PMI PMI Certifications PMI-SP Questions & Answers

• Question 131:

  You're a project manager and you've completed your project schedule. The schedule will take 18 months to complete the project work. Throughout the schedule there are instances that the project work will require the project team members to work more than fifty hours per week. If you must adhere to a maximum of 45 hours of project work per team member, per week, what will likely happen to your project schedule as it stands right now?

  A. Nothing, the 45 hours limit is a guideline.

  B. The project will take longer to complete.

  C. The project will take less time to complete.

  D. The project will require more resources.

  Correct Answer: B

  If a resource leveling heuristic, such as 45 hours maximum per time period, is enforced on the project, then the project schedule will take longer to complete. What is resource leveling heuristics? Resource leveling heuristics is a prioritization method that allocates inadequate resources to critical path activities first. It is a schedule network analysis technique useful to a schedule that has already been analyzed by the critical path method. It is used when shared or critical essential resources are only available at certain times, in limited quantities, or to keep resource usage at a constant level. It is a technique that resolves resource conflicts by delaying tasks within their slack allowances. Resource leveling is the process in which project teams come across problems when developing their project schedules. If a company has multiple projects running simultaneously that require the same resources, then problems can arise. It can often cause the critical path method to change. Answer option A is incorrect. The 45-hour limit is a restriction on the project. Answer option C is incorrect. The project will not take less time to complete because the project team members won't be able to complete as much work in the same amount of time. Answer option D is incorrect. The project may require more resources if the project manager and management want the project to finish by a particular date. In this question, however, the focus is on what will happen to the project schedule, not the project staffing.

• Question 132:

  Which of the following techniques is used to perform progressive elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near future is planned in detail at a low level of the work breakdown structure?

  A. Imminent activity management

  B. Predecessor-only diagramming

  C. Rolling wave planning

  D. Decomposition

  Correct Answer: C

  Rolling wave planning is a technique to plan and do the most imminent project work before moving onto the details that are far off in the project schedule and project plan. Rolling wave planning is a technique for performing progressive

  elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near future is planned in detail at a low level of the work breakdown structure. The work to be performed within another one or two reporting periods in the near future is planned

  in detail as work is being completed during the current period.

  Answer options B and A are incorrect. These are not valid project management terms. Answer option D is incorrect. Decomposition is the process of breaking down work packages into the activity list.

• Question 133:

  Which of the following group activity techniques allows a large number of ideas to be sorted into groups for review and analysis?

  A. Idea/mind mapping

  B. Nominal group technique

  C. Delphi technique

  D. Affinity diagram

  Correct Answer: D

  The various group creativity techniques are as follows: Brainstorming: It is a technique used to generate and collect multiple ideas related to the project and product requirements. Nominal group technique: It is a technique used to enhance brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or prioritization. Delphi technique: It is a techniques used to identify potential risk. In this technique, the responses are gathered via a questionnaire from different experts and their inputs are organized according to their contents. Idea/mind mapping: It is a technique used to map the ideas generated by brainstorming to reflect the commonality and differences in understanding and generating new ideas. Affinity diagram: It is a technique used to allow a large number of ideas to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.

• Question 134:

  John is the project manager for the ABC project. He is finalizing the budget of the project. He is concerned about the direct costs involved in the project. Which of the following can be considered a direct cost in the project?

  A. Cost of electrical utilities

  B. Salaries of management directly involved in the project

  C. Subcontract cost

  D. Accounting support cost

  Correct Answer: C

  Direct costs can be traced directly to a cost object such as a product. In other words, direct costs do not have to be allocated to a product, department, or other cost object. For example, if a company produces Chairs, the cost of the wood and

  the cost of the carpenter are direct costs. These costs are traceable by the production department. On the other hand, the rent of the production area, warehouse, and office is not a direct cost.

  Answer options A, D, and B are incorrect. These are examples of indirect costs.

• Question 135:

  Kenny is the project manager for the NHQ organization. She is creating the project duration estimates. She has stressed to her project team that they will need to create accurate and reliable project duration estimates without padding their estimates for errors or risks. Kenny is also relying on historical information to help her predict the duration of the project work. Jennifer, one of the project team members, wants to know how Kenny will account for the certain-to-happen errors and delays in the project schedule. What approach should Kenny use in the project?

  A. Rewards and recognition for completing the project work without delays

  B. Analogous estimating

  C. Three-point estimates

  D. Management reserve

  Correct Answer: D

  Management reserve is an allotment of time added to the end of the project schedule. When delays happen within the project, the delays are subtracted from the management reserve. Answer option C is incorrect. Kenny is not using a three-point estimate in this instance. Answer option A is incorrect. Rewards and recognitions are a good incentive for accurate work, but errors and delays may still happen and the rewards would not necessarily prevent delays in the project. Answer option B is incorrect. Kenny may be using some type of analogous estimating to predict activity duration, but the best answer is the reliance on the management reserve.

• Question 136:

  You are the project manager for your organization. Your project is doing fine on time and cost, but management wants to address the project performance for future accomplishment. Management has asked you to begin reporting and forecasting your project's health based on a moving average, extrapolation, trend estimation, and growth curve. What type of forecasting method is management asking you to use?

