CompTIA Project+ Practice (PK0-004)

[Asphyxia]

While easily implied, the layout for these questions and answers for practice is as follows:
This is a long question?
The Answer

If you find more studying materials, or additional content relevant to the Project+ please register by clicking here and navigating back to this thread to post a reply!

You are working on moving the in-house Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to a cloud self-service provider. One of your key team members leaves the organization and you hire a new consultant.
This is an example of what type of change?
Resource change

A stakeholder approaches the project manager with an idea for a new project.
What document will be prepared as a result of this meeting?
Business case

You are six weeks into a four-month project and the sponsor tells you that you must deliver the project a month earlier than originally planned without decreasing the scope.
Your only remaining option is:
Increase cost

You are working on a new purchasing system project and are getting ready to start executing the project.
Which of the following is a disadvantage of holding the kick-off meeting via video conferencing?
Stakeholders need to have the communication technology installed in their locations.

You are developing a new website for your organization and you are starting to identify and prioritize risks. You are meeting with the team and they are throwing out potential risks as fast as possible while you document them.
What specifically are you doing?
Using the brainstorming technique to come up with all the risks

You are developing the project plan for a new Human Resources Management System (HRMS) for your organization.
Which of the following is a type of change that you might need to plan for?
Relocation

The Project Management Office (PMO) has published a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that each project within the organization must use when preparing its monthly status reports.
Is this necessary, and if so, why?
It is necessary so PMO analysts can compare the performance of the projects using a consistent set of tools.

When are the requirements for a project using Agile methodology determined?
Continuously

You are working on the installation of a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and are developing the project change control plan.
Which of the following is not a component?
A validated change

You are working on a six-month project to redesign the corporate website and add product purchasing functionality. You realize that you underestimated how long design would take and you calculated a new duration.
This is an example of what type of change?
Timeline change

You are working on the project plan for a new website design project and you are finalizing the communication plan.
Which of the following is not considered a communication trigger?
Impromptu meeting

In reviewing the project deliverables to date, the clients discover that there is a missing piece of work.
To formally ask for this work to be added to the project, they need to submit a:
Change request

Early in the planning phase of a project, the project manager identifies a critical work package that needs the expertise of the company’s most senior database developer. The project manager and the functional manager agree that this person can be assigned exclusively to the project.
Which type of resource is this?
Dedicated

Joe and Charlie are arguing about how to solve a technical issue on the database design project. After 15 minutes, Joe gets frustrated and leaves the room.
Which conflict management approach does this demonstrate?
Avoiding

What are the components of a balanced scorecard?
A focus on strategic issues, use of a small number of data items to monitor, and a mix of financial and non-financial indicators

The project manager for the WingTip Toys mini-drone project has been asked why he or she would use a lead in a project plan.
When a lead occurs in an activity, what is its effect upon other activities?
It accelerates a successor task.

TailSpin Toys is investigating the feasibility of developing an educational math game for three-to-six-year-old children. The marketing department has explored the market to learn if there is any likely competition and has concluded that parents and young kids would welcome their game.
This characteristic of the game project can be considered a:
Opportunity

Who is responsible for managing the quality assurance aspects of a project?
Project manager

The manager of the bridge over the Troubled Waters stream project has prepared the minutes of the first weekly project meeting.
To whom should the minutes of a project meeting be distributed?
Whomever has been stipulated in the communication plan

You are working on a project to upgrade the Human Resources Management System (HRMS). You are going to be using a new in-house server that is being installed as its own project.
Which of the following is not within the scope of the server project?
Installing the Human Resources Management System (HRMS)

Which procurement document is generally used to develop lists of qualified vendors or sellers?
Request for Information (RFI)

Who should sign off on the completion of the project?
Sponsor and an external client, if there is one

You are working on a new purchasing system project and are getting ready to end the project. You want to have a meeting with your key team members and other stakeholders to review how the project went, to document lessons learned, and to celebrate project success, but most of them do not want to travel to your location.
Why might you still schedule and hold an onsite meeting?
Closing out the project in person helps build relationships needed for subsequent projects.

During project planning, the team determines the specific expectations of the stakeholders with enough precision that they can be validated to confirm whether they have been met.
These expectations can also be called what?
Requirements

In which conflict resolution technique is the problem ignored or postponed?
Avoiding

Who approves the business case for a project?
Project sponsor

You are developing a new payroll system for your organization and you are starting to identify and prioritize risks. You are using a hierarchical chart showing risk categories by common sources.
This is referred to as a(n):
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)

Which inputs will you use to determine the project budget?
Activity cost estimates, the scope baseline, the project schedule, and contracts

During product testing, the team identifies a problem and needs to trace it back to its root cause.
Which quality tool would they use?
Fishbone diagram

You are bidding on an external contract project to update the operating system on more than 1000 computers at an organization. You realize you don’t have enough resources to complete the project as specified, so you partner with another firm to split the work.
This is an example of which type of response strategy?
Share

 

[Asphyxia]

Your company has a contract to design and maintain the customer-facing website for a consumer-goods company. The contract has a requirement that the site must be available 99.99 percent of the time to minimize missed sales opportunities for your client.
What does this contract provision refer to?
Service Level Agreement (SLA)

You are moving the corporate servers to a new building in Buffalo, NY in January and February. You have included snow in your risk list. Your sponsor asks you what your contingency is for this risk.
What is she asking?
What your plan is if it does snow and it impacts the move.

You are working on a project to upgrade the Human Resources Management System (HRMS). You are going to be using a new in-house server that is being installed as its own project.
Which of the following is not a deliverable of your project?
The installation of the new server

The project manager is responsible for “all” work relating to the project.
Does this responsibility include approving the high-level requirements?
No, they are approved by the sponsor.

You are working on a new purchasing system project and are getting ready to start executing the project. You are holding an in-person, face-to-face meeting with the stakeholders to kick things off.
Which of the following is the communication method you are using?
Interactive communication

You are working on an update to the corporate website and you are close enough to open it for beta testing.
What is NOT a good method for getting a large number of people outside the company to volunteer to be beta testers?
Send an email

The Volcano Coffee Company is testing a new coffee bean roaster. The Quality Control manager wants to see a line graph of the number of batches of beans roasted each day.
Which type of chart is this?
Run chart

The manager of the AdventureWorks Cycles high-speed braking system project has decomposed the scope to produce the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Which of the following statements is not true about a WBS?
Activities should appear in the WBS in the order they will be performed.

A new product catalog website is being developed using the Agile methodology. Midway through the project, the client asks for a new screen that will contain warranty information for each product in the catalog. This requirement has been added to the project, and the team is ready to begin work on it with a new sprint.
What should happen next?
The team should hold a sprint planning meeting, where the sprint goal will be set and user stories will be developed.

