APM-PFQ APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) Questions and Answers

validate overall progress to date against the budget and schedule.

capture learning and document it for future usage.

ensure acceptance of all permanent documentation, signed by the sponsor.

establish that project benefits have been identified.

all those responsible to the project manager who are working towards the project objectives.

the members of staff who are allocated full time to the project.

the members of staff who report to the project manager and who carry out work on the project.

all project stakeholders.

Transition.

Concept

Deployment.

Definition.

To provide a clear and concise summary of tasks or deliverables and the specific. responsibilities defined.

To provide an outline of the reporting structure to assist in day-to-day management of the project.

To provide an outline of the scope of the project and the specific deliverables that have been agreed for the project.

To provide an outline of the specific costs of the project and which key deliverables they are allocated to.

stakeholder engagement.

funding for the project.

buy in from the project sponsor.

goods and services required for the project.

The influence and interests of the key stakeholders of the project.

The technical difficulties that are anticipated when undertaking the project.

The circumstances within which the project is being undertaken.

D The relationship between the project manager and the project team.

Comparative estimating.

Bottom-up/analytical estimating.

Strategic estimating.

Parametric estimating.

Benefits realisation review.

Final project review.

Deliverables accepted by sponsor.

Handover of relevant documentation

change management committee,

change authority,

change control board.

change implementation group.

Evaluation of the benefits of the project.

Identification of the problems that arose and their likely causes.

Review of the project's performance against the success criteria.

Review of how the team worked together to solve problems and issues.

a hybrid.

an extended.

a reduced.

a combined.

An increase in project scope is likely to increase project cost.

A decrease in the project time is likely to increase project quality.

An increase in the project quality requirements is likely to decrease project cost.

A decrease in the project cost is likely to decrease project time.

carry out earned value analysis.

allocate resources to the project.

analyse cost-benefit of the project.

plan project work packages

Criteria

Compliance

Quality

Benefits

Concept

Definition

Operations

Transition

gate review.

learning review.

handover review.

audit review.

inspection, testing and measurement.

reviews and audits.

fitness for purpose of deliverables.

professionally-bound project reports.

managing responses to threats.

identifying and acknowledging threats and opportunities.

planning responses to threats.

minimising threats and maximising opportunities.

The PMP acts as a contract between the Project Manager, the project team and the sponsor.

The PMP defines the baselines for the project upon which changes are considered.

The PMP, once defined, will remain unchanged throughout the project.

The PMP is used as a reference document for managing the project.

Planning, analysis and integration of project benefits.

Justification, validation and acceptance of project benefits.

Identification, tracking and realisation of project benefits.

Realisation, acceptance and integration of project benefits

informing stakeholders about the project.

storing and archiving of project information.

gathering stakeholder feedback.

collecting project information.

users.

A. governmental regulatory body.

functional managers within the sponsoring organisation.

the project team members.

Staff appraisals.

Management buy in.

Milestone achievement.

Master schedule.

3 and 4 only

1, 2 and 3

1 and 2 only

2, 3 and 4

the power and influence of stakeholders is understood.

that all communication is delivered face to face.

your message is understood.

clear reporting lines for the project.

Impact of change on baseline, risks and business case.

The number of extra people required to deliver the change.

How the change will be reported when it is implemented into the project.

The configuration requirements Of the change when implemented into the project,

1, 2 and 3

1, 2 and 4

1, 3 and 4

2, 3 and 4

Optimised resource management opportunities.

Reduced overall costs Of project delivery.

Decreased duration of the project schedule.

Increased likelihood Of the project being accepted.

define the terms of reference of the project manager.

define the limits of the project sponsor's responsibilities.

allocate risk management response activities to project personnel.

allocate work packages to those responsible for project work.

Deciding on the approach to project risk management.

Evaluating the risk in terms of severity and relative importance.

Deciding on how to respond to the risk and who should implement the response.

Deciding if the risk is a threat or opportunity.

Providers of both strategic and tactical direction to the project.

Those intended to receive benefits or operate outputs.

Facilitators of an appropriate issue resolution procedure.

Those providing full-time commitment to the project.

Ensure that stakeholders who oppose the project are not involved

Develop an environment where all stakeholder's needs are satisfied.

