The first chapter of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) sets the stage with important key terms in project management, together with the reasoning behind why project management is valuable to organizations. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) candidates are tested on four objectives that emphasize the need to know the PMBOK Guide process names, the relationship of projects to larger initiatives, lifecycles present within projects, and tailoring considerations for the PMBOK Guide processes.

The 18 practice questions in this chapter are mapped to the style and frequency of question types you will see on the CAPM exam.

Q QUESTIONS

1.   Which knowledge area guides a project team in completing work that has been agreed upon with the project sponsor?

A.   Project Quality Management

B.   Project Change Management

C.   Project Scope Management

D.   Project Configuration Management

2.   In which process group does the project manager obtain, manage, and use resources to accomplish the project objectives?

A.   Initiating

B.   Executing

C.   Planning

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

3.   Which of the following is true of program and portfolio management?

A.   A project manager manages programs, portfolios, and projects.

B.   The objectives of programs, portfolios, and projects are the same.

C.   Programs, portfolios, and projects may share the same lifecycles.

D.   Stakeholders and resources may be the same in programs, portfolios, and projects.

4.   What is one of the goals of portfolio management?

A.   Minimize expenses across programs

B.   Manage multiple simultaneous projects

C.   Maximize profit between projects

D.   Mitigate the risks of stand-alone projects

5.   The series of phases that a project passes through to create a product is best described as:

A.   Product life cycle

B.   Project life cycle

C.   Program life cycle

D.   Portfolio life cycle

6.   Which process groups ensure that the project work is carried out?

A.   Planning and Executing

B.   Initiating and Closing

C.   Executing and Monitoring and Controlling

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

7.   Which of the following best describes a system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a particular discipline?

A.   Program

B.   Management

C.   Project

D.   Methodology

8.   Which of the following competing factors should be the focus of tailoring the project management phases in the PMBOK Guide for individual projects?

A.   Scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, and risk

B.   Initiating and planning

C.   Risk management and procurement approaches

D.   Teams, managers, matrix, hierarchies, vendors, and collaboration

9.   Which stakeholders make the tailoring decision for a project?

A.   Project manager and project sponsor

B.   Project sponsor and organizational management

C.   Project manager and business analyst

D.   The project team

10.   Which of the following activities would you undertake as a project manager to best understand the project environment?

A.   Schedule all resources

B.   Identify cultural and social issues

C.   Project budget approval process

D.   Detailed requirements analysis

11.   What is the function of the project management office?

A.   Provide standard forms for project paperwork.

B.   Close project accounts at the end of the projects.

C.   Coordinate the management of projects.

D.   Provide hot-desk facilities for all project managers.

12.   What is the process called that defines and controls what is and is not included in a given project?

A.   Project Documentation Management

B.   Project Change Control

C.   Plan Scope Management

D.   Governance

13.   In which process does a project team work together to define procedures by which the project scope and product scope can be modified?

A.   Validate Scope

B.   Plan Configuration Management

C.   Initial Scope Definition

D.   Control Scope

14.   In which knowledge area does the project manager identify the activities, dependencies, and resources needed to produce the project deliverables?

A.   Project Schedule Control Management

B.   Project Risk Management

C.   Project Schedule Management

D.   Project Cost Planning Management

15.   Determining the cost of the resources needed to complete the planned schedule of activities on a project is called

A.   Project Risk Management

B.   Project Schedule Management

C.   Project Cost Management

D.   Project Resource Management

16.   Which of the following describes the work of monitoring and recording the results of executing quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes?

A.   Control Quality

B.   Perform Quality Assurance

C.   Plan Quality

D.   Quality Improvement

17.   The set of project management activities that includes identification, analysis, planning responses, and monitoring and controlling risks in the project is part of which knowledge area?

A.   Project Risk Identification Management

B.   Project Risk Analysis Management

C.   Project Risk Management

D.   Project Risk Mitigation Management

18.   You have been asked by the project sponsor to determine the best development life cycle for the new microwave cooking devices project and must ensure that customer value and quality are incorporated during development. What is your best course of action?

A.   Indicate that this is not a normal project manager decision, but you are willing to discuss the request with the project sponsor.

B.   Appoint a committee to investigate the idea and then interview key stakeholders about high-level business requirements.

C.   Draw a continuum of project life cycles, and consider the risk and cost of the initial planning effort.

D.   Choose an adaptive life cycle to bring focus to the customer value using agile, iterative, or incremental approaches.

QUICK ANSWER KEY

1. C

2. B

3. D

4. B

5. B

6. C

7. D

8. A

9. A

10. B

11. C

12. C

13. D

14. C

15. C

16. A

17. C

18. D

ANSWERS A

1.   Which knowledge area guides a project team in completing work that has been agreed upon with the project sponsor?

A.   Project Quality Management

B.   Project Change Management

C.   Project Scope Management

D.   Project Configuration Management

  C. As a part of understanding the five project management process groups and the processes within each group, a project manager knows that the project scope defines the agreed upon and approved work that the project delivers. Only this work should be done. Any changes to the project are managed by referring to the project scope first and then are carried out in the process defined by project change management.

