completed a major release and your team is working on the next iteration. The project team is actively working on backlog items that were selected for this iteration. You have received feedback form several stakeholders that one of the items remaining in the product backlog should be prioritized. The Product Owner has moved that item from the product backlog into this iteration and moved two items from this iteration to the next iteration. This will allow you to hit your goal for this iteration and ensure that the most business value is delivered to clients. Your team members will often work late at night when they are in a state of flow and miss the next daily stand-up meeting. As the leader on this team, what should you do? Answers A. Remove the story points from the board and add the new one from the product backlog B. Send an email to all project staff regarding the changes C. Remind the team about the importance of maintaining a sustainable pace to avoid burnout and attendance at team events to maintain effective communication D. Update the project plan with the new changes and distribute it to the team

Remind the team about the importance of maintaining a sustainable pace to avoid burnout and attendance at team events to maintain effective communication As an Agile leader, on of the key responsibilities is to promote Agile best practices that promote productivity and a shared understanding of the team's work. In this case, the leader should work with the team to reinforce Agile best practices and move away from bad habits such as frequently working overtime and skipping meetings. Agile teams will often undergo several changes during an iteration in order to facilitate delivering the best business value. These changes need to be communicated effectively in order to ensure there are no potential misunderstandings. For major changes in an iteration, the project manager should work diligently to ensure that each staff member understands the changes in a timely manner. In this case the project changes should be communicated to each staff member not in attendance directly to ensure that changes are understood by all staff.

You are working on a global project to implement a new software firewall solution. Your team is comprised of several programmers at headquarters and a few distributed members throughout the world. During the initial project meetings, your remote team members agreed as a group that they would make the daily stand-up meetings at the scheduled time. During a recent daily stand-up meeting on the video conference, you noticed several remote team members looked like they were watching videos on the internet instead of paying attention to the daily stand-up. You want to ensure that all team members are engaged during these meetings. What should you do? Answers A. Address the issue with each team member individually B. Ask IT for a copy of their browsing history C. During the next daily stand-up distribute a quiz afterwards D. Address the issue publicly during the next team meeting

Remote team members could be attending meetings at awkward times for their locale. Whenever you have an issue with a team member or members, it is always best to meet with them 1-on-1 first. This avoids any embarrassing situations and allows the team members to explain themselves. There may be valid reasons for their disinterest, or the time zone issues could be creating problems for them. It is always best to facilitate a 1-on-1 discussion and encourage the team member to come up with a solution.

You are creating the activity list for a project. You have determined that many of the activities are lacking information. Which technique can be used to save time on large projects by breaking down the WBS in stages? Answers A. Rolling-wave planning B. Precedence diagramming method C. Critical path method D. Decomposition

Rolling-wave planning is used to decompose the WBS in stages, based on the amount of information that is needed or available at the time. You can save time with it when working on large projects. Here, work packages that need to be completed in the near term are broken into activities that can be sequenced and added to the schedule. Work packages that are to be performed in the future remain temporarily at the work package or milestone level.

What is the first step in leading your project team? Answers A. Set a clear vision and mission B. Define a project management style C. Cultivate collaboration D. Encourage performance

Setting a clear vision and mission is core to effective project leadership and should be the first step in leading your team. You need to build and share a common vision and mission so the team can identify with the goals of the project and work towards them. Projects should use SMART objectives, ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timeboxed.

You need to establish a list of risks that are associated with a project that you are managing. You have assembled a group of experts that will use a questionnaire to help generate ideas for identifying important project risks. The experts will work anonymously. Which of the following are you currently engaged in using? Answers A. Root cause identification B. Brainstorming C. SWOT analysis D. Delphi technique

The Delphi technique uses experts who participate anonymously via a questionnaire to help identify important project risks. The process usually goes through several rounds of responses, summarization, and recirculation for further comments. The end goal of the Delphi technique is to reach a consensus among the experts.

A change request to modify one of the deliverables has been approved. In which process will the change be implemented? Answers A. Monitor and Control Project Work B. Perform Integrated Change Control C. Direct and Manage Project Work D. Close Project or Phase

The Direct and Manage Project Work process is responsible for a number of activities for integrating the different aspects of a project, including executing approved changes.

As the project manager, you need to understand how the processes relate to one another and that the output from one typically becomes the input to another. Which process group corresponds to the "do" component from the plan-do-check-act cycle? Answers A. Executing B. Monitoring and Controlling C. Planning D. Initiating

The Executing process group corresponds to the "do" step from the plan-do-check-act cycle. The "do" step is where the project management plan is implemented and the actual deliverables are created.

While developing a new type of bearing that was meant to replace a recalled model, a major quality issue was discovered. During the Control Quality process, it was determined that the bearings were unbalanced due to machinery not being calibrated. Which graphical aid would have yielded this information? Answers A. Pareto chart B. Run chart C. Scatter diagram D. Ishikawa diagram

The Ishikawa diagram, also referred to as a cause and effect or fishbone diagram, illustrates how different factors could be related, and how they lead to the problem. For instance, a technician may have missed a meeting discussing settings and thus forgotten to calibrate the machinery before the bearing went into production. As the name implies, this tool is effective at determining causes and effects.

You are the project lead overseeing a project to create a new wireless media streaming device. The working model has a few features that you were not originally informed about. This could result in a higher costing device than originally planned. You are meeting with the customer to review the completed model. In which process are you currently involved? Answers A. Validate Scope B. Control Scope C. Close Project or Phase D. Monitor and Control Project Work

The Validate Scope process's main goal is to gain acceptance of the completed deliverable. This is achieved by meeting with the customer or sponsor and reviewing the actual deliverable. In the event that the product is accepted as-is, the primary output of this process will be the accepted deliverable. If it is not immediately accepted, change requests will be generated.

You are the project lead overseeing a project to create a new wireless media streaming device. The working model has been created and you are meeting with the customer to ensure that it meets the specifications. Upon inspection, the customer informs you that the LCD output screen does not meet the requirements that were originally agreed upon; however, they will tolerate the change. Which action will MOST likely result from this? Answers A. Closed project or phase B. Variance analysis C. Technical performance measurement D. Accepted deliverables

The action that is being described in the question is product inspection, which is a technique of the Validate Scope process. In the event that a deliverable meets the customer's criteria, the resulting action is an accepted deliverable. However, in the event that the product does not meet the requirements, a formal change request is submitted.

You have recently finished an iteration and the release manager has signed off on moving the iteration into the production environment. You have drafted detailed patch notes for the release along with documentation on how to utilize the new features. Consulting your power interest grid, what categories of stakeholders should you send this information to? Answers A. All stakeholders should receive this information B. Manage closely C. Manage closely, keep informed, and keep satisfied D. Manage closely, keep informed

The information that is provided in detailed patch notes and key documentation is typically reserved for stakeholders that have a high interest in the project. In this case, you would send the information to those that you wish to manage closely, and those that you wish to keep informed of the project. You may send this information to other stakeholders, but those with low interest in the project should not be burdened with excess information unless their interest in the project changes.

You are managing new staff members who are performing work to create a particular procurement item. On your personal schedule for the day, you have a meeting set up to meet with the new staff. You arrive in the meeting room to discover that no staff members have arrived. After waiting thirty minutes, you leave to attend another meeting. The next day, you meet with a couple of the staff members and ask why they did not show up to the meeting. They mention that they were not aware that they had to attend any meetings. Which document should have outlined the meeting requirement? Answers A. Business case B. Project charter C. Procurement statement of work D. Resource calendar

The procurement statement of work needs to clearly outline all the work required for the procurement, including the required meetings.

You have just gained formal approval to initiate a project designed to create a new prototype of an environmentally friendly public transportation system. You need to ensure the stakeholders have a common understanding about the key project deliverables and their roles and responsibilities. Which of the following is the BEST source of this information? Answers A. The project charter B. The requirements documentation C. The communications management plan D. The project management plan

The project charter is a document that defines the high-level requirements, assumptions, and constraints that were identified during the initiating phase of the project. Key deliverables, milestones and roles and responsibilities are also documented in the project charter. The project charter is used to gain formal authorization to initiate the project. It is important to inform project stakeholders when the project charter has been formally approved. This allows them to gain a common understanding of key milestones and project deliverables. The stakeholders can also review their roles and responsibilities related to the project.

You are a project manager for Inter-Swift. You are working on a project to expand the manufacturing capacity of your organization. Your organization has decided to outsource the construction of a new warehouse, to house the required facilities and infrastructure, to an external company named Docu-sentry Ltd. Who approves the project charter for the new warehouse project? Answers A. The finance department at Docu-sentry Ltd. B. The project manager at Docu-sentry Ltd. C. The project sponsor at Inter-Swift D. The project team at Inter-Swift

The project sponsor or initiator is the person or organization who is external to the project and has the authority to issue the project charter. In this scenario, Docu-sentry Ltd. is the organization performing the project and Inter-Swift is the organization that is sponsoring the project. Docu-sentry Ltd. may help develop the project charter but it will be authorized by the Inter-Swift organization.

Helen, Irene, and John make up an organization's review committee for a project they are working on. They have received responses from various vendors to the procurement document package and are formally reviewing prospective vendors according to their capabilities to successfully complete the conditions of the contract. They have been authorized to select vendors prior to senior management approval. Which action is the review committee currently undertaking? Answers A. Bidder conference B. Approved change requests review C. Proposal evaluation D. Document analysis

The review committee is formally evaluating proposals to the procurement document package submitted by vendors and selecting a vendor. This evaluation is done prior to getting approval from senior management.

You have been assigned to a project and have been asked to help develop the project charter. You need to identify any risks, assumptions, and constraints that are the result of the current environment. Which of the following should be considered? Answers A. The skills and availability of human resources B. Form templates that are used by your organization C. Plans outlining economic factors from the previous project D. Standardized process definitions that are used by your organization

The skills and availability of human resources is an enterprise environmental factor (EEF) that should be considered. The lack of availability of skilled workers can lead to potential risks, assumptions, and constraints on the project.

