Chapter 13 Project Evaluation and Control
1) The first step in the control cycle is:
A) setting a goal.
B) measuring progress.
C) comparing actual with planned performance.
D) taking action.
2) Project goal setting includes setting a baseline plan, which is predicated on:
A) the progress measurement.
B) an accurate work breakdown structure.
C) the type of gap analysis the project team plans to use.
D) the budget and schedule limitations.
3) Measurement mechanisms should include a clear definition of:
A) the project baseline.
B) the reporting relationships among members of the project team.
C) what to measure.
D) trigger points.
4) A measurement process that determines the project goals and then the degree to which the actual performance lives up to these goals is:
A) a metric system.
B) goal-performance linkage.
C) five degrees of separation.
D) gap analysis.
5) If significant deviations from the project plan are detected, corrective action is taken and then:
A) the monitoring and control cycle begins anew.
B) project goals are adjusted to reflect current reality.
C) the project stakeholders are informed of the budget or time difficulties.
D) the critical chain is reviewed for task dependency.
6) The classic project S-curve is a plot of:
A) labor hours versus money expended.
B) money expended versus elapsed time.
C) elapsed time versus labor hours.
D) number of personnel versus days behind schedule.
7) Use the S-curve to choose the best statement about the project it describes. The horizontal axis is in weeks.
A) The total project costs in week 10 are less than budgeted.
B) The total project costs in week 10 exceed the budgeted cost.
C) The project cost more from weeks 25 through 30 than it did in weeks 10 through 15.
D) The total amount spent on the project at the end of the 20th week is approximately $30,000.
8) Use the S-curve to choose the best statement about the project it describes. The horizontal axis is in weeks.
A) More time passes from weeks 5 to 10 than from weeks 20 to 25.
B) More time passes from $50,000 to $60,000 than from $5,000 to $10,000.
C) More money is spent from weeks 0 to 10 than from weeks 30 to 40.
D) The total amount spent on the project at the end of the 40th week is approximately $110,000.
9) Use the S-curve where the solid line is actual cost and the dashed line is budgeted cost to choose the best statement.
A) The project is further ahead of budget from weeks 36 through 40 than from weeks 8 through 12.
B) The project never experiences negative variance.
C) The project is further behind budget from weeks 0 through 16 than from 24 through 40.
D) The project is in a constant state of positive variance.
10) Use the S-curve where the solid line is actual cost and the dashed line is budgeted cost to choose the best statement.
A) The project never experiences negative variance.
B) With regards to budget, the project starts badly but finishes well
C) With regards to budget, the project starts well but finishes badly.
D) The project is in a constant state of positive variance.
11) An S-curve CANNOT be used to:
A) determine whether the project is ahead of budget.
B) determine when the project is behind budget.
C) determine the cause of positive variance.
D) determine whether there is negative variance.
12) A project manager that uses milestones as a project control device is using a:
A) proactive control system.
B) predictive control system.
C) feedback control system.
D) reactive control system.
13) An excellent way to coordinate schedules with vendors and suppliers is through the use of:
A) milestones.
B) S-curves that plot expenditures against time.
C) S-curves that plot planned expenditures against time.
D) a tracking Gantt chart.
14) Milestones are generally considered to be:
A) demotivators for the project team.
B) key project review gates.
C) the end of the project for all team members except the project manager.
D) points where two or more activities merge.
15) A tracking Gantt chart:
A) monitors costs and budget expenditures.
B) identifies key points in the project's progress.
C) identifies the stage of completion for each task.
D) identifies the performance to budget for the overall project by a certain date.
16) How does a tracking Gantt chart's appearance differ from a standard Gantt chart?
A) The tracking Gantt chart has a plot against time on the X1 axis and shows progress against budget on the X2 axis.
B) The tracking Gantt chart is composed of dollar signs that show the relative expense of the activity in comparison with other activities.
C) Each bar in the tracking Gantt chart shows who is responsible for completion of the activity in question.
D) Each bar in the tracking Gantt chart varies from 100% solid if the activity is completed to 100% alternative pattern if the activity has not begun.
17) A tracking Gantt chart does NOT show:
A) the reason an activity has slipped.
B) which activities are ahead of schedule.
C) which activities are on schedule.
D) which activities are behind schedule.
18) A tracking Gantt chart does NOT allow for:
A) looking at today's activity progress and determining whether a single activity is behind schedule.
