Test Fragen + Antworten October 2004 Project Management Wilhelm F. Neuhäuser IBM Corporation 2003
Question 1 All the following Statements about a WBS are true except that it a. Provides a framework for organizing and ordering a project's activities b. Can be similar in appearance to an organizational chart c. Breaks down a project into successively greater detail by level d. Is a scheduling method e. Is a planning tool 2
Question 1 - Answer All the following Statements about a WBS are true except that it a. Provides a framework for organizing and ordering a project's activities b. Can be similar in appearance to an organizational chart c. Breaks down a project into successively greater detail by level d. Is a scheduling method e. Is a planning tool The WBS provides input to the scheduling process but is not a scheduling method such as PERT. 3
Question 2 The document that describes the objectives, work content, deliverables, and end-product of a project is the - a. Project Charter b. Product description c. Decomposition document d. Scope Statement e. WBS 4
Question 2 - Answer The document that describes the objectives, work content, deliverables, and end-product of a project is the - a. Project Charter b. Product description c. Decomposition document d. Scope Statement e. WBS The scope Statement provides stakeholders with a common understanding of the scope of the project and is a source of reference for making future project decisions. PMI 1996, 52 5
Question 3 As applied to projects, temporary means that a. Projects are short in duration b. Every project has a definite beginning and end c. The undertaking will end at an undetermined time in the future d. Projects can be canceled at any time e. All of the above 6
Question 3 - Answer As applied to projects, temporary means that a. Projects are short in duration b. Every project has a definite beginning and end c. The undertaking will end at an undetermined time in the future d. Projects can be canceled at any time e. All of the above The end is reached when either the project's objectives have been achieved or they are recognized as being unachievable and the project is terminated. PMI 1996, 4 and 5 7
Question 4 A work package is a. A deliverable at the lowest level of the WBS b. A task with a unique identifier c. A description of work procedures d. A required level of reporting e. An item that cannot be broken down further 8
Question 4 - Answer A work package is a. A deliverable at the lowest level of the WBS b. A task with a unique identifier c. A description of work procedures d. A required level of reporting e. An item that cannot be broken down further A work package is the lowest or smallest unit of work division in a project or WBS. Typically, a work package contains about 80 hours of work. PMI 1996, 56 9
Question 5 The project Charter should be issued by a. The project manager b. The head of the performing organization c. A manager external to the project d. Functional managers and the project manager e. The head of business development 10
Question 5 - Answer The project Charter should be issued by a. The project manager b. The head of the performing organization c. A manager external to the project d. Functional managers and the project manager e. The head of business development The project Charter should be issued by a manager outside the project but at a level appropriate to the project manager's needs. Because it provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities, the project Charter should not be issued by the project manager. Functional managers should have approval authority. PMI 1996, 50 11
Question 6 The greatest degree of uncertainty is encountered during which phase of the project life cycle? a. Concept b. Planning c. Execution d. Closeout e. All phases involve uncertainty to the same degree 12
Question 6 - Answer The greatest degree of uncertainty is encountered during which phase of the project life cycle? a. Concept b. Planning c. Execution d. Closeout e. All phases involve uncertainty to the same degree The greatest degree of uncertainty about the future is encountered during the concept phase. The direction of the project is determined in this phase, and the decisions made have the greatest influence on scope, quality, time, and cost of the project 13
Question 7 Which term describes a modification of a logical relationship that delays a successor task? a. Lag b. Lead c. Float d. lack e. None of the above 14
Question 7 - Answer Which term describes a modification of a logical relationship that delays a successor task? a. Lag b. Lead c. Float d. lack e. None of the above For example, in a finish-to-start dependency with a 10-day lag, the successor activity cannot Start until 10 days after the predecessor has finished. PMI 1996, 164 15
Question 8 Milestones are not - a. Activities of zero duration b. Significant events in the project life cycle c. Measures of achievement for expenditures of money or time d. Set by project stakeholders e. Best utilized when denoting Start and finish of all activities 16
Question 8 - Answer Milestones are not - a. Activities of zero duration b. Significant events in the project life cycle c. Measures of achievement for expenditures of money or time d. Set by project stakeholders e. Best utilized when denoting Start and finish of all activities Because milestones represent significant project events, a milestone for the Start and finish of every activity would be excessive. PMI 1996, 70 17
Question 9 The network diagram - a. Illustrates project team member communication b. Identifies the scheduled Start and end dates of key activities and administrative tasks c. Displays the logical relationships between project activities d. Provides Information on schedule performance e. None of the above 18
Question 9 - Answer The network diagram - a. Illustrates project team member communication b. Identifies the scheduled Start and end dates of key activities and administrative tasks c. Displays the logical relationships between project activities d. Provides Information on schedule performance e. None of the above The project activities (work packages) are connected by lines of precedence indicating their logical relationships, or dependencies. PMI 1996, 64 19
