PMI-001 Q&A – Section 4: Time Management (181-190)

Section 4: Time Management

QUESTION 181
A team member comes to you to tell you that there is a problem on her activity. It cannot be started on the day it is scheduled to start. A manager overhears this conversation and reports that the project will be late.
Later the project manager completes his own report saying “the project is still scheduled to be completed on time.” Which of the following could be the reason the project manager made such a statement?
A. The activity has free float and can be rescheduled later in its early-start to late-finish window.
B. The activity is on a near-critical path with less float than the length of the delay.
C. The activity is on the critical path but is to be done after another activity that does have float.
D. The activity has a mandatory dependency, allowing the project manager to place it in the project schedule at any location that he wants it to be done.
Answer: A
Explanation:
Did you notice that many of the choices here misuse terms? A near-critical path is one close in length to the actual critical path. If it were to have less float, it would delay the project, so choice B is not best. A delay in an activity that is on the critical path (choice C) will generally delay the project. A mandatory dependency (choice D) is one that requires an activity to be done before or after another activity. An activity with free float can be rescheduled without impacting the rest of the project, making A the best choice.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 197

QUESTION 182
Based on the chart, what activities must be completed before activity H can start?
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A. Activity B and activity E
B. Activity A, activity D, and activity G
C. Activity B, activity C, and activity E
D. Activity C and activity E
Answer: C
Explanation:
First, notice that this question is asking about work that needs to be completed. Since two paths lead into activity H, the activities on both paths must be completed. Only choice C includes all the preceding activities on both paths.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196 – 204

QUESTION 183
Though you have tried to plan the project to accommodate all major contingencies, you are now asked for the fifth time to decrease the length of time the project will take to complete. The person completing activity C is no longer talking to you because of the added work she needed to do to accommodate previous decreases in time. She has already told you she cannot shorten her activity any more. The person doing activity D has been replaced by a new and less tested resource. The risk of crashing activity F is small. Based on this and the chart, what is the BEST thing to do?
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A. Determine why there have been so many decreases to the project length.
B. Invite the person doing activity C to lunch to talk about her problems.
C. Evaluate the risk added to the project with the change of resources on activity D.
D. Make changes to the project to decrease the time the project will take.
Answer: C
Explanation:
Did you notice that there is more than one “correct” answer? Don’t you hate that? What makes choice C better than the other choices is that it deals with the immediate problem at hand. Before trying to decrease time, it would be best to know how much time you need to decrease. Performing choice C will tell you time impact and thus allow you to determine the impact of the resource change on activity D. Choice C comes before choice D.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 216

QUESTION 184
A problem occurs on an activity with free float and the project manager has extended its duration. What is MOST likely to be affected?
A. Project duration
B. Resource schedules
C. Project scope management plan
D. The latest start for the successor activity
Answer: B
Explanation:
Since an activity with float will not affect the project duration as long as any delay is not greater than the float, choice A could not be best. Choice C cannot be best as this situation is not related to scope, just time. An activity with free float means it has time where it can be delayed without impacting the next activity.
Therefore, choice D cannot be best. Any delay in when an activity is to be completed will most likely impact resources.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 197

QUESTION 185
Which of the following is the BEST thing to do when a project activity will take longer than planned and the project can no longer be completed on time?
A. Compress the schedule.
B. Ask for an extension of time.
C. Negotiate for more resources.
D. Work overtime to make up the time.
Answer: A
Explanation:
Think of what you would do in the real world. Many project managers just ask for more resources or more time (choices B and C). Asking for an extension of time is generally the best thing to do only when scope is added to the project. Adding resources will add cost. Choice D should be the last choice. Compressing the schedule lets you get more done with the resources and time that you already have on the project. It is almost always the first thing to do when there is a delay generated from within the project.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 205

QUESTION 186
An activity has been delayed and the project manager needs to deal with the situation. What is the NEXT thing she should do?
A. Determine how much of a problem it is.
B. Report to management.
C. Crash or fast track.
D. Use contingency reserves
Answer: A
Explanation:
One must evaluate before making a decision (choice A). Even if dealing with the problem was not within the project manager’s authority, it is still her job to do the evaluation. This is also why choices B and C are not the best choices. They come after evaluation. Contingency reserves (choice D) are to be used to accommodate the risks previously identified, so that cannot be best.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 215

QUESTION 187
A scope change has been approved by the change control board. Which of the following MUST be impacted?
A. The early start date of the activities later in the network diagram
B. The cost of the project
C. The expected monetary value of project risks
D. The number of resources used on the project
Answer: A
Explanation:
Notice that the question uses the word “must”? Many of these choices could be impacts, but the only certain impact of a scope change is a schedule change to shorten or lengthen subsequent activities.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 126

QUESTION 188
Three calls were received today inquiring whether one of your resources could be released from your project.
There were nine such calls last week. The project is going well and its risk rating is low. Activity R has an early start of 4 and a late start of 45 and an early finish of 14. The project has a cost performance index (CPI) of 1.05 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 0.893. The project float is zero and even through tough times, you believe the reward system you put in place during project planning is working. What is the BEST thing to do?
A. Crash the project.
B. Crash Activity R.
C. Deal with diminishing the impact of the phone calls.
D. Look for areas to cut cost.
Answer: A
Explanation:
The SPI of 0.893 should tell you that you need to improve schedule performance, but why focus on activity R (choice B)? An activity with float is not on the critical path and making it shorter will not improve schedule performance. If you selected choice C, did you assume that such calls were not expected and that the time to handle them was not planned in? There is no reason to think that this is a problem. With a CPI of 1.05, there is no reason to cut costs (choice D).
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 206’’

QUESTION 189
The project manager has had some difficulty in getting the team to complete work efforts but he feels that the changes he made to the reward system will fix the problem. The number of stakeholders on the project has grown by 20 percent and the number of activities being completed late is growing. The project manager has heard from management that the project might become a higher priority if their competition comes out with a new product that uses wireless technology. Based on this, it would be BEST for the project manager to:
A. Reestimate the activities and prepare to create a new schedule.
B. Perform configuration management.
C. Recreate the project work authorization system.
D. Better respond to risk event triggers.
Answer: A
Explanation:
The situation described does not give any indication that there is a problem with documentation, (choice B), that the work authorization system is faulty (choice C) or that risks are not being properly managed, (choice D).The best choice is therefore A.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 215

QUESTION 190
The project is being completed faster than planned. Which of the following would NOT account for why this has occurred?
A. Trend analysis was used to eliminate the need for some testing.
B. A pre-made item was purchased instead of the team creating it.
C. A critical path and a noncritical path activity were fast tracked.
D. A critical path activity was compressed.
Answer: C
Explanation:
This question requires you to understand a lot of terms. In order to fast track, one needs to make two critical path activities parallel, otherwise the project length might not be shortened. Choice C is the only situation that might not account for why this occurred.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 205