PMP Lite Mock Exam 18

Answer Key and Explanations

1. D - Review the RFP requirements and specifications. Such a wide range of
quotes indicates that there may be elements that are not stated clearly or
correctly. Because there is no evidence of collusion between the consultant
and the lowest bidder, the RFP review is the best choice. [PMI Code of
Ethics and Professional Conduct] [Prof. Responsibility]

2. C - This serves as a benchmark estimate. Significant differences in

estimates can be an indication that either the procurement statement of
work was deficient or the prospective sellers misunderstood or failed to
respond fully to the procurement statement of work. [PMBOK 6th Edition,
Page 479]

3. A - Project managers must adhere to the code of ethics and professional

conduct. They must maintain fairness and honesty. Since the new job
requires some illegal and unethical activities, Marvin must reject the offer.
[PMI code of Ethics and Professional Conduct] [Prof. Responsibility]

4. B - Intelligence quotient (IQ) is an assessment of an individual's

intelligence. This is not a soft skill. Soft skills are an individual's
interpersonal skills. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 357] [Project Resource
Management]

5. D - The stakeholder register template does not contain stakeholders

information; it only helps the project manager produce the project's
stakeholder register. If Julia is not satisfied with the list, she needs to
identify more stakeholders until she is satisfied. Interviewing the identified
key stakeholders again might not resolve the issue. The best option is to
seek an expert's opinion. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 511] [Project
Stakeholder Management]
6. B - Projects are closed during the Close Project or Phase process. One of
the tools which can be used in this process is expert judgment. Expert
judgment can be obtained from consultants or industry experts. These
experts can help ensure compliance with all project standards when
projects are closed. In this scenario, you would want to use experts from
your own organization in closing the project. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page
126] [Project Integration Management]

7. D - Projects are temporary and unique, whereas operational work is

repetitive. Since Nancy is working to construct three unique buildings, and
each has a definite beginning and a definite end, each effort is considered
as a project. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 4] [Project Framework]

8. A - Push communication is used to send information to specific recipients

who need to know. Push communication is done using letters, faxes,
memos, etc. Pull communication is used for large volumes of information.
The methods for this type of communication include internet sites and
blogs. Since you want to notify the general public about environmental
effects by posting reports on the project's website, this is an example of
pull communication methods. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 374] [Project
Communications Management]

9. B - Resource calendars track the availability of team members for team

development activities. The responsibility assignment matrix describes the
responsibilities assigned to various team members. Project staff
assignments give details of individual assignments, and project
organization charts display team members and their reporting
relationships. The project charter does not supply any of that information.
Hence, Lesley must use resource calendars to know that information.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 323] [Project Resource Management]

10. A - Stakeholders' influence is highest during the early stages of the

project and lowest towards the end of the project. [PMBOK 6th edition,
Page 549] [Project Stakeholder Management]
11. B - Risk mitigation is a negative risk response strategy; it is not
applicable to positive risks. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 443] [Project
Risk Management]

12. D - In the Conduct Procurements process, sellers are selected and

procurement contracts are awarded to them. Contracts can be awarded in
the form of a purchase order. Since the PMO selected you to write the
purchase order, it is in the process of conducting procurements.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 482] [Project Procurement Management]

13. A - The Project Schedule Management processes include Plan Schedule

Management, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity
Durations, Develop Schedule, and Control Schedule. [PMBOK 6th
Edition, Page 173]

14. B - Since Shawn is in the execution phase and stakeholders are

requesting project information, he must respond through the Manage
Communications process. The communications management plan,
organizational process assets and work performance reports are inputs to
this process. Shawn can use any of these documents to respond to their
requests. The project's business case is not of much help at this stage.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 379] [Project Communications Management]

15. D - The stakeholder register must be updated since a new project

stakeholder has joined the project. Changes to the stakeholder
engagement plan might also be required to ensure that the new key
stakeholder is properly engaged with the project. Addition of a new key
stakeholder might bring some additional uncertainty to the project; this
should be recorded in the risk register. The issue log is least likely to be
updated in this case since no new issue has emerged. [PMBOK 6th
edition, Page 96] [Project Stakeholder Management]

16. D - Since the drug testing raised doubts over the chemicals supplied by
the contractor, you must ensure that the contractor is satisfying quality
requirements by inspecting and auditing the seller’s deliverables.
 Auditing can also include seller's personnel. All other actions, including
meeting with the sponsor and stakeholders, can be performed later if the
seller is not meeting contractual requirements. Therefore, your first
action should be to perform audits and inspections to verify compliance
of the seller's deliverables. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 498] [Project
Procurement Management]