Question 10 Activity A has a duration of 3 days and begins on the morning of Monday the 4th. The successor activity, B, has a finish-to-start relationship with A. The finish-to-start relationship has 3 days of lag, and activity B has a duration of 4 days. Sunday is a non workday. What can be determined from these dates? a. The total duration of both activities is 7 days b. Calendar time between start of A to the finish of B is 11 days c. The finish date of B is Wednesday the 13 th d. a and b e. a, b, and c 20
Question 10 - Answer Activity A has a duration of 3 days and begins on the morning of Monday the 4th. The successor activity, B, has a finish-to-start relationship with A. The finish-to-start relationship has 3 days of lag, and activity B has a duration of 4 days. Sunday is a non workday. What can be determined from these dates? a. The total duration of both activities is 7 days b. Calendar time between start of A to the finish of B is 11 days c. The finish date of B is Wednesday the 13 th d. a and b e. a, b, and c 21
Question 10 - Answer a and b The duration of A, which is 3, is added to the duration of B, which is 4, for a total of 7. The 3 days between the activities is lag and not duration. The lag is a constraint and must be taken into account as part of the network calculations, but it does not consume resources. The total time by the calendar is 11 days as counted from the morning of Monday the 4th. The lag occurs over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday is a non working day, so activity B does not start until Monday the 11th. Therefore, the calendar time is 11 days and activity B ends on Thursday the 14th. 22
Question 11 In project time management, fast tracking means - a. Reducing the duration of critical path activities to shorten project duration b. Reducing project duration by redefining logical relationships c. Using only the best resources to accomplish work as quickly as possible d. Coordination efforts with other projects to reduce administrative friction e. Using state-of-the-art Software to measure project progress 23
Question 11 - Answer In project time management, fast tracking means - a. Reducing the duration of critical path activities to shorten project duration b. Reducing project duration by redefining logical relationships c. Using only the best resources to accomplish work as quickly as possible d. Coordination efforts with other projects to reduce administrative friction e. Using state-of-the-art Software to measure project progress The objective of fast-tracking is to redefine the logic in a project to accomplish activities in parallel as start-to-start, rather than finish-tostart, relationships. PMI 1996, 68 24
Question 12 The primary outcome of performing a forward pass on a network diagram is determination of the - a. Earliest time each activity in the network can Start and finish b. Amount of resource required to complete the project c. Project's total float d. a and b e. a, b, and c 25
Question 12 - Answer The primary outcome of performing a forward pass on a network diagram is determination of the - a. Earliest time each activity in the network can Start and finish b. Amount of resource required to complete the project c. Project's total float d. a and b e. a, b, and c A forward pass Starts with the earliest Start date of the first activity and calculates early Start and finish times for each activity. 26
Question 13 Unlike bar charts, milestone charts show - a. Scheduled Start or completion of major deliverables and key events b. Activity Start and end dates c. Expected durations d. Dependencies e. Logical relationships and critical path 27
Question 13 - Answer Unlike bar charts, milestone charts show - a. Scheduled Start or completion of major deliverables and key events b. Activity Start and end dates c. Expected durations d. Dependencies e. Logical relationships and critical path Milestones are Singular points in time, such as Start or completion of a significant activity or group of activities. PMI 1996, 70 28
Question 14 An activity has an early Start date of the 10th and a late Start date of the 19th. The activity also has a duration of 4 days. There are no non workdays. From the Information given, what can be concluded about the activity? a. Total float for the activity is 9 days b. The early finish date of the activity is the end of the day on the 13th c. The late finish date is the 25th d. The total calendar time to complete the activity is 4 days e. a and b 29
Question 14 - Answer An activity has an early Start date of the 10th and a late Start date of the 19th. The activity also has a duration of 4 days. There are no non workdays. From the Information given, what can be concluded about the activity? a. Total float for the activity is 9 days b. The early finish date of the activity is the end of the day on the 13th c. The late finish date is the 25th d. The total calendar time to complete the activity is 4 days e. a and b Total float is computed by subtracting the early Start date from the late Start date. The early finish date is computed by adding the duration to the early Start date. 30
Question 15 Which tool provides a basis to identify the work that must be scheduled? a. Ishikawa diagram b. WBS c. Budget d. Master schedule e. Gantt chart 31
Question 15 - Answer Which tool provides a basis to identify the work that must be scheduled? a. Ishikawa diagram b. WBS c. Budget d. Master schedule e. Gantt chart The WBS provides an important foundation for constructing a realistic schedule because it identifies all the work that must be accomplished. PMI 1996, 54-56, 61 32
Question 16 In project time management, crashing means a. Reducing project duration by redefining logical relationships b. Reducing Computer network downtime for schedule risk modeling c. Applying additional resources to all project activities d. Randomly applying resources to critical path activities e. Applying additional resources to critical path activities by priority 33