Teams go through an evolutionary process as they become more developed.
What are the steps in this process?
Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

The project manager is meeting with the external client for a project and confuses the client by using the term “slack” when referring to an activity. The client interprets this as loose or sloppy.
What is another name for slack in the project management context?
Float

You are executing the project plan for a new Point of Sale system for your retail stores and there has been a city-wide power outage. You inform the sponsor and team and ask the team not to report to the office but to work at home if they have power.
What type of trigger is this?
Business continuity response

Trey Research, Inc. and TailSpin Toys have been exploring a joint venture, where Trey would design a robotic cat laser toy for TailSpin to manufacture and sell. Shortly after the enabling document was signed, the two companies decided to cancel the venture, and relations have become acrimonious. A Trey executive accused a TailSpin executive of leaking information to the press and wrote a pointed letter to Trey.
What is this letter called?
Cease and desist letter

You are working on the installation of a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and the marketing manager has submitted a change request.
What is the next step in the process?
Evaluate impact and justification

You are working on a new purchasing system project and you are having difficulty finalizing the requirements with the purchasing department. You run into the purchasing manager and two purchasing clerks in the break room and ask them to clarify the outstanding items.
What type of meeting is this?
In-person impromptu

When should contracted resources be released from a project?
When their work on the project has been completed

In what context is a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis used?
Risk analysis

In which phase of a typical project are most of the expenses incurred?
Execution

A real estate developer is preparing to begin work on a subdivision that will consist of 20 single-family homes. This will be a large undertaking, requiring the expertise of architects, construction managers, marketers, financial specialists, and attorneys. The developer recruits one person from each area to provide guidance and support throughout the work.
What is this team known as?
Steering committee

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. Two months after you have signed the contract with the vendor, it announces that it is being acquired by another software firm that markets a competing ERP system.
Which of the following is not likely to happen to your project?
The acquisition will not affect your project.

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. The project will take nearly a year, and three months in, management decides that implementation can proceed with up to 10% of the code malfunctioning.
This is an example of what type of change?
Quality change

The project manager has just learned that a key resource is being assigned to a higher priority project at a critical point in the project.
Which option should the project manager pursue to minimize the impact of the transfer?
Evaluate the impact of the transfer on the project and meet with the project sponsor.

Which document provides a description of the work authorized to be performed by a supplier?
Procurement Statement of Work (SOW)

In which type of organization does the authority of the project manager range from weak to strong?
Matrix

The project manager of the new order-entry system is creating the planning documents for the project. During a meeting with some of the stakeholders, he or she is soliciting what kind on information they need, how often they would like to receive it, and in what format it should be to be most helpful.
Which type of document will result from this meeting?
Communication plan

In which order are backlogs generated in an Agile project?
Product backlog then sprint backlog

Now that the charter has been approved, it is time to write the scope document.
What is the purpose of scope?
Provides an understanding of the project’s major objectives by identifying what is within the scope and what is currently out of scope

Which tool is used to collect, archive, and distribute project information so that project performance can be determined?
The Project Management Information System (PMIS)

The project manager is beginning to prepare the scope. At this time, which is the most important activity of this process?
Confirm that key stakeholders have provided their input.

You are managing the conversion of an in-house payroll system to a cloud-based system and are identifying the potential risks. To create appropriate response plans for some of your identified risks, you need to understand the stakeholders’ opinions on seeking or foregoing opportunities.
This is referred to as their:
Risk tolerance

During the course of a project, resources might be needed on an “ad hoc” or occasional basis.
To whom do these resources report in a projectized organization?
Project manager

Which tool is consistently used to document the roles and responsibilities of a project?
The Responsibility Assignment Matrix

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. During the original risk planning, there was concern that the new system will not be implemented in time to meet the July demand for Halloween candy orders, which is historically your biggest sales season. Your implementation date was set to June 15th. It is now May and the project is slightly ahead of schedule.
As you are reviewing your risk register, what is true about that risk now?
You can lower the probability that it will happen.

Which tool is appropriate for analyzing and communicating the relationships between process steps?
Process flow diagram

Which of the following terms is used to describe issues that can influence the process of planning procurements, such as market conditions and supplier information?
Enterprise environmental factors

 

[Asphyxia]

Project performance has been slipping over the past three months, and the project manager suspects that the project team is losing confidence in his or her management skills. The project sponsor has not heard any rumors to this effect.
What can the project manager do to try to restore the trust of the team?
Meet with the team as a group, then hold informal one-on-one meetings with as many team members as practical.

What circumstance can cause the cost baseline to change?
An approved modification to the project

You are working on an external contract project to update the operating system on more than 1000 computers at an organization. The contract provides a penalty for taking more than three months to finish the work.
Which of the following is an example of accepting the risk?
Right now, the schedule looks like it will take three months, so you leave it at that.

Which schedule format depicts the duration of a task as a horizontal bar and shows the task’s predecessors and successors?
Gantt chart

A manager is using a tool to help determine which projects to execute, and to ensure that they match the strategic objectives of an organization.
What is the name of this tool?
Balanced scorecard

Which of the following statements represents an advantage of a projectized organization?
Resources focus exclusively on projects

During which phase of a project does performance measuring and reporting occur?
Monitoring and Controlling

Who approves the budget for a project?
Project sponsor

The new project manager of the WingTip Toys mini-drone project is starting to write the charter and wants it to be complete. Which of the following characteristics does the project charter possess?
It authorizes the start of work on the project.

Who provides standard documentation and templates for projects?
Project Management Office (PMO)

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. The project will take nearly a year, and three months in, management decides that at least the new sales system component must be implemented by year-end, two months earlier than originally planned.
This is an example of what type of change?
Timeline change

You have been working for a month on a new web project and have developed a great relationship with the client. Last week, the client requested a change to the requirements, which was approved through change control, and yesterday the client e-mailed and asked for another change as an “addendum” to the earlier change request.
What should you do?
Ask the client to submit a new change request.

You are working on moving the in-house Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to a cloud self-service provider. One of your team members submitted a change request that will increase the project budget by 15%. You are creating a back-out plan in case the change is approved and implemented but doesn’t work as intended.
What process are you performing?
Regression planning

You are executing, monitoring, and controlling your project, so you are comparing the amount of scope that should have been done by now to what has been done.
You are conducting:
Variance analysis

TailSpin Toys has four web designers who routinely work on several projects (A, B, and C) at the same time. A designer on Project A has been under pressure from the manager of Project B to devote more time to Project B because it is behind schedule.
Select the best option to address this situation.
Managers of Projects A and B should meet to resolve the problem.

Which of the following controls resources and manages a business unit?
Functional manager

Which document governs the formal relationship between two parties?
Agreement

You are finalizing a contract with a vendor for development of your new website and have a few remaining questions.
When you contact the vendor representative you’ve been dealing with, which of the following would you not need to consider?
Intra-organizational communication patterns

A client has requested a three-week delay in the order-entry system project due to unanticipated hardware issues at their headquarters’ office. The project manager has incorporated the delay into the project management plan.
In which document will the delay be best shown?
Gantt chart

You are working on a new purchasing system project and you are developing the communication plan. You are planning to select a vendor for the package.
Which is not a way to let potential vendors know about the detailed requirements without distributing confidential information in the procurement documents?
Send an email

You are developing a new purchasing system for a client and want to know which constraint will have the greatest impact on the success of the project.
Which risk technique should you use?
Sensitivity analysis

During project planning, stakeholders provide you with information on what the project’s product or service must be able to do.
This type of information is referred to as:
Requirements

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. During the original risk planning, there was concern that the new system will not be implemented in time to meet the July demand for Halloween candy orders, which is historically your biggest sales season. Your implementation date was set to June 15th. It is now March and you have learned that your largest competitor has gone bankrupt.
As you are reviewing your risk register, what is true about that risk now?
You need to raise the impact if it happens.

