PM Test Center

According to PMI®, a project is a(n) __________ endeavor undertaken to create a __________ product, service, or result.

A. special, permanent
B. temporary, unique
C. approved, capable
D. organized, needed

Answer: B. temporary, unique
That definition has been associated with the term since the first version of the PMBOK®.

Which of the following organization types does the project manager have the most power?

A. Functional
B. Weak matrix
C. Strong matrix
D. Projectized

Answer: D. Projectized
Projectized organizations grants project managers with total control of their projects. That means team members report directly to the project manager. Functional organizations, conversely, provides project managers with the least amount of power since the team members report to a functional, or line of business, manager.

Which of the following is true about project phases?

A. There are always five phases: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.
B. Phases are determined by the organization.
C. There are many ways to frame a project and no one method applies to all projects.
D. The project must have more than one phase.

Answer: C. There are many ways to frame a project and no one method applies to all projects.
There is no standard method to manage a project. Project phases may vary by industry, field and individual.

Processes in the Closing process group are:

A. Close Project or Phase, Verify Scope, Close Procurements
B. Close Project or Phase, Report Performance
C. Close Project or Phase, Close Procurements
D. Close Project or Phase, Administer Procurements

Answer: C. Close Project or Phase, Close Procurements
Close Project or Phase from the Integration knowledge area and Close Procurements from the Procurement knowledge area are the only two processes in the Closing process group.

As a project progresses, stakeholder influence, risk, and uncertainty will all:

A. Increase
B. Decrease
C. Depend on other factors
D. Stay the same

Answer: B. Decrease
Stakeholder influence, risk, and uncertainty will decrease as project progress through the life cycle. As the deliverables evolve, many more known factors will be revealed.

What term best describes the person who provides financial resources to the project?

A. Sponsor
B. Project manager
C. Customer
D. Resource manager

Answer: A. Sponsor
The sponsor is either a person or group who funds the project.

As a project progresses, the cost of making changes will:

A. Increase
B. Decrease
C. Depend on other factors
D. Stay the same

Answer: A. Increase
Making changes cost more as projects progress through the life cycle. For example, typically changing a requirement is easy during the planning stage but once a prototype has been built, changing a requirement might unravel some work already performed.

Processes in the Initiating process group are:

A. Develop Project Charter, Identify Stakeholders
B. Develop Project Charter, Develop Preliminary Scope Statement
C. Develop Project Management Plan, Identify Stakeholders
D. Develop Project Management Plan, Plan Communications, Identify Stakeholders

Answer: A. Develop Project Charter, Identify Stakeholders
Develop Project Charter from the Integration knowledge area and Identify Stakeholders from the Communications knowledge area are the only two processes in the Initiation process group.

One advantage of a functional organizations is:

A. Being part of a functional team provides team members with peer support.
B. The project manager has full control over the budget.
C. The functional manager reports to the project manager.
D. Team members have two bosses.

Answer: A. Being part of a functional team provides team members with peer support.
Since team members usually work side-by-side with their respective peers, they have valuable resources readily available to them. In functional organizations, team members have one functional boss and the project manager usually has no control over the budget.

One advantage of a projectized organization is:

A. The project manager reports to the functional manager.
B. Team members have two bosses.
C. Team members are usually responsible with only one project at a time.
D. The project manager has no control over the budget.

Answer: C. Team members are usually responsible with only one project at a time.
Since team members are assigned to a project, they can typically focus on work within that particular project. In projectized organizations, team members have one project boss and the project manager usually has full control over the budget.