CMC Project Planning & Execution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A cardiac care unit manager is using a RACI matrix for a medication reconciliation project. The 'A' (Accountable) role means that person is:
- Required to perform the task directly
- Ultimately answerable for the correct completion of the task (Correct answer)
- Kept informed of progress without active involvement
- Consulted for input before decisions are made
Correct answer: Ultimately answerable for the correct completion of the task
The 'Accountable' individual is the single owner who bears ultimate responsibility for the task's completion, even if others execute it.
Question 2: Which project management document formally authorizes work to begin on a cardiac telehealth expansion initiative?
- Work breakdown structure
- Project charter (Correct answer)
- Communication plan
- Risk register
Correct answer: Project charter
The project charter is the formal authorization document that gives the project manager authority to apply resources to the initiative.
Question 3: Earned Value Management (EVM) is used to monitor a cardiac screening program. A Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.85 indicates:
- The project is 15% under budget
- The project is receiving $0.85 in value for every $1 spent (Correct answer)
- The project is 15% ahead of schedule
- The project will finish 15% early
Correct answer: The project is receiving $0.85 in value for every $1 spent
A CPI below 1.0 means the project is over budget, receiving less value per dollar spent than planned.
Question 4: During the planning phase of a cardiac data analytics project, the team creates a work breakdown structure (WBS). The PRIMARY purpose of the WBS is to:
- Assign costs to each team member
- Decompose the total project scope into manageable work packages (Correct answer)
- Create the project schedule network diagram
- Document stakeholder communication preferences
Correct answer: Decompose the total project scope into manageable work packages
The WBS breaks the project into smaller, manageable deliverables and work packages, forming the basis for scheduling and resource planning.
Question 5: A quality improvement team in a cardiac unit wants to identify the most frequent causes of medication errors. Which tool is MOST appropriate for initial data analysis?
- Fishbone diagram
- Pareto chart (Correct answer)
- Scatter diagram
- Control chart
Correct answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart (80/20 rule) ranks causes by frequency, helping the team focus on the vital few causes that account for most errors.
Question 6: Change control in a cardiac project management context ensures that:
- All stakeholders can modify project scope freely
- Scope changes are evaluated, approved, and documented before implementation (Correct answer)
- The project team avoids any changes once planning is complete
- Budget increases are automatically approved by the sponsor
Correct answer: Scope changes are evaluated, approved, and documented before implementation
Formal change control prevents scope creep by requiring that all changes be reviewed, approved, and documented before work proceeds.
Question 7: A cardiac project reaches the 'closing' phase. Which activity is MOST critical at this stage?
- Developing the project schedule
- Conducting lessons learned sessions and archiving project documents (Correct answer)
- Identifying project risks
- Creating the stakeholder register
Correct answer: Conducting lessons learned sessions and archiving project documents
Project closure includes capturing lessons learned and archiving documents to support knowledge transfer and future project improvement.
CMC Project Planning & Execution 3
A cardiac care unit manager is using a RACI matrix for a medication reconciliation project.
The 'A' (Accountable) role means that person is: