Q & As for the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition

• Publisher: Project Management Institute
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781628254624
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Project Management
• Index: Business

In this newest edition, PMI presents straightforward questions and answers to the most common questions about project management, the project management framework, and the knowledge areas contained within the PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition. This handy reference will help project managers and students enhance their knowledge in specific areas and test themselves on issues that are essential to successful project management.

Q & As

FOR THE

PMBOK^® GUIDE

SIXTH EDITION

Answers

Introduction

(Section 1 of the PMBOK^® Guide)

1.Answer: D.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 4, Section 1.2.1

What is a project?

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

2.Answer: B.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 10, Section 1.2.2

What is project management?

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

3.Answer: C.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 15, Section 1.2.3.3

Portfolio Management

…

Portfolio management refers to the centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic objectives. Portfolio management focuses on ensuring that projects and programs are reviewed to prioritize resource allocation and that the management of the portfolio is consistent with and aligned to organizational strategies.

4.Answer: C.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 34, Section 1.2.6.4

Arguably, all responses are suitable during project planning. However, the three most important questions for defining project success are:

•What does success look like for the project?

•How will success be measured?

•What factors may impact success?

The answer on communication requirements is an important consideration, but it occurs at a more detailed planning level for creating a project communications plan, which leads to project success.

5.Answer: B.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 11, Section 1.2.3.1

Program Management

A program is defined as a group of related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually. Programs are not large projects.

6.Answer: D.

PMBOK^® Guide, pages 11–13, Section 1.2.3.1

Relationship Between Project Management, Operations Management, and Organizational Strategy

Operations management is responsible for overseeing, directing, and controlling business operations. Operations evolve to support the day-to-day business, and are necessary to achieve strategic and tactical goals of the business. Examples include production operations, manufacturing operations, accounting operations, software support, and maintenance.

Though temporary in nature, projects can help achieve the organizational goals when they are aligned with the organization's strategy. Organizations sometimes change their operations, products, or systems by creating strategic business initiatives that are developed and implemented through projects. Projects require project management activities and skill sets, while operations require business process management, operations management activities, and skill sets.

Operations and Project Management

Changes in business operations may be the focus of a dedicated project—especially if there are substantial changes to business operations as a result of a new product or service delivery. Ongoing operations are outside of the scope of a project; however, there are intersecting points where the two areas cross.

Projects can intersect with operations at various points during the product life cycle, such as:

•At each closeout phase;

•When developing a new product, upgrading a product, or expanding outputs;

•While improving operations or the product development process; or

•Until the end of the product life cycle.

At each point, deliverables and knowledge are transferred between the project and operations for implementation of the delivered work. This implementation occurs through a transfer of project resources to operations toward the end of the project, or through a transfer of operational resources to the project at the start.

Operations are ongoing endeavors that produce repetitive outputs, with resources assigned to do basically the same set of tasks according to the standards institutionalized in a product life cycle. Unlike the ongoing nature of operations, projects are temporary endeavors.

7.Answer: D.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 15, Section 1.2.3.3

…

Portfolio management aligns components (projects, programs, or operations) to the organizational strategy, organized into portfolios or subsidiary portfolios to optimize project or program objectives, dependencies, costs, timelines, benefits, resources, and risks. This allows organizations to have an overall view of how the strategic goals are reflected in the portfolio, institute appropriate governance management, and authorize human, financial, or material resources to be allocated based on expected performance and benefits.

8.Answer: C.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 2, Section 1.1.1

Project Management Body of Knowledge

The standard (PMBOK^® Guide) identifies the processes that are considered good practices on most projects, most of the time. The standard also identifies the inputs and outputs that are usually associated with those processes.

9.Answer: B.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 19, Section 1.2.4.1

Project Life Cycle

A project life cycle is the series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion. It provides the basic framework for managing the project. This basic framework applies regardless of the specific project work involved. The phases may be sequential, iterative, or overlapping. All projects can be mapped to the generic life cycle as shown in Figure 1–5.

10.Answer: D.

PMBOK^® Guide, page 19, Section 1.2.4.1

…

Characteristics of the Project Life Cycle

Project life cycles can be predictive or adaptive. Within a project life cycle, there are generally one or more phases that are associated with the development of the product, service, or result. These are called a development life cycle. Development life cycles can be predictive, iterative, incremental, adaptive, or a hybrid model. Explanation here is only provided for predictive and iterative life cycles. Refer to Section 1.2.4.1 for the other development life cycles.

In a predictive life cycle, the project scope, time, and cost are determined in the early phases of the life cycle. Any changes to the scope are carefully managed. Predictive life cycles may also be referred to as waterfall life cycles. In an iterative life cycle, the project scope is generally determined early in the project life cycle, but time and cost estimates are routinely modified as the project team's understanding of the product increases. Iterations develop the product through a series of repeated cycles, while increments successively add to the functionality of the product.

While project cost and staffing levels can be steady, for larger and complex projects, costs and staffing levels are subject to change and therefore not likely to be steady throughout the project life cycle.

11.Answer: D.

PMBOK^® Guide, pages 19–21, Sections 1.2.4.1 and 1.2.4.2

Predictive Life Cycles

Predictive life cycles (also known as fully plan-driven) are ones in which the project scope, and the time and cost required to deliver that scope, are determined as early in the project life cycle as practically possible. These projects proceed through a series of sequential or overlapping phases, with each phase generally focusing on a subset of project activities and project management processes. The work performed in each pha...