CAPM Predictive Plan-Based Methodologies Practice Test 9 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is planning a data-center migration that will use a predictive life cycle. The project has a hard regulatory deadline, and the sponsor wants confidence that the schedule is achievable before authorizing funding. The project manager has already decomposed all work packages and estimated activity durations and resource requirements. Which action should the project manager take NEXT to determine whether the deadline can realistically be met?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Develop the schedule model by sequencing activities and applying the critical path method to determine total project duration.. Because decomposition, duration estimating, and resource estimating are complete, the missing element is the schedule network analysis itself. Sequencing activities and applying the critical path method yields total duration and float, which directly answers whether the fixed regulatory deadline can be achieved. This analysis must precede baselining, change requests, or execution, since those actions depend on knowing the schedule is feasible.

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Perform a backward pass to calculate late start and late finish dates for each activity.

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Submit a change request to revise the regulatory deadline so the schedule can be met.

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Baseline the schedule and begin execution so that progress can be measured against the deadline.

Question 2

A project manager is using a predictive approach for an aircraft component project. The team has identified a risk that a critical supplier may fail to deliver a specialized alloy on time. The project manager wants to reduce the probability and impact of this risk by taking action before it occurs. Which risk response strategy should the project manager use?

Accepted Answer

Mitigate. Mitigation is the risk response strategy that reduces the probability and/or impact of a threat. The project manager wants to act before the risk occurs to lessen its effect, which is precisely what mitigation entails. Avoidance would eliminate the risk, transfer would shift it, and acceptance would not proactively reduce it. Therefore, mitigation is the best fit for the described scenario.

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Avoid

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Transfer

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Accept

Question 3

A project manager is developing the project management plan for a hospital wing expansion using a predictive approach. The sponsor wants a single document that will authorize the project manager to assign organizational resources to project activities. Which document should the project manager reference?

Accepted Answer

Project charter. The project charter is the formal document that authorizes the project and the project manager, including the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Without it, the project manager lacks the mandate to commit people, equipment, or funds. The other documents support planning and execution but do not confer that organizational authority.

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Resource management plan

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Work breakdown structure

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Project management plan

Question 4

A project manager is developing the project schedule for a predictive building renovation project. The project manager needs to determine the early start and early finish dates for each activity. Which technique should the project manager use?

Accepted Answer

Forward pass. The forward pass is the schedule network analysis technique that calculates early start and early finish dates by progressing forward through the project network. It uses activity durations and dependencies to find the earliest times each activity can start and finish. The backward pass calculates late dates, critical path method identifies the longest path, and resource leveling resolves resource conflicts. Thus, the forward pass is the correct technique for determining early start and early finish dates.

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Critical path method

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Resource leveling

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Backward pass

Question 5

A project manager is leading a predictive project to implement a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. During the Plan Quality Management process, the project manager is identifying quality requirements and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance. Which two of the following are inputs to this process? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Stakeholder register. Plan Quality Management involves identifying quality requirements and documenting how the project will comply. Its inputs include the project charter, which provides high-level objectives, and the stakeholder register, which identifies those with quality interests. Quality control measurements, work performance information, and verified deliverables are outputs of execution or monitoring processes and are not available during planning. Thus, the project charter and stakeholder register are the correct inputs.

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Verified deliverables

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Quality control measurements

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Work performance information

Question 6

A project manager is leading a predictive project to develop a new software system. The project sponsor asks for a document that formally authorizes the project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Which document should the project manager reference?

Accepted Answer

Project charter. The project charter is the formal document that authorizes the project and gives the project manager the authority to use organizational resources. It is created during the project initiation phase and is essential for predictive projects. The business case and benefits management plan are inputs to the charter, while the project management plan is developed later and does not serve as the authorization document.

Answer

Benefits management plan

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Project management plan

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Business case

Question 7

A project manager is working on a predictive project to develop a new medical device. The project sponsor asks for a document that describes how the project team will implement the quality policies of the performing organization. Which document should the project manager provide?

Accepted Answer

Quality management plan. The quality management plan is the component of the project management plan that describes how the project will implement the organization's quality policies. It outlines quality standards, objectives, roles, responsibilities, and processes. Quality metrics, checklists, and reports are more specific tools or outputs and do not provide the overarching approach. Thus, the quality management plan is the correct document to provide to the sponsor.

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Quality report

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Quality checklists

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Quality metrics

Question 8

A project manager is executing a predictive project to build a data center. The project is halfway complete, and the project manager is analyzing cost performance. The earned value (EV) is $500,000, the planned value (PV) is $600,000, and the actual cost (AC) is $550,000. The project manager needs to forecast the total cost at completion, assuming the current cost performance will continue. Which earned value management (EVM) metric should the project manager use to determine the estimate at completion (EAC)?