A project to implement new accounting software is underway. You have been working on the project and recently achieved a major milestone. During a recent project status update a stakeholder has mentioned that they felt left out of the decision-making process and that the solution being implemented will not work. In consulting your stakeholder register, you notice the individual has medium interest and low influence on the project. You are concerned that the individual may start to convince other stakeholders that the project is doomed for failure. What should you do? Answers A. Update the stakeholder register to medium influence on the project and take input from the stakeholder, as required B. Conduct a 1-on-1 meeting with the stakeholder and implement their proposed changes to the project C. Update the risk register to show a risk of change aversion and create a mitigation strategy D. Ignore the comment and move on with the project

Update the stakeholder register to medium influence on the project and take input from the stakeholder, as required In traditional project management, the stakeholder register contains a list of key stakeholders along with their interest and impact on the project. In this case, the individual may have initially been assessed as low impact, but it is important to get ahead of potential project problems. Negativity can have a large impact on a project, and it should be carefully managed. You should update the stakeholder register accordingly and begin asking the individual for input.

Your Agile team just finished a series of cross-training sessions. Your aim for the team is a group of generalizing specialists. How can you quickly tell if the training has helped improve performance on the team? Answers A. Increased lead time B. Stakeholder satisfaction C. Escaped defects D.

Velocity is one quick way to measure the effectiveness of training in Agile project management. There are many metrics, qualitatively or quantitative, that can be used to measure effectiveness of training depending on the training objectives. Often, you'll need to consider both. Any metric used to measure training outcomes should be considered carefully as there can be reasons why you may not see an improvement immediately.

As a Scrum Master, you're always striving to build the right product, efficiently. You set the ground rules, aspects the team agrees to. They understand the objectives and overall project goals. You want to ensure they are committed to the team and their performance. How should you measure the team's performance? Answers A. Lines of code developed B. Punctuality C. Training sessions attended D. Current velocity

Velocity is the total points for completed user stories during an iteration. It is a critical metric to track the progression of the work. It is also an opportunity for the team to see how process changes affect their productivity, and accurately forecast the number of stories that can be complete in an iteration, and therefore, predict product completion. Other metrics or tools to measure performance could be burndown charts, the product backlog, and comparing estimates to actuals.

Congratulations! You have just successfully completed a project. The final iteration was wrapped up a few days ago and the release manager has moved the release into production. Users have reported no bugs and there are no user stories left that will help deliver business value. The project owner has indicated that there is a small budget left over for a release party. You are ready to close the project, what tool is best for facilitating this? Answers A. Final signoff of the project charter B. Lessons learned documentation C. A project retrospective meeting D. A pizza party

When an Agile project comes to completion, it is best practice to hold a project retrospective meeting. During this meeting staff can reflect on what went well with the project, what didn't, and what they will take forward into future projects to help ensure they are also successful.

You are currently involved in controlling procurements on a mission critical project for your organization. A seller has been contracted to provide a high load winch system. Which input to this process should have been given special consideration by both the buyer and seller? Answers A. Organizational process asset updates B. Claims administration C. Approved change requests D. Project management plan

When you are dealing with a contracted company, special consideration must be given to change requests by both the buyer and seller. If changes are made, the contract must be rewritten and the deliverables could be outside the original scope. It may even lead to the seller agreeing to terms they cannot meet.

You are one of the project managers in your organization responsible for managing several large-scale projects. You are in the process of creating the procurement management plan for one of the projects you are managing. You need to consult a subject matter expert to obtain some expert judgment. Which entity is BEST able to provide subject matter expertise related to this? Answers A. Functional manager B. Program manager C. Operations manager D. Portfolio manager

While all of the manager roles would potentially have procurement experience, the most likely role would be one of the functional mangers in the organization. Functional managers hold management roles within an organization, such as finance or procurement management. Since functional management roles include procurement management for the organization, they would be the best entity to consult for subject matter expertise related to the procurement process.

You are the project manager of a project that is currently in its initial stages. After a change request has been approved, which process is used to collect project work performance data? Answers A. Direct and Manage Project Work B. Perform Integrated Change Control C. Monitor and Control Project Work D. Develop Project Management Plan

Work performance data is generated during the Direct and Manage Project Work process and is used to monitor and control progress. It is also used to create forecasts to determine when work will be completed. The work performance data generated relates to a project's costs, schedule, and status of deliverables. The Direct and Manage Project Work would be used to ensure the approved changes have been implemented correctly.

You are trying to identify and document high-level risks, assumptions, and constraints to pinpoint project limitations. You have interviewed key stakeholders that have expertise in this area and looked at the current environment. Which other activity should you perform to complete your task? Answers A. Assess current government and industry standards B. Review the high-level scope statement C. Access the corporate knowledge base D. Examine your organizational structure and culture

Your organization's corporate knowledge base includes historical and lessons learned knowledge bases. You would want to access these knowledge bases to locate information on previous projects. Specifically, you would want to look at information on project selection decisions from the past, their performance, and information on risk management. This will help you to identify and document additional high-level risks, assumptions, and constraints of your project.

You are managing a construction project that is creating a new set for a talk show. The show is set to premiere next month. The backdrop is nearing completion; however, the main stage is only 50 percent complete. You move a few of the human resources to the main stage team. Which technique did you use? Answers A. Scheduling tool B. Resource leveling C. Adjusting leads and lags D. Schedule compression

esource leveling is a technique that is used to allot the proper amount of resources to a specific task. Since one task is nearing completion, and another task is only half done, resources could be moved from the task that is nearly complete. This will ensure that all tasks can be more aligned with the schedule.

The project manager is preparing a report for a meeting with key stakeholders about the project's progress. As part of the report, the project manager needs to determine the schedule status. How does the project manager determine the schedule status? Answers A. Compare current progress against the critical path B. Review the schedule baseline for information on the schedule's status C. Fast tracking the project schedule to determine the remaining work D. Review the assumption log

he schedule status can be determined by comparing the current progress on the schedule against the critical path. Any variance on the activities on the critical path can cause the project to miss its targeted end date.

You are not getting the results required from the plastic mold used to make one of the deliverables needed for your project. You have requested audit team to investigate the thermoforming process. They decide to look at how the temperature affects the pliability of the plastic. What should they do? Answers A. Create a Pareto chart to plot the temperature against the percentage of pliability B. Perform a force field analysis on the temperature and percentage of pliability at varying levels C. On a scatter diagram, plot the temperature against the percentage of pliability D. Using a control chart, plot the percentage of pliability over time as the temperature varies

scatter diagram is used to illustrate the relationship between two variables. In this case, the audit team can look at how the temperature affects the pliability of plastic by plotting the temperature changes against the pliability of the plastic on a scatter diagram.

You are managing a landscaping project for the city. The project's purpose is to decorate the park to commemorate the city's 200th anniversary. The official flower that is being used for the project has recently become in high demand after a television celebrity reported on the flower's medicinal benefits. During which activity would the new risk be identified? A. During a risk review B. During a risk audit C. While reviewing the risk register D. While performing a trend analysis

A risk review is a technique used during meetings in the Monitor Risks process. It is used to identify new and outdated risks. Since the flower was not in high demand when the original risk assessment was performed, it would be discovered as part of a risk review.

Bill's team is defining and agreeing on the core working hours and flextime Fridays. They also work out ground rules for meetings and agree to raise issues as soon as individuals are aware. They agree to take ownership of tasks they are assigned. What is Bill's team trying to create? A. A dynamic contract B. A project contract C. A employment contract D. A social contract

A team's social contract, also known as a team charter, outlines ground rules for the team. It covers items including core working hours, working agreements, and expected behaviors in meetings. Social contracts are ideal for Agile teams to define their own standards and unite the team with a sense of ownership.

Steve is managing a project to create a new payroll application for a large government organization. The application has undergone many releases and iterations. The project backlog continues to transform throughout the project and deliverables change with each iteration. What technique would be best in this case for ensuring that deliverables meet quality expectations? A. Use automated testing tools B. Ask the clients for test cases prior to developing user stories C. Expand the quality assurance and testing team D. Allow key stakeholders access to the test platform and solicit rapid feedback from them

Allow key stakeholders access to the test platform and solicit rapid feedback from them In Agile development quality is based on client feedback. This feedback is provided throughout the project lifecycle. Rapid feedback on changes in a test environment, prior to release, can help ensure that the changes meet the client's expectations and needs. The feedback loop is an integral part of Agile project management.

As the acting project manager, you need to choose a balanced risk response strategy to implement for your project. Which risk response strategy is appropriate to use for both negative and positive project risks? Answers A. Transference B. Accept C. Enhance D. Share

Accept A strategy for negative risks is simply to accept the risks and their possible consequences. Active or passive acceptance is an appropriate strategy when a risk is small, unavoidable, unknown, and cannot be transferred, shared, or mitigated. Passive acceptance involves doing nothing unless a risk event occurs and then dealing with the consequences. Active risk acceptance involves accepting a risk, but planning beforehand how to deal with the consequences if the risk occurs.In the case of a positive risk, or an opportunity, the best plan of action can be to simply accept the risk and move on with the project.

William is planning and re-planning the scope of the project. He is also continuously assessing and refreshing team skills to meet needs of the project. Which methodology is William following? Answers A. Traditional B. Waterfall C. Agile D. Predictive

Agile is the incremental or iterative approach to project management. Because the scope of the project is everchanging, the skills required is also changing and therefore continual assessment and upgrading team skills is required to meet the project needs.

Your department head lets you know they have a small budget for training this quarter. He's asked for you and the rest of the project leads to identify one person to send for training. You all want to invest in your Agile organization. What characteristics would you look for in the individual? A. Technical skills B. Confidence C. Ability to handle ambiguity D. Conservative mindset

Among other traits, the ability to handle ambiguity is a key characteristic. Agile organizations should seek, support, and grow individuals with a growth mindset where they don't need every detail defined before they start a project. You should also consider the level of agreeableness, or the ability to collaborate and work collectively to a common goal.

You're new to an organization and have been assigned a project team. You and your team have identified the stakeholders and started documenting and prioritizing expectations. What should you do next? Answers A. Focus on the reporting tools for communication B. Monitor stakeholder engagement C. Analyze the directions of stakeholder's influence D. Engage each stakeholder by explaining the project goal

Analyze the directions of stakeholder's influence Analyzing the directions of influence is one way to help understand the how and who can influence a project and its outcomes. You can classify stakeholders by their direction of influence. You can have upwards influence with sponsors and executives, downwards with the team, outwards with contractors and end-users, and sideward with peers of the Scrum Master or project manager. This helps you understand and determine the levels of decision-making authority and influence.

