CAPM : Certified Associate in Project Management (PMI-100) : Part 21
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Which process involves documenting the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans?
- Collect Requirements
- Direct and Manage Project Execution
- Monitor and Control Project Work
- Develop Project Management Plan
Explanation:
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
1. 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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Which Project Management Process Group includes Collect Requirements, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, and Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis?
- Initiating
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Planning
- Closing
Explanation:
Planning Process Group
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan
5.1 Plan Scope Management
5.2 Collect Requirements
5.3 Define Scope
5.4 Create WBS
6.1 Plan Schedule Management
6.2 Define Activities
6.3 Sequence Activities
6.4 Estimate Activity Resources
6.5 Estimate Activity Durations
6.6 Develop Schedule
7.1 Plan Cost Management
7.2 Estimate Costs
7.3 Determine Budget
8.1 Plan Quality Management
9.1 Plan Human Resource Management
10.1 Plan Communications Management
11.1 Plan Risk Management
11.2 Identify Risks
11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
11.5 Plan Risk Responses
12.1 Plan Procurement Management
13.2 Plan Stakeholder Management -
A work package has been scheduled to cost $1,000 to complete and was to be finished today. As of today, the actual expenditure is $1,200 and approximately half of the work has been completed. What is the cost variance?
- -700
- -200
- 200
- 500
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Which type of managers do composite organizations involve?
- Functional managers and manager of project managers
- Functional managers only
- Project managers only
- Technical managers and project managers
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Assigned risk ratings are based upon:
- Root cause analysis.
- Risk probability and impact assessment.
- Expert judgment.
- Revised stakeholders’ tolerances.
Explanation:11.3.2.2 Probability and Impact Matrix
Definition: can be prioritized for further quantitative analysis and planning risk responses based on their risk rating.
Ratings are assigned to risks based on their assessed probability and impact. Evaluation of each risk’s importance and priority for attention is typically conducted using a look-up table or a probability and impact matrix. Such a matrix specifies combinations of probability and impact that lead to rating the risks as low, moderate, or high priority. Descriptive terms or numeric values can be used depending on organizational preference.Probability and impact matrix. A probability and impact matrix is a grid for mapping the probability of each risk occurrence and its impact on project objectives if that risk occurs. Risks are prioritized according to their potential implications for having an effect on the project’s objectives. A typical approach to prioritizing risks is to use a look-up table or a probability and impact matrix. The specific combinations of probability and impact that lead to a risk being rated as “high,” “moderate,” or “low” importance are usually set by the organization.
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Which tool is used to develop technical details within the project management plan?
- Expert judgment
- Project management methodology
- Project management information system (PMIS)
- Project selection methods
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). -
What is the name of a graphic display of project team members and their reporting relationships?
- Role dependencies chart
- Reporting flow diagram
- Project organization chart
- Project team structure diagram
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Which of the following consists of the detailed project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary?
- Scope plan
- Product scope
- Scope management plan
- Scope baseline
Explanation:
5.4.3.1 Scope Baseline
The scope baseline is the approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary, that can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison. It is a component of the project management plan. Components of the scope baseline include:
– Project scope statement. The project scope statement includes the description of the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and constraints.
– WBS. The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. Each descending level of the WBS represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work. The WBS is finalized by assigning each work package to a control account and establishing a unique identifier for that work package from a code of accounts. These identifiers provide a structure for hierarchical summation of costs, schedule, and resource information. A control account is a management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to the earned value for performance measurement. Control accounts are placed at selected management points in the WBS. Each control account may include one or more work packages, but each of the work packages should be associated with only one control account. A control account may include one or more planning packages. A planning package is a work breakdown structure component below the control account with known work content but without detailed schedule activities.
What type of reward can hurt team cohesiveness? The WBS dictionary is a document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information about each component in the WBS. The WBS dictionary is a document that supports the WBS. Information in the WBS dictionary may include, but is not limited to:
○ Code of account identifier,
○ Description of work,
○ Assumptions and constraints,
○ Responsible organization,
○ Schedule milestones,
○ Associated schedule activities,
○ Resources required,
○ Cost estimates,
○ Quality requirements,
○ Acceptance criteria,
○ Technical references, and
○ Agreement information -
What type of reward can hurt team cohesiveness?
