TPV1 Chapter 4 Review

You are the project manager for a project that will develop in-house software used to monitor computer parts inventory. Your project sponsor asks that you begin working on the WBS. What is a WBS?

A. A breakdown of the project work activities B. A decomposition of the project scope C. Weekly deadlines for the project D. A topology of the project team's responsibilities Answer: B. A WBS is a decomposition of the project scope. It serves as input to five key processes within a project: cost estimating, cost budgeting, resource planning, risk management planning, and activity definition.

What should signify the end of each phase?

A. A milestone that has been reached B. A party for the project team C. A date that has been established within the WBS D. A definite deliverable result Answer: D. Just as each project produces a definite deliverable, so should each phase. A milestone does not necessarily signify a phase has ended, as there can be multiple milestones within each phase. A party for the project team (while always an excellent idea) does not prove that a phase has officially ended. Dates, while targets for completion, do not signify the end of a phase—the deliverable proves the end of a project phase.

You are the project manager for your organization and are working with your project team to create the project scope statement. Part of the scope statement is to define the constraints and assumptions that you must work with in the project. Which one of the following is an example of a project assumption?

A. A predefined schedule B. A predefined budget C. Interoperability of the software and existing hardware D. A requirement to include scalability in the hardware you add to operations Answer: C. Of all the choices presented, only the interoperability of the software and existing hardware could be an assumption. The predetermined budget and schedule are constraints, as is the scalability requirement. Assumptions are things that are believed to be true though they may not have been proven to be true.

You are the project manager for the NQQ Project. You have been working with the project team to create the WBS and have now decomposed the project down to work packages. What is a work package?

A. A unit of work that must be completed before the next unit can begin B. The smallest unit of work that can be performed by the team as a whole C. The smallest decomposed object in the WBS D. One of the three parts of any project: the introduction, the implementation, and the project wrap-up Answer: C. A work package is the smallest decomposed object within the WBS. Work packages can be scheduled, cost estimated, monitored, and controlled.

What is the name of the numbering sequence a project manager can use to identify the components of a WBS?

A. Code of accounts B. Chart of accounts C. WBS dictionary index D. Project glossary Answer: A. A code of accounts is the numbering sequence project managers use in the WBS to identify the various components of the project scope decomposition.

You are the IT project manager for a project to install a new mail server. Which of the following best describes the best approach to creating the WBS?

A. Create a sample WBS and give it the project team to complete. B. Work with the project team to create a sample WBS and give it to management. C. Work with the project team and the key stakeholders to create the WBS. D. A project of this size does not need a WBS. Answer: C. Creating a WBS is not a solo activity. The project manager should work with the project team and any key stakeholders to create a WBS.

You are working with your project team to decompose the project scope down the work packages. Some of the project team members are concerned that you'll want to subdivide the deliverables to a very granular level rather than trust the project team to do their work. You assure them that this won't happen, as you're using the 8/80 Rule. What is the 8/80 Rule?

A. How long a phase should last B. A heuristic that says a project should last more than 8 months or less than 80 days C. A heuristic that says a task should not last more than 80 hours or less than 8 hours D. A description of a collection of tasks within one phase Answer: C. The 8/80 Rule is a guide that says a project activity should not take less than 8 hours or last more than 80 hours.

Sally is the project manager for the NAA Project in her organization. She is about to create the WBS based on the approved project scope for her project. She would like to include several key stakeholders in the creation of the WBS. What is the primary benefit of including the stakeholders in the WBS creation process?

A. Including stakeholders ensures that all of the requirements are identified and captured. B. Including stakeholders ensures that the stakeholders know who the project manager is and who the project team members are. C. Including stakeholders ensures that the stakeholders see that all of the requirements have been identified and are accounted for in the project. D. Including stakeholders helps to promote shared ownership of the project. Answer: D. A valuable benefit of including stakeholders in the creation of the WBS is to promote the idea of shared ownership between the project team and the stakeholders.

One of your primary concerns with the project scope is that the stakeholders may add requirements once the project is in motion. Why should the project scope be guarded against even simple additions?

A. It adds additional team members to the project. B. It distracts the team members from the project. C. Additions, even simple ones, can greatly impact the success of a project. D. Additions, even simple ones, must be approved through the project sponsor. Answer: C. Additions to the project scope can have huge impacts on the deliverables of a project. Often additions are tossed into the plans without adequate foresight or care, so their consequences can throw a perfect plan off balance. Do not change the scope of an existing project unless it is absolutely required.

You are the project manager for your organization, and you and the project team are creating your WBS for a software development project. You are mapping the WBS to phases within your project. Of the following, which one is the end result of a phase that can help in the WBS creation?

A. Milestones B. Project management life cycle C. Deliverables D. Project funding Answer: A. Milestones are typically the end result of phases, and they show progress toward project completion. Once you have identified the project milestones, the project life cycle phases used in the WBS can become more clear and distinct.

All of the following components are part of the scope baseline except for which one?

A. Project charter B. Project scope statement C. Project WBS D. WBS dictionary Answer: A. The project charter is not part of the scope baseline. While you'll need a project charter to authorize the project and identify the project manager, it's not part of the scope baseline. The scope baseline includes the project scope statement, the WBS, and the WBS dictionary.

Which one of the following is not needed when creating a WBS?

A. Project team members B. A preferred sequence of project activities C. A project scope D. Identified project deliverables Answer: B. The WBS is not concerned with the order of activities. Activity sequencing and scheduling, however, will be the process that helps the project manager determine the correct order and relationship of activities.

You are the project manager for your organization and are reviewing the requirements for your new project. The business analyst has completed the requirements and is consulting with you on what each requirement is and why it's important to the project stakeholders. You would like to create a table that maps each requirement, its characteristics, when the requirements will be created, and other information. What type of a table would you like to create?

A. RACI chart B. Roles and responsibility chart C. Requirements traceability matrix D. WBS dictionary Answer: C. A requirements traceability matrix is a table that the individual project requirements to the actual creation of the requirements. It can include information about the requirement, such as the owner, the phase when the requirement is expected to be created, and other information.

Gary is the project manager of a small project for his organization. You are serving as a project management consultant to this project. Gary tells you that because his project is so small, he doesn't feel the need to create a WBS. You tell Gary that it's in the project's best interest for him to follow through and create the WBS. Why must Gary and the project team create a WBS?

A. The WBS allows the project manager to work backward from the targeted date to assign tasks. B. The WBS allows the project manager to assign resources to tasks. C. The creation of the WBS ensures that all of the project deliverables are fully identified and decomposed so that the necessary resources may be obtained and assigned to the work. D. The WBS allows the project manager to assign multiple team members to multiple tasks to speed up the implementation. Answer: C. A WBS is deliverables-oriented decomposition of the project work. It is a process to ensure that all of the required deliverables are identified and broken down into manageable components so that resources and labor may be assigned to complete the project work.

You are implementing a small network and would like to create a WBS. Todd, your assistant, does not want to create a WBS for such a small project. Why should you create a WBS for every project?

A. To ensure maximum billable hours B. To ensure the project is complete and whole at finish C. To ensure Todd performs all of his responsibilities D. To work toward a definite deliverable Answer: B. A WBS, even on small projects, ensures that all tasks are complete and whole. It does not necessarily ensure maximum billable hours, nor does it promise work toward a definite deliverable—these would be accomplished through the project plan. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that Todd performs all of his duties, not the WBS.