THE PROJECT MANAGERS COOKBOOK Volume 2

FIRST EDITION

THE KITCHEN IS NUCLEAR

ALIGNED WITH THE PMBOK GUIDE, 5TH EDITION

THE PMP WHISPERER

The Project Manager’s Cookbook Process Themes

DeconstructingThe PMBOK

Chapter 5

Test Question

The PMI PMP Exam is not and will never be your friendly neighborhood multiple choice exam. At 50 questions per hour, for 4 hours, the exam tests the test takers endurance, reading comprehension ability, concept recognition, fault identification skills, proper sequencing of process steps, and most importantly their level of confidence.

There are many PMP Exam questions which contain similar choices, A tactic which opens the door to the possibility of multiple “true” choices. This requires the test taker to understand where they are at on the Project Management Process Group and Knowledge Area Map in order to quickly eliminate the wrong choices and identify the only “true” choice.

A truth in choice does not always correlate to the correct answer. Many PMP questions test the students ability to identify all the wrong choices which within a double negative scenario means eliminating the one true choice in order to identify the correct answer for that particular scenario. Try four hours of that and then attempt to have a normal day.

Utilizing the PMP Whisperer’s question deconstruction technique leads to clarity and efficiency during the pre-test preparation period (2-weeks), arming the PMP certification candidiate with absolute confidence.

INTRODUCTION

Whisper Note Acknowledge that the

right answer is on the

screen. The test is

actually evaluating

your ability to quickly

identify the wrong

answers

Whisper Note When there are

multiple potential

correct choices

identify the choice

that satisfies the

single concept the

question is related to

Whisper Note Align the question

with the available

choices via a common

statement. Select the

answer that makes the

statement true

Whisper Note Go to the call. Try to

answer the question

without reading

further or looking at

the choices. If you

know the answer

locate it in the list of

choices

Whisper Note Know what each

multiple choice

question is asking.

Evaluate each answer

to the multiple choice

question.

Eliminate the obvious

wrong answer ASAP

Whisper Note Always start the

answer selection by

working from D

through A. Select the

answer that is the

most logically correct

MAKING THE INTANGIBLE TANGIBLE

Whisper Note Follow the single

question single

concept writing

pattern. Correctly

identify the situation

and its place within

the sequence of events

1. ID The Knowledge Area

2. ID The Process Group

3. ID The Process

4. ID The ITTO’s

5. Is it a Plan, Baseline, or Document

6. ID The Concept & Sequence of Events

Deconstructing the Question

1 2

3 4

5 6

During which project management process group might a Rough Order of

Magnitude (ROM) estimate be created?Question #1

1. The Knowledge

Areas The ROM is a top down

estimating technique

related to cost estimating

Cost estimating occurs

within the Project Cost

Management Knowledge

Area

2. The Process Groups Cost estimates which

range from ROM’s,

budget estimates, and

definitive estimates, are

created within the

Planning Process Group

3. The Process Cost Estimates are

created within the

Estimate Costs Process

4. ITTO’s The ROM estimate is

an output of the

Estimate Costs Process

and is captured within

Activity Cost Estimate

(ACE) document

5. PBD The ROM ACE is a

project document and

identifies the

estimators educated

guess of cost when

utilizing limited or

historical information

6. The Concept The ROM concept

tests the students

understanding of why

and when estimates

increase in accuracy as

a project progresses

through its lifecycle

TAKE BREAKS

DURING THE EXAM

Who is responsible for determining the priority of projects within a company?Question #2

1. The Knowledge

Areas The timing of project

prioritizing and selection

occurs outside the

boundaries of project

management

2. The Process Groups The prioritizing of

projects is conducted by

senior leadership and

occurs prior to and after

the selection of projects

(continuous)

3. The Process There is no PMBOK

process that produces a

selected project as an

output.

4. ITTO’s Project prioritization

occurs outside of the

47 PMBOK processes

and is typically set and

re-assessed by senior

leadership

5. PBD Project prioritization is

not a formal PMBOK

plan, document, or

baseline

6. The Concept Strategic objectives

are established during

the strategic planning

process.