You are working on a six-month project to redesign the corporate website and add product purchasing functionality. You are two months in when you get a $20,000 grant toward the project.
This is an example of what type of change?
Funding change

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. The project will take nearly a year, and three months in, the vendor informs you that their planned upgrade to one of the critical modules is behind schedule.
This is an example of what type of change?
Risk event

You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. The project will take nearly a year, and three months in, management implements across the board budget cuts of 10%.
This is an example of what type of change?
Funding change

You are working on the project plan for a new website design project and you are finalizing the communication plan.
Which of the following is not considered a communication trigger?
Language

You have moved into executing the project plan for the new website design when your company announces that it is being acquired by another company.
Which of the following is not a way in which your project is likely to be affected?
Your project budget will be increased.

You are executing the project plan for a new Point of Sale system for your retail stores and you inform the sponsor and client that the system has been installed.
What was the trigger for this?
Milestone

You are developing the communication plan for a new Human Resources Management System (HRMS) for your organization.
Which of the following is not a trigger you need to plan for?
Outsourcing

 

[Asphyxia]

What you need to know summaries:

• A resource change can affect a number of the project’s constraints. In this case it will likely affect cost and schedule as the new consultant comes up to speed.
• A quality change increases or decreases the work needed to assure and control quality.
• A risk event that occurs can affect a number of the project’s constraints. This change is specific to personnel.
• Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.

• The business case justifies the investments made for a project, and how the investments comply with the organization’s policy. It is prepared very early in the project.
• The charter authorizes the project to begin. It names the project manager and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. It is prepared after a business case has been written.
• The stakeholder register lists information about the stakeholders. It is prepared after the project has begun.
• The scope is written after the project has begun.

• Presuming that your time, cost, and scope were balanced initially, the only way to decrease the time without decreasing the scope is to increase cost.
• Increasing quality implies more work, which will add to the schedule, not decrease it.
• Decreasing cost without decreasing scope implies an increase, not a decrease, in schedule.
• You do not have the option to refuse a directive from the sponsor.

• Stakeholders need special hardware and software to participate in a video conference.
• Everyone can attend a video conference from where they are.
• With email, not virtual meetings, content might be forwarded to inappropriate recipients.
• Faxes are often considered outdated methods of communicating, but video conference meetings are not.

• Brainstorming is an information gathering technique that allows groups to create a list of potential risk events.
• Delphi technique is an information gathering technique that allows groups to come to a consensus.
• Documentation review is an identification technique, but not part of the brainstorming technique.
• Interviewing is an information gathering technique that allows you to work with a wide cross section of stakeholders to determine potential risks, not usually just the team.

• Relocation is a business change that could affect your project.
• Task initiation and completion are triggers for communication with the team about any effects on upcoming tasks.
• Gate reviews are periodically scheduled assessments of progress that often include go/no go decisions, which are then communicated to the team.
• A business continuity response is a trigger to communicate with the team and sponsor.

• One mission of a PMO is to provide tools that help project managers do their work more efficiently and improve the performance of their projects. KPI’s fall into this category. If projects use a consistent set of KPIs, PMO analysts will be better-equipped to compare projects and to provide advice to ailing projects.
• Although project managers can create their own KPIs, it is more difficult for PMO analysts to compare projects and to help projects that are in trouble.
• The PMO has asked that status reports include KPIs, and inconsistent KPIs among projects will not allow easy comparison of project performance.
• The PMO has asked that status reports include KPIs, and this is reason enough for projects to use them.

• Requirements for Agile projects are gathered continuously, from project inception through completion and acceptance of each product feature. The iterative and incremental aspect of Agile projects fosters this continuous examination of new and changed requirements.
• Only high-level requirements are known at the beginning of an Agile project. One of the goals of Agile projects is to get product features into the hands of the customer quickly, and thus there is no attempt to collect all requirements before development work begins.
• Requirements-gathering is a constant process, not limited to the beginning of each sprint.
• Some, but not all, requirements are known before high-level design begins. The very nature of Agile projects encourages requirements to be proposed and changed frequently.

• A change control plan needs to explain HOW changes will be validated, but does not include any validated changes.
• A change control plan needs to define what will be considered a change to the project.
• A change control plan needs to define the steps for submitting the request.
• A change control plan needs to define the stakeholders allowed to submit a change request.

• Timeline changes increase or decrease the schedule/duration.
• A funding change increases or decreases the budget/cost.
• Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.
• A scope change increases or decreases the work the project must accomplish.

• Impromptu meeting is a type of communication with stakeholders but is not a trigger for communication.
• Risk register updates are triggers for communication with the team and sponsor about the impact on time or cost.
• Milestones are triggers for communicating with the sponsor and client about meeting or not meeting the required milestones.
• Schedule changes are triggers for communicating with the sponsor, client, and functional managers about the related effects on time, cost, and risk.

• The formal document submitted to ask for any type of modification to a system is a change request.
• You use a change log to list the change requests of the stakeholders.
• The type of change is a scope change, but the document submitted is a change request.
• A requirements change is a specific type of change, but the document submitted is a change request.

• A dedicated resource is one that has been committed for a project. The agreement between the two managers has made the database developer a dedicated resource.
• A shared resource is available for multiple projects, and the involved project managers negotiate for when and how much time the resource can be used on any project.
• A benched resource is a skilled resource that is retained during downtime but is not performing "billable" tasks. The benefit is that they can be put into service immediately when the need arises.
• A low-quality resource does not possess specialized skills or qualities.

• Avoiding leaves the problem in place and simply does nothing about it. Joe avoided managing the conflict.
• Forcing does not solve the root cause of a problem; it simply mandates a course of action.
• Smoothing attempts to minimize a problem by convincing the parties that they do not really have a disagreement.
• Confronting a conflict is the only technique that solves the root cause of a problem. The parties dig to explore and find the true cause of the problem, then to find a solution that removes the problem from further consideration.

• A balanced scorecard focuses on strategic issues, use of a small number of data items to monitor, and a mix of financial and non-financial indicators.
• "Financial indicators only" is incorrect, although they are included.
• "Financial and non-financial indicators only" is incorrect, although they are included.
• It does not contain a broad range of data items.

• A lead represents an overlap in two tasks, with the successor task starting earlier than if there were no lead.
• A lead cannot delay a successor task because of the overlapping nature of the lead.
• A lead cannot delay a predecessor task because the lead applies to the successor task.
• A lead cannot accelerate a predecessor task because the lead applies to the successor task.

• The project has an opportunity, which is characterized by something that has an external (to the organization) origin and is helpful to the objectives of the project. The lack of competition presents an opening for TailSpin to have some success.
• A threat has an external origin and is harmful to the objectives of the project. There are no threats identified in the scenario.
• A weakness is something that has an internal origin and is harmful to the objectives of the project. There are no weaknesses identified in the scenario.
• A strength has an internal origin and is helpful to the objectives of the project. There are no strengths identified in the scenario.