  A, B, and D are incorrect because these are control processes used to ensure high-quality deliverables or to assist in approving changes to the project scope. However, it is scope management that governs the work that the team is authorized to complete.

2.   In which process group does the project manager obtain, manage, and use resources to accomplish the project objectives?

A.   Initiating

B.   Executing

C.   Planning

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

  B. The purpose of the Executing process group is to obtain, manage, and use resources to accomplish project objectives.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. Only the Executing process group puts resources to use to accomplish project objectives. Initiating puts a project charter in place. Planning itemizes all the actions that will need to be taken in the Executing process. Monitoring and Control ensures that the work taking place in Executing is done correctly.

3.   Which of the following is true of program and portfolio management?

A.   A project manager manages programs, portfolios, and projects.

B.   The objectives of programs, portfolios, and projects are the same.

C.   Programs, portfolios, and projects may share the same lifecycles.

D.   Stakeholders and resources may be the same in programs, portfolios, and projects.

  D. Portfolios, programs, projects, and operations can engage the same stakeholders and may need to make use of the same resources, even though it may cause conflict in the organization.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because a project manager manages projects. B and C are incorrect because the objectives and life cycles are different between projects vs. programs vs. portfolios.

4.   What is one of the goals of portfolio management?

A.   Minimize expenses across programs

B.   Manage multiple simultaneous projects

C.   Maximize profit between projects

D.   Mitigate the risks of stand-alone projects

  B. Portfolio management by an organization helps manage multiple programs and projects that are taking place at the same time.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. A and C are incorrect because the goal of portfolio management is focused on simultaneous programs and projects, not on simply minimizing expenses or maximizing profits of programs or projects without reference to whether they are simultaneous. D is incorrect because stand-alone projects have no relationship to other projects, and portfolio management does not focus on mitigating risks on an individual project.

5.   The series of phases that a project passes through to create a product is best described as:

A.   Product life cycle

B.   Project life cycle

C.   Program life cycle

D.   Portfolio life cycle

  B. The project’s life cycle is the series of phases a project follows from the project beginning until the project end.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because a product is created from the project’s phases, and the product will have its own life cycle. B and C are incorrect because program and portfolio life cycles do not describe the project phases.

6.   Which process groups ensure that the project work is carried out?

A.   Planning and Executing

B.   Initiating and Closing

C.   Executing and Monitoring and Controlling

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

  C. Executing and Monitoring and Controlling are the project phases that occur during the time when the project work is carried out.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because Planning is when a project manager organizes and prepares the work that will be carried out in the project. B is incorrect because Initiating is the starting of the project with no work activities yet defined, and Closing is the ending of the project following the completion of the work of the project. D is incorrect because it leaves out Executing.

7.   Which of the following best describes a system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a particular discipline?

A.   Program

B.   Management

C.   Project

D.   Methodology

  D. A methodology is a system for working in a discipline. However, the PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition is a guide to project management best practices and is not a methodology.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. Programs, management, and projects are not systems for working in a discipline and instead make use of and apply methodologies to their work.

8.   Which of the following competing factors should be the focus of tailoring the project management phases in the PMBOK Guide for individual projects?

A.   Scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, and risk

B.   Initiating and planning

C.   Risk management and procurement approaches

D.   Teams, managers, matrix, hierarchies, vendors, and collaboration

  A. For each project, the scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, and risk will be unique. These are the factors that will be the focus of tailoring the project management phases for individual projects.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. B is incorrect because Initiating and Planning are phases that will be tailored based on the factors of scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, and risk. C is incorrect because risk and procurement approaches will be tailored based on listed factors. D is incorrect because teams, managers, matrix, hierarchies, vendors, and collaboration may change with each project but are not the focus of tailoring the project management approach.

9.   Which stakeholders make the tailoring decision for a project?

A.   Project manager and project sponsor

B.   Project sponsor and organizational management

C.   Project manager and business analyst

D.   The project team

  A. The project manager collaborates with some combination of the project team, the project sponsor, and the organizational management to make tailoring decisions for each project.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. B and D are incorrect because the project manager must be involved. C is incorrect because it names the business analyst who is part of the project team but is not the entire project team.

10.   Which of the following activities would you undertake as a project manager to best understand the project environment?

A.   Schedule all resources

B.   Identify cultural and social issues

C.   Project budget approval process

D.   Detailed requirements analysis

  B. When planning and implementing a project, one of the considerations is the project environment, including the cultural and social issues that may affect the success of the project.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. They are specific details of the project rather than the project environment. Requirements are details that are evaluated later in the planning processes.

