Category A
Human Resource and Quality Category
Procurement and Integration Category
Scope and Cost Category
Risk and Stakeholder Category
100
Your company has won a project to build a school playground with specific toys and a sandpit.The school has mandated that the project be completed prior to start of the school after Holidays .You review the plan and see that the estimated completion date is nearly a month after the desired completion date.As resources are sparse you do not have the option to add additional resources.However you see that the sand pit work can start in parallel to the play kits being installed.Your analysis tells you that by performing these activities in parallel - the project would meet its schedule.This is an example of : A. Scope Creep B. Resource Levelling C. Crashing D. Fast Tracking
D is the correct answer. The correct answer is D - Crashing deals with adding additional resources which is not an option here.Crashing is a schedule compression technique by performing activities in parallel if they can be overlapped.NOTE Fast Tracking may result in increased risk and rework.
100
Which hierarchical chart shows resources? A. RBS B. OBS C. WBS D. Scope statement
A is the correct answer. A is the correct answer. The Resource Breakdown Structure shows various resources, both human and mechanical needed for the project.
100
Which of the following statements is not true regarding a Contract ? A. Legally binding in nature B. Obligates buyer to provide compensation and obligates seller to provide some product or service in return C. By careful administration of terms and conditions the buyer can transfer some of the risks to the seller D. Contracts undergo an approval process as any other plan
D is the correct answer. This question tests your knowledge about contracts and procurement.At the onset all the answers seem to be correct with respect to the contract.A contract is legally binding in nature , its an agreement of seller providing some service or product and buyer compensating the seller.Some of the risks can indeed be transferred to the seller through terms and conditions.Because of the legal nature of a contract - generally contracts are subject to a more intensive approval process - much more intense than our other plans - hence in the context of the question - option D is the right answer
100
You are in the process of making cost estimates for a project.However detailed requirements are not yet available.A similar project was executed by your company and you decide to use the past projects historical data to come up with your estimates. This is called - A. Analogous estimating B. Parametric estimating C. Bottom-up estimating D. Three point estimating
A is the correct answer. The correct answer is Analogous estimating - since analogous estimation relies on past or historical data of similar nature. As the project is at an early state - where the detailed requirements are not yet available - this is the best technique suited to come to an early estimate - though it may not be very accurate.
100
Which of the following statements are false regarding Risk Management? A. All identified risks are maintained in the Risk Register. B. Risk prioritization occurs in Qualitative Risk Analysis. C. Risk prioritization occurs in Quantitative Risk Analysis. D. Low priority risks are maintained in a Watch List.
C is the correct answer. All of the statements are true except the statement regarding Quantitative Risk Analysis.Quantitative Risk analysis does not deal with prioritizing risks.The prioritization occurs in the Qualitative Risk Analysis process.Quantitative Risk Analysis deals with assigning numeric values to risks.
200
You are the project manager for a large Project. You are currently busy with approximating number of work periods required to complete individual activities with estimated resources. Which of the following inputs do you need for this ? A. Activity List B. Activity resource requirements C. Resource Breakdown structure D. All of the above
C is the correct answer. C is the correct answer. Approximating number of work periods required to complete individual activities with estimated resources is done in Estimate Activity Duration process. Activity List,Activity resource requirements and Resource Breakdown structure are inputs of Estimate Activity Duration process. PMBOK
200
Which of the following is NOT part of a quality plan? A. Benchmarking B. Cost of Quality C. Design of experiments D. Quality audits
D is the correct answer. Quality audits are part of a Perform Quality Assurance process.
200
You are in charge of a project for the electrical layout of a 5 star hotel.You see this as a very simple project as you and your team have a lot of experience excuting similar such projects.As a result your organization has a wealth of Organizational Process assets.You have worked out the exact details of the work involved and have a very detailed WBS with granular level activities defined.You decide to employ the services of a contractor for laying out of the cable trays.What kind of a contract would be the best choice ? A. Cost-reimbursable contract B. Fixed-price contract C. T and M contract D. None of the above
B is the correct answer. When as a buyer you are clear of the scope and statement of work - the contract choice should be Fixed-price.This is because in this type of contract if scope is clearly defined - then almost all of the risk lies with the seller.here the buyer is smug with the confidence of having had experience in executing similar projects in the past and has also broken down WBS into detailed activities - so scope is clear - so the correct answer is option B
200
Decomposition is best described as: A. Creating control accounts. B. Creating work packages. C. Breaking down deliverables into smaller work packages so they can be better planned D. Planning and scheduling of work packages
C is the correct answer. Decomposition deals with breaking down deliverables into small discrete work packages that can be planned better.It also helps prevent work from slipping through the cracks and gives the project team a better picture of the work involved.
200
You know that the success of your project will be determined by how well you manage risks.You know that identifying risks upfront can help you be better prepared with risk response strategies.So you decide to identify risks by taking help of experts.You have identified some good experts and rather than calling them into your office - you send them questionnaires.You promise them complete anonymity so that they give unhindered responses.What information gathering technique are you adopting? A. Brainstorming B. Root Cause Identification C. SWOT analysis D. Delphi Technique
D is the correct answer. All four options listed above are information gathering techniques - but the correct answer is Delphi Technique.This is a form of information gathering technique where inputs from experts is solicited anonymously without gathering them together.