An independent team from your organization is studying the procedures for taking sample measurements for products produced during a project. They have documented that the procedures for taking measurements include wasted steps that are not necessary for creating the product for this project. This resulted in process documentation updates. Which of the following BEST describes what is being performed? -Sample measurements for products produced during-wasted steps--> result=process documentation update Explanation: Studying the procedures for taking measurements, documenting their results, and generating process documentation updates are all activities that are part of the Manage Quality process. Quality audit activities are performed by an independent team outside of the project. a. Audit Activities b. Quality Control Activities c. Directing and Managing the Execution of the Project Work d. Integrated Control Activities

Audit Activities

You are the project manager responsible for creating a new version of your company's flagship toaster. You have been given 4 months and a budget of $350,000 to come up with a prototype. The project sponsor would like you to create one model that can service several regions. The prototype will need to meet regulatory compliance in several jurisdictions. Your team of engineers all have backgrounds working in North America. During your risk assessment, you have highlighted the risk that lack of regulatory knowledge in Europe could cause issues. What should you do? A. Assume they are similar in nature and update your assumptions document B. Task an engineer to read up on European guidelines C. Bring in a specialist that understand the European regulations D. Monitor the risk through product development

Bring in a specialist that understand the European regulations Sometimes as a project manager, you may not have the expertise on staff to complete certain tasks. In this case, the risk of losing out on sales in an entire market would be significant and the best mitigation would be to bring in a subject matter expert. This will ensure that the produce is compliant with all regulations needed to be sold in that market.

You have been asked to create an image that will display how long a project activity will take. You must show logical relationships that exist between activities. Which method will BEST achieve this? A. CPM B. Histogram C. PDM D. Milestone chart

CPM The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a technique that calculates the earliest and latest possible start and finish dates for work activities in a project. It uses the estimated duration of activities and the dependencies among them to determine limits for when each activity can be performed. As a result, the critical path is determined.

You are managing a project designed to create a new database system that will be used by the Sales department in your organization. Jane, the head of the Sales department, has informed you that she has not been receiving weekly progress updates as requested. You review the stakeholder communication requirements and have confirmed that Jane was in fact supposed to receive weekly progress reports from Joe. You contact Joe and request that he sends a progress report to Jane immediately and you ensure he is aware of her future communication requirements. What should you do NEXT? It is extremely important to capture, analyze, and manage lessons learned during a project. This will allow you to take steps to help ensure that the same issues do not occur again in the future. It also allows you to capitalize on previous successes. Lessons learned documentation is a valuable tool to utilize, as it helps facilitate continuous improvement. A. Refer to the stakeholder register to obtain Jane's contact information. B. Capture and analyze information related to the issue to prevent future occurrences. C. Consult the issue log to gain a better understanding of why Jane did not receive the progress report. D. Request that the communications management plan is updated with Jane's communications requirements.

Capture and analyze information related to the issue to prevent future occurrences.

You are working on a project to build a broadcasting booth in a new stadium. The project management plan has been completed and you are currently considering quality management for the project. You need to ensure that everything works well for the upcoming televised event without any interruptions. In reviewing lessons learned documentation from a similar project, it was mentioned that the majority of issues after installation came from a cable fault. What should you do to avoid this? A. Classify cabling as a regulatory risk and update the project management plan to include cable testing B. Classify cabling as a business risk and update the risk register to include the risk C. Test each cable manually with a cable tester D. Classify cabling as a quality risk and update the project management plan to include cable testing

Classify cabling as a quality risk and update the project management plan to include cable testing In this case, the best option is to classify cabling as a quality risk and ensure that the project management plan includes a cable testing phase. This ensures that when the cables have been run, there is planned time and budget to test all of the cables to ensure they function properly. The project manager should also update the risk register to include the risk to quality and what steps have been taken to mitigate the risk.

Wayne's team takes the XP approach. He's used pair programming to share knowledge. He has frequent interactions with the customer and end user to understand their expectations. What else could help Wayne encourage knowledge sharing in this environment? Answers A. Complete documentation B. Historical records C. Locked-down requirements D. Code standard

Code STD The Agile or XP approach to knowledge sharing is to conform with coding standards. It helps reduce the transfer time by sidestepping debates of modeling styles. Customer tests and collective code ownership are a few other examples of ways to maintain knowledge transfer by understanding customer expectations and sharing code with all developers, respectively.

Several stakeholders are in disagreement over the features that must be included within the new product, and what features may not be completely necessary. As the project manager for the project, you have convened a meeting to discuss some possible methods of resolving the problems. You would like the stakeholders to come up with a solution that will allow each party to come to a permanent agreement. The stakeholders come up with a solution that will involve each party giving something up. Which conflict resolution method does this BEST describe? A. Problem solving B. Smoothing C. Compromising D. Forcing

Compromising occurs when disagreeing parties agree to give up something, and then agree to a solution including aspects of both parties' positions. This solution is moderately good for relationships and provides a permanent solution.

You are working on a project developing a new shopping center and parking lot for an important, long-time customer. The project's scope has been defined, the design and schedule have been completed, the resources have been allocated for the various activities, and the contract has been signed.The customer has brought up an issue that was not accounted for earlier in the planning stage of the project. The customer wants to install eight additional bathroom stalls for the public to meet the expected increase in customers due to the closure of an older shopping center. The customer would like the materials bought from a supplier, outside the region, at a discounted rate. The supplier, however, will not receive the materials from the manufacturer for a month due to equipment problems at the manufacturer.As the project manager for this project, you disagree that eight stalls are required. Based on previous experience, you suggest that four extra stalls would be enough and that the addition of these four stalls would not affect the schedule. You also remind the customer that purchasing the materials from the supplier outside the region will delay the project and affect the grand opening of the shopping center. You would prefer to buy the materials from a local supplier that has the necessary materials in stock.The customer, yourself, and the project management team get together to come up with a solution. The customer is unwilling to have less than eight bathroom stalls added but is flexible in the supplier used. You reluctantly agree that the eight bathroom stalls can be added with minor changes to the scope and design, budget, and contract. However, installing eight stalls as opposed to four will affect the schedule in a way that any other unforeseen delays will cause the shopping center not to open in time. The local supplier is chosen for the materials to prevent further delays.Given the scenario above, which conflict resolution method was used in this situation? A. Withdrawing B. Compromising C. Problem solving D. Smoothing Compromising occurs when both disagreeing parties sacrifice something and agree on a solution that includes aspects of both parties' positions. This solution is moderately good for relationships and provides a permanent solution. In this case, the customer was able to have the eight bathroom stalls added; however, the idea of using an outside supplier to provide the materials was given up. You were able to have a local supplier provide the materials while giving up the idea of having only four bathroom stalls installed

Compromising

Bob is leading a project rescue process. He's established control, improved the communication with the team and stakeholders. The product is stabilized, and performance seems to be improving. What can help Bob verify performance improvements? A. HR system B. Annual performance reviews C. Consistent on-the-job reviews D. Product backlog

Consistent on-the-job reviews can help Bob verify the performance improvements. You can also use meetings, whether in-person or video conferencing. Collaboration tools, project documents, and project management information systems can also help you verify performance improvements.

You are currently analyzing the consumption of funds compared to the work being performed. In which process are you currently involved? A. Control Costs B. Estimate Activity Resources C. Estimate Costs D. Determine Budget

Control Costs The Control Costs process deals with monitoring the project status, budget, and requesting changes as required. One of the tasks that take place within the Control Costs process is analyzing the relationship between the use of funds and the related work that is being performed. This is performed as part of earned value management.

Grace, a project manager for a multinational corporation, has chosen the people for the project team roles identified in the human resource plan for a project developing a new accounting program. The team members are geographically dispersed across multiple continents. The communications management plan identifies the technologies to be used by the team members when communicating amongst each other. Which is the GREATEST obstacle that must be overcome to build an effective team? A. Cultural differences B. Different time zones C. Local human resource policies D. Disparate tools and technologies

Cultural differences When leading and managing a global team, cultural differences pose the greatest challenge to Grace because attitudes towards authority, rank, and position vary greatly by geographic region. These challenges may be tied to a variety of items such as differences in language, religion, gender roles, business practices, or local customs. Grace should put cultural issues on the agenda early to increase team awareness of these differences and to allow team members to express their concerns.

A project team is working to develop a new product. The product is to be improved upon with each version building upon a minimum viable product. This is your first project that you will be managing that uses this method of delivery. This project should be delivered based upon the greatest business value first. You want to ensure that new feature requests are properly prioritized for each version of the product. Several methods can be used to negotiate the prioritization of user stories. How can you best decide on what method to use? A. Verify what method is typically used based upon historical documentation B. Pick the one you are most familiar with C. Use the poker method D. Decide as a team

Decide as a TM The Agile methodology is somewhat democratic in nature. The team as a whole will come to a consensus on how to manage the project rather than have items dictated. The role of the project manager is to facilitate the development of the product. In this case, the team would be best suited to come to a consensus on what method would work best for them to prioritize user stories.

You have been developing a project to build an autonomous risk management toolkit that will allow your finance department to facilitate locking in commodity pricing. The project is being developed in sprints and is being monitored closely by several members of the finance team. The quick feedback you have received after each iteration has allows this project to be successful thus far. Your team consists mainly of staff at headquarters along with 2 virtual team members. One of these team members recently told you in confidence that they don't feel like part of the team, even though they have virtually attended every stand-up meeting. What should you do? Answers A. Discuss the issue as a team and decide on a plan of action B. Discuss the issue with the remote team member and decide on a plan of action C. Give the team member the option to move on-site D. Let the team member go

Discuss the issue with the remote team member and decide on a plan of action Agile teams rely on teamwork to fulfill project goals. Often Agile teams will have a mixture of on-site and remote employees. To ensure project success it is important that remote team members feel included as a part of the project culture. In this case, you would want to discuss possible solutions with that team member directly. This can help keep the individuals concerns confidential while coming up with a solution to their problem.

