CAPM Predictive Plan-Based Methodologies — 25 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is creating the risk management plan. Which document should the project manager reference to identify the risk tolerance of stakeholders?

Accepted Answer

Project charter. The project charter contains high-level project risks and the risk appetite of the organization, which reflects stakeholders' risk tolerance. Therefore, it is the appropriate document to reference when creating the risk management plan.

Answer

Project scope statement

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Stakeholder management plan

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Risk register

Question 2

During project planning, the team identifies that a task has a duration of 10 days, a predecessor finish-to-start relationship, and a lag of 2 days. What is the earliest the successor task can start if the predecessor starts on day 1?

Accepted Answer

Day 12. The predecessor starts on day 1 and has a duration of 10 days, so its early finish is day 10 (assuming no gaps). With a finish-to-start relationship and a lag of 2 days, the successor's early start is the predecessor's early finish plus the lag: 10 + 2 = 12. Therefore, the earliest the successor can start is day 12.

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Day 11

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Day 10

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Day 13

Question 3

During the execution phase of a software development project, the team discovers a critical bug that requires an immediate fix. The project manager uses the contingency reserve to address this. Which plan-based process is being applied?

Accepted Answer

Perform Integrated Change Control. D is correct because using the contingency reserve to address a critical bug requires a formal change request to authorize the release of funds from the reserve. This aligns with the Perform Integrated Change Control process, which evaluates, approves, and manages changes to project baselines, including the cost baseline. The project manager must submit a change request, which is then reviewed by the Change Control Board (CCB) before the contingency reserve can be applied.

Answer

Direct and Manage Project Work

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Monitor and Control Project Work

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Close Project or Phase

Question 4

Which TWO of the following are characteristics of a predictive life cycle?

Accepted Answer

Scope is defined at the beginning of the project. In a predictive life cycle, the project scope is defined and baselined at the start, before execution begins. This upfront planning ensures that all requirements are known and documented, allowing for a detailed project management plan to guide the entire project.

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Changes are welcomed and incorporated at any time

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Requirements are gathered incrementally throughout the project

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Deliverables are developed through multiple iterations

Question 5

A project manager is using a predictive approach for a construction project. The team has completed 40% of the work, but the actual cost is $500,000 against a planned value of $450,000. The project manager calculates the cost performance index (CPI) and schedule performance index (SPI). Which conclusion is correct?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. The project has completed 40% of the work, so the earned value (EV) is 40% of the total budget. With actual cost (AC) of $500,000 and planned value (PV) of $450,000, the CPI = EV/AC = (0.4 * BAC)/500,000. Since AC > PV and EV < PV (because only 40% of work is done vs. 45% planned), both CPI and SPI are less than 1.0, indicating the project is over budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

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The project is on budget and on schedule

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The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Question 6

Based on the exhibit, what is the critical path duration of the project?

Accepted Answer

12 days. The critical path is the longest path through the project network diagram, determining the shortest possible project duration. Based on the exhibit, Path A→B→E→G→H has a total duration of 2+3+4+2+1 = 12 days. Other paths, such as A→B→D→E (11 days) and A→C→F→H (10 days), are shorter. Therefore, 12 days is the correct critical path duration.

Answer

10 days

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11 days

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13 days

Question 7

Based on the exhibit, which activity has the highest risk of delaying the project if it is delayed by one day?

Accepted Answer

Activity B. Activity B is on the critical path, which is the longest sequence of dependent activities determining the project's minimum duration. Any delay to a critical path activity directly delays the project's finish date by the same amount. In the exhibit, the critical path is A-B-D-F, so a one-day delay to Activity B pushes the project end by one day.

Answer

Activity C

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Activity E

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Activity A

Question 8

Match each project management methodology to its characteristic.

Accepted Answer

Waterfall: Sequential phases with distinct stages such as requirements, design, implementation, testing, and deployment.. Waterfall uses sequential phases; Agile is iterative and flexible; Scrum is an Agile framework with sprints; Kanban visualizes workflow with WIP limits. Common confusions: swapping Kanban with Agile, or describing Waterfall as iterative.

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Agile: Visual management of work in progress with limits on simultaneous tasks.

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Waterfall: Iterative cycles with frequent reassessment and adaptation.

Question 9

Match each project constraint to its typical trade-off.

Accepted Answer

Time: If time is reduced, scope or cost must be adjusted. The triple constraint model (scope, time, cost) states that changing one constraint typically impacts the others. Scope increases lead to time and cost increases; reducing time requires scope or cost adjustments; reducing cost requires scope or time adjustments. Common confusions include reversing the direction of trade-offs.

Answer

Scope: If scope increases, time and cost typically decrease

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Time: If time is increased, scope and cost must be reduced

Question 10

A project manager in a predictive manufacturing project needs to procure a specialized component. The procurement process requires a detailed statement of work (SOW) and firm fixed price (FFP) contract. What should the project manager create first?

Accepted Answer

Create the procurement management plan.. According to the PMBOK Guide, the procurement management plan is the first document created in the procurement process. It defines how procurement will be managed, including procedures for developing the statement of work (SOW), conducting make-or-buy analysis, selecting contract types (such as FFP), and managing seller relationships. Without this plan, subsequent procurement activities lack guidance. Option A (developing SOW) occurs after the plan is established. Option B (make-or-buy analysis) is part of planning but is typically conducted during the development of the procurement management plan. Option C (drafting the contract) happens after seller selection, which follows the plan and SOW creation. Therefore, the procurement management plan must be created first to set the framework for all procurement activities.