Develop ways of understanding the needs of stakeholders.

Ensure that the influence stakeholders have is reduced.

A. series of actions taken by a project team member or stakeholder to proactively avoid project threats.

A. structured process to optimise project success by minimising threats and maximising opportunities.

A. technique to decompose the project into component parts or discrete groups for programming purposes.

A. framework that allows requirements to be defined and reviewed so that the best project approach is determined.

A level of technological expertise is required.

Body language can reinforce the message.

It is harder to maintain concentration.

There are increased costs of getting to the meeting.

quality register.

issue register.

change register.

risk register.

It allows the detailed execution plans, to be defined, that are likely to be developed in order to deliver the project.

It is the only way in which the scope of the project can be identified and detailed in plans.

It identifies the problems, opportunities or business needs which may require some degree of response.

D It is the only form of detailed planning that can be carried out in the earliest phases of the project life cycle.

There are no suppliers that can meet our specification.

We may not be able to finish on time.

The project is going to be late.

A key phase of the project is taking longer than expected

components of each product.

budget of each product.

benefits of each product.

risks of each product.

Within the end phase.

Within the initial phases.

Within the deployment phase.

Within each phase.

Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) shows costs assigned to:

individual work packages using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

individual resources using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

individual resources using the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).

individual deliverables using the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

Defines the sequence of activities.

Considers work calendars and time contingency.

Provides a baseline for safety considerations.

Quantifies the required resources.

They need to be given a special priority to ensure that they are definitely delivered.

They should have best resort to ensure they efficiently delivered.

The project could be If the delivery of these requirements were proving more difficult than expected

They would sacrificed if at any time Was to go over budget or be late

estimating risk.

estimating funnel.

normal values.

parametric estimating.

structured process for risk identification.

record of the ownership of risk and issue management actions.

means of assessing the likelihood and impact of all of the risks.

record of risks, their impact and the actions taken to manage them.

Business-as-usual activities cannot be improved.

Business-as-usual activities are more difficult to manage than projects.

Projects are transient endeavours that bring about change to business-as-usual.

A project is always the starting point for operation refinement.

contribute to the project's procurement strategy.

help satisfy the project's resource requirements.

provide acceptance certificates based on quality of resources supplied.

determine the quality requirements of goods supplied.

Verification.

Request.

Closure.

Justification

The number of products contained in the PBS,

The boundaries and interfaces with adjacent projects.

Who is going to perform the work.

When the work is going to be performed.

Benefits

Stakeholder list

Contract pricing information

Specification of works

Use of body language.

Having formal meetings.

Attitudes, emotions and prejudices.

Use of informal communication channels

Stakeholders communicate with each other.

The project management plan is established.

An effective communication plan is used.

All stakeholders are treated equally.

Estimating.

Engagement of external suppliers.

Definition of items to be acquired.

Bidding.

Deadline and duration.

Time and cost.

Scope and quality.

Budget and resources.

It allows the sponsor to use the document as a baseline to calculate project slippage.

It provides an overview of the project team performance at each stage of delivery.

It shows how the project manager is performing in delivering the project

It allows the sponsor to decide on project continuously when used at gate review

Define outputs.

Identify outputs.

Share outputs.

Control outputs

An approved omission from the agreed project scope.

The potential for agreed resources to be removed from the project.

A. requirement for extra expenditure to cover increased supplier costs.

The removal of work packages from the agreed project scope.

Available.

Authorised.

Accountable.

Acceptable.

A statement of what the project will deliver in terms of products/deliverables and satisfaction.

The reasons why the project sponsor wants their project to proceed.

A statement on how the project fits into the long-term aims of the project sponsor.

Provides justification for undertaking the project, in terms of evaluating the benefits, cost and risks

Adjusting resource requirements.

Controlling project progress.

Scheduling payments for deliverables.

Setting major deadlines.

users.

audits.

stakeholders.

assets.

configuration control.

change management.

change control.

scope management.

Evaluative estimating.

Risk based estimating.

Analogous estimating.