Your project team has been building a server room in a highly classified government building. The server room is planned to meet a specific criteria and has a 6 month timeline for delivery. Midway through the project, the client has informed you that regulatory changes will require you to change out the Halon gas suppression system for a new system. This has created an issue as the entire room was designed around using gas suppression. What should have been to avoid this? Explanation: Part of ensuring compliance in a project is planning for potential risks to compliance during the execution phase. A brainstorming meeting is a great tool to help identify potential risks and ensure that they are entered into the risk register and planned for. In this case, any planned regulatory changes should have been investigated during the planning phase and a risk mitigation strategy planned. A. During project planning the risk of regulatory changes should have been identified and planned for B. The enterprise environment factors should have flagged the possible risk C. The project charter should have identified the risk D. The initial project plan should have been designed around a different fire suppression system

During project planning the risk of regulatory changes should have been identified and planned for

Sally is an experienced project manager and has been overseeing the training program across her matrixed organization. She is weighing the training costs and the benefits. Which is the best result-based metric to use in this scenario? A. Supervisor reports B. Test scores after training C. Employee feedback D. Employee turnover rate

Employee turnover rate or employee retention is an example of a results-based metric. The Kirkpatrick training evaluation model considers the learner's reaction to training, the knowledge gained, the learner's performance, and finally the tangible results.

You have been assigned a project to implement a new helpdesk system into your IT operations. The project sponsor has indicated that she wants this system to help reduce the number of password reset tickets. You have completed the project schedule and are ready for kickoff. The project sponsor has asked you to ensure that the benefits of the project are realized so that she can use it in her annual report to the board of directors. How can you best accomplish this? A. Purchase the advanced reporting feature of the helpdesk system and implement it B. Use surveys before and after the project to determine the effectiveness C. Ensure a baseline number of password reset tickets is taken and run a comparison after the system is implemented D. Create a custom reporting feature for the project sponsor

Ensure a baseline number of password reset tickets is taken and run a comparison after the system is implemented When projects are delivered, they often are oversold on the benefits to the organization. Ensuring that a project has a solid baseline that is measurable to compare to after the project is finished is an important part of project management. The measurement of the success of a project isn't simply that it came in on time and on budget. Projects are often measured on business value delivered over time and baselining key metrics prior to project start can measure the total business value delivered.

You are managing a landscaping project for the city. Its purpose is to decorate the park to commemorate the city's 200th anniversary. You are currently involved in the Monitor Risks process to address a problem that resulted with the floral provider. Besides monitoring and controlling risk, which option is a secondary purpose of this process? Answers A. Ensures that project assumptions are still valid B. Prioritizes risks based upon their likelihood of occurrence C. Identifies risks that affect the project D. Ranks risks based upon a monetary value

Ensures that project assumptions are still valid The Monitor Risks process ensures that risks are monitored and controlled appropriately; it also ensures that the original project assumptions are still correct. This process assesses identified risks to see if they are still relevant, it checks to make sure risk management policies are being followed, and that the contingency plan is in line with the current assessments.

During a sprint review, you review the growing product backlog. The product owner continues to add new features to ensure we exceed customer expectations. They have committed to the customer and now team members are accusing each other for the negative impact to the schedule. What is the reason for the conflict? A. Communication barriers B. Gold plating C. Personality differences D. Poor planning

Gold Plating Gold plating occurs when the team continuous strives to exceed customer expectations, rather than meeting them. Often, individuals believe it's a win-win situation. The role of the project manager is to set and manage expectations with professionalism and respect. By engaging the stakeholders often, the team can ensure they are working towards the same goal.

You have just finished identifying risks that are associated with a project that you are managing. You now want to associate the risks with their root cause. Which method will BEST achieve this? A. Ishikawa diagram B. Monte Carlo analysis C. Delphi technique D. SWOT analysis

Ishikawa/fishbone diagram Certain diagramming techniques can be useful in identifying risks and their causes. One of the most popular diagramming techniques is the cause-and-effect diagram. It is also known as the Ishikawa diagram, after its inventor, the Japanese quality management specialist Kaoru Ishikawa. When completed, a cause-and-effect diagram looks like the skeleton of a fish, so it is also referred to as the fishbone diagram. It contains a spine with branches resembling the pattern made by fish bones. Cause-and-effect diagrams can be used to explore the root causes of an identified risk, which is simply a potential problem that may occur in the future

You are a project manager for an organization that has worked on simple projects in the past. Your organization has merged with another company that has worked on projects that are more complex. Three months into the merger, you have been chosen to manage a complex project. You review documentation on past complex projects that was collected by the company you merged with. You noticed that their change control procedure incorporated a CCB that was effective. You discuss using a CCB with a project manager that has used a CCB on a similar project to get their advice. You decide to implement a CCB to process change requests as part of your change control procedures for the current project. What does this situation describe? A. Implementing B. Making use of knowledge gained from previous experience and documentation for deciding a new procedure C. Reviewing previous knowledge for a new procedure D. Requesting advice from an expert to make a decision

Making use of knowledge gained from previous experience and documentation for deciding a new procedure This situation is best described as managing project knowledge. By making use of knowledge gained by the project manager with expertise in complex projects and existing documentation, you were able to consider a new procedure for controlling project changes in a complex project.

Mark's team consistently hears about bottlenecks in the process. Among other issues, they are concerned that only one person in experienced and trained in regression testing. What should he do? Answers A. Observe the team B. Add another resource C. Speak to key stakeholders D. Use pair programming

Observe the team to identify the required competencies to round out the team. Often, Agile teams themselves can help identify the core competencies, skill gaps, and opportunities for training since they are immersed in the team. Once required competencies are identified, specific training can be offered.

Phil's training needs assessment identified regression testing as a weakness. He wants to fill the gap right away. What would you offer? Answers A. Instructor-led B. Code review C. Workshop D. Pair programming

Pair Programming Pair programming is the best way to train individuals on a specific skill. One person codes while the other person observes. It allows the person coding to explain what they are doing and then switch roles so the other person can practice and learn. It's the quickest way to train an individual on a specific task while still getting work done.

A customized secure VPN service is being developed for a healthcare organization. With each iteration, test cases are developed prior to implementing any code changes. The development is done in small iterations and feedback is quickly received from the organization. Once the feedback is received, any proposed changes to the service is implemented in another iteration down the road. Given this information, which of the following statements is true? Answers A. Preparing test cases prior to implementing code changes helps improve the overall quality of the product B. Software as a service models require a waterfall approach to development C. Small iteration development doesn't facilitate rapid feedback D. The change review board should be consulted prior to implementing any code changes

Preparing test cases prior to implementing code changes helps improve the overall quality of the product Agile methods of quality assurance typically require that a test case be developed prior to implementing any changes to code. This is done to reduce time in testing and help facilitate feedback from clients on any changes to the product. These test cases help to ensure that the product is functioning as intended and can be reused to test the same functionality throughout the product lifecycle.

You are the project lead overseeing a project to create a new wireless media streaming device. The working model has a few features that you were not originally informed about. This could result in a higher cost device than originally planned. You need to determine if these features were formally requested by a specific stakeholder. To which item would you refer to verify this information? Answers A. Requirements documentation B. Work breakdown structure C. Project scope statement D. Requirements traceability matrix

Requirements traceability matrix Project documents, including the requirements traceability matrix, are an input of the Control Scope process. The matrix is ideally a chart that can be used to trace the origin of a requirement and track it throughout the project. In terms of the example, if you need the source of a specific requirement that was added, you can refer to this document.

Jennifer is working on a new payment processing system. The system is being developed in sprints. During a recent sprint two project team members got into a verbal altercation. Since that altercation, the team has struggled to accomplish story points and stand up meetings have become uncomfortable for everyone. You have tried to mediate the situation, but the team appears to have split between the two team members and are actively working against each other. What could have best been done to avoid this situation? A. Move the two team members to other projects B. Remove the team member who has the lower performance C. Pick a team member's side during the altercation D. At project launch, allow the team as a group to set the rules for the project

Product launch is the opportune time to set the rules for the team. This process in Agile development is done as a group to best ensure buy-in. Project staff are asked what rules they feel should be considered for the project, and the rules are enforced by the project team. In this case had the rules been set ahead of time, they dispute would have likely been addressed in a different manner.

You have been working on a project to build a mobile sales platform. This new app will empower your sales to deliver value immediately to clients in the field without the need to call the office to get quotes. During a recent stand-up meeting, your team members chose their tasks and began working. The next day during a stand-up meeting two team members revealed they had worked on the same task independently of one another. You are concerned because no one picked up on the error. What should you do? A. Review the project plan to make sure that it did not have a duplicate entry B. Pick the best solution of the two and move on with the project C. Put a formal process in place to ensure tasks are not duplicated D. Halt the project and conduct a root cause analysis

Put a formal process in place to ensure tasks are not duplicated Agile projects require good governance structure in order to function. This will often meet establishing for processes and policies on how to conduct meetings in order to ensure the best outcome. Agile is not the absence of good governance or policy, it is a method of constantly enhancing a project through feedback to ensure maximum business value is delivered.

You are currently developing the resource management plan for a project you are managing. Which tool is the BEST for linking work packages from the project's work breakdown structure to the resources listed in the organizational breakdown structure? A. RAM B. RBS C. Network diagram D. Pareto chart

RAM Matrix charts make it easy for team members to check all the project activities for which a particular person is responsible or all the people associated with a deliverable. The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) links work packages from the project's work breakdown structure to the resources listed in the organizational breakdown structure. A low-level or detailed matrix includes the bottom-level work packages from the work breakdown structure. This means it contains a column for each work package. A high-level responsibility assignment matrix may show key project phases or deliverables only, and list departments rather than individuals.

Ann, who is a senior project manager, has taken over a project from a colleague just after they completed assembling the team. Before leaving, they indicated that several members of the team will need specialized training. Which action should Ann take NEXT to help guide her through selecting the appropriate training? A. Analyze the responsibility assignment matrix B. Refer to the resource management plan C. Review the work breakdown structure D. Reference the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide

Refer to the resource management plan Ann should refer to the resource management plan. There is a section in the Resource Management Plan called Training, which includes the training strategies for team members.

Evan is leading a project team in the development of a piece of software used for tracking bird migrations. Evan sees a potential problem with the interface that John, the customer, wants. Evan has some ideas about how to fix the issue, but he is unsure if John will support the necessary changes to the product as it will add additional time to the project schedule. Evan needs to address these concerns before it becomes an issue. What should he do FIRST? Explanation: Evan should first refer to the stakeholder management plan. The stakeholder management plan directly outlines the different approaches to be taken to improve stakeholder support and to help reduce possible obstacles. This will help guide Evan when he addresses the issue with John. A. Review the procurement statement of work. B. Update the project schedule to include additional time for the extra work. C. Refer to the stakeholder management plan. D. Set up a face-to-face meeting with John.