300
Your project is in a critical phase.You notice one of the team members comes in late into office and leaves early.This is clearly impacting delivery.You decide to discuss the details with the concerned team member to better understand the details.On discussion you find no specific reasons so you explain the necessity and criticality of the project expecting the team member improves.However next week your lead engineer reports about inadequate time being spent by the same person in office.What would be the best choice of communication in this case ? A. Informal and verbal B. Formal and written C. Informal and written D. Formal and verbal
B is the correct answer. In this case you have already tried out the option of discussing with the team member once - which is an example of Informal verbal.Clearly that has not worked so it calls for a more stricter reprimand - so here the correct form of communication would be a formal written communication.
300
To facilitate,measure and control Quality - you have been asked to use the seven basic quality tools - also known as 7QC tools - which ones would they be ? A. Cause and effect diagrams , Flowcharts , Checksheets , Pareto diagrams , Histograms , Control Charts, Sequence Diagrams B. Cause and effect diagrams , Flowcharts , Checksheets , Pareto diagrams , Histograms , Control Charts, Scatter Diagrams C. Activity diagrams , Flowcharts , Checksheets , Pareto diagrams , Histograms , Control Charts, Sequence Diagrams D. Cause and effect diagrams , Monte Carlo analysis , Checksheets , Pareto diagrams , Histograms , Control Charts, Scatter Diagrams
B is the correct answer. Option B is the correct answer.
300
You are in charge of a project to build a bridge across a river.You are midway through the project.However due to changes in environmental laws the project can no longer proceed and would need to be terminated.Executive management has asked you to document the level of work completed for the project.This would be done in which of the processes ? A. Project Closure B. Contract closure C. Project charter D. Scope Validation
D is the correct answer. The correct answer is option D.Not only is Scope verification performed while the project is executing - it is also performed when a project is terminated.It is used to determine the level of completion.
300
The _________ details the different tasks for members in the project. A. Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) B. WBS C. SOW D. Scope statement
A is the correct answer. A is the correct answer. Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) details the different tasks for the members in the project.
300
As a project manager you understand the importance of identifying all relevant stakeholders , their interest and influence and their needs and expectations.You have been assigned to handle a large construction project.You decide to do a thorough stakeholder analysis and you identify Laura and Sean.Based on your interactions and analysis - you know that both Sean and Laura are low in the pecking order so they do not wield any significant authority or power.However where it differs is in their interest in the project.Laura has a lot of interest while Sean is disinterested . You decide to plot them in a Power / Interest grid to help determine how you would manage these stakeholders. Which of the following is the best approach to handle these two stakeholders ? A. Both Sean and Laura should be Kept Informed. B. Sean should be Monitored and Laura should be Kept informed. C. Both Sean and Laura should be Monitored. D. Sean should be Kept informed and Laura should be Monitored.
B is the correct answer. Both Sean and Laura do not wield a lot of power and authority .However the differentiator seems to be their level of interest.While Sean is disinterested Laura has a high level of interest in the project.Stakeholders who have a high level of interest but who wield insignificant authority or power should be Kept informed - in this case Laura. Stakeholders who have a low level of interest and who wield insignificant authority or power should be Monitored - in this case Kelly.The correct answer being - Option B
400
You are the project manager of a software project. Your team member want to make technical changes to an activity which will add more time to that activity. What should you do ? A. Check if the activity is on critical path B. Allow team members to change the activity C. Report to senior management D. Ignore change in activities.
A is the correct answer. A is the correct answer. Check the activity if it is on critical path is the best option.
400
You have just completed developing the Schedule Network Diagram for a project that deals with building super sonic state of the art Jet planes.You have identified your critical path which includes building a wind tunnel.You see that in addition there is another path which deals with building the tail of the plane - whose duration is close to the critical path.You also notice considerable floats on the other paths.You now need to assign resources to the tasks - you have a few team members who are highly skilled and a team of resources who are relatively inexperienced.What would be the best course of action while assigning resources ? A. It is irrelevant which resources are assigned to tasks - resource skills and critical paths have nothing in common B. Assign all the skilled resources to building the wind tunnel which is the critical path - assign the non skilled task to building the tail. C. Assign the inexperienced staff to the task of building the wind tunnel - and assign the skilled task to all other tasks. D. Assign one half of the skilled resources to the task of building the wind tunnel and the other half to building the tail and assign the less experienced staff to all the other tasks.
D is the correct answer. Option D is the best option.Option A and C are just plain wrong - you should always ensure actvities on the critical path do not get delayed - so having the best equipped staff on critical path activities is important.While Option B is an option - it cannot be the BEST choice since if we assign all the experienced staff on building the wind tunnel - the critical path activities are taken care of - but the question also states of a path which is near Critical - building of the tail.Not paying attention to this path by assignining inexperienced staff is not a good option.Amongst the choices option D is the best fit - where you are paying attention to both the critical path and near critical path by assigning your best and most skilled or experienced resources to the activities on the Critical path and Near Critical Path.
