CAPM : Certified Associate in Project Management (PMI-100) : Part 05
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Which process identifies whether the needs of a project can best be met by acquiring products, services, or results outside of the organization?
- Plan Procurement Management
- Control Procurements
- Collect Requirements
- Plan Cost Management
Explanation:
Process: 12.1 Plan Procurement Management
Definition: The process of documenting project procurement decisions, specifying the approach, and identifying potential sellers.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it determines whether to acquire outside support, and if so, what to acquire, how to acquire it, how much is needed, and when to acquire it.Inputs
1. Project management plan
2. Requirements documentation
3. Risk register
4. Activity resource requirements
5. Project schedule
6. Activity cost estimates
7. Stakeholder register
8. Enterprise environmental factors
9. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Make-or-buy analysis
2. Expert judgment
3. Market research
4. Meetings
Outputs
1. Procurement management plan
2. Procurement statement of work
3. Procurement documents
4. Source selection criteria
5. Make-or-buy decisions
6. Change requests
7. Project documents updates -
Which tool or technique is used to manage change requests and the resulting decisions?
- Change control tools
- Expert judgment
- Delphi technique
- Change log
Explanation:4.5.2.3 Change Control Tools
In order to facilitate Configuration and change management, manual or automated tools may be used. Tool selection should be based on the needs of the project stakeholders including organizational and environmental considerations and/or constraints.
Tools are used to manage the change requests and the resulting decisions. Additional considerations should be made for communication to assist the CCB members in their duties as well as distribute the decisions to the appropriate stakeholders4.3.3.3 Change Requests
A change request is a formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline. An approved change request will replace the associated document, deliverable, or baseline and may result in an update to other parts of the project management plan. When issues are found while project work is being performed, change requests are submitted, which may modify project policies or procedures, project scope, project cost or budget, project schedule, or project quality. Other change requests cover the needed preventive or corrective actions to forestall negative impact later in the project. Requests for a change can be direct or indirect, externally or internally initiated, and can be optional or legally/contractually mandated, and may include:
– Corrective action—An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the project management plan;
Preventive action—An intentional activity that ensures the future performance of the project work is aligned with the project management plan;
– Defect repair—An intentional activity to modify a nonconforming product or product component;
– Updates—Changes to formally controlled project documents, plans, etc., to reflect modified or additional ideas or content. -
The planned work contained in the lowest level of work breakdown structure (WBS) components is known as:
- Work packages.
- Accepted deliverables.
- The WBS dictionary.
- The scope baseline.
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In which Knowledge Area is the project charter developed?
- Project Cost Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Management
- Project Integration Management
Explanation:Knowledge Areas
4. Project Integration Management
5. Project Scope Management
6. Project Time Management
7. Project Cost Management
8. Project Quality Management
9. Project Human Resource Management
10.Project Communications Management
11.Project Risk Management
12.Project Procurement Management
13.Project Stakeholder ManagementProcess: 4.1. Develop Project Charter
Definition: The process of developing a document that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is a well-defined project start and project boundaries, creation of a formal record of the project, and a direct way for senior management to formally accept and commit to the project.
Inputs
1. Project statement of work
2. Business case
3. Agreements
4. Enterprise environmental factors
5. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Expert judgment
2. Facilitation techniques
Outputs
1. Project charter -
The ability to influence cost is greatest during which stages of the project?
- Early
- Middle
- Late
- Completion
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Which process involves developing an approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete project activities?
- Estimate Costs
- Control Costs
- Determine Budget
- Plan Cost Management
Explanation:Process: 7.2 Estimate Costs
Definition: The process of developing an approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete project activities.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it determines the amount of cost required to complete project work.Inputs
1. Cost management plan
2. Human resource management plan
3. Scope baseline
4. Project schedule
5. Risk register
6. Enterprise environmental factors
7. Organizational process assetsTools & Techniques
1. Expert judgment
2. Analogous estimating
3. Parametric estimating
4. Bottom-up estimating
5. Three-point estimating
6. Reserve analysis
7. Cost of quality
8. Project management software
9. Vendor bid analysis
10. Group decision-making techniquesOutputs
1. Activity cost estimates
2. Basis of estimates
3. Project documents updates -
Which tool or technique is used in the Develop Project Management Plan process?
- Project management information system (PMIS)
- Project charter
- Quality assurance
- Expert judgment
Explanation:4.1.2.1 Expert Judgment
Expert judgment is often used to assess the inputs used to develop the project charter. Expert judgment is applied to all technical and management details during this process. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training and is available from many sources, including:
– Other units within the organization,
– Consultants,
– Stakeholders, including customers or sponsors,
– Professional and technical associations,
– Industry groups,
– Subject matter experts (SME), and
– Project management office (PMO).Process: 4.2. Develop Project Management Plan
Definition: The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all subsidiary plans and integrating them into a comprehensive project management plan. The project’s integrated baselines and subsidiary plans may be included within the project management plan.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is a central document that defines the basis of all project work.