  A. Judgmental methods

  B. Causal/econometric methods

  C. Time series methods

  D. Estimate at completion method

  Correct Answer: C

  These are examples of a time series method for forecasting project performance. Another method that fits with the time series method of forecasting is earned value management. Forecasting is the process of estimating or predicting in

  unknown situations. Forecasting is about predicting the future as accurately as possible with the help of all the information available, including historical data and knowledge of any future events that might impact forecasts. The forecasting

  methods are categorized as follows: Time series method: It uses historical data as the basis for estimating future outcomes. Causal/econometric method:

  This forecasting method is based on the assumption that it is possible to identify some factors that might influence the variable that is being forecasted. If the causes are understood, projections of the influencing variables can be made and

  used in the forecast. Judgmental method: Judgmental forecasting methods incorporate intuitive judgments, opinions, and subjective probability estimates. Other methods: Other methods may include probabilistic forecasting, simulation, and

  ensemble forecasting. Answer option B is incorrect. Causal/econometric methods do not use the moving average, but models such as linear regression and non- linear regression.

  Answer option A is incorrect. Judgmental methods for forecasting are based on intuition, opinions, and probability estimates.

  Answer option D is incorrect. The estimate at completion method is an earned value management formula, which is part of the time series method for reporting and forecasting performance.

• Question 137:

  Donna's project has a budget at completion of $1,987,560 and she is currently 40 percent complete. Her project schedule called for her to be 45 percent complete but there have been some complications in the project. These complications have caused Donna to spend $125,000 more than what the work she has completed is worth. Based on this information what is the cost performance index (CPI) for Donna's project?

  A. 86

  B. $920,024

  C. .90

  D. .86

  Correct Answer: D

  Cost performance index (CPI) is used to calculate performance efficiencies. It is used in trend analysis to predict future performance. CPI is the ratio of earned value to actual cost. The CPI is calculated based on the following formula: CPI =

  Earned Value (EV) / Actual Cost (AC) If the CPI value is greater than 1, it indicates better than expected performance, whereas if the value is less than 1, it shows poor performance. The CPI value of 1 indicates that the project is right on

  target. In this instance, the actual costs are $125,000 more than what the work is worth, which means you'll need to find the earned value, $795,024 and add $125,000 to find the actual costs of the project, which are $920,024. Answer option

  A is incorrect. This is a trick as 86 is not the same value as .86. On your PMP exam pay attention to these little details.

  Answer option C is incorrect. .90 is slightly more than the Schedule Performance Index of this project. Answer option B is incorrect. This value represents the actual cost of the project.

• Question 138:

  You are the project manager for the GHB Organization. Management has asked that you review your recent SPI to determine why there was a schedule variance. They'd also like you to explain what approach you'll do to counteract the SPI going forward in the project. You complete the variance analysis and report to management that you'll be fast tracking a portion of your project work. What will be the management's concern with, when it comes to fast tracking the project?

  A. Added costs for the additional project labor

  B. Added risk

  C. Continued variances in the SPI

  D. Slippage in the project quality

  Correct Answer: B

  When the project manager elects to use fast tracking the project manager is allowing phases of the project to overlap. When phases overlap there is added risk to the project. Fast tracking is a technique for compressing project schedule. In fast tracking, phases are overlapped that would normally be done in sequence. It is shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope. Answer option C is incorrect. Management's greatest concern is about the added risks of fast tracking and not about the SPI. Answer option A is incorrect. Costs are added when the project manager elects to crash a project. Answer option D is incorrect. Quality may suffer, but the most prominent concern is the added risks to the project work.

• Question 139:

  You are the project manager of a software development project. Your project team will be creating a web- based software application that will allow your company's customers to browse your website, search inventory, and place orders among other things. Your project team will, on a regular basis, need to update their computer virus prevention software, update their operating systems, and perform other maintenance on their computers in order to complete the project. This maintenance work is not directly tied to the project deliverables, but it is needed in order for the project to be completed. What term best describes this maintenance work?

  A. Project management overhead

  B. Discrete effort

  C. Level of effort

  D. Cost of conformance to quality

  Correct Answer: C

  The level of effort term describes the ongoing maintenance associated with the project work, but not a contribution to the deliverables of the project work. Level of Effort (LOE) is a project activity which must be done to support other work activities or the entire project effort. It usually consists of short amounts of work which must be repeated periodically. LOE is used to define the amount of work performance within a period of time and is measured in man days or man hours per day/week/month. Answer option B is incorrect. Discrete effort describes the activities that can be linked directly to the project work packages. Answer option A is incorrect. Project management overhead is an example of apportioned effort. Answer option D is incorrect. The cost of conformance to quality describes the dues, such as the subscription for the anti-virus software that must be spent, so the project can reach its objectives.

• Question 140:

  You are the project manager for your organization. You have been recording the actual results of activity duration for your project. Many of the results are late and this is causing your project to be late on reaching its milestones. What tool and technique can you use as a part of controlling the schedule to help you review various scenarios to bring the schedule into alignment with the plan?

  A. What-if scenario analysis

  B. Root cause analysis

  C. Schedule analysis

  D. Resource leveling

  Correct Answer: A

  Of all the choices, the what-if scenario analysis allows you to determine the best approach to bring the schedule back into alignment with the project plan. What-if scenario analysis explains the analysis of the question "What if the situation represented by scenario 'X' happens?". This What-If Scenario Analysis shortly named as WIS

  A. A schedule network analysis is performed using the schedule to compute the different scenarios, such as extending specific engineering durations, or delaying a major component delivery. Businesses use what-if scenarios to determine the

  effect different costs or investments have on profit and other financial indicators.

  Answer option D is incorrect. Resource leveling can cause your project's duration to increase. Answer option C is incorrect. Schedule analysis is the review of the schedule, but does not examine other possibilities for completing the project

  work.

  Answer option B is incorrect. Root cause analysis could help you determine the reasons why the project is running late, but it is not the best choice for this question as it is not a control schedule process tool and technique.