Project prioritization

occurs as a result of

the senior leaderships

progression through

tactical and

operational planning

TAKE BREAKS

DURING THE EXAM

Question #3The activity “ship container” in your network diagram has an early start date

of 17, a late start date of 22 and a late finish date of 37. What is the activity

duration?

PREPARATION

EQUALS SUCCESS

1. The Knowledge

Areas An activities duration can

be determined utilizing

the AON PDM which

supports the creation of

Schedule Network

Diagrams in the Project

Time Management

Knowledge Area

2. The Process Groups The Critical Path

Method technique is

utilized in the Planning

Process Group

3. The Process Activity early and late

start dates are

configured in the

Develop Project

Schedule Process

4. ITTO’s The Critical Path

Method (CPM) is a

technique in the

Develop Project

Schedule Process

5. PBDThe Critical Path is used to

create the Project Schedule

Network Diagram

document

6. The Concept

The early and late

start dates can be

utilized with the late

finish date to

determine the early

finish date as the

variance between the

EF and LF dates is the

same as the variance

between the ES and LS

dates

From here the activity

duration can be

calculated

Question #4Activity “A” has an optimistic duration of 17 days, a most likely duration of 22

days, and a pessimistic duration of 33 days. What is the activities Standard

Deviation?

1. The Knowledge

Areas Activity Duration

Estimating occurs within

the Project Time

Management Knowledge

Area

2. The Process Groups Activity Duration

Estimating occurs within

the Planning Process

Group

3. The Process Activity duration

estimating occurs within

the Estimate Activity

Durations Process

4. ITTO’s PMBOK

acknowledges that the

PERT technique yields

the most accurate

Standard Deviation for

a range of estimates

5. PBDThe Standard Deviation for

a range of estimates is

neither a Plan, Baseline, or

Document

6. The Concept The PERT technique

uses three data points

(P, (4)ML, O) in order

to generate six

estimates which are

used to determine the

Standard Deviation.

Weighting the Most

Likely accounts for the

normal distribution of

random data and

minimizes the impact

of padding due to an

inflated Standard

Deviation

PROPER PREPARATION

EQUALS SUCCESS

Question #5A major scope change has been formally proposed to the project team. The

next step the project manager should take is to?

1. The Knowledge

Areas Formal Change Control

occurs within the Project

Integration Knowledge

Area

2. The Process Groups Formal change control

occurs in the Monitor &

Control Process Group

3. The Process Formal change control

occurs within the

Perform Integrated

Change Control Process

4. ITTO’s The Project Managers

role in Formal Change

Control of a large

project is captured

within his/her Expert

Judgment

5. PBD The Project Managers

official position on the

change request is

documented in the

Change Log (Formal

Document)

6. The Concept The project managers

responsibilities are:

• #1 - Log the request

• #2 - Prevent

unnecessary change

through the formal

documentation of their

opinion

• #3 - Provide impact

• #4 - Deliver any viable

alternatives to the

CCB

START AT ANSWER

CHOICE “D” AND

WORK YOUR WAY UP

THERE CAN BE TWO

CORRECT ANSWERS

ONE MORE CORRECT

THAN THE OTHERS

Question #6 Which of the following techniques is used to evaluate the degree to which the data

about risks is useful for risk management?

1. The Knowledge

Areas The evaluation of risk

information occurs within

the Project Risk

Management Knowledge

Area.

2. The Process Groups Assessing the quality of

the risk information

under consideration for

analysis occurs in the

Planning Process Group

3. The Process The analysis of risk

information for validity

is a technique used in the

Perform Qualitative Risk

Analysis Process

4. ITTO’s The technique under

review is the Risk Data

Quality Assessment

technique

5. PBDThe analysis of risk

information is neither a

Plan, Baseline, or formal

Document. It is a

technique

6. The Concept The concept under

review is the student’s

understanding of the

impact of low and

high quality risk data

on the management of

risk reserves and the

resulting impact on

scope, schedule, and

cost

IN THE EVENT THERE ARE

TWO OR MORE CORRECT

ANSWERS

SELECT THE MOST

PRECISE ANSWER

Question #7Sensitivity analysis is one of the tools/techniques utilized in performing

quantitative risk analysis. What are the advantages of using sensitivity

analysis?