• The project manager is responsible for all elements of a project, including quality assurance.
• The project sponsor is not involved with day-to-day work on the project.
• There is no standard "project manager of quality assurance" role.
• Functional managers provide resources to the project; they do not manage the work of these resources.

• The communication plan describes how, when, and by whom information about the project will be administered and disseminated. The distribution of project meeting minutes should be covered in this plan.
• Stakeholders other than the meeting attendees might have asked to see meeting minutes, and their requests should have been included in the communication plan.
• If the sponsor has asked to see meeting minutes, this should have been documented in the communication plan; if not, then the minutes do not need to be sent to the sponsor.
• The minutes should be distributed in accordance with the communication plan.

• The installation of the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is within the scope of your project, not the server project.
• Creating a server backup/recovery plan is within the scope of the server project.
• The training for the server is within the scope of the server project.
• Connecting the new server to any existing servers is within the scope of the server project.

• An RFI is commonly used to develop lists of qualified vendors or sellers.
• An RFQ is commonly used when deliverables are commodities for which there are clear specifications and when price will be the primary determining factor.
• An RFP is commonly used when deliverables are not well-defined or when other selection criteria will be used in addition to price.
• An SOW is a detailed description of the product or service that an organization intends to purchase. It is used to prepare an RFP.

• One of the responsibilities of the project sponsor is to confirm that the objectives and requirements were met. This is accomplished with a formal signed document. If an external client was involved, a member of that organization should also sign a statement that the project met the organization’s project objectives.
• Senior management is not in the formal chain of command for the project.
• The project manager should not sign off that the project was completed successfully; this is a sponsor responsibility.
• The manager of quality assurance is not in the project’s chain of command.

• Even though you are closing the project, it is likely the stakeholders will work together again, and this is a good way to maintain positive relationships.
• Although it is certainly true that you can do as you want, meeting in person is a better idea because it is likely the stakeholders will work together again, and this is a good way to maintain positive relationships.
• The input from all the stakeholders is important and it is likely the stakeholders will work together again, so meeting in person is a good way to maintain positive relationships.
• It might be the case that some of the stakeholders may not participate even in a virtual environment, but, more importantly, it is likely the stakeholders will work together again and meeting in person is a good way to maintain positive relationships.

• Requirements are conditions or capabilities that are required to be present in a product, service, or result to meet the business need for the project.
• Objectives are more general than requirements, for example the number of bedrooms in a house rather than the number of square feet of each bedroom.
• The scope is the work that will be needed to fulfill the requirements.
• Target is a general term that does not apply to this topic.

• Avoiding is either retreating from a problem or failing to address it.
• Compromising attempts to find a common ground and resolve a conflict by having both parties concede a little.
• Forcing is a win-lose solution, because one party must yield its position to the other party.
• Confronting is facing a problem and attempting to find and solve its root cause.

• The sponsor is responsible for supplying resources, including funding, and support for a project. Since the business case justifies the investments made for a project, the sponsor has the approval authority.
• The project manager should not have the authority to approve the business case for a project because that approval will include financial considerations that are the responsibility of the sponsor.
• Senior management is too far removed from the issues that the project faces to approve the business case.
• The Chief Executive Officer is also too high in the organization to approve the business case; it will be delegated down to a project sponsor.

• The hierarchical chart that organizes risk categories by their sources is called a Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS).
• Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) are hierarchical charts that organize a project’s work by deliverable, phase, or type of work.
• An Ishikawa diagram shows the cause and effect of a variety of problems.
• A Risk Probability and Impact Matrix shows how you might evaluate risks, but not identify or categorize them.

• The budget is based upon activity cost estimates, the scope baseline, the project schedule, and contracts.
• Resource calendars are used to estimate activity resources, which will then be used to develop activity cost estimates. Resource calendars are not used in the budgeting process.
• Basis of estimates, resource calendars, and reserve analysis are used to estimate activity costs, which will then be used to develop activity cost estimates. The three tools are not used in the budgeting process.
• Activity cost estimates, the scope baseline, and the project schedule are used to develop the budget. Cost performance relates to how well project cost is tracking with the budget.

• A fishbone diagram, also known as a cause-and-effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram, can be used to trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.
• A scatter chart is used to examine the correlation between two variables. It is not used to determine the root cause of a problem.
• A Gantt chart depicts project activities as a function of time.
• Statistical sampling examines a subset of a population, where analysis of the entire population is not possible because the population is too large.

• Share means you are splitting the benefits of the opportunity with others in some way, which you are doing by splitting a contract.
• Enhance means nudging the opportunity a little to encourage it to happen, but doesn’t make it happen.
• Accept for positive risk means you’re ready to make use of it if it occurs, but you don’t do anything proactively to change its probability of occurring.
• Exploit means proactively going after an opportunity to make it a reality.

 

[Asphyxia]

• A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between an organization that provides a service and the user of the service. The contract specifies what the customer will receive and the performance standards or level of service the provider is obligated to meet.
• A warranty is a promise, explicit or implied, that goods or services will meet a predetermined standard. Although the scenario could be interpreted as a warranty, the inclusion of a performance standard makes the Service Level Agreement the correct answer.
• A letter of intent is a document that outlines an agreement between two parties before the agreement is finalized.
• Contract provision is too general to adequately describe the scenario.

• A contingency is a special type of risk response you follow only if the risk event occurs; it snows in this case.
• Changing the date of the move out of the typical snow period would be an example of an avoid response; i.e., it would not snow in July.
• Having resources monitoring risks, in this case snow, is important but is not a contingency.
• What other locations are considered is part of alternatives analysis before a specific location is selected.

• The installation of the server is a deliverable of the server project.
• The installation of the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a deliverable of your project.
• The training for the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a deliverable of your project.
• A company-specific user manual for the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a deliverable of your project.

• The sponsor will approve the high-level requirements because they will form part of the project charter.
• The project manager does not approve the high-level requirements; they are approved by the sponsor as part of the project charter.
• A client might approve the high-level requirement in addition to the sponsor, but this is not always the case.
• The PMO does not manage an individual project.

• Interactive communication is a method where stakeholders both give and provide information.
• Push communication is a method where information is distributed to the recipients.
• Pull communication is a method where stakeholders go to find the information.
• Asynchronous communication means at different times and is not one of the three communication methods.

• Although it is easy to email, you would need to have the email addresses of everyone you wanted to notify.
• A post on any/all of the popular social media sites is a good way to quickly attract a large number of participants without having to know any contact information.

• The QC manager wants to see a run chart. It is a line graph showing plotted data points in chronological order. It can show trends in a process or improvements over time.
• A Pareto chart is a type of histogram that is used to display the relative importance of the causes of a problem.
• A scatter chart, or scatter diagram, is used to examine the correlation between an independent variable and a dependent variable.
• A fishbone diagram is a diagram that illustrates how various factors may be associated with possible problems. It is also called a cause-and-effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram.

• Activities should appear in the WBS in the order they will be performed is not true. Sequencing is not part of the WBS process.
• Every element in the WBS should have a unique number or other identifier as they will be referenced throughout the project and unique identifiers will prevent confusion.
• The WBS must include all of the work to be done to satisfy the scope.
• The WBS represents progressively smaller pieces of work. It does not list activities in order of their required completion time.