17. C - Since the project manager is spending most of the money and
managing resources, he or she is currently in the execution phase of the
project. Spending levels reach a maximum in the execution phase.
Stakeholder influences on the project decrease over the life of the
project. Hence, stakeholder influence is now less than in previous phases.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 549] [Project Framework]

18. C - The change control procedure and the issue management procedure
are organizational process assets. They do not document the details of
the recently approved project changes. Lucy can find all the essential
inputs for her presentation in the project change log. [PMBOK 6th
edition, Page 120]

19. C - A make-or-buy analysis results in a decision as to whether particular

work can best be accomplished by the project team or needs to be
outsourced. The total duration of the project does not (and should not)
influence this analysis. The other choices are rational considerations
during this analysis. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 479] [Project
Procurement Management]

20. C - Performance reviews compare performance over time and funds

needed to complete the work in progress. [PMBOK 6th Edition, Page
712]

21. D - Nancy must not bid on Project A since her organization lacks the
required skills and experience. This leaves her with only Project B to bid
on. Project managers are mandated by the PMI's code of ethics and
professional conduct to accept only those assignments that are consistent
 with their background, experience, skills and qualifications. [PMI Code
of Ethics & Professional Conduct] [Prof. Responsibility]

22. C - The baselines change only when a change request is generated. A

project management plan documents the procedures for making changes
to performance baselines. These baselines include scope, cost and
schedule baselines. Therefore, the junior project manager must store
these procedures in the project management plan. [PMBOK 6th edition,
Page 88] [Project Integration Management]

23. C - A project constraint is a limiting factor that affects the execution of

the project. Budget and staffing restrictions in this case are examples of
project constraints. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 701] [Project Integration
Management]

24. A - The scope baseline is an output of the Create WBS process. The
other choices are either inputs or tools and techniques of the process.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 156] [Project Scope Management]

25. A - Follow all company directives. The organization’s management is

responsible for developing these directives, which may include specific
instructions on closing out work in progress. [PMI Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct] [Prof. Responsibility]

26. D - The delays are considered risks to the project. In this scenario, the
reassessment indicated a decline in the risk (delay time) compared to the
initial risk identification. The risk reassessment is performed in the
Monitor Risks process, and the outcome of the risk reassessment updates
the risk register. Therefore, Jen must take steps to update the risk
register. Other steps can be taken after updating the risk register.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 458] [Project Risk Management]

27. D - Design for X is a set of technical guidelines that may be applied

during the design of a product for the optimization of a specific aspect of
the design. DfX can control or even improve the product's final
 characteristics. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 295] [Project Quality
Management]

28. A - Discuss the issue with the team member in private. Conflicts should
be first addressed in private, using a direct and collaborative approach.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 348] [Project Resource Management]

29. B - The issue escalation process must be documented during the planning
phase of a project. Issues that cannot be resolved at a lower level can be
escalated up the chain of command within a stipulated time frame. This
information is part of the communications management plan. [PMBOK
6th edition, Page 377] [Project Communications Management]

30. C - The feedback must not be discarded. Successful ideas and

implemented recommendations need to be stored in the organizational
process assets library during the Manage Project Knowledge process.
Sending it back to the stakeholder does not make any sense. There is no
restriction in publishing it, but updating the organizational process assets
should be the project manager's priority. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 105]
[Project Stakeholder Management]

31. B - Negotiate with the vendor. Making a unilateral decision is counter to

the PMI Code of Ethics, which mandates good faith negotiations. Failing
to negotiate will not be in the best interest of either the project or the
vendor. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 498; PMI Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct] [Prof. Responsibility]

32. C - The project cost baseline includes all authorized budgets excluding
management reserves. Management reserves are not included to measure
the cost performance of a project. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 248]
[Project Cost Management]

33. A - The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) describes the

relationship between resources and work packages. An RACI chart is an
example of a RAM. The letters in “RACI” stand for Responsible,
 Accountable, Consult, and Inform. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 317]
[Project Resource Management]

34. A - Planned Value is the budgeted cost of the work scheduled to be

completed on an activity or WBS component up to a given point in time.
[PMBOK 6th Edition, Page 261]

35. C - You are responsible for finding the right way to handle this situation.
Contact your management for advice on how to proceed. Your company
may already have plans in place for this scenario; if not, they will
develop a path forward. [PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct]
[Prof. Responsibility]