Refer to the stakeholder management plan

You have been assigned as the project manager during the initiation phase of a project that is being performed for your organization. You have been asked to define the business and compliance requirements that are to be included in the initiation documentation of the project. Which statement BEST represents the criteria that you should meet when defining requirements? A. Requirements need to meet customer expectations. B. Requirements need to be detailed and clear to ensure sponsor approval. C. Requirements must be related to the product scope. D. Requirements must tie into your organization's strategic goals.

Requirements need to meet customer expectations.

Ross, who is a project coordinator, would like his project team members to attend a seminar on communication and how to work collaboratively with co-workers. Lisa, who has a number of her staff working on Ross's project, needs them to work on some tasks that she has instead of attending the seminar. Lisa tells Ross that he will need to reschedule the seminar for a later date. Ross is not very happy with the decision but decides to keep quite. Which of the following BEST describes this situation? A. Ross is following the ground rules that are expected as a project coordinator in the current environment. B. The project team members are working through the forming stage of team development. C. Lisa is exerting coercive power to take her staff from Ross's project to work on her tasks. D. Ross is working in a weak matrix organization where he has limited authority for making decisions. Explicitly stated in the question is the fact that Ross is the project coordinator, but Lisa is the one whose staff members are working on the project. Lisa is able to make the decision to have her staff members work on her tasks instead of attending the seminar. Because of this, we can safely assume that she is a functional manager with a higher level of authority than Ross has as project coordinator. This situation best fits with the statement that Ross is working in a weak matrix organization where he has limited authority for making

Ross is working in a weak matrix organization where he has limited authority for making decisions.

Amy has acquired her project team. The team members consist of employees from various departments in the same organization as Amy. Amy has never worked with these people before, so they are unfamiliar with her leadership style and what is expected from them. After letting each team member know what their roles and responsibilities are on the project, Amy outlines the guidelines for the project team members to follow when working on the project. Which action is Amy currently engaged in? A. Training her team members B. Forcing team members to follow her leadership C. Negotiating staff assignments for her team members D. Setting ground rules for her team members

Setting ground rules for her team members Amy is setting ground rules for her team members. Ground rules are used to set expectations regarding team member behavior. For instance, requiring all team members to acknowledge receipt of email inquiries within one business day would be an example of an agreed upon expected behavior.

Aaron is working with a few team members on the work breakdown structure. Sherry, from a different project team, continually interrupts the meeting to ask for their status updates. Aaron has polite declined and says there's no reason for her to require any updates and believe she has a personal interest in the project. What should you do as the project manager? A. Use active listening B. Let Aaron handle it C. Speak to Sherry separately D. Train Aaron on emotional intelligence

Speak to Sherry separately The best option is to speak to Sherry separately. Your job as a project manager, using servant leadership, is to facilitate team successes and address any issues, roadblocks, or distractions to the project team. Though there are times it is useful for teams to work out differences, Sherry is not on the project.

You are managing a project designed to create a new bearing type that will replace an older recalled type. You are currently involved in the process of reviewing the project deliverables to ensure they meet requirements. To perform this task, you are using statistical sampling. In which process are you currently involved? Answers A. Control Procurements B. Manage Quality C. Plan Quality Management D. Control Quality

The Control Quality process involves looking at a product and determining it if meets quality standards. A common data gathering technique used as part of this process is statistical sampling. This form of sampling allows you to view a cross section of the product, and based upon the findings, determine whether it meets the quality requirements. This technique can save time as it does not require viewing every item made.

You have been contracted to an organic honey startup company to design a process for efficient honey gathering. Trying to monitor the schedule is a daunting task, as there are so many variables to consider related to bee honey production. Which of the following would be determined as part of monitoring the project schedule? A. BCWP B. VAC C. BCWS D. SPI

The Control Schedule process focuses on monitoring and maintaining the project schedule. One of the outputs of the Control Schedule process is work performance information. The work performance information identifies the schedule performance index (SPI) and the schedule variance of the project.

Your organization has decided on an Agile approach for an upcoming software development project. They have decided that an eXtreme Programming (XP) method will be used for the development. Which of the following would be a primary practice used during planning for this method? Answers A. User stories B. Plan by feature C. Feedback loops D. Sprint planning

User Stories XP is a methodology that uses frequent cycles to develop software. Primary practices of this method for planning include using user stories to gather requirements and planning cycles that occur weekly or quarterly.

You are the project manager for a small consulting firm. One of the projects that you are currently working on has finally completed. There were several instances of delays throughout the project due to unforeseen circumstances, which led to cost overruns. Which of the following BEST describes what you should ensure is documented? A. The cost overruns as lessons learned. B. The project ended due to various delays. C. The project ended due to cost overruns. D. The unforeseen circumstances as lessons learned.

The cost overruns as lessons learned Lessons learned documentation is a compilation of information on the successes and failures that happened during the project. This information is particularly valuable to have on hand when starting a similar project. It may be possible that the unforeseen circumstances that delayed the project are more predictable now that the experience and details surrounding them have been documented.

You are the project lead overseeing a project to create a new wireless media streaming device. An LCD display was used that does not match the original project scope. During a stakeholder meeting, the customer expresses that they are upset and the screen should be changed. Your CEO is worried about the costs associated with the replacement of the screens and believes the product is fine as it is. Functional managers are concerned about the additional time it will take the workers to replace the screens and suggest a revised model slightly after product release. Other upper management suggests releasing a standard version with the current LCD and a deluxe model with another LCD. As the manager, you need to settle this dispute. In whose favor should this dispute be resolved? A. Functional managers B. Your CEO C. The customer D. Upper management

The customer Although the customer is not always right, they are one of the most important stakeholders. Without the customer, there would be no project. Their interests should be handled with great importance. In the event where all things are equal, disputes should be resolved in favor of the customer. If the customer was making unnecessary demands, or asking for more than they paid for, then the situation would go another way.

Bonnie has been leading project team members on a project for several months. One of her team members tells her that one of the work packages requires ten additional widgets. She wants to ensure that the work package will be completed within the scheduled time period. What should she do FIRST? A. Document a course of action for executing the project work and implement the solution once approved. B. Consult with senior management on the matter and get their input. C. Discuss the situation with the sponsor and request additional resources. D. Evaluate the impact of the change.

The first thing Bonnie should do is to evaluate the impact of the change. Because the additional widgets are needed, Bonnie needs to determine how this change will impact the project. For example, she will need to determine how the scope and schedule for the project will be affected as well as the costs involved for the actual widgets and procuring them. Once she has done that, she can determine options to address any issues related to scope, schedule, or costs.

You are working on a project to build an operating system. The project is being developed in iterations. You have a distribute project team that is working for you, around the clock. You have noticed a team member that has been at every daily stand-up has never had any input into the project. The team member has simply picked up tasks and worked on them, away from the rest of the team. You want to promote an inclusive and engaged team. Why should you not publicly address the issue in front of the team? In this case, the individual is likely introverted and should be approached independently of the group. You will need to be able to recognize the different personality indicators when managing people and know how to manage them. It can be challenging at times since personalities can vary but it is important that you approach individuals and issues in ways that make the individual comfortable. A. The individual will speak up when they do have something to say that they deem important B. They are likely an extroverted individual and they should be approached in a 1-on-1 setting C. Their work is fantastic as is, there is no need to antagonize the individual D. They are likely an introverted individual and they should be approached in a 1-on-1 setting

They are likely an introverted individual and they should be approached in a 1-on-1 setting

You are a project manager in charge of developing a CRM solution for clients all over the globe. You have delivered several iterations of the project and you are going over the project backlog to determine what feature to add to your software next. Which of the following project backlog items should you prioritize? A. The CEO has requested that a new Sales Analytics platform that will be sold as a premium feature B. A fellow developer has requested a rework of the Sales Forecasting algorithm to reduce memory requirements in production C. You have written a feature request for an automated log cleanup process to reduce log file size D. End users have provided feedback that they need a separate area to enter special notes on customers to better prepare for future sales calls

When assessing the opportunities for incremental improvement priority is given to features that have been requested by clients, end users, and key stakeholders. End users have front line access to the customers and know what features would be most useful in this scenario.

You have performed a feasibility study to validate if a potential project will address a business need of your organization. The result was positive, so you have begun identifying key stakeholders, determining key events, and the overall risk to the project. You are also identifying factors that may limit the actions of the project team. Where would limiting factors primarily be documented? A. Assumption log B. Prompt list C. Project charter D. Risk register

he PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition has added a new output to the Develop Project Charter process called the assumption log. The assumption log is used to document assumptions and those factors that limit the actions of the project team, which are known as constraints.

Joe is the marketing manager and has high power or influence but very little interest in the project. He prefers the team to handle all situations. He places trust in the team and product owner and wants to be left off any project updates. What should you do? A. Continue sending updates for full disclosure B. Be respectful and keep Joe off project updates C. Figure out what is important to Joe D. Do nothing

You should figure out what is important to Joe to ensure there is nothing that could potentially derail the project. High power or influence and low interest stakeholders need to be informed and involved to ensure project changes will not negatively impact their interest, and the project.

You are executing the project management plan and project work has been going on for five months. You need to respond to a risk that remained after risk planning. A team member asks you where the cost to cover the response will come from. Which response should you give? Answers A. Activity costs B. Organizational costs C. Contingency reserves D. Management reserves

You should tell them the costs for the remaining risk are accounted for in the contingency reserves. Contingency reserves are those funds set aside to cover the costs of residual risks. These are the risks that remain after risk planning.