11.   What is the function of the project management office?

A.   Provide standard forms for project paperwork.

B.   Close project accounts at the end of the projects.

C.   Coordinate the management of projects.

D.   Provide hot-desk facilities for all project managers.

  C. The project management office (PMO) exists to coordinate and support the management of projects in an organization. Processes, policies, and procedures are usually established by the PMO for use in all projects.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because the PMO does not only provide standard forms. B is incorrect because it is the responsibility of the project manager to close a project. D is incorrect because the PMO is not necessarily responsible for hot desking.

12.   What is the process called that defines and controls what is and is not included in a given project?

A.   Project Documentation Management

B.   Project Change Control

C.   Plan Scope Management

D.   Governance

  C. The Plan Scope Management process defines and controls what is and what is not included in the project.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. A and B are incorrect because Project Documentation Management and Project Change Control are procedures that allow the control of changes to scope only. D is incorrect because Governance is a process that controls how decisions on changes within a project are made.

13.   In which process does a project team work together to define procedures by which the project scope and product scope can be modified?

A.   Validate Scope

B.   Plan Configuration Management

C.   Initial Scope Definition

D.   Control Scope

  D. Defining the procedures by which the project scope and product scope can be changed is known as Control Scope.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because Validate Scope is done at the end of a project to confirm the deliverables are as contracted. B is incorrect because Configuration Management is the process of controlling requirements and considering changes before they are put into change control. C is incorrect because Initial Scope Definition sets the high-level scope at the beginning of a project but is silent on controlling how scope may be changed later during the project.

14.   In which knowledge area does the project manager identify the activities, dependencies, and resources needed to produce the project deliverables?

A.   Project Schedule Control Management

B.   Project Risk Management

C.   Project Schedule Management

D.   Project Cost Planning Management

  C. Identifying the activities, dependencies, and resources needed to produce the project deliverables are some of the actions required in Project Schedule Management.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. Only Schedule Management is concerned with managing the activities, dependencies, and resources. Project Schedule Control is about managing changes to the schedule. Project Risk Management activities focus on identifying and planning mitigation for risk. Cost Planning is about the specific financials of a project.

15.   Determining the cost of the resources needed to complete the planned schedule of activities on a project is called

A.   Project Risk Management

B.   Project Schedule Management

C.   Project Cost Management

D.   Project Resource Management

  C. Project activity work that looks at the cost of the resources needed to complete the planned schedule of activities on a project is the knowledge area called Project Cost Management.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because Project Risk Management is the knowledge area focused on risks, not solely on costs. B is incorrect because Schedule Management is concerned with the duration and dependencies of tasks. D is incorrect because the Project Resource Management knowledge area identifies necessary resources and checks that are available, but does not focus on the cost.

16.   Which of the following describes the work of monitoring and recording the results of executing quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes?

A.   Control Quality

B.   Perform Quality Assurance

C.   Plan Quality

D.   Quality Improvement

  A. The definition of the Control Quality process is monitoring and recording results of executing quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. B is incorrect because Perform Quality Assurance is ensuring that appropriate quality standards are used. C is incorrect because Plan Quality is establishing the requirements and/or standards for the project. D is incorrect because Quality Improvement is an organizational development process.

17.   The set of project management activities that includes identification, analysis, planning responses, and monitoring and controlling risks in the project is part of which knowledge area?

A.   Project Risk Identification Management

B.   Project Risk Analysis Management

C.   Project Risk Management

D.   Project Risk Mitigation Management

  C. Identification, analysis, planning responses, and monitoring and controlling of risks in the project are part of the Project Risk Management knowledge area.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. Risk identification, analysis, and mitigation are all parts of the overall process of Project Risk Management.

18.   You have been asked by the project sponsor to determine the best development life cycle for the new microwave cooking devices project and must ensure that customer value and quality are incorporated during development. What is your best course of action?

A.   Indicate that this is not a normal project manager decision, but you are willing to discuss the request with the project sponsor.

B.   Appoint a committee to investigate the idea and then interview key stakeholders about high-level business requirements.

C.   Draw a continuum of project life cycles, and consider the risk and cost of the initial planning effort.

D.   Choose an adaptive life cycle to bring focus to the customer value using agile, iterative, or incremental approaches.

  D. An adaptive approach is a tailoring option in project management that puts a focus on collaborative decision making with the customer to ensure the value the customer desires is built into the project.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because it is normal for the project manager and the project management team to determine the best life cycle for each project. B is incorrect because appointing a committee to investigate the idea and then interviewing key stakeholders about high-level business requirements does not fit with the project manager’s roles in the sphere of influence. C is incorrect because drawing a continuum of project life cycles and considering the risk and cost of the initial planning effort depend on the life cycle being employed.