Analytical estimating.

the process through which all requests to change the approved baseline of a project is captured. evaluated and then approved. rejected or deferred.

the system that ensures that all changes to configuration items are controlled and the interrelationships between items are identified.

the technical and administrative activities concerned with the creation, maintenance, controlled change and quality control of the scope of work.

A report of the current status and history of all changes to the configuration, together with a complete record of what has happened to the configuration to date.

exchanged.

received.

clarified.

given.

the project deliverables are ready for commissioning.

the project deliverables are ready for handing over to the users.

the project documentation must be disposed of.

the capability is now in place for the benefits to be realised

2, 3 and 4

1 and 3

1, 2 and 3

2 and 3

Post project reviews are a prime source of estimating data.

An estimated cost for a project must be 10 per cent to be any use

If you cannot estimate task durations to within 20 per cent there is no point in developing a schedule.

The project manager should always add 10 cent to peoples duration estimates to allow for natural optimism

The senior management of the organisation.

The project manager.

The sponsor.

D The end users.

To establish formal reporting procedures for project progress.

To assess the progress of their work against the strategic objectives.

To ensure that work assigned to them by the Project Manager is performed.

To identify and resolve project issues affecting the work delegated to them

ensure that free flowing feedback channels are planned into the communication structure.

ensure that communication is carried out as much as possible, transmitting as much information as possible.

target only those stakeholders who seem to show a valid interest in the project.

avoid planning communication too much so that messages are not seen as rigid and overly complex.

The environment in which the business operates.

The geographic location in which the project is undertaken.

The external and internal business environments including stakeholder's interests and influences.

D Industry and business sector practices.

A configuration management plan is produced

A configuration identification reference is allocated to the deliverable.

A configuration verification audit is performed.

A status accounting report is produced.

accents are easier to interpret.

information is easier to understand.

discussions will be quicker.

there is less visual distraction.

Describe the improvement in accuracy in estimations over time.

Narrow down budgetary options.

Eliminate unnecessary costs.

Improve understanding of estimation methods over time.

The senior management team.

The project manager.

The project management office.

D The project team.

works with the project sponsor.

has no involvement.

must develop it themself.

works with the end user.

An approximation of project time and cost targets, refined throughout the project life cycle.

A prediction of a future condition or event based on information or knowledge available now.

The value of useful work done at any given point in a project to give a measure of progress.

A situation that affects or influences the outcome of the project expressed in time or cost term

Digital communication links never seem to work as required.

Communication being misunderstood.

There is no method for providing feedback.

This method of communication tends to be time consuming.

During quality planning.

When the live product is available for test.

At the end of the project.

Prior to handover of the output

Threats and opportunities.

Risks and issues.

Issues that have arisen.

Risk events with negative impact.

It allows a thorough assessment of the factors that are most likely to affect the change.

It is A. means to justify to the customer variances from the original objectives.

It ensures that the delivered product most closely meets the needs of the customer.

It manages the impact of change to the project scope.

define all the products that the project will produce.

define precisely what resources will be used on the project.

detail all the products in order of priority.

map out the key project elements identified in the business plan

The giving, receiving, processing and interpretation of information.

The explanation, understanding, managing and sorting of information.

The giving, explaining, understanding and interpretation of information.

The managing, receiving, processing and sorting of information.

An action or set of actions to reduce the probability or impact of a threat, or to increase the probability or impact of an opportunity.

The plan of the response to risks.

An uncertain event or set of circumstances that if realised would have an effect on project objectives.

A risk identification workshop.

A linear life cycle is best for evolving projects whereas an iterative life cycle is better for more structured projects.

A linear life cycle is sequential whereas an iterative life cycle repeats one or more phases.

A linear life cycle is always longer in duration whereas an iterative life cycle is always shorter in its duration.

A linear life cycle is formally managed by A. dedicated project manager whereas management responsibility is shared in an iterative life cycle

quality is more important than cost.

quality is more important than scope.

scope is more important than time.

time is more important than cost.

Quality assurance for the project.

Strategic Business Planning for Quality (SBPQ).

Total quality planning.

Total quality management (TQM).

The agreed end date for the project.

A list of possible stakeholders.

The number of project phases necessary.

D The size of the project team required.

A. summary of the project acceptance criteria.

CVs of all the team members.

Details Of previous similar projects.