You have just finished your daily stand-up meeting and you are meeting with a product manager to discuss business needs. During this meeting, the product manager indicates the need to change the functionality of a key component in order to avoid supply chain issues over the next quarter. The product manager has indicated that this is a must and should be given top priority as without the change the company will experience delays throughout their supply chain and not be able to deliver on their production goals. After the meeting, you hold a meeting with project staff and change the plans for the current iteration accordingly. Given this scenario, which of the following statements is true? A. You should meet with the change review board prior to making any changes B. The team should finish their current user stories prior to moving onto this task C. Your team embraces change to deliver business value in-line with Agile methods D. The change should be scheduled for the next iteration to avoid disrupting flow Agile methodology allows for change in scope and delivery at any time in the development cycle. User stories are prioritized based upon business need and if a new need arises that has a higher priority it changes the project schedule. Agile project management should embrace change and development could undergo significant change anytime new project data is received

Your team embraces change to deliver business value in-line with Agile methods

You have been contracted to oversee a project that is estimated to take 30 working days. The project is created to address the redesign of a recalled part and is budgeted for $75,000. You are halfway through the project, and it is one day behind schedule. The earned value of the project is $35,000. The cost variance of the project is -$2,500. Sponsors are providing three equal installments of $25,000 during the project duration. Funds have been spent proportionally throughout the project. Which option represents the actual cost of the project thus far? A. 37500 B. 35000 C. 75000 D. 25000 Show explanation Show answerThe actual cost (AC) of a project represents the money that is spent during a given period of time. Since the sponsors are paying $25,000 every 10 days, the actual cost can be calculated at the 15-day mark using the following formula:AC = $25,000 + ($25,000 / 2) = $37,500

37500

You are in the process of estimating the activity durations for the various activities contained in the scope baseline for a large project being undertaken by your organization. You have an activity that will most likely take eight days to complete. It has been determined that the activity has a best case scenario of being completed in four days and a worst case scenario of taking 18 days. Which duration will you record for this activity using PERT? A. 14 days B. 9 days C. 10 days D. 7 days

9 days Answering this question requires calculating the three-point estimate, also known as Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), based on the values given. The formula used to calculate PERT is (O + 4M + P) / 6. In this formula, O represents the optimistic estimate, M represents the most likely estimate, and P represents the pessimistic estimate.Applying the formula to the values provided gives the following result: PERT = (O + 4M + P) / 6 PERT = (4 days + 4(8 days) + 18 days) / 6 PERT = (4 days + 32 days + 18 days) / 6 PERT = 54 days / 6 PERT = 9 days

You are the project lead overseeing a project to create a new wireless media streaming device. The working model has been created and you are meeting with the customer to ensure that it meets the requirements. Upon inspection, the customer informs you that the LCD output screen does not meet the specifications. Which result from this problem is MOST likely to occur? A. A closed project or phase B. A change request C. A contract change D. An administration claim

A change request Inspection, as described in this scenario, is part of the Validate Scope process. In the event that the customer is not satisfied with the results of a project after an inspection, a change request to fix the issue is submitted.

Amanda works for company that has been built on the principles of providing secure solutions. She has been assigned a project for a mobile medical lab application. This is a new field of business for the company, and it is important that this project is successful. During the first iteration, a developer has included an encryption methodology that has been known to have flaws. The methodology was chosen because it reduced the complexity of the project and the processing overhead. The problem was identified by a client after the fourth iteration of the project and re-work will be required. The issue has hurt client trust and some clients have stopped utilizing the mobile application. How could this situation have best been avoided? Answers A. Hold staff publicly accountable for their mistakes B. During interation planning, ensure the a Definition of Done accompanies each product backlog item C. The project charter should have included organizational principles D. Ask clients to conduct penetration testing if they have concerns

A clear Defintion of Done will help to minimize misunderstandings and disagreements about whether the product increment meets requirements after each iteration. The Definition of Done should include funtional requirements as well as non-functional requirements, such as the security requirement that was mentioned in this scenario.

While developing a new type of bearing that was meant to replace a recalled model, a major quality problem was discovered. Only ten percent of the bearings manufactured have been within the control limits. The process activities need to be reviewed to see where the process went wrong. Which type of diagram can be created to gather this information? A. Pareto chart B. Flow chart C. Cause and effect diagram D. Control chart

A flow chart is a visual representation of the steps in a process. Elements that are included in a flow chart are activities, decision points, and the way activities are sequenced. Flow charting can be used to predict where problems may occur.

You want to ensure you are using an accurate method of estimating the duration of the activities contained in your WBS. You also need to be able to identify the level of uncertainty involved with the estimates. Which method will BEST achieve this? A. Analogous estimate B. Three-point estimate C. Parametric estimate D. Bottom-up estimate

A three-point estimate provides a weighted average of an optimistic or best-case duration, the most likely duration, and a pessimistic or worst-case duration. By using a weighted average of these estimated durations, you will improve the accuracy of the estimate. Using this method will also identify the range of uncertainty of your duration estimates.

As the project manager for a large organization, you understand the importance of ensuring that all of the proper processes are followed when closing a project. You have already released and reassigned your existing project team to tasks on another project, and have received formal acceptance on the current project. You have a few things to complete at this point, but you want to make sure that you perform one specific task last. Which task should be completed last? A. Archive project information B. Document customer feedback C. Document lessons learned D. Complete the final project report

Archive project information The final task that a project manager will typically perform when closing a project is to archive project information. This includes archiving things such as lessons learned, financial information, and the final project report. This historical information can now be used by project managers in the organization who will be managing similar projects in the future. This information can include helpful documents such as warranties on assets purchased or services provided. The information may also be part of a legal compliance obligation.

You are managing a project to create a weather prediction engine for farmers. This product will allow farmers to accurately predict when rain will fall within 5 minutes at their given location. You have been using a cloud provider for computational resources and used many of their propriety features in your product design. The cloud provider has announced a new pricing scheme that will double your overall usage cost. The new pricing scheme will make it impossible to earn a profit on your product. You have decided to use a new cloud provider, but switching will cause issues throughout various features of your product. How would you best handle this situation? Whenever there is a change in technology or the external business environment, it is always best to meet with your team to discuss what impacts that has on your project. The team members will each bring insight into the meeting from the user stories they have developed and it will give you a clearer picture on the path forward under the new technology. The best option is to discuss the impacts as a team and formulate a plan of action. A. Close out the project and start a new project to build the app on the new platform B. Consult with marketing on how to best handle communications about the issues that the switch will introduce C. As a team, discuss the change and the impacts on your current iteration and product backlog D. Double your price to make up for the added cost

As a team, discuss the change and the impacts on your current iteration and product backlog

Amanda is the project manager responsible for creating an automated platform for approving loans at a small bank. The most recent iteration changes the methodology for calculating a customer's assets. After a recent release, users have reported to Amanda that the system will no longer approve loans for businesses that have vehicles as assets. Testing indicated that the conducted tests based on the test cases in the current iteration. How can this best be avoided? A. A test case should have been created for every possible combination of customer and assets B. Testing should have conducted tests based on all test cases from previous and current iterations C. Bugs cannot be avoided D. The project scope document should contain information on the different types of assets customers have

As each test case is created for a feature it should not be removed from the list of items to test prior to release. Introducing a change in one area of software can sometimes cause unwanted effects in other areas. By not fully testing the application using all relevant test cases the testing team did not properly test the application prior to release.

You are the project manager for a project and you are currently managing your project team. You need to understand the role of the project as it relates to the organization and its industry, and takes internal and external environmental factors into account. What type of interpersonal skill is required to achieve this? A. Technical B. Team building C. Conceptual D. Compromising Conceptual skills include the skills involved in seeing the "bigger picture." A project manager with good conceptual skills understands the role of a project in the context of the organization and its industry, and takes internal and external environmental factors into account. Good conceptual skills are necessary for planning and managing large projects, and especially for motivating or influencing stakeholder decisions.

Conceptual

Calvin, a project manager, has scheduled a meeting for his team to discuss problems that have developed over the course of the project. Lou, a team member responsible for assisting with updating the project schedule, expresses his concern about the time constraints over the next month. He is concerned there will not be enough time to attend the upcoming training seminar on how to use a new software program. This program is designed to help him with his tasks for maintaining the project schedule. Lou maintains that it is of the utmost importance to be able to attend the training. Jane, who is part of the project management team, needs Lou to be available to work on some key tasks. Jane reminds Lou and Calvin that the training seminar will be presented three months from today's date and Lou can attend it when there is more flexibility in the project schedule. Which action should Calvin take? A. Consider all aspects of the situation and check with key project stakeholders B. Agree with Lou and let him attend the upcoming training seminar C. Take into account Lou and Jane's points and let the team members come to a consensus D. Let Lou decide when to take the training seminar

Consider all aspects of the situation and check with key project stakeholders Considering all aspects of the situation and checking with key project stakeholders is a form of collaboration. It is important as a project manager that Calvin gets the viewpoint from all key project stakeholders, including the other project management team members, when it comes to important decisions that could result in introducing project risk.

You've implemented individual training programs for each of your team members. You've noticed that most of the team is taking the online portions at their desk during work hours. You never clarify when the training should be taken. What should you do? A. Ask them to take it during lunch hour B. Halt the training programs C. Ask them to take it afterhours D. Do nothing

Do nothing, as supporting the team's training is crucial in developing and investing in the team. In fact, allocating time for training should be part of the Scrum Master or project manager's responsibility. Ideally, let the entire team know how you will support their training and development. There should be a commitment to them as roles change within the team. In fact, it may be against the law in some jurisdictions to force training outside of work hours.

You are working on a project to create a new marketing platform for a major search engine. You have been given a small team of all stars to build the platform. The platform will be developed in iterations and if successful at launch the plan is to expand the project team from 8 to 50. The mission of the company is to deliver value for the good of humanity. The executive team wants to ensure that the product upholds the mission and values of the company while in development. How could you best accomplish this? A. Have the mission and values of the company painted on the wall B. When onboarding new staff ensure that they are able to recite the mission and values of the company C. Update the project risk register to include the risk of going off mission D. During each iteration, meet and discuss with staff how each user story aligns with the company mission and values As a project manager, you will often need to align your project to the company's internal organizational culture. This typically means ensuring that each user story aligns to the mission and values of the company and isn't unethical in the name of delivering business value. Analyzing each user story as a team allows individuals to discuss the ethics and mission of each user story to best ensure that it aligns with the company

During each iteration, meet and discuss with staff how each user story aligns with the company mission and values

You have been working on a project to build a cloud based security information and event management system. The current iteration is about half-way completed and the product back log has been reduced to low business value items. The key performance indicators are set before the last release are showing a great performance over the benchmarked data before project inception. You want to ensure that everyone is aware of the added benefit and how much business value has been delivered by the project up to this point. What is the best was to accomplish this? A. Send an email to stakeholders with a link to the analytics platform B. Survey stakeholders on their perception of improvements C. Update the project management plan to include the new data D. During the next stakeholder meeting show the data and highlight improvements over time The best way to appraise stakeholders of value gained by a project or improvements that the project has made is in a meeting format. This allows stakeholders to discuss the data and improvements and formulate ideas on how that benefit can be further realized. In the Agile methodology, the project manager should consistently be meeting with stakeholders to analyze business value, and the next stakeholder meeting would be an opportune time to discuss the value gained by the project.