Inputs
1. Project charter
2. Outputs from other processes
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Expert judgment
2. Facilitation techniques
Outputs
Project management plan4.2.3.1 Project Management Plan
The project management plan is the document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It integrates and consolidates all of the subsidiary plans and baselines from the planning processes.
Project baselines include, but are not limited to:
– Scope baseline (Section 5.4.3.1),
– Schedule baseline (Section 6.6.3.1), and
– Cost baseline (Section 7.3.3.1).Subsidiary plans include, but are not limited to:
– Scope management plan (Section 5.1.3.1),
– Requirements management plan (Section 5.1.3.2),
– Schedule management plan (Section 6.1.3.1),
– Cost management plan (Section 7.1.3.1),
– Quality management plan (Section 8.1.3.1),
– Process improvement plan (Section 8.1.3.2),
– Human resource management plan (Section 9.1.3.1),
– Communications management plan (Section 10.1.3.1),
– Risk management plan (Section 11.1.3.1),
– Procurement management plan (Section 12.1.3.1), and
– Stakeholder management plan (Section 13.2.3.1).
– Among other things, the project management plan may also include the following:
– Life cycle selected for the project and the processes that will be applied to each phase;
– Details of the tailoring decisions specified by the project management team as follows:
○ Project management processes selected by the project management team,
○ Level of implementation for each selected process,
○ Descriptions of the tools and techniques to be used for accomplishing those processes, and
○ Description of how the selected processes will be used to manage the specific project, including the dependencies and interactions among those processes and the essential inputs and outputs.
– Description of how work will be executed to accomplish the project objectives;
– Change management plan that documents how changes will be monitored and controlled;
– Configuration management plan that documents how Configuration management will be performed;
– Description of how the integrity of the project baselines will be maintained;
– Requirements and techniques for communication among stakeholders; and
– Key management reviews for content, the extent of, and timing to address, open issues and pending decisions.The project management plan may be either summary level or detailed, and may be composed of one or more subsidiary plans. Each of the subsidiary plans is detailed to the extent required by the specific project. Once the project management plan is baselined, it may only be changed when a change request is generated and approved through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
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Lessons learned are created and project resources are released in which Process Group?
- Planning
- Executing
- Closing
- Initiating
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When should quality planning be performed?
- While developing the project charter
- In parallel with the other planning processes
- As part of a detailed risk analysis
- As a separate step from the other planning processes
Explanation:
Quality planning should be performed in parallel with the other planning processes. For example, proposed changes in the deliverables to meet identified quality standards may require cost or schedule adjustments and a detailed risk analysis of the impact to plans.
The quality planning techniques discussed here are those used most frequently on projects. There are many others that may be useful on certain projects or in some application areas. -
A key benefit of the Manage Communications process is that it enables:
- The best use of communication methods.
- An efficient and effective communication flow.
- Project costs to be reduced.
- The best use of communication technology.
Explanation:
Process: 10.2 Manage Communications
Definition: The process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving and the ultimate disposition of project information in accordance with the communications management plan.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it enables an efficient and effective communications flow between project stakeholders.
Inputs
1. Communications management plan
2. Work performance reports
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Communication technology
2. Communication models
3. Communication methods
4. Information management systems
5. Performance reporting
Outputs
1. Project communications
2. Project management plan updates
3. Project documents updates
4. Organizational process assets updates -
The ways in which the roles and responsibilities, reporting relationships, and staffing management will be addressed and structured within a project is described in the:
- Human resource management plan.
- Activity resource requirements.
- Personnel assessment tools,
- Multi-criteria decision analysis.
Explanation:9.1.3.1 Human Resource Management Plan
The human resource management plan, a part of the project management plan, provides guidance on how project human resources should be defined, staffed, managed, and eventually released. The human resource management plan and any subsequent revisions are also inputs into the Develop Project Management Plan process.Process: 9.1 Plan Human Resource Management
Definition: The process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it establishes project roles and responsibilities, project organization charts, and the staffing management plan including the timetable for staff acquisition and release.Inputs
1. Project management plan
2. Activity resource requirements
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Organization charts and position descriptions
2. Networking
3. Organizational theory
4. Expert judgment
5. Meetings
Outputs
1. Human resource management plan -
The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities is known as:
- Control Schedule.
- Sequence Activities.
- Define Activities.
- Develop Schedule.
Explanation:
Process: 6.3 Sequence Activities
Definition: The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it defines the logical sequence of work to obtain the greatest efficiency given all project constraints.