- Sole-sum
- Win-lose
- Lose-win
- Partial-sum
Explanation:
Recognition and rewards. Clear criteria for rewards and a planned system for their use help promote and reinforce desired behaviors. To be effective, recognition and rewards should be based on activities and performance under a person’s control. For example, a team member who is to be rewarded for meeting cost objectives should have an appropriate level of control over decisions that affect expenses. Creating a plan with established times for distribution of rewards ensures that recognition takes place and is not forgotten. Recognition and rewards are part of the Develop Project Team process (Section 9.3).Process: 9.3 Develop Project Team
Definition: The process of improving competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it results in improved teamwork, enhanced people skills and competencies, motivated employees, reduced staff turnover rates, and improved overall project performance.Inputs
1. Human resource management plan
2. Project staff assignments
3. Resource calendars
Tools & Techniques
1. Interpersonal skills
2. Training
3. Team-building activities
4. Ground rules
5. Colocation
6. Recognition and rewards
7. Personnel assessment tools
Outputs
1. Team performance assessments
2. Enterprise environmental factors updates -
What type of planning is used where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while work in the future is planned at a higher level?
- Finish-to-start planning
- Rolling wave planning
- Short term planning
- Dependency determination
Explanation:
6.2.2.2 Rolling Wave Planning
Rolling wave planning is an iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level. It is a form of progressive elaboration.
Therefore, work can exist at various levels of detail depending on where it is in the project life cycle. During early strategic planning, when information is less defined, work packages may be decomposed to the known level of detail. As more is known about the upcoming events in the near term, work packages can be decomposed into activities. -
Which Develop Schedule tool and technique produces a theoretical early start date and late start date?
- Critical path method
- Variance analysis
- Schedule compression
- Schedule comparison bar charts
Explanation:6.6.2.2 Critical Path Method
The critical path method, which is a method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of scheduling flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model. This schedule network analysis technique calculates the early start, early finish, late start, and late finish dates for all activities without regard for any resource limitations by performing a forward and backward pass analysis through the schedule network, as shown in Figure 6-18. In this example the longest path includes activities A, C, and D, and, therefore, the sequence of A-C-D is the critical path. The critical path is the sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible project duration. The resulting early and late start and finish dates are not necessarily the project schedule, rather they indicate the time periods within which the activity could be executed, using the parameters entered in the schedule model for activity durations, logical relationships, leads, lags, and other known constraints. The critical path method is used to calculate the amount of scheduling flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model.On any network path, the schedule flexibility is measured by the amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint, and is termed “total float.” A CPM critical path is normally characterized by zero total float on the critical path. As implemented with PDM sequencing, critical paths may have positive, zero, or negative total float depending on constraints applied. Any activity on the critical path is called a critical path activity. Positive total float is caused when the backward pass is calculated from a schedule constraint that is later than the early finish date that has been calculated during forward pass calculation. Negative total float is caused when a constraint on the late dates is violated by duration and logic. Schedule networks may have multiple near-critical paths.
Process: 6.6 Develop Schedule
Definition: The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule model.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that by entering schedule activities, durations, resources, resource availabilities, and logical relationships into the scheduling tool, it generates a schedule model with planned dates for completing project activities.Inputs
1. Schedule management plan
2. Activity list
3. Activity attributes
4. Project schedule network diagrams
5. Activity resource requirements
6. Resource calendars
7. Activity duration estimates
8. Project scope statement
9. Risk register
10. Project staff assignments
11. Resource breakdown structure
12. Enterprise environmental factors
13. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Schedule network analysis
2. Critical path method
3. Critical chain method
4. Resource optimization techniques
5. Modeling techniques
6. Leads and lags
7. Schedule compression
8. Scheduling tool
Outputs
1. Schedule baseline
2. .Project schedule
3. Schedule data
4. Project calendars
5. Project management plan updates
6. Project documents updates -
Perform Quality Control is accomplished by:
- Identifying quality standards that are relevant to the project and determining how to satisfy them.
- Monitoring and recording the results of executing the quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.
- Ensuring that the entire project team has been adequately trained in quality assurance processes.
- Applying Monte Carlo, sampling, Pareto analysis, and benchmarking techniques to ensure conformance to quality standards.
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Which type of estimating can produce higher levels of accuracy, depending upon the sophistication and underlying data built into the model?
- Bottom-up
- Three-point
- Parametric
- Analogous
Explanation:
7.2.2.3 Parametric Estimating
Parametric estimating uses a statistical relationship between relevant historical data and other variables (e.g., square footage in construction) to calculate a cost estimate for project work. This technique can produce higher levels of accuracy depending upon the sophistication and underlying data built into the model. Parametric cost estimates can be applied to a total project or to segments of a project, in conjunction with other estimating methods. -
Activity resource requirements and the resource breakdown structure (RBS) are outputs of which Project Time Management process?
