Sample Exam Questions & Answers 8

1. Which of the following are not assignable causes of variation?

A. Differences between employee effectiveness.

B. Differences among measurements

C. Differences between new and old machines

D. Differences in raw materials

2. Ensuring that there are satisfactory answers to questions such as, “Will this project make our firm more profitable” and “Will this project improve the image of the firm” is part of which project portfolio management process?

A. Screening

B. Project selection

C. Individual project analysis

D. Pre-screening

3. The elements of product network diagrams that show only summary activities are called

A. fragnets.

B. hammocks.

C. nodes.

D. gates.

4. Contested changes where the buyer and seller cannot agree on compensation are also called

A. disagreements.

B. contentions.

C. appeals.

D. discrepancies.

5. The chart of accounts is an important input to the cost estimating processes because it

A. reflects the financial reporting structure which has been defined in the WBS.

B. must be included in the supporting detail which is an output of this process.

C. forms the basis for the control aspects of the cost management plan.

D. describes the coding structure used by the performing organization to report financial information in its general ledger.

6. Assumptions are

A. factors that will limit the project management team’s options.

B. factors that should always be verified before the final project plan is submitted for approval.

C. factors that are considered to be real, true or certain without proof or demonstration.

D. factors that cannot be verified and so must be considered in the project risk management plan.

7. Studies conducted between 1924 and 1932 concluded that it was attention to employees rather than to work conditions that had the most dominant effect on productivity. This has come to be know as

A. Herzberg’s hygiene and motivation theory.

B. McClelland’s Expectancy-Value model.

C. Duffy’s arousal effect.

D. the Hawthorne effect.

8. Residual risk is

A. the amount of risk that management will tolerate in the project

B. new risk introduced by the risk response plan selected.

C. the risk that remains after risk response plans are implemented.

D. risk that resides with the customer.

9. In planning and managing projects the project manager must often deal with customer pressures to develop a rich featured product at low cost while management wants a project that will generate high profits. In dealing with this situation you should

A. educate management on the importance of a balanced perspective between profit and customer satisfaction.

B. channel customer expectations to a more realistic level.

C. recognize the reality of different and conflicting objectives between stakeholders and seek a reasonable compromise.

D. use creative thinking and brainstorming to find new approaches to providing these features at lower cost.

10. Which leadership style represents the most balanced perspective with regard to degree of control?

A. Democratic

B. Benevolent

C. Participative

D. Consensus


ANSWERS:

1.B(Measurements reflect the consequence of variation rather than being a cause)
2.D(Prescreening questions ensure that a candidate project meets minimal requirements before investing time in a detailed analysis)
3.B(A hammock is “a group of related schedule activities aggregated at some summary level and displayed/reported as a single activity at that summary level.” PMI recommends that the term “summary activity” be used instead. [Glossary]
4.C(“Contested changes and constructive changes are those requested changes … where the buyer and seller cannot agree on compensation for the change, or cannot agree that a change has even occurred.” [12.5.2.6]
5.D(“A Chart of Accounts is any numbering system used to monitor project costs by category… The project chart of accounts is usually based upon the corporate chart of accounts of the primary performing organization.” [Glossary]
6.C(“Assumptions are factors that are considered to be real, true or certain without proof or demonstration.” Answer A refers to constraints. Answer B is desirable but almost never possible. Answer D is true for those assumptions which cannot be verified. [Glossary]
7.D(The study began as a study of lighting effects on productivity. They initially observed that more lighting led to higher productivity. When they then tried to determine how much lighting was enough, they found that productivity increased without regard to the amount of light. This ultimately led to the conclusion stated in the question. Meredith and Mantel, section 4.7
8.C(“Residual risks [are those] that are expected to remain after planned responses have been taken, as well as those that have been deliverately accepted.” [11.5.3.1]
9.C(Answers A and B assume that only one stakeholder perspective is the “right” one and all others should be required to conform. Answer D is, of course, the ideal solution but is seldom practical. “Managing stakeholder expectations may be difficult because stakeholders often have very different objectives that may come into conflict.” (PMBOK) [2.2]
10.C(The participative leadership style is characterized by 1) allowing a great deal of freedom in identifying problems and solutions, 2) working closely with subordinates and 3) encouraging the free flow of information between the project manager and team members. The manager does not allow the team to force decisions with which he/she is not comfortable with (Democratic style) but generally doesn’t restrict subordinate participation (Consultative style). Frame, Chapter 6)