Answer

Develop the procurement statement of work (SOW).

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Conduct a make-or-buy analysis.

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Draft the contract with the selected seller.

Question 11

Which THREE of the following are key components of a work breakdown structure (WBS) dictionary?

Accepted Answer

Schedule milestones. In a WBS dictionary, each work package is documented with a detailed description of the work to be performed, so option C (Description of work package) is correct because it defines the scope, deliverables, and boundaries of that package. Option E (Responsible organization or person) is correct because the dictionary assigns ownership and accountability for each work package, often via the responsible account manager or performing organizational unit. Option A (Schedule milestones) is correct because the WBS dictionary records key milestones and due dates associated with the work package, linking scope to schedule. Option B (Project charter) is not a WBS dictionary component; it is a separate high-level document that authorizes the project. Option D (Network diagram of activities) is also not part of the WBS dictionary; it is a scheduling tool showing activity dependencies, typically developed after the WBS.

Answer

Project charter

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Network diagram of activities

Question 12

Based on the exhibit, what is the critical path duration?

Accepted Answer

15 days. The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project network diagram, and its duration determines the shortest possible project completion time. Based on the exhibit (not shown), the correct critical path duration is 15 days, as it represents the longest path through the network.

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16 days

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14 days

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13 days

Question 13

Based on the exhibit, which risk should the project manager prioritize for proactive response?

Accepted Answer

R001. Risk R001 has the highest risk score (0.56), indicating the highest priority for proactive response. Options A, B, and D are incorrect: R002 and R003 have lower risk scores, and D is wrong because risks do not have equal priority; the one with the highest score should be addressed first.

Answer

R002

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R003

Answer

All risks have equal priority.

Question 14

Based on the exhibit, what is the estimated cost for the network cabling work package?

Accepted Answer

$15,000. The network cabling work package is estimated at $15,000 because that figure represents the sum of the individual activity cost estimates within that work package as shown in the exhibit. In CAPM cost management, work package estimates are derived by aggregating the costs of all underlying activities, and the exhibit clearly identifies $15,000 as the total for this package. The other dollar amounts correspond to different work packages or activities, not the cabling package total.

Answer

$20,000

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$12,000

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$10,000

Question 15

A project has a critical path duration of 45 days. Activity X on the critical path can be crashed by 3 days at an additional cost of $500 per day. Activity Y, a non-critical activity with 10 days of float, can also be crashed by 3 days at $600 per day. The project manager wants to reduce the project duration by 3 days at minimum cost. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Crash Activity X by 3 days for $1,500. Crashing Activity X on the critical path directly reduces the project duration. Option B is wrong because crashing Activity Y does not reduce the overall project duration since it has float. Option C is wrong because crashing both is unnecessary and more expensive. Option D is wrong because crashing a non-critical activity does not affect the critical path.

Answer

Crash both activities by 3 days for $3,300

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Crash Activity Y by 1 day for $600 and Activity X by 2 days for $1,000

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Crash Activity Y by 3 days for $1,800

Question 16

Which TWO of the following are tools and techniques used in the Plan Schedule Management process?

Accepted Answer

Rolling wave planning. Options A and B are correct. Rolling wave planning is a technique for progressive elaboration used in developing the schedule management plan, while bottom-up estimating is used to estimate activity durations and resources, which informs the schedule management plan. Both are considered tools and techniques in the Plan Schedule Management process. Leads and lags (C) and critical path method (D) are techniques used in the Develop Schedule process, not in Plan Schedule Management. Decomposition (E) is used for scope definition.

Answer

Leads and lags

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Critical path method

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Decomposition

Question 17

How many work packages are at WBS level 2 (the second level) in this exhibit?

Accepted Answer

3. In a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), the second level represents the major deliverables or phases that decompose the project scope. The exhibit shows three distinct branches at level 2, each of which is a work package (or a parent of work packages). Therefore, the correct count is 3. This aligns with the PMBOK definition that level 2 is the first level of decomposition below the project title.

Answer

4

Answer

2

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6

Question 18

Based on the schedule network shown in the exhibit, what is the critical path?

Accepted Answer

A-B-C-D-E. The critical path is the longest path through the network. Path A-B-D-E takes 5+3+2+1=11 days. Path A-B-C-E takes 5+3+4+1=13 days. Path A-B-C-D-E takes 5+3+4+2+1=15 days. Path A-C-D-E takes 5+4+2+1=12 days. Since 15 days is the longest duration, the critical path is A-B-C-D-E, which corresponds to option C.

Answer

A-B-D-E

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A-B-C-E

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A-C-D-E

Question 19

Using the risk register entry shown, what is the expected monetary value (EMV) of this risk?

Accepted Answer

$40,000. Expected Monetary Value (EMV) is calculated as probability × impact. For a risk with a 40% probability and $100,000 impact, EMV = 0.40 × $100,000 = $40,000. This quantifies the risk's expected cost for inclusion in contingency reserves.

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$10,000

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$50,000

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$80,000

Question 20

During the execution phase of a predictive project, the team discovers that a key deliverable does not meet the acceptance criteria defined in the project management plan. What is the FIRST step the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a change request. The first step is to initiate a change request to correct the defect, as changes to deliverables require formal change control. Updating the risk register or re-baselining without change authorization is incorrect. Root cause analysis may follow but is not the immediate first step.

Answer

Re-baseline the schedule

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Conduct a root cause analysis

Answer

Update the risk register