Accepted Answer

EAC = BAC / CPI. When the current cost performance is expected to continue, the estimate at completion is calculated by dividing the budget at completion by the cost performance index. This method uses the actual cost efficiency to forecast the total cost. Other formulas assume atypical variances or incorporate schedule performance, which are not indicated in the scenario. Thus, the CPI-based EAC formula is the correct choice.

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EAC = AC + ETC

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EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) / (CPI * SPI)

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EAC = AC + (BAC - EV)

Question 9

A project manager is leading a predictive software implementation project. The project sponsor asks for a document that lists all the work that must be completed to deliver the product, organized in a hierarchical decomposition. Which document should the project manager provide?

Accepted Answer

Work breakdown structure. The work breakdown structure is the correct document because it provides a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work required to achieve the project objectives and create deliverables. It breaks the project down into smaller, more manageable components, typically work packages, which can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned. The other documents serve different purposes and do not present the full scope of work in a hierarchical format.

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Project scope statement

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Resource breakdown structure

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Project schedule

Question 10

A project manager is planning a predictive project to upgrade a hospital's HVAC system. The project has a fixed budget and a strict regulatory deadline. The project manager needs to determine the total duration of the project by analyzing the sequence of activities and their dependencies. Which technique should the project manager use?

Accepted Answer

Critical path method. The critical path method is the correct technique because it analyzes the schedule network to determine the longest path of dependent activities, which defines the shortest possible project duration. It calculates early and late dates and identifies float, enabling the project manager to focus on activities that directly affect the deadline. Other techniques either adjust the schedule for resources, provide probabilistic ranges, or build the network diagram without calculating total duration.

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Monte Carlo simulation

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Precedence diagramming method

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Resource leveling

Question 11

A project manager is developing the project management plan for a predictive project to implement a new ERP system. The sponsor asks which components are typically included in the project management plan. (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Schedule baseline. The project management plan integrates subsidiary management plans, baselines, and other components. The scope management plan and schedule baseline are both part of it. The project charter and business case are inputs created earlier, and the stakeholder register is a separate project document. Understanding this distinction is essential for knowing what constitutes the plan versus supporting documents.

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Business case

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Project charter

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Stakeholder register

Question 12

A project manager is executing a predictive project with a cost baseline of $500,000. At the end of the third month, the project has completed 40% of the work, and the actual cost incurred is $220,000. The project manager needs to forecast the total cost at completion. Which earned value management (EVM) estimate should the project manager use if the current cost performance is expected to continue?

Accepted Answer

Estimate at completion (EAC) using the formula BAC / CPI. The correct forecast is the estimate at completion (EAC) calculated as BAC / CPI, because it assumes the current cost performance will continue. With EV = $200,000 and AC = $220,000, the CPI is approximately 0.909, yielding an EAC of about $550,000. This method is used when the project manager believes the existing cost efficiency trend will persist. Other formulas either assume atypical variances, calculate remaining cost, or measure required performance, none of which forecast total cost under the stated assumption.

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To-complete performance index (TCPI) using the formula (BAC - EV) / (BAC - AC)

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Estimate to complete (ETC) using the formula BAC - EV

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Estimate at completion (EAC) using the formula AC + (BAC - EV)

Question 13

A project manager is leading a predictive project to build a bridge. The project is in the execution phase, and the team has completed 40% of the work. The project manager wants to forecast the final project cost using earned value management. Which formula should be used to calculate the estimate at completion (EAC) when the current cost performance is expected to continue?

Accepted Answer

EAC = BAC / CPI. When the current cost performance is expected to continue, the estimate at completion is budget at completion divided by the cost performance index. This reflects the assumption that the project will continue to spend at the same efficiency or inefficiency observed to date. The other formulas apply to different assumptions about future performance, such as remaining work at the planned rate or accounting for schedule performance.

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EAC = AC + (BAC - EV)

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EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) / (CPI x SPI)

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EAC = BAC - EV

Question 14

A project manager is performing quality control on a batch of manufactured components. The team collects data on the number of defects per unit and wants to determine whether the process is stable over time and to identify any unusual patterns. Which tool should the project manager use?

Accepted Answer

Control chart. A control chart is the correct tool because it displays process data over time with statistically derived control limits, enabling the project manager to determine whether the process is stable and to identify special cause variation. The other tools serve different purposes: Pareto for prioritization, cause-and-effect for root cause analysis, and scatter for correlation between two variables. Only the control chart addresses time-based stability and pattern detection.

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Pareto chart

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Scatter diagram

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Cause-and-effect diagram

Question 15

A project manager is leading a predictive project to develop a new software application. The project sponsor asks for a document that describes how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. Which two elements should the project manager include in this document? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Process for formal acceptance of completed deliverables. The scope management plan documents how scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. It includes the process for preparing the detailed scope statement and the process for formal acceptance of deliverables. The WBS creation process, duration estimation, and budget development belong to other management plans, so they are not appropriate elements of this document.

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Process for developing the project budget

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Process for estimating activity durations

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Process for creating the work breakdown structure (WBS)