| Question 1 | The CIO and the head of marketing of a drug development services organization privately discuss a change to a key task in the design phase of a project. After the discussion, they tell the project manager to make the appropriate changes. This scenario is an example of: A. Proactive senior management B. A project-based organization C. Effective decision-making D. A project coordinator role
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| A1: | Answer D is correct. In this scenario, it is the best response. A project coordinator's authority and decision-making ability are generally limited to minor items. Senior management will generally make the significant decisions impacting the scope and success of the project. There is not enough information given to determine whether answer A or C are correct, and in a project-based organization, the project manager would be empowered to make these decisions. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. |
| Question 2 | Which of the following statements about the project expeditor or project coordinator role is true? A. The project expeditor does not make decisions. B. The project coordinator does not make decisions. C. The project coordinator has no authority. D. The project expeditor focuses on completing the project on schedule.
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| A2: | Answer A is correct. A project coordinator does make decisions on nonmajor items impacting the project and does have some authority to influence the project. Therefore, answers B and C are incorrect. The project expeditor is focused on coordinating communications and is not able to make decisions. Therefore, answer D is incorrect. |
| Question 3 | A project manager for a financial services organization is trying to complete a package application implementation project but is unable to get the planned amount of time from key resources to complete some of the critical path tasks. The key resources are focused on completing their day-to-day tasks, and the project manager does not control the work assignments for these people. This scenario is an example of what type of organization? A. Balanced matrix B. Tight matrix C. Functional D. Project coordinator
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| A3: | Answer C is correct. In a functional organization, the project manager has the least support and the least ability to control project resources. In a balanced matrix organization or project coordinator situation, the project manager would be empowered with more control over resources or would be able to leverage his senior management to influence resource assignments. Therefore, answers A and D are incorrect. Tight matrix deals with the co-location of project team members within a matrix organization and is not relevant to this question. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. |
| Question 4 | Regarding the importance of management and leadership in projects, all the following statements are false except which one? A. Technical leadership is of primary importance in project management. B. A project can only have one leader. C. On a large project, the project manager is not expected to be the project's leader. D. Managing is primarily concerned with consistently producing key results expected by stakeholders.
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| A4: | Answer D is correct. The statement in answer D is true. Technical leadership is not the most important element of effective project management. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. A project needs leadership at the project, team, and technical levels. Frequently, more than one person is needed to fulfill these leadership needs. Therefore, answer B is incorrect. On large projects, the project manger is expected to be the project leader. Therefore, answer C is incorrect. |
| Question 5 | Which of the following statements is not true? A. Cultural differences will always be an obstacle to overcome. B. Culture is a critical lever for competitive advantage. C. There is a common ground for people from different cultures to work from to help resolve project conflicts. D. Only those who realize that cultural differences are a resource to leverage will survive in the twenty-first century.
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| A5: | Answer A is correct. The statement in answer A is not true because cultural differences are not "always" an obstacle to overcome on a project. Answers B, C, and D are all true statements and therefore incorrect answers. |
| Question 6 | Project managers need solid communication and negotiation skills primarily because: A. They must give presentations and briefings to senior management. B. Getting the best deals from vendors requires these skills. C. They may be leading a team with no direct control over the individual team members. D. They must be able to effectively share their technical expertise.
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| A6: | Answer C is correct. This is a great example of where you are looking for the best response. Effective negotiation and communication skills are important to the other three situations, too, but the project team leadership aspect is where these skills are essential and where they will have the greatest impact on project success. Therefore, answers A, B, and D are incorrect. |
| Question 7 | Which factors are considered to be part of the "triple constraint" paradigm used to describe the tradeoffs made when making project decisions? A. Cost, time, scope, stakeholders, quality B. Cost, time, scope C. Cost, time, scope, quality, customer satisfaction D. Cost, time, quality
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| A7: | Answer C is correct. This is an example of the "tricky" questions occasionally found on the PMP exam. Answer C is correct because it represents the most complete list of competing project demands. Answer A references stakeholders but does not indicate what aspect of stakeholders is important to the project's decision-making process (such as satisfaction). Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Cost, time, and scope are the three factors that originally comprised the "triple constraint" model. However, answers B and D are both incorrect because they only define a subset of the possible set of competing demands on a project team. |
| Question 8 | Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between projects and programs? A. There are no differences…just different terms for the same thing. B. A project is composed of one or more related programs. C. A program is composed of one or more related projects. D. A project is a temporary endeavor, whereas a program is permanent.
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| A8: | Answer C is correct. Answer A is incorrect because it plays on a common misconception. Answer B is incorrect because just the opposite is true. Answer D is incorrect because a program is a group of projects, which are temporary endeavors. |
| Question 9 | Which of the following statements describes the relationship between project phases and project lifecycle? A. A project phase can contain one or more iterations of the project lifecycle. B. The project lifecycle is known as the sequence of project activities, whereas phases are defined to control the overlapping activities. C. The project lifecycle contains the iterative, incremental elements inside a project phase. D. Collectively, the project phases are known as the project lifecycle.
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| A9: | Answer D is correct. A project lifecycle is composed of one or more phases. Answers A, B, and C do not accurately describe the relationship between project phases and project lifecycle and are therefore incorrect. |
| Question 10 | Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between project lifecycle phases and project management processes? A. Project management processes correspond one to one with project lifecycle phases. B. Project lifecycle phases can repeat within a project management process. C. Project management processes can repeat within a project lifecycle. D. Project management processes are completely independent of project lifecycle phases.
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| A10: | Answer C is correct. The project management processes should be executed for each project lifecycle phase and/or iteration. Answer A is incorrect because the project management processes are used to manage the progress of the project lifecycle, and project lifecycle phases are not normally associated with Controlling and Executing processes, for example. Answer B is incorrect because it is the opposite of the correct choice. Answer D is incorrect because a relationship can exist between the Initiating, Planning, and Closing processes and traditional project lifecycle phases (such as Concept, Analysis, and Closure). |