400
Your friend who works as a project manager in a pharmaceutical company meets you over dinner.You see a drastic change in his temperament as compared to when you last met him.He seems dejected and complains that in his present organization - as a project manager - he has almost no authority and hardly any decision making ability.What kind of an organizational structure does your friend work in ? A. A Product organization B. A Functional Organizational Structure C. A Strong Matrix Organizational Structure D. A Projectized Organizational Structure
B is the correct answer. Your friend works in a Functional Organizational Structure.In such an organizational structure all the power and authority resides with the Functional Manager.Such organizations are hierarchial in nature - where each employee has one clear superior.People are grouped by specialities ( Functional ) - Example - Mechanical , Accounts , Marketing etc.These departments work independently of each other.So the correct answer is option B - Functional Organization
400
You are the project manager of a project and one of the functional managers wants to make a major scope change during the execution of the project. What should be your action? A. Prepare an impact detail of the change for the functional manager B. Refuse the change C. Complain to the sponsor D. Ignore the request
A is the correct answer. If there is scope change by a functional manager during the execution of the project, then the project manager sends the impact detail of the changes to functional manager.
400
You are out for lunch with a fellow project manager.She is in charge of a project that deals with laying out electrical cables across two towns.As you understand the plan of the layout - you realize that the cabling would cover a neighborhood with a history of criminal problems.You advise your fellow team manager that it would be prudent to insure the copper cables through a theft insurance.You also advise her regarding which insurance companies would give her the best insurance covers against theft.What risk response strategy did you just adopt? A. Risk mitigation B. Risk avoidance C. Risk transfer D. Risk acceptance
C is the correct answer. This is an example of Risk transfer where you have advised your fellow manager to insure against theft through insurance.Note that this does not eliminate the risk rather the risk is simply to be borne by the insurance company.It is also worthwhile to note that the transfer of negative risks comes with a premium to be paid to the party responsible for handling the risk.In this case the insurance company would need to be paid a premium for bearing this risk
500
You are managing a project responsible for doing plantation on a large reserve land.You have created the schedule network diagram and have identified two paths. Path 1 consists of two activities of a duration of 2 and 5 weeks respectively.Path 2 consists of 3 activities with durations of 1 , 3 and 3 weeks respectively.Which of the two paths is the Critical Path ? A. Path 1 B. Path 2 C. Neither D. Both Paths 1 and 2 are Critical Paths
D is the correct answer. The correct answer is D - since the duration of both the paths is 7 weeks.Remember that the path with the longest duration is the critical path and you can have more than 1 Critical Path!
500
As a project manager of a large product - you and your team have shipped the deliverables to your customer.However the customer has reported a number of serious issues in the quality of deliverables - as a result of which the cost of quality of your project is deemed high. In the above scenario which type of cost would have caused the cost of quality to increase ? A. Less Rework. B. Higher productivity. C. Lower costs. D. Increased stakeholder satisfaction.
D is the correct answer. Options A , B and C are benefits of meeting Quality Requirements.The question states what has contributed to increased cost of Quality.As the stakeholder is not satisfied with the deliverables - there is rework involved , there is an impact on productivity and increases cost.It also decreases stakeholder satisfaction - so amongst the choices option D is the correct option.
500
You are a project manager for a project. While reviewing the cost estimates for the project, you notice that one of the cost estimates for an element in the WBS is 20% higher than the previous project for a very similar work. What should you do next? A. Accept the estimate. B. Ask the person responsible about the difference. C. Ignore it. D. Reduce the estimate.
B is the correct answer. Best option is to ask the person responsible about the difference and create the most accurate estimate that is practical.
500
As a manager on a project your key outlook is to ensure that the project delivers within the scheduled timelines with minimal rework and customer delight.For some time now the project work is proceeding smoothly with a CPI and SPI a perfect 1.One of your team members approaches you and indicates that she might possibly need a long vacation on personal grounds.She indicates this could possibly occur in two months from now.You look up the schedule and as luck would have it - this team member happens to be scheduled to execute activities which are on the critical path - and her absence in two months time would cause a delay in schedule.You decide to take some action and ask the team member to start regular knowledge transfers to a couple of trainees.Your thought is though the trainees would be relatively inexperienced they would more than make up for it with two people rather than one person to perform these tasks should this team member need to go on leave.What did you just do ? A. Mitigate the risk B. Avoid the risk C. Transfer the risk D. Exploit the risk
A is the correct answer. You have mitigated the risk where by asking for the trainees to be trained you have created a Risk response strategy.Should this team member go on leave the trainees would execute the task.So you have not avoided the risk.Again there is no question of exploiting the risk as this is not a positive risk.This is not a case of Risk avoidance either - so the correct answer is Risk Mitigation - option A.
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