PMP MCQ Series-Schedule

1. A project manager is informed midway through Project Planning that she was given inaccurate data regarding,new regulations affecting the required end date of her project. She may need to make a few adjustments, but she thinks she can still manage the project to complete it before the regulations take effect. She confirms this by analyzing the sequence of activities with the least amount of scheduling flexibility. What technique is she using?

• A. Critical path method
• B. Flowchart
• C. Precedence diagramming
• D. Work breakdown structure

Answer explanation

Explanation There are only two choices related to schedulings critical path method and precedence#diagramming Precedence diagramming is a diagramming technique that deals with the relationship between activities, not schedule flexibility. The project manager is analyzing the critical path.

2. A design engineer is helping to ensure that the dependencies within her area of expertise are properly defined,on the project. The design of several deliverables must be complete before manufacturing can begin. This is an example of what type of dependency?

• A. Discretionary dependency
• B. External dependency
• C. Mandatory dependency
• D. Scope dependency

Answer explanation

Explanation No mention is made that the dependency comes from a source outside the project, so this is#not an external dependency. Scope dependency is not a defined term. The key words in the question are "must be complete." Since the dependency is required, it could not be discretionary and therefore must be mandatory. The question defines a mandatory dependency

3. Your sponsor and stakeholders have made it clear they wish to be kept informed on the project status. There are,many aspects of the project on which you will report, and you want to choose the most appropriate tool to use in each case. Which of the following are generally illustrated better by bar charts than network diagrams?

• A. Logical relationships
• B. Critical paths
• C. Resource trade-offs
• D. Progress or status

Answer explanation

Explanation The bar chart is designed to show a relationship to time. This is best used when#demonstrating progress or status as a factor of time.

4. A heuristic is best described as a ;

• A. Control tool
• B. Scheduling method
• C. Planning tool
• D. Generally Accepted rule

Answer explanation

Explanation A heuristic is a generally accepted rule. Examples are cost per line of code and cost per#square foot of floor space. Explanation Total float and free float are the time an activity can be delayed without impacting the

5. Lag means:

• A. The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date
• B. The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of its successor
• C. Waiting time
• D. The product of a forward and backward pass

Answer explanation

entire project or the next activity. A forward or backward pass refers to a network analysis technique,#not waiting time. Waiting time is the correct definition of lag.

6. A project manager is new to the company but has 10 years of project management experience. She is given a,medium-sized project and is asked to plan so it is finished as quickly as possible because the company has a large list of projects to complete in the coming year. She will be given another project to manage as soon as she has this one baselined. She needs to report on the longest time the project will take. Which of the following is the best project management tool to use to determine this?

• A. Work breakdown structure
• B. Network diagram
• C. Bar chart
• D. Project charter

Answer explanation

Explanation The bar chart may show an end date, but it is not used to determine dates. The project#charter also may include a required end date but not a logical determination of how long the project will take. The network diagram shows dependencies between activities on the project activity list. The dependencies allow us to look at the various paths through the diagram to determine the longest duration (critical) path. The network diagram is the best answer.

7. Which of the following is correct?

• A. The critical path helps prove how long the project will take.
• B. There can be only one critical path.
• C. The network diagram will change every time the end date changes.
• D. A project can never have negative float.

Answer explanation

Explanation This question tests your knowledge about a number of topics. There can often be more than#one critical path, but you might adjust the plan in order to decrease risk and have only one critical path. The network diagram may or may not change when the end date changes, depending on the amount of schedule reserve and the reason for the change to the schedule. You can have negative float if you are behind schedule. The critical path helps prove how long the project will take. This is the only correct statement of the choices given.

8. The agile project team you are managing is responsible for developing one of the five different components of a,complex enterprise solution. Your PMO representative tells you she's concerned because your team is using a larger story point unit than the other four teams. What should you do?

• A. Tell the PMO that this is the story point your team has chosen, and it doesn't matter how large it is relative to the other teams.
• B. Ask your team lead to coordinate their story point metric with the other teams to ensure that the different components interface smoothly.
• C. Explain to the PMO that the size of each team's story point doesn't matter since this is just a theoretical concept, not a real-world metric.
• D. Show the PMO why your story point has to be larger, since your part of the solution has more complex requirements than the others.

Answer explanation

Explanation This question tests your understanding of story points and relative sizing in an agile setting#The correct answer is to just say that this is the story point your team has chosen, and it doesn't matter what the other teams are doing. The size of a team's story point won't affect the specifications of the solution, so there is no reason to fear that the components won't work together. There is no need to coordinate the size of the story point with the other teams, and in any case an agile team wouldn't change their story point during development since it needs to be kept consistent for tracking and monitoring the work. Although a story point is a relative measure, it is used in tangible ways to estimate, track, and schedule the work. So it isn't just a theoretical concept. A team's story point doesn't need to be smaller or larger based on the amount or type of work being done.

9. A new project manager is walking you through the schedule she has created for her project. She asks you about,the duration of a particular milestone, so she knows how to properly schedule it. What will you tell her about a milestone's duration?

• A. It is shorter than the duration of the longest activity
• B. It is shorter than the activity it represents.
• C. It has no duration.
• D. It is the same length as the activity it represents.

Answer explanation

Explanation A milestone represents the completion of a series of activities or work packages. Milestones#represent significant events within the project schedule. They are not work activities, and they have no duration.

10. Which of the following best describes the relationship between standard deviation and risk?

• A. There is no relationship.
• B. Standard deviation tells you if the estimate is accurate.
• C. Standard deviation tells you how uncertain the estimate is
• D. Standard deviation tells you if the estimate includes a pad

Answer explanation

Explanation An estimate can have a wide range and still be accurate if the item estimated includes#identified risks. There is no such thing as a pad in proper project management. An estimate might be inflated, but it is a calculated reserve to account for risks, not arbitrary padding. The standard deviation tells you the amount of uncertainty or risk involved in the estimate for the activity.