• The team should hold a sprint planning meeting, where the sprint goal will be set and user stories will be developed.
• The scrum master does not develop the list of user stories; that is done by the scrum team at the sprint planning meeting.
• The product owner does not develop the list of user stories; that is done by the scrum team at the sprint planning meeting.
• The requirement is not added to the sprint backlog until the sprint planning meeting is held.

• The five stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
• Informing is not a stage.
• Re-forming is not a stage, and norming is the third stage.
• Re-forming is not a stage, and norming occurs before performing.

• Slack and float mean the same thing: the amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the next activity in a sequence or the finish date of the project.
• Lag is the delay in the start of a successor activity.
• Lead is a change in a logical relationship that allows the successor activity to start before the predecessor activity ends in a finish-to-start relationship.
• Free float is a type of float that refers to the amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the next activity in the sequence. (Total float is similar, but it refers to the project finish date.)

• A wide-spread power outage is a business continuity response, which is a trigger to communicate with the team and sponsor.
• This is not a milestone, but if it was you would need to communicate with both the sponsor and the client.
• Audits are communicated just to the team.
• Project planning is a communication trigger for communicating with the sponsor and client.

• TailSpin sent Trey a cease and desist letter instructing them to stop any allegedly illegal activities and to not undertake them further.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement between two or more parties to form a business partnership. This was previously executed to form the joint venture, and it is not the correct document.
• A letter of intent outlines the terms of an agreement before the agreement is finalized. It is not the correct document.
• The two companies might have previously signed a non-disclosure agreement stating that they would not share proprietary information with anyone else. It is not the correct document.

• After a request is submitted, subject matter experts and you evaluate its impact and justification.
• The marketing manager documented the change prior to submitting it.
• The change cannot be implemented unless it has been approved.
• A change is validated after it is implemented.

• An impromptu meeting is one in which neither party has prepared for the meeting and there is no pre-established agenda. It is in-person because you are all in the break room.
• It is in-person because you are all in the break room, but it is not scheduled. Scheduled meetings have formal agendas and the parties have time to prepare.
• An impromptu meeting is one in which neither party has prepared for the meeting and there is no pre-established agenda, so this is impromptu, but is not virtual because you are all in the break room.
• It is not virtual because you are all in the break room, and it is not scheduled. Scheduled meetings have formal agendas and the parties have time to prepare.

• Resources should be released when there is no longer a need for them, so they can be available for work on other projects.
• Resources should not be retained when they are not working on a project because they will incur costs when not doing productive work.
• It is not prudent to incur costs based on the assumption that the resources might be needed in the future. If they are needed, they can be brought back onto the project.
• If a resource is finished with known work, they should be released. If new work is needed in the future, they can be brought back onto the project if available.

• A SWOT analysis is used to identify risks to a project. Strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) are positive and negative risks, respectively, that originate within the organization. Opportunities (O) and threats (T) are positive and negative risks, respectively, that originate outside of the organization.
• A SWOT analysis does not relate to scheduling.
• A SWOT analysis does not relate to decomposition of a project into smaller components; this is the purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• A SWOT analysis does not relate to communication.

• A majority of the expenses are incurred during Execution, when the project’s deliverables are being produced.
• Planning for a project can be expensive because a great deal of labor might be used to produce the project plan. However, the execution of that plan will cost more because of the labor and material costs associated with the deliverables.
• The Monitoring and Controlling phase will not be as expensive as the Execution phase.
• Closing is not costly because it involves primarily shutting down the project and archiving project information.

• A steering committee is a group of people who provide guidance to the project manager, program manager, or portfolio manager.
• A stakeholder is someone who is affected by a project or who affects a project. Each person is a stakeholder, but the scenario mentions nothing about them working together in a coordinated fashion.
• Stockholders own shares in a company; this is an incorrect term to describe the steering committee.
• Coordinating committee is not the accepted project management term.

• An acquisition will have some effect, even if it is just a change in salesperson.
• It is quite common for the vendor acquiring the other one to no longer offer the acquired product.
• The implementation will likely be delayed as the acquiring company decides what it is doing with its products and personnel.
• Depending on the terms of the original contract, you may need to renegotiate the contract.

• A quality change increases or decreases the work needed to assure and control quality, which in this case means allowing some defects.
• A risk event that occurs can affect a number of the project’s constraints but in this case the change is a result of a decision made not a risk exhibited.
• A resource change can affect a number of the project’s constraints but is referring to personnel changes.
• A scope change increases or decreases the amount of work on a project.

• The best course of action is to evaluate the impact of the transfer on the project and to meet with the project sponsor. The sponsor may be able to sway the sponsor of the other project to delay or stop the transfer.
• Going above the head of the sponsor is a poor choice.
• Revising the scope is not a good option because the sponsor has approved it as meeting the objectives of the project.
• Switching resources to someone without the necessary skills will most likely impact the schedule and the quality of the deliverables.

• A procurement Statement of Work (SOW) is a document that describes the products or services to be purchased in sufficient detail that prospective vendors can determine if they are capable of providing them.
• The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is used to document the roles and responsibilities of project team members.
• There is no Work Breakdown System (WBS).
• The project plan is a comprehensive document that contains the subsidiary plans needed to manage the project.

• In a matrix organization, authority is shared between the project manager and the functional manager. In a strong matrix, the project manager has relatively more authority than the functional managers; in a weak matrix, relatively less; and in a balanced matrix the level of authority is similar.
• In a projectized organization, authority rests with the project manager.
• In a functional organization, authority rests with the functional manager.
• A composite organization is a blend of the other three types.

• The project manager is working on the communication plan. It will contain the communication needs of the stakeholders.
• The staffing management plan describes how and when project team members will be acquired, and how long they will be needed.
• There is no project management document called an information distribution plan.
• The project management plan is the overall document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It contains the communication plan.

• A product backlog is a prioritized list of customer requirements and it is the first step of the scrum process. A sprint backlog is a list of user stories selected from the product backlog that the scrum team chooses and commits to complete in that sprint cycle.
• The product backlog must be completed before the sprint backlog.
• The order of backlog creation is important because until information is known about the product, the features that are defined in the sprint backlog cannot be determined.
• There is no project backlog.

• The scope is based upon the project objectives, and it presents what the project will and will not accomplish—what is in scope, and what is out of scope.
• Project resources are determined after the scope has decomposed into the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS); they cannot be known at the time the scope is written.
• Tasks result from the WBS, not the scope.
• Quality is defined in the quality management plan.

• The Project Management Information System (PMIS) is an automated or manual system used by a project team to gather, analyze, communicate, and store project information. It is used to determine project performance.
• The communications plan is a document that describes the project team’s approach to communicating project information.
• There is no communications and feedback system.
• The project management plan is a comprehensive document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It is not a tool.

• Input from stakeholders is needed before the scope can be prepared. This input can include requirements documentation, meeting notes, and other correspondence.
• The WBS will follow the scope, so it is too early to begin its preparation.
• Resources cannot be determined until the WBS has been prepared.
• Some preliminary determination of risks can begin, but very little can be done until the scope and the WBS are complete.