During the next stakeholder meeting show the data and highlight improvements over time

Which statement represents the PRIMARY focus of the change management plan? A. How configuration items will be controlled B. How product baselines will be controlled C. How the project schedule will be controlled D. How project costs will be controlled

How product baselines will be controlled The change management plan is used to identify the process of how changes to the project and the product baselines will be managed and controlled. The change management plan is one of the components of the project management plan.

You are the project manager for a clothing design company. You have just gained formal authorization to initiate a project designed to create a new line of swimwear. What should you do NEXT? A. Define the project approval requirements. B. Identify the project documents that will be subjected to formal change control. C. Determine the resources required to perform the project work. D. Inform stakeholders of the approved project charter.

Inform stakeholders of the approved project charter. The project charter is a document that defines the high-level requirements, assumptions, and constraints that were identified during the initiating phase of the project. Key deliverables, milestones, and roles and responsibilities are also documented in the project charter. The project charter is used to gain formal authorization to initiate the project. It is important to inform project stakeholders when the project charter has been formally approved. This allows them to gain a common understanding of key milestones and project deliverables. The stakeholders can also review their roles and responsibilities related to the project.

You are managing a high profile project for your organization. You are in the process of determining whether to make or buy a widget that will be needed in the next phase of the project. The organization that you have received a quote from informs you that the widget may not be available until two weeks into the phase.Review the infomration below to identify the costs associated with each of the alternatives.Make:Required materials: $1,200Labor: $800Indirect costs: $150Buy:Cost of widgets: $1,750Administrative costs: $200What is the BEST choice to make regarding making or buying the widget? A. Make the widget and incur the additional cost of $200 B. Buy the widget and save $200 C. Make the widget and defer the additional cost of $200 to the next phase of the project D. Buy the widget and use the $200 as a reserve for the procurement

Make the widget and incur the additional cost of $200 The two primary criteria used to determine whether to make or buy a product needed by the project are cost and availability. The cost of buying the widget ($1,950) is less than the cost of making it ($2,150). However, the widget may not be available when it will be needed. The risk of the widget not being available when needed outweighs the cost saved ($200) by buying the widget. Therefore, you should make the widget and incur the additional cost of $200 in this scenario.

Steve has been working on a project to build a supply chain management tool for large clients. The tool is designed to handle highly complex supply chains to ensure just in time delivery. The most recent iteration has been well received by clients, but one company has noticed that the ordering system is no longer pulling data from third party suppliers that use the international date format. A rollback may cause problems for other clients and an update would bring the system down outside of the agreed service level. What technique would be best for approaching this issue? A. Have a developer patch the system as soon as possible and release it outside of the normal release window B. Meet with stakeholders determine what options are available for a solution C. Rollback the update immediately and manually update any lost changes to client databases D. Blame the database vendor for the problems and have the client request that they patch their system

Meet with stakeholders determine what options are available for a solution Agile methodology encourages collaboration between stakeholders and project staff to ensure that the highest business value possible is delivered to clients. In this case it is best to approach key stakeholders with all information and work on an amicable solution for everyone involved. This ensures that the issue is addressed in a manner that delivers the least amount of damage to business value.

The company you are working for has asked you to head up a new project. This project has the mission to transform the companies accounting department through the use of AI. You have been asked to develop it in iterations and deliver the project in incremental releases. The project will significantly change the roles of accountants within your organization. You are concerned that the change may negatively impact the organization as several senior staff members may feel threatened by the system. What should you do to best address your concerns? A. Conduct a workplace satisfaction survey B. Meet with the product owner and plan for training and onboarding to the new system after each iteration C. Ensure that the accounting manager is part of the development process D. Ask HR to prepare packages for staff members that may become disgruntled

Meet with the product owner and plan for training and onboarding to the new system after each iteration Technology is a wonderful tool for business, but major technological change can be threatening to staff. In order to ensure that the project is a success, it is best to engage with the product owner and discuss options for training and onboarding staff. This will help ensure that the transition between systems goes smoothly and that employees remain confident in their ability to conduct business.

You are working to deliver a project to the finance department in your organization. This new product will allow them to view real-time expenditures and conduct simulations to project future budgets. You have already had several releases, but a change in management in the accounting department is threatening the project. The new accounting manager does not see the business value being delivered and wants the project reworked to fit new needs. The project kickoff came from the Chief Financial Officer, but ownership was never formally declared. You have been reporting to both the manager and the CFO during development. What should you do? A. Inform the accounting manager that the project will continue on as planned B. Finish the current user stories in the product backlog and then consider changes C. Meet with the product owner and the new accounting manager and document ownership of the project and the reporting structure to ensure business value is delivered D. Cancel the project and work to kick off a new project that meets the Accounting Manager's needs

Meet with the product owner and the new accounting manager and document ownership of the project and the reporting structure to ensure business value is delivered Agile projects will typically have a product owner. The product owner acts similar to the project sponsor in waterfall projects. The owner is responsible for ensuring the project is implemented successfully and acting as a champion for the product within the organization. Occasionally product ownership will be delegated down within the organization to allow those closer to the customer level to deliver the most business value. Product ownership in this case needs to be formally documented so that any major changes can be approved prior to implementation. This can help ensure that the project remains within budget and scope.

Dave works for a large gaming company and is the lead project manager on a mobile hockey trading card game. The game is to be released and handed over to a different team to manage updates after the release. While the company is fully projectized, Dave requires the skills of a specific animator that is currently working on another game. Dave plans to use the animator in week 8 to put together a goal animation for the game. How can Dave ensure that the resource is his during that time frame? Answers A. Contact the animator and inform him that he is expected to report to you during that week B. Meet with the project manager on the other project to discuss using the animator in week 8 C. Book that resource in his project management software D. Meet with the project sponsor and demand board approval to use that resource in week 8

Meet with the project manager on the other project to discuss using the animator in week 8 The project manager should discuss the need with the project manager on the other project first. This will allow Dave to express his need and allow the other project manager to move their schedule around to accommodate Dave. Once an agreement has been reached, Dave can then book that resource in the company's project management software.

You have been working on implementing a new database system into a content management system for an advertising firm. The project has a budget of $5 million and a 10 month schedule. The content manager of the company abruptly left the organization and a new content manager has been hired from a competing firm. The new content manager comes from an organization that had publicly run into issues with the implementing a similar solution the year prior. How can you best evaluate the impact that the personnel change may have on the project? A. Place the project on hold until the new content manager is onboard B. Ask the change review board to review the change in personnel C. Continue on with the project as if nothing is changing D. Meet with the project sponsor to discuss potential impact to the project

Meet with the project sponsor to discuss potential impact to the project Whenever there is a potential risk to a project, a major project change, it is best to meet with the project sponsor to discuss the impact it could have. The project sponsor acts as the product champion within the company and will try to ensure that the project continues to go ahead, as planned. Changes in key stakeholders can often lead to scope changes and even project cancellation. The project sponsor is the one that should continue to champion the project.

You are a project manager for a major tire distributor, and you are monitoring your team's performance for the summer tire campaign project. You have created a document that includes all the WBS elements and value, variance, and index comparisons. Which process creates this document? A. Monitor Risks B. Control Procurements C. Monitor and Control Project Work D. Manage Stakeholders Engagement

Monitor and Control Project Work The document that is being described in the question is an example of work performance report. Work performance report is an output of the Monitor and Control Project Work process. Work performance report can contain work performance information that compares actual results to a baseline. In terms of this example, the PV, EV, and AC would all be compared, as well as the cost and schedule variance, and the CPI and SPI.

Barry is a senior developer that has shown his pride in his work. He's excellent in explaining tasks step-by-step. You've enlisted him to help train a junior developer. What technique should you use? A. Program simulators B. Observational coding C. Structured on-boarding D. Pair programming

Pair programming is an Agile programming technique where two programmers sit, side-by-side, and program aloud. One person is the driver and then they switch roles. It is a way to develop quality code while allowing the senior developer to mentor junior developer, and to quickly get up-to-speed. Organizing around team strengths can make individuals happier and committed, while improving process efficiency.

There are quality issues with the last iteration and the stakeholders are not happy. Not only do they not meet the quality expectations, they demand additional security features on the site. Also, half your team maybe reassigned to a higher priority project. Which issue should you focus on? A. Quality issues B. Security features C. Stakeholders D. Resources

Resources You should focus on the resources first. If you don't have the resources, the rest of the issues will compound. All the issues can be dealt with appropriately but without a solid team in place, the project is in a critical situation. It is the responsibility of the project manager or Scrum Master to prioritize and address critical impediments.

The sprint review revealed significant setbacks. The team is overestimating their throughput and is placing blame on others. The product owner is highly stressed over the backlog and argues with the team. You are frustrated at the situation and defend the team. The team disperses and the product owner is angry and demands more resources, or he will quit. How should you handle this situation? A. Let him quit B. Retreat from the situation C. Find a creative compromise D. Accommodate the product owner

Retreat from the situation Retreating from a highly volatile situation would be best in this situation. If you or the product owner are prone to outbursts, it is better to withdraw from the situation and allow some time to calm down and reflect. It may be better to postpone an issue than to deal with it with clouded emotion. Keep in mind, failing to address the issue eventually will cause more conflict overtime.

Your organization is developing a project selection method and wants to use cost, benefits, and feasibility as its criteria. Which selection criteria would fall under the benefits category? A. Resource availability B. Return on investment C. Association to other projects D. Timing

Return on investment When looking at the project benefits, the performing organization needs to understand why they are performing the project and what is in it for them. Return on investment (ROI) falls under the benefits category. When considering the ROI, the project is interested in the revenue generated by performing the project. This will allow the performing organization to determine if the project is worthwhile, in relation to cost benefits.

Your boss has assigned you as the project manager for the design phase of a new product that is in the very early stages of development. The phase has not been officially approved and there is pressure from your boss to start planning as soon as possible. Which action should you take FIRST? A. Analyze stakeholder requirements and develop a stakeholder management strategy. B. Establish how you will plan scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communications, and risk to start the development of the project management plan. C. Finalize the initiation process and hold a kick-off meeting to initiate the start of the planning stage of the project phase. D. Review business and compliance requirements, and historical information to define high-level requirements and risks.

Review business and compliance requirements, and historical information to define high-level requirements and risks. Before a project or phase can be officially approved, the project manager needs to reach an agreement with the sponsor and customer on the scope of the project or phase. If you are just beginning initiation, then you will need to review any business and compliance requirements that have been provided to define the high-level scope. This includes documenting any high-level risk and constraints on the project.