B) future projections of the project's status.
C) looking at today's activity progress and determining whether the entire project is behind schedule.
D) looking at today's activity progress and determining whether a single activity is ahead of schedule.
19) Earned value management jointly considers the impact of:
A) time, cost, and planned cost.
B) project performance, planned performance, and cost.
C) performance, cost, and time.
D) planned cost, planned performance, and time.
20) Planned value is:
A) the total budget for the project.
B) a cost estimate of the budgeted resources across the project's life cycle.
C) the real budgeted value of the work that has actually been performed to date.
D) the cumulative total costs incurred in accomplishing the various project work packages.
21) Earned value is:
A) the total budget for the project.
B) a cost estimate of the budgeted resources across the project's life cycle.
C) the real budgeted value of the work that has actually been performed to date.
D) the cumulative total costs incurred in accomplishing the various project work packages.
22) The earned value to date divided by the planned value of work scheduled to be performed is the:
A) cost performance index.
B) budgeted cost at completion index.
C) budget efficiency index.
D) schedule performance index.
23) The earned value divided by the actual, cumulative cost of the work to date is the:
A) cost performance index.
B) budgeted cost at completion index.
C) budget efficiency index.
D) schedule performance index.
24) A project manager can calculate the projected schedule of the project to completion by using the:
A) cost performance index.
B) schedule performance index.
C) budgeted cost at completion index.
D) budget efficiency index.
25) A project manager can calculate the projected budget to completion by using the:
A) budgeted cost at completion index.
B) budget efficiency index.
C) cost performance index.
D) schedule performance index.
26) The project baseline is established by combining data from the:
A) work breakdown structure and the project budget.
B) time-phased project budget and the PERT chart.
C) S-curve and the project budget.
D) time-phased project budget and the work breakdown structure.
27) In earned value management analysis, the cumulative amount of the budget becomes the:
A) planned value.
B) scheduled value.
C) cost basis.
D) cost driver.
28) In earned value management, schedule variance is defined as:
A) the difference between the earned value and the actual cost.
B) the difference between the earned value and the planned value.
C) the difference between the actual cost and the planned value.
D) the difference between the cost and schedule performance indices multiplied by the budgeted cost at completion.
29) The budget variance is calculated as:
A) earned value minus planned value.
B) planned value minus actual cost.
C) earned value minus actual cost.
D) cost minus planned value.
30) If an activity's progress is defined as 0% until the activity is complete, the project manager is using:
A) the 50/50 rule.
B) the all or nothing rule.
C) the 0/100 rule.
D) the Do Not Pass Go rule.
31) Once an activity is begun, it is assumed to be half done under the:
A) "once begun, half done" rule.
B) minimal effort rule.
C) midway rule.
D) 50/50 rule.
32) Each activity contained a series of milestones that represented a previously agreed-upon amount of work. Once the low graffiti was erased, 35% of the activity had been completed and once the mid-level graffiti was erased, 70% of the activity had been completed. This project manager was clearly in the:
A) percentage complete camp.
B) micro-management camp.
C) 35/70 camp.
D) 3K specifications camp.
33) One of these things is NOT like the others (that happen to directly predict project success). The one that's different is:
A) lack of budgetary pressure.
B) adequacy of project structure and control.
C) project coordination and relations among stakeholders.
D) the tenure of the project manager.
34) In the formation stage, failed projects are more likely to have:
A) technical limitations.
B) personal ambition.
C) clear objectives.
D) team motivation.
35) In the build-up stage of a successful project, it is important that:
A) an adequate budget exists.
B) top management support exists.
C) the project personnel are in a state of flux.
D) there is a clear sense of earned value management.
36) An unmotivated team is a key success inhibitor in every project stage with the exception of the:
A) main phase.
B) formation phase.
C) close-out phase.
D) build-up phase.
37) The critical success factor that relates to the underlying purpose for the project is the:
A) project mission.
B) technical acceptance.
C) technical tasks.
D) client consultation.
38) The project control process is captured in the critical success factor of:
A) communication.
B) monitoring and feedback.
C) troubleshooting.
D) client consultation.
39) Project control should be:
A) maintained by the project organization using the most complete measurement system, earned value management.
B) maintained by the project organization using the simplest measurement, an S-curve.
C) maintained by both the project organization and the customer using the most complete measurement system, earned value management.
D) tailored to the needs and culture for which an organization intends it.
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