Inputs
1. Schedule management plan
2. Activity list
3. Activity attributes
4. Milestone list
5. Project scope statement
6. Enterprise environmental factors
7. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Precedence diagramming method (PDM)
2. Dependency determination
3. Leads and lags
Outputs
1. Project schedule network diagrams
2. Project documents updates -
Conditions that are not under the control of the project team that influence, direct, or constrain a project are called:
- Enterprise environmental factors
- Work performance reports
- Organizational process assets
- Context diagrams
Explanation:
2.1.5 Enterprise Environmental Factors
Enterprise environmental factors refer to conditions, not under the control of the project team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project. Enterprise environmental factors are considered inputs to most planning processes, may enhance or constrain project management options, and may have a positive or negative influence on the outcome.
Enterprise environmental factors vary widely in type or nature. Enterprise environmental factors include, but are not limited to:
– Organizational culture, structure, and governance;
– Geographic distribution of facilities and resources;
– Government or industry standards (e.g., regulatory agency regulations, codes of conduct, product standards, quality standards, and workmanship standards);
– Infrastructure (e.g., existing facilities and capital equipment);
– Existing human resources (e.g., skills, disciplines, and knowledge, such as design, development, legal, contracting, and purchasing);
– Personnel administration (e.g., staffing and retention guidelines, employee performance reviews and training records, reward and overtime policy, and time tracking);
– Company work authorization systems;
– Marketplace conditions;
– Stakeholder risk tolerances;
– Political climate;
– Organization’s established communications channels;
– Commercial databases (e.g., standardized cost estimating data, industry risk study information, and risk databases); and
– Project management information system (e.g., an automated tool, such as a scheduling software tool, a configuration management system, and
– Project management information system (e.g., an automated tool, such as a scheduling software tool, a configuration management system, an information collection and distribution system, or web interfaces to other online automated systems). -
The organization’s perceived balance between risk taking and risk avoidance is reflected in the risk:
- Responses
- Appetite
- Tolerance
- Attitude
Explanation:11 PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT
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Organizations perceive risk as the effect of uncertainty on projects and organizational objectives. Organizations and stakeholders are willing to accept varying degrees of risk depending on their risk attitude. The risk attitudes of both the organization and the stakeholders may be influenced by a number of factors, which are broadly classifed into three themes:– Risk appetite, which is the degree of uncertainty an entity is willing to take on in anticipation of a reward.
Risk tolerance, which is the degree, amount, or volume of risk that an organization or individual will withstand.
– Risk threshold, which refers to measures along the level of uncertainty or the level of impact at which a stakeholder may have a specific interest. Below that risk threshold, the organization will accept the risk. Above that risk threshold, the organization will not tolerate the risk.
For example, an organization’s risk attitude may include its appetite for uncertainty, its threshold for risk levels that are unacceptable, or its risk tolerance at which point the organization may select a different risk response.
Positive and negative risks are commonly referred to as opportunities and threats. The project may be accepted if the risks are within tolerances and are in balance with the rewards that may be gained by taking the risks. Positive risks that offer opportunities within the limits of risk tolerances may be pursued in order to generate enhanced value. For example, adopting an aggressive resource optimization technique is a risk taken in anticipation of a reward for using fewer resources. -
An output of the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process is:
- change requests
- enterprise environmental factors
- the stakeholder management plan
- the change log
Explanation:13.3 Manage Stakeholder Engagement
Definition: The process of communicating and working with stakeholders to meet their needs/expectations, address issues as they occur, and foster appropriate stakeholder engagement in project activities throughout the project life cycle.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it allows the project manager to increase support and minimize resistance from stakeholders, significantly increasing the chances to achieve project success.Inputs
1. Stakeholder management plan
2. Communications management plan
3. Change log
4. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Communication methods
2. Interpersonal skills
3. Management skillsOutputs
1. Issue log
2. Change requests
3. Project management plan updates
4. Project documents updates
5. Organizational process assets updates -
Which process numerically analyzes the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives?
- Plan Risk Management
- Plan Risk Responses
- Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
- Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
Explanation:Process: 11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
Definition: The process of numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it produces quantitative risk information to support decision making in order to reduce project uncertainty.Inputs
1. Risk management plan
2. Cost management plan
3. Schedule management plan
4. Risk register
5. Enterprise environmental factors
6. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Data gathering and representation techniques
2. Quantitative risk analysis and modeling techniques
3. Expert judgment
Outputs
1. Project documents updates -
An input to the Plan Procurement Management process is:
- Source selection criteria.
- Market research.
- A stakeholder register.
- A records management system.