You are working on a project to automate financial functions within your accounting department. A team member recently finished a user story that will automate the payment of invoices. The system will use a distributed ledger that allows anyone to audit the transactions. You are trying to find a method to ensure that the transactions are compliant with the 99.999% accuracy requested by the project owner. What action would serve you best? A. Request quality assurance double check the test case B. Ask the development team to complete live code review to ensure compliance C. Release the product and have finance report any issues D. Run simulations using real world data and measure the accuracy Simulations are a tremendous method of measuring compliance. Each simulation can be audited and measured for accuracy to ensure that key metrics indicated by the project owner are met. To best data to use in a simulation is real world data that has already been processed. This makes the methodology of measuring compliance easier.

Run simulations using real world data and measure the accuracy

Two project team members are observed in a heated discussion about the results of the project review of the lessons learned collated throughout the first phase of the project. The team member who observer the argument thinks that this issue is will negatively affect the attitudes of other team members not involved and informs the project manager. What should the project manager do NEXT? Answers A. Observe later interactions between the project team members involved in the argument to see if there are lasting effects. B. Ignore the advice from the project team member and continue managing the project C. Call the team members by phone separately to let them know they are no longer needed to work on the project D. Have a face-to-face meeting with both project team members involved in the disagreement at the same time to get the two members to work out their issues

Since the project manager is hearing this information second hand, they cannot be sure whether the two-team members are too emotional to be able to work out their differences. Therefore, the project manager should monitor the situation by observing later interactions between the project team members to see if there are lasting effects.

You have recently moved into a project management role at a new company. The company has been in business for a few years and has brought you on to create a new product. The project team has been working together for a long time. You notice during your first brainstorming session that staff are reluctant to speak out with their ideas. All the product backlog ideas have come from just two of the seven team members. You recognize there are 2 dominant individuals within the group, but the success of your project relies on the input from all seven members. What should you do? A. Solicit ideas on an individual basis B. Review lessons learned documents form previous projects to see what works C. Recognize that groupthink is creeping in and remove the 2 dominant team members from meetings D. Continue with the project and hope that the shyness will go away over time

Solicit ideas on an individual basis Groupthink is dangerous, and you will need to adjust your project management style to best fit the emotional needs of your project team and stakeholders. In this case, you have several introverted individuals that are unwilling to share their opinions in a group setting. They may be more forthcoming with information on an individual basis.

You have onboarded a major client onto your product. The client represents significant revenue for your organization, and you want to ensure the product continues to deliver business value for them. In a recent meeting the clients representatives brought forward several new items for the product backlog that would substantially change the overall project objectives. You need to ensure that all other clients are equally represented, and that business value is maximized. What should you do? A. Submit all changes to the change review board B. Ensure the major client is satisfied C. Update the risk register and the project plan with the new requirements D. Solicit input from all stakeholders about project changes and priorities

Solicit input from all stakeholders about project changes and priorities To ensure that project changes deliver business value to all clients, it is important to include all clients in the decision-making process. Any major change in scope or objectives should be determined by the product owner and input considered from other stakeholders. This is done to ensure that business value is maximized between different stakeholders throughout each iteration.

You are managing a project that has been underway for several months. An issue has been encountered that will delay the project and possibly prevent it from finishing on time. A corrective action has been identified that will ensure the project is able to be completed on time. Where will the corrective action be tracked as it is implemented? A. Perform Integrated Change Control B. Close Project or Phase C. Monitor and Control Project Work D. Direct and Manage Project Work

The Monitor and Control Project Work process is responsible for performing corrective actions. Monitoring and controlling are two distinct activities: Monitoring involves gathering information about the project's performance. This helps you detect trends by identifying any deviations from or risks to the project plan. Then, you can take preventive or corrective action if needed. Controlling activities in the Monitor and Control Project Work process involves taking action to correct problems or deviations you discover through monitoring activities. This includes preparing change requests, monitoring implementation of corrective actions, adjusting project baselines to account for approved changes, and monitoring the execution of risk response plans.

A project manager is looking to assign resources for various project activities and has a number of candidates to choose from with experience with smartphone cameras. One resource, Mike, is the best person to work on designing a new front facing camera for the new smartphone. He has the most experience, the necessary skills, and experience. However, Mike's department manager is not willing to let Mike work on the design. What should the project manager do NEXT? A. The project manager should setup a meeting with Mike's department manager to discuss the reasons why Mike is needed for the camera design. They should also discuss when he will be needed and how Mike's experience from the project can help his department's work in the future. B. The project manager should look for other candidates within the organization to work on the design of the new smartphone front facing camera. C. The project manager should look for candidates external to the organization to work on the design of the new smartphone front facing camera. D. The project manager should ask Mike to meet with his department manager to plead the case on why he is the only choice to work on the camera design.

The project manager should setup a meeting with Mike's department manager to discuss the reasons why Mike is needed for the camera design. They should also discuss when he will be needed and how Mike's experience from the project can help his department's work in the future. In a situation where a possible team member's functional manager is initially unwilling to let one of their subordinates work on a project, the project manager should at the very least understand the situation and use their negotiating or influencing skills to help secure the resource. This is especially true if the person being withheld is the best person for the work.

You are managing an agriculture project that is researching the possibilities of splicing the water retaining capabilities of a cactus with corn seed. This will allow the seed to grow in dry conditions.The project sponsor will be making 12 monthly payments of $100,000 dollars to fund the project. At the six month mark, the project is deemed to be half a month behind schedule. During this time, the project has been working in the red, and the average money spent per month is $110,000.You have been asked by the sponsor to provide a to-complete performance index (TCPI) based upon the project's estimate at completion (EAC), where the ETC work is projected to follow the current CPI.Which value do you provide the sponsor with? Answers A. 1.2 B. 0.91 C. 0.46 D. 0.83

The project's TCPI, based upon the project's EAC, is 0.83. For more information on how TCPI based on the EAC was calculated for this example, please refer to the calculation explanation. TCPI based on the EAC is calculated using the following formula:TCPI based on the EAC = (BAC - EV) / (EAC - AC)In order to determine the result, you first need to calculate a few of the variables. The budgeted at completion (BAC) is calculated by multiplying the monthly payment of $100,000 by 12. This results in a BAC of $1,200,000.Next, you need to calculate the earned value (EV) using the following formula: Actual % Complete * BAC. The work is currently 45.83% complete (5.5 / 12 = 0.4583). A value of 5.5 months is used since the project is at the six month mark and is half a month behind schedule. Therefore, the project's EV is 0.4583 * $1,200,000 = $549,960.You can calculate the actual cost by multiplying the average cost per month by the months of work. Therefore, the AC is $110,000 * 6 = $660,000.To calculate the EAC, you must first calculate the cost performance index (CPI) using the following formula: CPI = EV / AC. This results in $549,960 / $660,000 = 0.83. The formula for EAC is BAC / CPI. This results in an EAC of $1,200,000 / 0.83 = $1,445,783.You now have all the values required to use in the TCPI formula:TCPI based on the EAC = ($1,200,000 - $549,960) / ($1,445,783 - $660,000) = 0.827, which rounds up to 0.83.

You are responsible for chartering a project for your organization and you want to assign a project manager to help define the high-level scope and perform other initiation activities. Which skill or knowledge would be LEAST desirable for a project manager at this point in the project? A. Time management B. Data gathering techniques C. Oral and written communication techniques D. Facilitation

Time Management While time management is an excellent skill for any project manager, its value is more desirable when executing the project. This would be one of the least desirable skills during initiation.

You are in the process of classifying the people and groups whose interests should be considered during the project. What is the MAIN purpose of this activity? Answers A. To ensure that the proper communication model is defined for key stakeholders B. To facilitate the creation of the stakeholder register C. To facilitate the creation of the stakeholder engagement plan D. To ensure that the effort used to manage stakeholder expectations is efficient

To ensure that the effort used to manage stakeholder expectations is efficient Classifying the people and groups whose interests should be considered during the project is a data representation technique. The purpose of classifying the stakeholders is to ensure that no effort is wasted towards communicating and managing stakeholder expectations. Classification models used by this step include power/interest grids, power/influence/grids, impact/influence grids, and the salience model.

You are a project manager for a major golf club manufacturer. Your team is working on developing a new line of golf clubs for the upcoming season. It was planned that you will meet with the stakeholders after the first few production sets were ready and allow them to try the clubs. You are reviewing how effective this type of stakeholder meeting is. Why would this type of meeting take place? A. To further engage stakeholders in the project B. To smooth out any issues that may exist with stakeholders C. To aid in performance testing of the product D. To allow the stakeholders to audit the product

To further engage stakeholders in the project The Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process monitors stakeholder relationships. This process also deals with how to adjust plans and strategies for further engaging the stakeholders. The simple act of letting the stakeholders have access to the equipment first would give them an overwhelming feeling of being a true part of the project.

You have been working on an iteration that will add several user stories to a cloud-based video editing suite. You have received feedback on a recently released feature from a previous iteration. The team has decided to re-work that user story to meet the feedback received by clients. This will require a modification the current schedule. What method of modifying the scope of this iteration would be best? A. Update stakeholders on the proposed changes and update the burn-down chart to show that the user story is being reworked B. Update the project charter to include the changes for this iteration C. Consult your change control board on the proposed changes and update your project plan accordingly D. Push the changes to the next iteration and maintain the current schedule

Update stakeholders on the proposed changes and update the burn-down chart to show that the user story is being reworked The project should be driven by customer/user demand and if the previously release feature is a priority for clients, it will need to be reworked. Adding it to the current iteration is the best option, but to do so the project manager should update key stakeholders on the change in schedule and scope. The project manager should also update the burn-down chart to show the changes in the iteration.

During the daily stand-ups, the team brings up various issues with the testing tools. The tools continue to crash their systems, and even though the tests are automated, it requires complex, technical knowledge to run. The organization have corporate licenses for the tools, so the team is frustrated. What should you do? A. Find a user-friendly tool to replace the existing ones B. Allow the team to work it out for themselves C. Work with and support the team to find a better tool D. Ask them to revert to manual testing

Work with and support the team to find a better tool Work with and support the team to find a better tool is the best option. Servant leadership is where project leads support their team by facilitation, mentorship, and encouragement. They also help remove barriers. In this case, finding a better tool even though the organization uses the existing ones, will be useful to the team