1. The Knowledge

Areas Sensitivity Analysis

occurs within the Project

Risk Management

Knowledge Area

2. The Process Groups The use of the

sensitivity analysis

technique occurs within

the Planning Process

Group

3. The Process Sensitivity analysis is a

technique in the Perform

Quantitative Risk

Analysis Process

4. ITTO’s Sensitivity Analysis is

a technique used in the

Perform Quantitative

Risk Analysis Process

5. PBDQuantitative Risk Analysis

is neither a Plan, Baseline,

or formal Document. It is

a technique

6. The Concept Areas of risk exposure

are rarely wholly

positive or wholly

negative.

The degree of positive

and negative risk

exposure in each area

of identified risk is

visually captured in a

Tornado Diagram and

is important

information

ELIMINATE THE 2

OBVIOUS DISTRACTOR

CHOICES

IMMEDIATELY

THEY ARE LOGICALLY

IMPOSSIBLE TO BE THE

CORRECT ANSWER

Question #8 Which of the following is not one of Crosby’s Four Absolutes of Quality?

1. The Knowledge

Areas Crosby’s 4 Absolutes of

Quality are quality

success factors that are

generated outside the

PMBOK

2. The Process Groups Quality management

concepts are foundations

of quality management

and exist outside of the

(5) PMBOK Process

Groups

3. The Process The 4 Absolutes of

Quality are:

1. Conformance to

requirements

2. Prevention

3. Zero Defects

4. The cost of non-

conformance is the

measurement

4. ITTO’s Crosby’s 4 Absolutes

of Quality

Management are key

concepts which

influence Project

Quality Management

ITTO’s

5. PBD Crosby’s 4 Absolutes of

Quality are neither

Plans, Baselines, or

formal Documents.

They are key quality

management concepts

6. The Concept Quality concepts

identify key attributes

of quality management

which lead to the

successful

implementation and

sustainment of best

practices for project

quality management

THE FIRST SELECTION

IS STATISTICALLY THE

MOST LIKELY CORRECT

ANSWER

Question #9You are in charge of developing a new product for an organization. Your quality

metrics are based on the 80th percentile of each of the last three products

developed. This is an example of?

1. The Knowledge

Areas The establishment of

quality metrics occurs

within the Project Quality

Management Knowledge

Area

2. The Process Groups The Identification of the

projects quality

measurements occurs

within the Planning

Process Group

3. The Process The establishment of the

projects quality metrics

occurs during the Plan

Quality Management

Process

4. ITTO’s The project team

utilizes the technique

of benchmarking to

establish quality

metrics which are

often based on best

practices and high

performance

5. PBD Quality Metrics are

Outputs of the Plan

Quality Management

Process which also

describes how Quality

Control will test to

ensure they were met

6. The Concept The concept under

review is the project

team’s effective use of

the benchmarking

technique to establish

quality metrics that

are based on

established high levels

of performance

THE FIRST SELECTION

IS STATISTICALLY THE

MOST LIKELY ANSWER

Question #10 Which of the following is the last step of project closing?

1. The Knowledge

Areas The closure of a project

or phase (a sub-project

supporting a much larger

project) occurs in the

Project Integration

Knowledge Area

2. The Process Groups Close Project or Phase

along with its supporting

activities occurs in the

Closing Process Group

3. The Process The proper closure of a

project or phase occurs

within the Close Project

or Phase Process

4. ITTO’s The outputs the Close

Project or Phase

process are the

transition of the final

product, service or

results to the customer

and OPA updates

5. PBD Project closure is a

document driven

endeavor that begins

with reconciliation of

customer acceptance

documents, the update

of project files, and

finally the archive of

historical information

and lessons learned into

the lessons learned

knowledge base

6. The Concept The concept under test

is the students

understanding of the

sequence of events and

activities

THE FIRST SELECTION

IS STATISTICALLY THE

MOST LIKELY ANSWER