Explanation:5.2.1.5 Stakeholder Register
Described in Section 13.1.3.1. The stakeholder register is used to identify stakeholders who can provide information on the requirements. The stakeholder register also captures major requirements and main expectations stakeholders may have for the project.13.1.3.1 Stakeholder Register
The main output of the Identify Stakeholders process is the stakeholder register. This contains all details related to the identified stakeholders including, but not limited to:
– Identification information. Name, organizational position, location, role in the project, contact information;
– Assessment information. Major requirements, main expectations, potential influence in the project, phase in the life cycle with the most interest; and
Stakeholder classification. Internal/external, supporter/neutral/resistor, etc.The stakeholder register should be consulted and updated on a regular basis, as stakeholders may change—or new ones identified—throughout the life cycle of the project.
Process: 12.1 Plan Procurement Management
Definition: The process of documenting project procurement decisions, specifying the approach, and identifying potential sellers.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it determines whether to acquire outside support, and if so, what to acquire, how to acquire it, how much is needed, and when to acquire it.Inputs
1. Project management plan
2. Requirements documentation
3. Risk register
4. Activity resource requirements
5. Project schedule
6. Activity cost estimates
7. Stakeholder register
8. Enterprise environmental factors
9. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Make-or-buy analysis
2. Expert judgment
3. Market research
4. Meetings
Outputs
1. Procurement management plan
2. Procurement statement of work
3. Procurement documents
4. Source selection criteria
5. Make-or-buy decisions
6. Change requests
7. Project documents updates -
Reserve analysis is a tool and technique used in which process?
- Plan Risk Management
- Plan Risk Responses
- Identify Risks
- Control Risks
Explanation:11.6.2.5 Reserve Analysis
Throughout execution of the project, some risks may occur with positive or negative impacts on budget or schedule contingency reserves. Reserve analysis compares the amount of the contingency reserves remaining to the amount of risk remaining at any time in the project in order to determine if the remaining reserve is adequate.Process: 11.6 Control Risks
Definition: The process of implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it improves efficiency of the risk approach throughout the project life cycle to continuously optimize risk responses.Inputs
1. Project management plan
2. Risk register
3. Work performance data
4. Work performance reports
Tools & Techniques
1. Risk reassessment
2. Risk audits
3. Variance and trend analysis
4. Technical performance measurement
5. Reserve analysis
6. Meetings
Outputs
1. Work performance information
2. Change requests
3. Project management plan updates
4. Project documents updates
5. Organizational process assets updates6.5.2.6 Reserve Analysis
Duration estimates may include contingency reserves, sometimes referred to as time reserves or buffers, into the project schedule to account for schedule uncertainty. Contingency reserves are the estimated duration within the schedule baseline, which is allocated for identified risks that are accepted and for which contingent or mitigation responses are developed. Contingency reserves are associated with the “known-unknowns,” which may be estimated to account for this unknown amount of rework.
As more precise information about the project becomes available, the contingency reserve may be used, reduced, or eliminated. Contingency should be clearly identified in schedule documentation.
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Estimates may also be produced for the amount of management reserve of time for the project. Management reserves are a specified amount of the project duration withheld for management control purposes and are reserved for unforeseen work that is within scope of the project. Management reserves are intended to address the “unknown-unknowns” that can affect a project. Management reserve is not included in the schedule baseline, but it is part of the overall project duration requirements. Depending on contract terms, use of management reserves may require a change to the schedule baseline. -
Updates to organizational process assets such as procurement files, deliverable acceptances, and lessons learned documentation are typical outputs of which process?
- Close Project or Phase
- Conduct Procurements
- Control Procurements
- Close Procurements
Explanation:12.4.3.2 Organizational Process Assets Updates
Elements of the organizational process assets that may be updated include, but are not limited to:
– Procurement file. A complete set of indexed contract documentation, including the closed contract, is prepared for inclusion with the final project fles.
– Deliverable acceptance. Documentation of formal acceptance of seller-provided deliverables may be required to be retained by the organization. The Close Procurement process ensures this documentation requirement is satisfed. Requirements for formal deliverable acceptance and how to address nonconforming deliverables are usually defined in the agreement.
– Lessons learned documentation. Lessons learned, what has been experienced, and process improvement recommendations, should be developed for the project fle to improve future procurements.Process: 12.4 Close Procurements
Definition: The process of completing each project procurement.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it documents agreements and related documentation for future reference.Inputs
1. Project management plan
2. Procurement documents
Tools & Techniques
1. Procurement audits
2. Procurement negotiations
3. Records management system
Outputs
1. Closed procurements
2. Organizational process assets updates -
Risk categorization is a tool or technique used in which process?
- Plan Risk Responses
- Plan Risk Management
- Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
- Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
Explanation:Process: 11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
Definition: The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it enables project managers to reduce the level of uncertainty and to focus on high-priority risks.Inputs
1. Risk management plan
2. Scope baseline
3. Risk register
4. Enterprise environmental factors
5. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Risk probability and impact assessment
2. Probability and impact matrix
3. Risk data quality assessment
4. Risk categorization
5. Risk urgency assessment
6. Expert judgment
Outputs
1. Project documents updates