Use your knowledge about project management to answer the following questions. See the answers at the bottom of this page.

1. The best practices in project management recognize a set of integrated processes in order to accomplish a project. These processes are:

A. Analysis, design, implementation, executing, testing and deployment.
B. Analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, operations.
C. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing.
D. Inception, elaboration, construction, transition.
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2. Annie has $500 and 5 days to make 1000 cookies. It’s the end of the third day and she has spent $400 and made 900 cookies. What is her Earned Value?

A. $100
B. $300
C. $350
D. $450
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3. The Risk Register is an output of which process?

A. Plan Risk Management 
B. Identify Risks
C. Plan Risk Responses
D. Monitor and Control Risks
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4. There are 5 people on the project management team. How many communication paths are there?

A. 10
B. 20
C. 8
D. 15
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Answers:


1. Answer= C. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing.  Explanation: PMBOK recognizes 5 sets of integrated processes to accomplish a project. These processes are initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. Typically these processes are overlapped through the project life cycle and can be identified in a single phase or during the whole project.

2. Answer =D. $450. Explanation: Earned Value (EV) is the monetary value of the work performed by a specific to status day in a project.  To calculate it, find the relation between the work completed and total work at the status day; then calculate how much it represents from the total budget of the project (also known as Budget at completion or BAC).  In other words EV=BAC * (work completed/total work).  In this case Annie is checking the status at the end of day 3, so the work performed at this point is 900 cookies, the total work is 1000 cookies.  Applying the formula: EV= $500 * (900/1000)= $450.

3. Answer = B. Identify Risks.  Explanation: As described by PMBOK, there are several risk processes that update the risk register as an output. These are the cases of quantitative risk analysis and qualitative risk analysis processes.  However, the only process that produces the risk register the first time is Risk identification. In this process the project manager identifies risks that may impact the project and describes it in the risk register. 

4. Answer = A. 10. Explanation: The project manager is responsible for maintaining good communications among the team. Communication paths are a number of two – way communications between project team members that the project manager will analyze in order to facilitate information between senders and receivers. The formula used to calculate it is (N * (N-1))/2) the number of team members is represented by N.  In this case there are 5 team members in the project so N=5 and the number of communications paths is (5*(5-1)/2) = 10.

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