36. B - There are five stages of team development: Forming, Storming,

Norming, Performing and Adjourning. In the Forming stage, the team
members work independently. In the Storming stage, the team begins to
understand the project work. In the Norming stage, the team begins to
learn from one another. In the Performing stage, they work as a well-
organized unit and reach maximum performance. In the Adjourning
stage, the team completes the work. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 338]
[Project Resource Management]

37. B - The work performance reports are inputs to the Manage

Communications process. The other choices are the valid tools and
techniques of the Manage Communications process. [PMBOK 6th
edition, Page 379] [Project Communications Management]

38. B - To meet schedule constraints, schedule compression techniques are

used to reduce the schedule’s duration. Crashing and fast tracking are
two such techniques. Crashing involves allocation of more resources to
reduce the duration. Crashing always does not produce a desirable result
and may result in increased risk. Providing training is not a problem from
the project manager's point of view. Stakeholders’ approval is not
required when resources are not allocated. Therefore, Mary's concern is
only about increased risk or cost due to allocation of more resources to
 the task. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 215] [Project Schedule
Management]

39. A - Leads and lags, schedule compression and critical path method are
tools in the Control Schedule process. Parametric estimating is not a tool
of this process. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 222] [Project Schedule
Management]

40. D - Validate Scope is the process of formalizing the acceptance of

finished deliverables. In this process, stakeholders or customers give
formal acceptance of the completed deliverables. The accepted
deliverables are forwarded to the Close Project or Phase process. If there
are any completed deliverables that they do not accept, a change request
for defect repair must be initiated. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 166]
[Project Scope Management]

41. A - The critical path method is used to prepare a schedule network

diagram. A network diagram is prepared initially, and the critical path is
then calculated. Availability of resources is entered, and a resource-
limited schedule is prepared. Hence, recalculating the critical path using
the critical path method after applying the resource constraints is the next
best step. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 210] [Project Schedule
Management]

42. D - Modeling techniques are used to prepare a schedule under various

scenarios. These techniques help assess the feasibility of the project
schedule if adverse conditions exist. The Monte Carlo technique employs
simulation to calculate multiple project durations, each with a different
set of activity assumptions using a probability distribution. [PMBOK 6th
edition, Page 213] [Project Schedule Management]

43. B - Sending the deliverables to the customer for acceptance is an activity

of the Validate Scope process. The other choices are activities related to
the Close Project or Phase process. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 123]
[Project Integration Management]
44. D - When risks cannot be handled or managed in a project, it is advisable
to accept them. In this scenario, your team is unable to devise a suitable
response strategy. Hence, risk acceptance is the correct strategy to
employ. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 443] [Project Risk Management]

45. B - A project statement of work and a business case are inputs to the
Develop Project Charter process. A project charter is an output of the
Develop Project Charter process. Expert judgement is a tool and
technique of this process. [PMBOK 6th edition, Page 75] [Project
Integration Management]

46. D - The project management plan defines how the project is executed,
monitored, controlled, and closed. [PMBOK 6th Edition, Page 83]

47. D - A Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of less than one indicates that
less work has completed than planned, and a Cost Performance Index
(CPI) of less than one indicates a cost overrun for the work completed. In
this scenario, the cost overrun is more severe than the schedule delay.
Therefore, you should focus on reducing the cost of the project.
[PMBOK 6th edition, Page 263] [Project Cost Management]

48. C - When there is a limited amount of information available about a

project, analogous estimating is used to estimate the activity durations.
This estimating technique uses parameters such as budget, complexity
and size from previous projects to estimate the duration. [PMBOK 6th
edition, Page 200] [Project Schedule Management]

49. A - When you find a defective product, you must notify stakeholders
immediately even if the deviation may not affect customers. As a project
manager, you must maintain honesty and should not hide facts. After
notifying the stakeholders, the project manager must discuss the issue
with the team and change the project management plan based on the
stakeholders’ inputs. [PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct]
[Prof. Responsibility]
50. C - You are in the process of determining the status of the project
schedule and investigating the factors that caused schedule changes.
From this scenario, you are currently in the Control Schedule process.
What-if analysis is used in the Control Schedule process to see how
various factors influence the schedule. One output of this process is to
generate change requests to correct the schedule. Hence, you should
generate a change request for the required corrective action. [PMBOK
6th edition, Page 229] [Project Schedule Management]