• Stakeholders’ opinions on risk are referred to as their risk tolerance.
• The risk threshold is the line at which risk becomes intolerable to a stakeholder.
• Risk assessment deals with defining the level of risk, not stakeholders’ tolerances.
• Stakeholders’ tolerances are documented in the risk plan, but the question did not ask where they are documented.

• All project resources in a projectized organization are under the direction of a project manager.
• The Human Resources Department does not make project staffing assignments.
• The functional manager does not make project staffing assignments in a projectized organization.
• Senior management does not make project staffing assignments.

• The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is used to document the roles and responsibilities of project team members. A type of RAM is the RACI chart, where the letters stand for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform.
• There is no tool called the Role Administration Matrix.
• There is no tool called the Responsibility and Role Hierarchy.
• The Staffing Management Plan is a component of the Human Resource Plan. It forecasts what types of staff will work on a project, when they will be needed, how they will be recruited, and when they will be released from the project.

• Now that you are very close to implementation and are running ahead of schedule, you can lower the probability that the event will happen.
• The probability has lowered, but the impact has not changed.
• Even though it looks improbable now that this risk event will occur, you still need to keep your contingency plan in place in case the event does happen.
• Even though it looks improbable now that this risk event will occur, you cannot delete it.

 

[Asphyxia]

• A process flow diagram, or flowchart, is a diagram that shows the inputs, steps, and outputs of a process.
• A control chart depicts the variability of process data over time. It includes a target mean value and upper and lower control limits; values that exceed these limits are indicative of an out-of-control process.
• A scatter chart, or scatter diagram, is used to examine the correlation between an independent variable and a dependent variable.
• A trend analysis forecasts future outcomes based upon historical data.

• Enterprise environmental factors are conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project. The team has no control over market conditions and supplier information.
• Teaming agreements are legal contractual agreements between two or more parties to form a joint venture or any other arrangement as defined by the parties to meet the requirements of a business opportunity. They are used to share the scope of procured work.
• Organizational process assets are entities that can influence the success of a project. They include plans, processes, knowledge bases, and procedures. Market conditions and supplier information do not fit into this definition.
• Activity resource requirements are defined as the types and quantities of resources required for an activity.

• The best solution would be to meet with the team as a group, then hold informal one-on-one meetings with as many team members as practical. The team meeting should define how the individual meetings work. Individual meetings should be constructive and the manager should be open to suggestions.
• Formal, documented meetings with individual team members will not result in candid views about how the manager can change. The individuals will be too concerned that their comments might be used against them in the future.
• Written memos with suggested changes will not get to the root of the problem, which the manager is not likely to be aware of.
• Team members might not be comfortable meeting with the sponsor, as they may appear to be complainers. Also, the sponsor might not have frequent contact with the team, which can lead to team members not knowing how their views will be perceived.

• The cost baseline represents the approved time-phased budget for a project. It will change if a change request that affects project cost is approved.
• A change request that affects project cost is only a request; the cost baseline is not modified until the change is approved.
• The cost baseline will change if the approved planned cost of the project changes.
• When actual costs exceed planned costs, the management team should determine the root cause of the discrepancy. They should then initiate a change to the project, which will result in a change to the cost baseline.

• Accept for negative risk means not doing anything proactively, which is what this option does.
• Hiring new resources is an avoidance strategy to be sure to be done within the three-month time frame.
• Having resources ready to go if needed is a mitigation strategy. It lowers the probability of missing the deadline if the schedule starts to slip and the additional resources are needed.
• Insurance is a transfer response strategy.

• A Gantt chart shows the project schedule in bar-chart form, where the lengths of bars correspond to the durations of tasks. Bars are connected with lines that represent links to predecessor and successor tasks.
• A network diagram shows tasks as boxes, with lines connecting the boxes to represent links to predecessor and successor tasks. Unlike the Gantt chart, all tasks are the same physical size on the diagram, and task duration is written in the boxes.
• A milestone chart shows tasks with zero duration (milestones) as diamonds rather than bars, since milestones have zero duration.
• The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a schedule network analysis method that estimates the minimum project duration and determines the amount of scheduling flexibility that exists in a project. It is not a type of chart.

• A balanced scorecard is used in portfolio management to help determine which projects to execute, and to ensure that they match the strategic objectives of an organization.
• Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) are key system capabilities that must be met for a system to meet its goals. KPPs are used in project management.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in project management consist of tools that indicate if the project is meeting specific goals.
• Dashboards are graphical summaries of project measures, often a collection of multiple KPIs.

• A projectized organization is one in which all resources report to a project manager, with no reporting relationship to their functional (departmental or business unit) manager. In this type of organization, resources are not conflicted with requests that they work on operational (i.e., non-project) assignments.
• In a projectized organization, resources are focused on a project, not on their technical specialty.
• In a projectized organization, assignments come from project managers, not functional managers.
• In a projectized organization, resources do not have a specific place to go when a project is complete. They might return to their functional department or go to another project.

• Performance measuring and reporting is done in the Monitoring and Controlling phase of the project.
• During the Execution phase, the team follows the project management plan.
• Performance measuring and reporting occurs throughout the project during the Monitoring and Controlling phase, not during Execution.
• During Closing, project work is formally ended. All decisions relating to performance measuring and reporting have been completed by this time.

• The project sponsor approves the budget for a project.
• Senior management does not approve the budget; its role is to resolve conflicts between the project and day-to-day operations of the organization.
• The project manager prepares the cost estimate for the project and submits it to the project sponsor for approval.
• The Finance department provides funds to the project sponsor, who then releases them to the project manager in accordance with the budget.

• The charter is prepared during the Initiation phase of a project, and it authorizes the project to begin.
• The project schedule is prepared during the Planning phase, after the scope and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) have been completed.
• The charter does not list the authority of the sponsor; it does, however, provide the authority of the project manager to use resources to complete the project.
• The charter might contain a brief high-level scope for the project, but not a detailed scope. That is prepared during the Planning phase.

• The Project Management Office (PMO) within an organization provides the documentation and templates that projects can use so projects within the organization have the same “look and feel.”
• Sponsors are champions for their projects, but they do not provide documentation and templates for them to use.
• Senior management resolves conflicts between projects and day-to-day business operations.
• The Project Management Institute (PMI) publishes a standard for project management and a framework that projects can use, but it does not provide sample documents or templates.

• Timeline changes increase or decrease the schedule.
• A funding change increases or decreases the budget/cost.
• Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.
• A scope change increases or decreases the work the project must accomplish.

• Even a small change needs to be submitted formally as a change request.
• Adding it to an existing request without formally approving the new change is scope creep.
• Asking someone to do unapproved work is scope creep.
• Adding an unapproved task to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is scope creep.

• You perform regression planning as part of evaluating a change to determine how to back it out if it doesn’t work.
• You obtain approval after you identify approval authority.
• You determine the levels of authority required for approving various sizes of changes after you perform regression planning.
• Regression analysis is a quality process.

• When you are comparing a plan to actual data and looking for differences, you are conducting variance analysis.
• Quality control compares the deliverables to the requirements, not scope of work completed to that which should have been completed.
• Inspection examines deliverables for defects. It does not analyze scope progress.
• Decomposition is the process used to create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), not analyze progress on its tasks.

