| Question 1 | Getting the most productivity for the money can be a challenge for a project manager. The PMBOK talks about earned value and how to use it as a measurement. What is it? A. The difference between what should have been done and what was actually done B. The cost of the work accomplished C. The value of the project to the company defined in the business case D. How much is invested in a project
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| A1: | Answer A is correct. The cost of the work accomplished does not tell you how much you should have accomplished. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. The value to a company based on the business case is generally considered payback or return on investment. Therefore, answer C is incorrect (because the value is not yet earned). Answer D is incorrect because this is the definition of an investment. |
| Question 2 | Conflicts on a project can have an impact on control of the project scope. A control system is concerned with which of the following? A. Preventing change from affecting project execution and budgets B. Influencing factors that cause change, determining a change has occurred, and managing the implementation of the change C. Ensuring the change-control board is informed D. Managing conflict
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| A2: | Answer B is correct. Preventing change from affecting execution is impossible. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Change control allows for the effective execution and incorporation of a change into the project plan. The change-control board is the body that accepts or rejects a change request. As such, it must be informed and is part of the change-control system. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because a project manager does not manage conflict for the change-control board. |
| Question 3 | Monitoring progress on a project helps guide the project and provides a roadmap to milestone completion. One tool that allows the project manager to break down and describe tasks is the Work Breakdown Structure. The Work Breakdown Structure is a central input to which of the following? A. Project schedule management. B. Scope change control, because it defines the baseline tasks of the project. C. Project payments to vendors. D. Microsoft Project software
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| A3: | Answer B is correct. Although the WBS is key to creating the schedule, it is not used for schedule management. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Payments to vendors may indeed be based on tasks in the WBS, but they are not the primary method for discerning payment. The contract is the method by which the payment obligations are defined. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because the information should go through change control before being put into a system. |
| Question 4 | Scope verification consists of which of the following? A. Ensuring the correctness of the work results B. Ensuring formal acceptance of the work results C. Verbal acceptance from a project sponsor D. Preparing documents to capture the agreement
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| A4: | Answer B is correct. Scope verification is formal, and it cannot be verbal. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. It involves acceptance by the customer of the work results. Quality assurance is the process by which the correctness of the work results is verified. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because this is a communication deliverable. |
| Question 5 | Which of the following is not an example of an item that causes a change request? A. The programmer decides there is a neat feature he can add to the product. B. An error in the project or product design is discovered. C. The government has changed a regulation that impacts the project. D. An identified risk has occurred and a contingency plan must be implemented.
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| A5: | Answer A is correct. Adding a "neat" feature is generally considered gold plating by the PMBOK. Extra features not requested by the customer should be avoided. The remaining items are all examples of when a change request should be initiated. Therefore, answers B, C, and D are all incorrect. |
| Question 6 | A change-control system does not have ______________________. A. paperwork B. tracking mechanisms C. approval requirements D. referential authority
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| A6: | Answer D is correct. Referential authority is related to managing through another, more highly placed individual in an organization. Per the PMBOK definition, a change-control system must have paperwork, tracking mechanisms, and approval requirements. Therefore, answers A, B, and C, are all incorrect. |
| Question 7 | Float time is the amount of time you can delay the beginning of a task without delaying the end date of the project. Float time is an important consideration in ____________________________________. A. detecting whether schedule variance needs to be remedied B. scheduling tasks that are dependent on one another C. final project reporting
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| A7: | Answer A is correct. Float is important in detecting whether schedule variance needs to be corrected. It is somewhat important with dependent tasks, but not until the float is actually used up. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. Float is not used in final project reporting. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. |
| Question 8 | Project managers frequently monitor variances to determine where they should focus their attention on a project. What is schedule variance? A. The difference between how much the project was expected to cost and how much it is actually costing. B. It's not an issue for project managers because schedules do typically vary. C. The difference between the amount of time a task was to take and the actual amount of time it took. D. It's considered a major problem by PMI.
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| A8: | Answer C is correct. Answer A is incorrect because this is the definition of cost variance. Although answer B is true, a project manager must continually assess the variance to see whether corrective action must be taken. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because schedule variances can be positive and may not necessarily require corrective action. |
| Question 9 | Project managers are decision makers in response to issues. What is corrective action? A. The act of disciplining a project team member B. An action taken to bring a schedule or project performance into line C. Monitoring to detect and understand schedule variance D. Taking notes, summarizing reports, and providing feedback
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| A9: | Answer B is correct. Although disciplining a project team member may well be a type of corrective action, this is not the best answer because the purpose of a corrective action is to bring a project back on schedule. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Monitoring to detect and understand schedule variance is the definition of schedule control. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because these are tasks associated with communication and reporting. |
| Question 10 | Earned Value Management consists of which of the following? A. Monitoring project work results for conformance to requirements B. Monitoring planned schedule and costs against actual schedule and costs to determine whether a project is ahead of or behind schedule or cost C. Determining the amount of payment due to a contractor D. Developing a lessons learned summary report
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| A10: | Answer B is correct. Answer A is incorrect because monitoring work results is quality control. Although earned value is sometimes used in contract payments, answer C is not the best definition. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because this is not related to earned value. |
