OM Strategic Planning & Analysis 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the five process groups in OM project management?
- Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing (Correct answer)
- Designing, Building, Testing, Deploying, Supporting
- Hiring, Training, Working, Evaluating, Terminating
- Researching, Proposing, Funding, Implementing, Reporting
Correct answer: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing
The five groups cover the lifecycle: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing.
Question 2: What is the critical path in OM project scheduling?
- The longest sequence of dependent tasks determining minimum duration (Correct answer)
- The shortest route to complete cheaply
- The most expensive phase
- Tasks that can be skipped
Correct answer: The longest sequence of dependent tasks determining minimum duration
The critical path identifies the longest chain of dependent tasks; delays on these directly delay project completion.
Question 3: What is scope creep in OM project management?
- Uncontrolled scope expansion without adjusting time, cost, or resources (Correct answer)
- Natural planned growth
- Incremental feature addition technique
- Reducing deliverables
Correct answer: Uncontrolled scope expansion without adjusting time, cost, or resources
Scope creep adds requirements without formal evaluation, causing schedule delays and budget overruns.
Question 4: What is a work breakdown structure in OM practice?
- Hierarchical decomposition of deliverables into manageable work packages (Correct answer)
- Employee schedule report
- Organizational reporting diagram
- Team member roster
Correct answer: Hierarchical decomposition of deliverables into manageable work packages
A WBS breaks total scope into progressively smaller components for easier estimation, scheduling, and tracking.
Question 5: What is the triple constraint in OM project management?
- The interdependent relationship between scope, time, and cost (Correct answer)
- Three mandatory approvals
- Three required team members
- Three completion phases
Correct answer: The interdependent relationship between scope, time, and cost
Scope, time, and cost are interdependent: changing one affects the others. Managers must balance all three.
Question 6: What is a milestone in OM project management?
- A significant event marking progress at a key point in the timeline (Correct answer)
- A physical construction marker
- A daily required task
- An optional checkpoint
Correct answer: A significant event marking progress at a key point in the timeline
Milestones are significant checkpoints marking completion of major deliverables or phase transitions.
OM Strategic Planning & Analysis 1
What are the five process groups in OM project management?