Question 16 - Answer In project time management, crashing means a. Reducing project duration by redefining logical relationships b. Reducing Computer network downtime for schedule risk modeling c. Applying additional resources to all project activities d. Randomly applying resources to critical path activities e. Applying additional resources to critical path activities by priority When applying additional resources to reduce project duration, the emphasis is on those activities whose cost of crashing will gain the most time for the cost incurred. PMI 1996, 68 34
Question 17 The following activities are in a network diagram Activity Predecessor Duration A Excavating none 5 B Pouring foundation A 2 C Installing outside plumbing A 6 D Framing B 8 E Installing inside plumbing D 2 F Wiring D 3 In the network outlined above, which Statements are true? I. Installing outside plumbing is on the critical path. II. Installing inside plumbing has a day of slack. III. Pouring foundation is on the critical path. a. I b. II and III c. I and II d. I and III e. I, II and III 35
Question 17 - Answer In the network outlined above, which Statements are true? I. Installing outside plumbing is on the critical path. II. Installing inside plumbing has a day of slack. III. Pouring foundation is on the critical path. a. I b. II and III c. I and II d. I and III e. I, II and III Path A-B-D-E = 17 days Path A-B-D-F = 18 days = Critical path Path A-C = 11 days Activity E, installing inside plumbing, has 1 day of slack: 18 days - 17 days = 1 day. Activity B, pouring foundation, is on the critical path. 36
Question 17 - Answer Start ES EF 1 6 Duration=5 Task A 1 6 LS LF ES EF 6 8 Duration=2 Task B 6 8 LS LF ES EF 8 16 Duration=8 Task D 8 16 LS LF ES 16 EF 18 Duration=2 Task E 17 19 LS LF Finish ES EF 16 19 Duration=3 Task F 16 19 LS LF ES EF 6 12 Duration=6 Task C 13 19 LS LF 37
Question 18 Each of the following Statements about risk avoidance is true except that it - a. Focuses on eliminating the elements that are creating the risk b. Includes making the decision not to bid a project in which the risk exposure is believed to be too high c. Accepts the consequences of the risk event should it occur d. Includes adopting an alternative, lower-risk technology path e. Includes leaving the risk with the customer when the customer is in the best position to mitigate the risk 38
Question 18 - Answer Each of the following Statements about risk avoidance is true except that it - a. Focuses on eliminating the elements that are creating the risk b. Includes making the decision not to bid a project in which the risk exposure is believed to be too high c. Accepts the consequences of the risk event should it occur d. Includes adopting an alternative, lower-risk technology path e. Includes leaving the risk with the customer when the customer is in the best position to mitigate the risk Accepting the consequences of the risk event is categorized as risk acceptance. With this response development approach, the project team takes no action to reduce the probability of the risk's occurring. 39
Question 19 In a proactive approach to project risk management, the amount of a contingency reserve should be based on a. Standard allowance b. Percentages based on past experience c. The sum total of the most likely probability and impact of the various risk items d. A set amount allocated to each item proportionately e. An allowance of 10% for each phase in the project life cycle 40
Question 19 - Answer In a proactive approach to project risk management, the amount of a contingency reserve should be based on a. Standard allowance b. Percentages based on past experience c. The sum total of the most likely probability and impact of the various risk items d. A set amount allocated to each item proportionately e. An allowance of 10% for each phase in the project life cycle After appropriate allowances have been determined, allocations should be made to the major functional areas of responsibility. With the other approaches, the funds are often depleted before the end of the project because of the temptation for others to use the reserve fund for purposes other than risk management. 41
Question 20 Risk mitigation involves a. Using performance and payment bonds b. Eliminating a specific threat by eliminating the cause c. Avoiding the schedule risk inherent in the project d. Assigning the risk to a subcontractor e. Reducing the expected monetary value of a risk event by reducing the probability of occurrence 42
Question 20 - Answer Risk mitigation involves a. Using performance and payment bonds b. Eliminating a specific threat by eliminating the cause c. Avoiding the schedule risk inherent in the project d. Assigning the risk to a subcontractor e. Reducing the expected monetary value of a risk event by reducing the probability of occurrence An example of mitigation is using proven technology to lessen the probability that the product of the project will not work or reducing the risk event value through buying Insurance, or both. PMI 1996, 119 43
Question 21 On a typical project, when are risks highest and impacts (amount at stake) lowest? a. When the resource histogram peaks b. During the concept phase c. At or near completion of the project d. During the implementation phase e. When the project manager is replaced 44
Question 21 - Answer On a typical project, when are risks highest and impacts (amount at stake) lowest? a. When the resource histogram peaks b. During the concept phase c. At or near completion of the project d. During the implementation phase e. When the project manager is replaced Risks are highest at the beginning of a project because the project faces an uncertain future, and impacts are lowest then because Investments in human and material resources are small. 45
Question 22 All the following are examples of external risks except - a. Regulatory considerations b. Natural hazards c. Inflation d. Contract type e. Taxation 46
Question 22 - Answer All the following are examples of external risks except - a. Regulatory considerations b. Natural hazards c. Inflation d. Contract type e. Taxation External risks are those events over which the project manager has no control or influence. PMI 1996, 111 47