Achieve Success in the PMI PMI-SP Exam: A Detailed PMI Scheduling Professional Guide

The role of a functional manager is to perform various management roles within an administrative or functional area of the business, such as human resources, finance, accounting, or procurement. He is assigned his own permanent staff to carry out the ongoing work. He should have a clear directive to manage all tasks within his functional area of responsibility.

Answer option D is incorrect. A project manager is an expert in the field of project management. He is responsible for the entire project from inception to completion. The project manager leads the team and helps negotiate the multiple relationships within any project whether with clients, team members, firm principals or any variety of partners and functions as the hub of a project.

Answer option A is incorrect. Seller is also known as a vendor, supplier or contractor. They are external company's elements that enter into a contractual agreement to provide components or services necessary for the project.

Answer option B is incorrect. The role of operations manager is to perform various management roles in a core business area, such as research and development, design, manufacturing, provisioning, testing, or maintenance. The operations manager directly deals with constructing and maintaining the saleable products or services of the enterprise.

The best answer is simply an exception report. An exception report refers and documents the major mistakes, mishaps, and goofs. In other words, it itemizes the important and critically significant piece of documentation that is vital to the proper and effective functioning of a project. It does not document what has gone right, but rather documents what has gone wrong.

Answer option C is incorrect. A performance management report is not a valid project management report.

Answer option A is incorrect. The question is asked about cost and schedule so this answer would not be appropriate for both the cost and the schedule.

Answer option D is incorrect. The question is asked about cost and schedule so this answer would not be appropriate for both the cost and the schedule.

Resource leveling is a rule of limiting the total number of hours a project team may work during a given time period in the project. If management restricts the project work to 45 per week, as in this example, Holly's schedule will likely increase because the project team can't complete as much work in one given time period.While this may be seen as a constraint, because it limits Holly's options, it's technically called a resource leveling heuristic.

Answer option B is incorrect. It is an assumption that's believed to be true, but it hasn't been proven to be true.

Answer option C is incorrect. Execution variance analysis describes the difference between what was planned and what was executed. A better term for this experience would simply be a scope variance, scope change, or defect.

If Activity D increases by six days, the duration of the project will not change. There is 11 days of float available for Activity D so it may delay by six days without affecting the project end date. What is float?

Float or total float (TF) is the total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed from its early start date without delaying the project finish date, or violating a schedule constraint. It is calculated by using the critical path method technique and determining the difference between the early finish dates and late finish dates.

Answer options A, B, and C are incorrect. These are not valid answers for the question.

Crashing adds more workers to the project team. Crashing allows the project to complete faster because there are more people helping with the project work.

Answer option D is incorrect. Reducing the project scope is called descoping or project scope changes.

Answer option A is incorrect. Crashing does not consider the working hours.

Answer option B is incorrect. Resource leveling actually increases the project duration.

Forecasting method is a technique used in generating performance reports. Forecasting is the process of estimating or predicting in unknown situations. Forecasting is about predicting the future as accurately as possible with the help of all the information available, including historical data and knowledge of any future events that might impact forecasts. The forecasting methods are categorized as follows: Time series method: It uses historical data as the basis for estimating future outcomes. Causal/econometric method: This forecasting method is based on the assumption that it is possible to identify some factors that might influence the variable that is being forecasted. If the causes are understood, projections of the influencing variables can be made and used in the forecast. Judgmental method: Judgmental forecasting methods incorporate intuitive judgments, opinions, and subjective probability estimates. Other methods: Other methods may include probabilistic forecasting, simulation, and ensemble forecasting. It is one of the tools and techniques of the report performance process.

Answer option A is incorrect. Work performance information is the data gathered on the status of the project schedule activities that are performed to accomplish the project work. This data is collected as part of the Direct and Manage Project Execution processes. WPI includes the following: Deliverables status Schedule Progress Costs incurred It is used as an input in generating the report performance process.

Answer option C is incorrect. Work performance measurements are created from the work performance information. WPMs are an output of Control schedule, Control cost, and Control scope processes, which are monitoring and controlling processes. WPMs consist of planned versus actual performance indicators with respect to scope, schedule, and cost. They are documented and communicated to the stakeholders and are used to make project activity metrics, such as the following: Planned vs. Actual Technical performance and Scope performance Planned vs. Actual Schedule performance Planned vs. Actual Cost performance They are used as an input in generating the report performance process.

Answer option B is incorrect. Change requests are requests to expand or reduce the project scope, modify policies, processes, plans, or procedures, modify costs or budgets or revise schedules. These requests for a change can be direct or indirect, externally or internally initiated, and legally or contractually imposed or optional. A Project Manager needs to ensure that only formally documented requested changes are processed and only approved change requests are implemented. It is an output of the report performance process.

Noise is anything that disrupts the communication method such as static on the telephone line, distracting conversations, or misunderstandings.

Answer option A is incorrect. Static is an example of noise, but it is not part of the communication model.

Answer option D is incorrect. A barrier to communication is when communication cannot happen under the present conditions.

Answer option B is incorrect. A deterrent is not a valid part of the communication model.

Schedule data is an output of the Develop Schedule process. The nine inputs to the Develop Schedule process are: activity list, activity attributes, project schedule network diagrams, activity resource requirements, resource calendars, activity duration estimates, project scope statement, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets.

Answer options C, A, and D are incorrect. These are the inputs to the Develop Schedule process.

Of all the choices, the WBS is the best choice. The entire scope baseline is needed as an input, not just the WBS. The inputs to the Define Activities process are as follows: Scope Baseline: The project constraints, assumptions documented, and deliverables in the project scope baseline are considered while defining activities. Enterprise Environmental Factors: One of the factors that affect the Define Activities process is the project management information system (PMIS). Organizational Process Assets: The assets that can affect the Define Activities process are as follows: 1.The existing proper and unofficial scheduling strategies, procedures, and related policies that are measured in developing the activity definitions 2.The lessons-learned knowledge base containing the past information about activity lists used by similar earlier projects

Of all the choices, only fast tracking is an option that would not increase project costs. Fast tracking allows phases of the project to overlap, but it does increase project risks. Fast tracking is a technique for compressing project schedule. In fast tracking, phases are overlapped that would normally be done in sequence. It is shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope.

Answer option B is incorrect. Crashing adds labor to the project and increases project costs.

Answer option C is incorrect. Effort-driven activity analysis examines activities whose duration may be reduced by adding labor. This approach, however, increases project costs, as it is a form of project crashing.

Answer option D is incorrect. Rewards and recognitions are good incentives for the project team, but simply offering the reward does not decrease the duration of the project.