• Conflicts among projects that use shared resources are a frequent problem. The best solution is to have the affected project managers discuss the problem and find a solution that is agreeable to all.
• The resource under pressure should not have to work unauthorized overtime. This could be a violation of company policy, and at a minimum the resource will feel that he or she is being taken advantage of. If the practice becomes known, the potential exists for it to become a steady practice.
• This problem should be solved at the manager level, rather than placing the burden on the resource.
• It is too early to take the problem up to the sponsor level. This should only be done if the managers cannot agree on a solution.

• A functional manager is in charge of resources and manages a business unit or department.
• Senior management is in charge of functional managers and project managers, among other people.
• A sponsor is not in charge of resources and does not manage a business unit.
• A project manager in a projectized organization is in charge of resources on his or her project, but does not manage a business unit.

• Agreements include contracts, Memorandums of Understanding, letters of intent, and Service Level Agreements.
• Project management does not use the term “informal contract” since all contracts are formal, legal documents.
• A quote is the type of procurement where price is the primary determining factor when selecting a vendor. It is used for commodities with clear specifications. A quote is only an offer.
• A proposal is a type of procurement commonly used when deliverables are not well-defined or when other selection criteria will be used in addition to price. It is only an offer.

• Intra-organizational communication patterns are a consideration when you are communicating within your organization, not with an external person.
• Inter-organizational communication patterns are a consideration because the vendor works for a different company, which may communicate differently than your company.
• Language is a consideration because the vendor may speak a different language.
• Culture is a consideration because the vendor may be from another culture.

• The Gantt chart depicts schedule information, with activities and links between them. The delay can be shown as a three-week lag between the last activity scheduled to finish before the delay and the first activity scheduled to start after the delay.
• The WBS does not show time, so the delay will not be apparent.
• The RACI matrix contains information about resources, not schedule data.
• The run chart is a line graph showing plotted data points in chronological order. It is used in quality control and not for showing a project schedule.

• An email would not be effective because the confidential information can be forwarded too easily to unexpected recipients such as competitors.
• Face-to-face would work well, especially as vendors would self-select if they choose not to attend.
• A voice-conference might be effective if there are a small number of potential vendors.
• A video conference might be effective if there are a small number of potential vendors.

• Sensitivity analysis looks at how sensitive various constraints (time, cost, scope) are to the success of the project.
• Decision-tree analysis is used to determine best options, not to see which parameters are most important.
• Monte Carlo Analysis is a special type of simulation that creates a range of, and probabilities for, potential results for time, cost, etc.
• Expected Monetary Value (EMV) attaches quantifiable incomes and costs as impacts, allowing you to select the best option, not to see which parameters are most important.

• How a product or service must function is referred to as its requirements.
• Scope is the work you do to produce a product or service, not the features and/or functions of that product/service.
• Deliverables are the actual products or services themselves, not their features and/or functions.
• Quality is how well the product/service meets the requirements.

• The impact has increased because the company will lose even more money if the system does not function correctly.
• The probability has not lowered.
• The impact has increased, and you still need to keep your contingency plan in place. You might even add a new proactive risk response.
• The risk event has an even higher risk score now so you cannot delete it.

• This request will decrease internal expenses by $20,000, so it will require a funding change.
• Timeline changes increase or decrease the schedule.
• Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.
• A scope change increases or decreases the work the project must accomplish.

• This is a new risk event and can affect a number of the project’s constraints.
• A quality change increases or decreases the work needed to assure and control quality.
• A resource change can affect a number of the project’s constraints but is referring to personnel changes.
• Funding changes increase or decrease the budget/cost.

• All budgets must be cut by 10%, so it will require a funding change.
• Timeline changes increase or decrease the schedule. Although a budget cut would usually increase the schedule, the scenario does not indicate this.
• Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.
• A scope change increases or decreases the work the project must accomplish.

• Language is considered in selecting the method used to communicate with stakeholders but is not a trigger for communication.
• Business continuity response is a trigger for communication with the team and sponsor about any impact on the project.
• Incident response is a trigger for communicating with the team about any effects on time, cost, or risk.
• Resource changes are triggers for communicating with the team and functional managers about the changes' effects on time, cost, and risk.

• If there is an effect on budget from the acquisition, it would likely decrease it, not increase it.
• In an acquisition, your company is subsumed by another, which will likely have its own website already.
• Depending on how management has changed because of the merger, there may be a new sponsor who may want to change the project.
• While the company finalizes its new goals, it is very likely the new website project will be put on hold.

• Meeting a milestone is a communication you need to have with both the sponsor and the client.
• Audits are communicated just to the team.
• Project planning is a communication trigger for communicating with the sponsor and client.
• Business continuity response is a trigger to communicate with the team and sponsor.

• Outsourcing is a business change, not a communication trigger.
• Task initiation and completion are triggers for communication with the team about any effects on upcoming tasks.
• Gate reviews are periodically scheduled assessments of progress that often include go/no go decisions, which are then communicated to the team.
• A business continuity response is a trigger to communicate with the team and sponsor.

 

[Asphyxia]

Learning: 1.1 Summarize the properties of a project​

Which statement best describes a project?
Something that produces a unique product, service, or result and has a start date and end date

A project is undertaken for a specific and justifiable reason or purpose.
Which of the following choices is a valid reason to update a company’s sales website?
The new design will result in a 10 percent increase in the number of repeat customers within the first six months of being implemented.

You purchase a set of house plans from a magazine, and build your new home by following the plans exactly. Your friend across town likes your new home, and uses the same set of plans to construct a home.
Have the two of you completed one project or two?
You have completed two projects.

Which statement best describes a program?
A set of projects managed in a coordinated way

Which of the following is not a project?
Seasonally switching the output of a petroleum refinery from gasoline to heating oil

A portfolio is centered on one or more strategic business objectives.
Which of the following represents a strategic business objective?
Creating multi-lingual project teams

You began a project on May 1 and the target completion date is December 15. On November 1, the client instructed you to stop work on the project immediately because they no longer need the project’s deliverables. You are to permanently archive everything you have done to this point.
Should you now move to the close phase activities of the project management process?
Yes, because the project is considered complete.

What is the name of a group of projects that are managed in a coordinated manner?
Program

You are being interviewed for a job as a project manager, and the interviewer has asked you to list some of the key characteristics of a project.
Which of the following responses is correct?
A project is temporary.

Which statement best describes a portfolio?
A collection of projects that are grouped to achieve the strategic business objective of an organization

Which of the following project alternatives would be the least likely for management to pursue?
To replace all laptops in the company older than five years

The Project Management Office (PMO) within a large company has seen a decrease in the overall success of the company’s projects. Coordination among related projects is informal and there are staffing conflicts, disagreements between project sponsors about project desired outcomes, and conflicting priorities. The PMO wants to group projects by business unit and product lines to increase alignment between priorities.
Toward which type of project organizational structure are they working?
Portfolio management

An engineering company has completed design and construction of a petroleum refinery to produce gasoline. Part-way through construction, the engineers added a new process to produce another product unrelated to gasoline. Near the end of the construction effort, the owners decided to add a warehouse to store chemicals used in the gasoline refining process. When the refinery construction was completed, the engineering company began to operate the refinery. At this time, a contractor was brought in to correct problems that occurred during construction.
How many projects were associated with this effort?
4

Which of the following statements is not true about a project?
It is strategic to the company.

