GCP Project Planning & Execution 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: At project closure, what is the PRIMARY purpose of conducting a lessons learned session?
- To assign blame for project failures
- To update the team's performance reviews
- To capture knowledge that can improve future projects (Correct answer)
- To validate the project deliverables with the customer
Correct answer: To capture knowledge that can improve future projects
Lessons learned sessions capture insights on what worked and what didn't to improve processes and outcomes on future projects.
Question 2: A project manager is using three-point estimating. The optimistic estimate is 4 days, the most likely is 7 days, and the pessimistic is 16 days. Using PERT, what is the expected duration?
- 9 days
- 7 days
- 8 days (Correct answer)
- 6 days
Correct answer: 8 days
PERT expected duration = (O + 4M + P) / 6 = (4 + 28 + 16) / 6 = 48 / 6 = 8 days.
Question 3: Which document serves as the approved, time-phased budget for the project and is used to measure cost performance?
- Cost management plan
- Cost baseline (Correct answer)
- Budget at completion (BAC)
- Funding limit reconciliation
Correct answer: Cost baseline
The cost baseline is the approved version of the time-phased project budget, used as a reference to measure and monitor cost performance.
Question 4: A project manager is leading a global virtual team across six time zones. What is the MOST important communication strategy to implement?
- Rely exclusively on email for all communications
- Require all team members to work the same core hours
- Establish clear communication protocols and norms upfront (Correct answer)
- Hold all meetings during the PM's local business hours
Correct answer: Establish clear communication protocols and norms upfront
Establishing communication protocols and norms at project initiation ensures all virtual team members have clarity on how, when, and through which channels to communicate.
Question 5: During planning, a project manager identifies that two activities can start only after a predecessor is 50% complete. Which dependency type does this represent?
- Finish-to-Start (FS)
- Start-to-Start (SS) with lag (Correct answer)
- Finish-to-Finish (FF)
- Start-to-Finish (SF)
Correct answer: Start-to-Start (SS) with lag
An SS relationship with a lag means the successor activity can start only after the predecessor has been underway for a defined period or percentage.
Question 6: Which technique involves gathering SME opinions anonymously in multiple rounds to build consensus on estimates or forecasts?
- Brainstorming
- Nominal group technique
- Delphi technique (Correct answer)
- Affinity diagram
Correct answer: Delphi technique
The Delphi technique uses iterative anonymous questionnaires reviewed by a facilitator to reach group consensus while minimizing individual bias.
Question 7: A project manager has a Cost Variance (CV) of −$15,000 and a Schedule Variance (SV) of +$8,000. How should this project status be described?
- Over budget and ahead of schedule (Correct answer)
- Under budget and behind schedule
- Over budget and behind schedule
- Under budget and ahead of schedule
Correct answer: Over budget and ahead of schedule
A negative CV indicates the project is over budget, while a positive SV indicates the project is ahead of schedule.
GCP Project Planning & Execution 5
At project closure, what is the PRIMARY purpose of conducting a lessons learned session?