Resourcing details for quality reviews.

Start-up, feasibility, planning, execution and roll-out.

Concept, screening, implementation, handover and closeout.

Concept, definition, implementation, handover and closeout.

Start-up, definition, development and production closedown.

The project team should not contribute to the writing of the PMP.

The PMP should be agreed and signed off by both the sponsor and the project manager as a minimum.

The sponsor should maintain ownership of the PM P.

The PMP is necessary for effective stakeholder management.

ensure that everyone is copied On all emails.

insist on a lower level of paper documents.

train project staff in the most up-to-date communication techniques

develop a communication plan.

Share the issue with stakeholders.

Track the issue to closure.

Escalate to the sponsor.

Apply change control.

the quality manager.

the key users,

the project manager.

the business sponsor.

must be recorded but a risk does not.

is an uncertain event but a risk is not.

is a certain event but a risk is not.

always affects scope but a risk does not

Steering group.

Risk owner.

Project sponsor.

Project manager

risk assessment.

risk avoidance.

risk exposure.

risk identification.

Storming.

Forming.

Norming.

Performing

the cost of a do-nothing option.

an analytical estimate.

high-level project costs.

a comparative estimate.

Foundations.

Pre-project.

Concept.

Initiation.

To provide a documented account of the outcomes of the planning process.

To enable agreement between the project sponsor and project manager with regard to project budget, resource requirements and timescale.

To provide A. record of how the project was planned, for archiving in the organisation's lessons learned.

To identify and record the projects intended financial spend over the period of project delivery.

It is a personal appraisal for each team member on completion Of the project.

It appraises the products of the project.

It considers all aspects of the management of the project.

D It involves only the project implementation team.

1, 2 and 4

1, 2 and 3

1, 3 and 4

2, 3 and 4

Risk manager.

Sponsor.

Project sponsor.

Risk owner.

a clear stakeholder management plan.

respect, shared values and trust.

detailed project management processes.

important political alliances.

It provides A. powerful way in which the most favourable financial returns are shown from the project options being considered.

It considers a number of options avoiding over reliance on a single idea, when there may be other more favourable options available.

It identifies which tools and techniques are necessary in order to arrive at the best group of projects to be considered as valid options.

D It shows which assets, capabilities, processes and functions are required to be included in the business case.

defined.

quantified.

realised.

conceived.

interests.

expectations.

influence.

engagement.

Independent reviews and quality audits form part of quality assurance to ensure the project manager delivers on time and to budget.

Quality assurance provides confidence to stakeholders that requirements for quality will be exceeded.

Quality control verifies that the project deliverables conform to specification, are fit for purpose and meet stakeholder expectations.

Quality planning enables the project manager to manage the trade-off between customer expectations and budget.

Keeping resource usage to a minimum to help reduce costs.

Supporting the production of comparative estimates.

Identifying where costs can be minimised when preparing a budget.

Representing increasing levels of estimating accuracy achieved through the life cycle

Initiating, identifying, assessing, planning, responding.

Planning, identification, controlling, status accounting, auditing.

Scheduling, baselining, controlling, responding, closing.

Planning. auditing. monitoring, controlling, closing.

All variance to the project scope is evaluated.

No reduction in the perceived quality of the project outcome.

Management costs of the project do not increase.

Any decrease in the scoped deliverable of the project is rejected.

At the start of the concept phase.

At the start of the definition phase.

At the start of the development phase.

At the end of the handover stage.

decision gate.

feasibility study.

milestone review.

evaluation review.

An ongoing activity to maintain the company plant.

A. transient endeavour carried out to meet specificobjectives.

Continuous improvement of the company procedures.

Manufacturing components for a new technology.

Plan configuration management process and activities.

Create records and reports to demonstrate traceability.

Verify integrity of configuration before use.

Dissemination of each configuration item.

justifies undertaking the project.

describes the success criteria for the project.

focuses primarily on time related issues.

describes the success factor for the project.

its significant environmental impact when compared to other forms of communication.

that no audit trail is available for review at a later date by project team members.

it is reliant on technology being available to all relevant members of the project.

that your body language may not reflect what you're saying when passing on information

Evaluation.

Identification.

Registration.

Justification.