Alpine Ski House owns and operates three ski lodges in the Rocky Mountains. The company wants to expand, and the board of directors has authorized the construction of five new facilities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and Nevada. The directors have a strategic objective of being the preferred go-to resorts for seniors and retirees within 10 years. Projects related to this goal that are under consideration include obtaining venture-capital financing, new marketing campaigns, acquiring new land, completing facility construction, and establishing franchises; they may be completed separately for each of the five new ski resorts.
What type of project organizational structure will be involved at the corporate level?
Portfolio

During a very weak economy, a company is evaluating several proposed projects to pursue.
Which project is the least likely to be approved?
One to implement a new technology

A real estate developer is preparing to begin work on a subdivision that will consist of 20 single-family homes, and four construction managers will be needed. The developer will need a marketing specialist to market the subdivision, a finance expert to arrange for a loan to purchase the land, and a team of attorneys to handle legal issues.
What mechanism will be used to manage these people?
A program manager

===

Replacing all laptops older than five years is not a strong reason to launch a project. Unless given more information, there is no justification that laptops of that vintage should be replaced.
Compliance with regulations is a valid reason to pursue a project, as it will avoid lawsuits.
Increasing market share is a valid reason to pursue a project, as it will increase profit.
Decreasing employee turnover is a valid reason to launch a project, as it will minimize losing good staff and decrease the cost of training new staff.

A program is a set of projects that are managed in a coordinated way.
A portfolio is a collection of projects that relate to a strategic business objective.
There is no project management term “ensemble.”
Operations is work that goes on indefinitely.

Seasonally switching the output of a petroleum refinery from gasoline to heating oil is not a project. It is an operation, which is repeated each year.
Initiating a phase of a project can be construed as a project, because it is unique, has a start and a finish, and produces a product or service.
Closing a department store is a project because it is unique, has a start and a finish, and produces a product (an empty store).
Upgrading a system within a company is a project, because it is unique, has start and finish dates, and produces a product or service.

A program is a set of projects that are managed in a coordinated way. Projects within a program do not have to share any objectives.
A set of repetitive ongoing tasks is defined as an operation.
A temporary endeavor that creates a unique product, service, or result is a project.
A collection of projects that relate to a strategic business objective is called a portfolio.

Multi-lingual project teams will allow a company to market its services to a wider range of clients, thus potentially increasing revenue. This qualifies as a strategic business objective, because a company exists to increase revenue and profitability.
Cross-training employees will allow the company to utilize its resources in a wider variety of projects, but this is not strategic because it will not lead directly to more business.
Weekly project meetings will improve project results, but this is not strategic because it will not lead directly to more business.
Increasing corporate charitable donations will enhance public perception of a company but it is not strategic because it will not directly lead to more business.

A project should move to the close phase when no more work will be completed on it. In this case, the project deliverables are no longer needed and the project is being ended immediately.
A project should move to the close phase when the scope of work is completed. In this case, the project's scope of work was changed by the client to reflect that the deliverables are no longer needed.
A project should move to the close phase when no more work will be completed on it, independent of the date.
If the client re-opens the project in the future it will become a new project.

The company is working towards a portfolio organizational structure. A portfolio is a collection of projects that relate to a strategic business objective, and grouping projects by product lines to increase alignment is strategic in nature.
A program consists of one or more projects that are managed together. Programs are not required to relate to a strategic business objective, and grouping projects to increase alignment is strategic in nature.
A project is focused on a unique product, service, or result. The PMO is looking at improving the performance of groups of projects, hence this is not the correct choice.
An operation is a set of repetitive ongoing tasks. The PMO is looking at improving the performance of groups of projects, hence, this is not the correct choice.

There were four projects: the refinery, the new process, the warehouse, and the contractor’s work to fix problems. Each of these projects had specific start and finish dates and a specific purpose.
Three is not the correct answer. Although it might be tempting to include the new process with the original refinery project, it had a new purpose, and was not associated with the original project.
One is not the correct answer. Everything was related to the refinery, but each element had a specific purpose.
Five is not the correct answer. When the company began to produce gasoline, that became an operation because production is ongoing with no finish date.

A project is not always undertaken for strategic reasons, and many projects are “ordinary.” An example would be development of a new staff recruiting manual.
A project is focused on a unique product, service, or result.
A project creates a product or service.
A project is progressively elaborated.

 

[Asphyxia]

Please keep in mind I am going into these online study contents such as the Quizlet flashcards, the e-learning content, and other various online practice exams/studying materials to be additional resources atop two books I have bought and mainly skimmed/note-taking from: CompTIA Project+ Exam PK0-004 "Cert Guide" book by Robin Abernathy, and CompTIA Project+ Certificate Guide by J. Ashley Hunt

These are some core domain areas to focus your studies on, these will be what exam contents are surrounding:








If you wonder how I quickly review relevant flash cards, I will Google search summary sections with "Quizlet" as an example:

• 1.0 Project Basics
  • 1.1 Summarize the properties of a project
  • 1.2 Part 1 Classify project roles and responsibilities
  • 1.3 Part 1 Compare and contrast standard project phases (Set 1 | Set 2)
  • 1.3 Part 2 Compare and contrast standard project phases
  • 1.4 Identify the basics of project cost control
  • 1.5 Identify common project team organizational structures (Set 1 | Set 2)
  • 1.6 Part 1 Given a scenario, execute and develop project schedules
  • 1.6 Part 2 Given a scenario, execute and develop project schedules
  • 1.7 Identify the basic aspects of the Agile methodology
  • 1.8 Part 1 Explain the importance of human resource, physical resource, and personnel management
  • 1.8 Part 2 Explain the importance of human resource, physical resource, and personnel management
• 2.0 Project Constraints
  • 2.1 Part 1 Given a scenario, predict the impact of various constraint variables and influences throughout the project
  • 2.1 Part 2 Given a scenario, predict the impact of various constraint variables and influences throughout the project
  • 2.2 Part 1 Explain the importance of risk strategies and activities
  • Part 2 - 2.2 Explain the importance of risk strategies and activities
• 3.0 Communication and Change Management
  • 3.1 Given a scenario, use the appropriate communication method
  • 3.2 Part 1 Compare and contrast factors influencing communication methods
  • 3.2 Part 2 Compare and contrast factors influencing communication methods
  • 3.3 Explain common communication triggers and determine the target audience and rationale
  • 3.4 Part 1 Given a scenario, use the following change control process within the context of a project - found via Google project+ "3.4" site:quizlet.com
  • 3.4 Part 2 Given a scenario, use the following change control process within the context of a project
  • 3.5 Recognize types of organizational change
• 4.0 Project Tools and Documentation
  • 4.1 Part 1 Compare and contrast various project management tools
  • 4.1 Part 2 Compare and contrast various project management tools
  • 4.2 Part 1 Given a scenario, analyze project centric documentation
  • 4.2 Part 2 Given a scenario, analyze project centric documentation
  • 4.3 Part 1 Identify common partner or vendor-centric documents and their purpose
  • 4.3 Part 2 Identify common partner or vendor-centric documents and their purpose