Practice Test Geeks(CSM) Certified Software Manager Practice Test
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Project Management & Resource Allocation Flashcards

7 cards from real CSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Project Management & Resource Allocation flashcards as text

  1. A software project is experiencing resource contention between two parallel workstreams. Which technique best resolves scheduling conflicts without extending the overall deadline?

    Answer: Resource smoothing

    Resource smoothing adjusts activities within float to resolve contention without altering the project end date, unlike resource leveling which may extend it.

  2. In a software project using a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM), the 'A' in RACI stands for:

    Answer: Accountable

    Accountable (A) designates the single person who owns the outcome and is answerable for task completion, distinct from those Responsible for doing the work.

  3. Which project scheduling technique identifies the sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration?

    Answer: Critical Path Method (CPM)

    CPM identifies the longest path through the network of project activities, determining the shortest possible project duration.

  4. A CSM is managing a team where a senior developer is over-allocated at 140% capacity for three consecutive weeks. The FIRST corrective action should be:

    Answer: Reassign lower-priority tasks to under-utilized team members

    Reassigning tasks to under-utilized team members is the least disruptive first step that balances load without additional cost or scope changes.

  5. What does a negative Schedule Variance (SV) indicate in Earned Value Management?

    Answer: The project is behind schedule

    SV = EV − PV; a negative value means less work has been accomplished than planned, indicating the project is behind schedule.

  6. Which resource allocation strategy is most appropriate when software project deadlines are fixed and resources can be added?

    Answer: Crashing

    Crashing adds resources to critical path activities to shorten duration when the deadline is immovable, though it increases cost.

  7. A software manager discovers that a key architect will be unavailable for six weeks mid-project due to planned leave. This risk should be addressed in which planning artifact?

    Answer: Resource management plan

    The resource management plan documents how resources will be acquired, managed, and released, including contingency strategies for planned absences.