- Control Schedule
- Define Activities
- Develop Schedule
- Estimate Activity Resources
Explanation:6.4.3.2 Resource Breakdown Structure
The resource breakdown structure is a hierarchical representation of resources by category and type. Examples of resource categories include labor, material, equipment, and supplies. Resource types may include the skill level, grade level, or other information as appropriate to the project. The resource breakdown structure is useful for organizing and reporting project schedule data with resource utilization information.Process: 6.4 Estimate Activity Resources
Definition: Activity Resources is the process of estimating the type and quantities of material, human resources, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is that it identifies the type, quantity, and characteristics of resources required to complete the activity which allows more accurate cost and duration estimates.Inputs
1. Schedule management plan
2. Activity list
3. Activity attributes
4. Resource calendars
5. Risk register
6. Activity cost estimates
7. Enterprise environmental factors
8. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
1. Expert judgment
2. Alternative analysis
3. Published estimating data
4. Bottom-up estimating
5. Project management software
Outputs
1. Activity resource requirements
2. Resource breakdown structure
3. Project documents updates -
Which of the following statements best describes the influence of stakeholders and the cost of changes as project time advances?
- The influence of the stakeholders increases, the cost of changes increases.
- The influence of the stakeholders decreases, the cost of changes increases.
- The influence of the stakeholders increases, the cost of changes decreases.
- The influence of the stakeholders decreases, the cost of changes decreases.
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Which process includes prioritizing risks for subsequent further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact?
- Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
- Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
- Plan Risk Management
- Plan Risk Responses
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 -
A change log for communications can be used to communicate to the appropriate stakeholders that there are changes:
- To the project management plan.
- To the risk register.
- In the scope verification processes.
- And their impact to the project in terms of time, cost, and risk.
Explanation:4.5.3.2 Change Log
A change log is used to document changes that occur during a project. These changes and their impact to the project in terms of time, cost, and risk, are communicated to the appropriate stakeholders. Rejected change requests are also captured in the change log.13.3.1.3 Change Log
Described in Section 4.5.3.2. A change log is used to document changes that occur during a project. These changes—and their impact on the project in terms of time, cost, and risk—are communicated to the appropriate stakeholders. -
A procurement management plan is a subsidiary of which other type of plan?
- Resource plan
- Project management plan
- Cost control plan
- Expected monetary value plan
Explanation:4.2.3.1 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)12.1.3.1 Procurement Management Plan
Definition: Procurement management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how a project team will acquire goods and services from outside the performing organization. It describes how the procurement processes will be managed from developing procurement documents through contract closure. The procurement management plan can include guidance for:– Types of contracts to be used;
– Risk management issues;
– Whether independent estimates will be used and whether they are needed as evaluation criteria;
– Those actions the project management team can take unilaterally, if the performing organization has a prescribed procurement, contracting, or purchasing department;
– Standardized procurement documents, if needed;
– Managing multiple suppliers;
– Coordinating procurement with other project aspects, such as scheduling and performance reporting;
– Any constraints and assumptions that could affect planned procurements;
– Handling the long lead times to purchase certain items from sellers and coordinating the extra time needed to procure these items with the development of the project schedule;
– Handling the make-or-buy decisions and linking them into the Estimate Activity – Resources and Develop Schedule processes; the scheduled dates in each contract for the contract deliverables and coordinating with the schedule development and control processes;
– Identifying requirements for performance bonds or insurance contracts to mitigate some forms of project risk;
– Establishing the direction to be provided to the sellers on developing and maintaining a work breakdown structure (WBS);
– Establishing the form and format to be used for the procurement/contract statements of work;
– Identifying prequalified sellers, if any, to be used; and
– Procurement metrics to be used to manage contracts and evaluate sellers.A procurement management plan can be formal or informal, can be highly detailed or broadly framed, and is based upon the needs of each project.
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An electronics firm authorizes a new project to develop a faster, cheaper, and smaller laptop after improvements in the industry and electronics technology. With which of the following strategic considerations is this project mainly concerned?
- Customer request
- Market demand
- Technological advance
- Strategic opportunity
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Which of the following processes are part of the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area?
- Develop Project Management Plan, Collect Requirements, Create WBS
- Develop Project Management Plan, Control Scope, Develop Schedule
- Develop Project Charter, Define Scope, Estimate Costs
- Develop Project Charter, Direct and Manage Project Execution, Close Project or Phase
Explanation:
4. Project Integration Management
4.1 Develop Project Charter
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan
4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work
4.4 Monitor and Control Project Work
4.5 Perform Integrated Change Control
4.6 Close Project or Phase