OM Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the OM exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 OM Exam Format at a Glance
📚 OM Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample OM Questions & Answers
1. A company practicing 'satisficing' in decision making is:
Satisficing, a concept by Herbert Simon, means selecting the first option that satisfies minimum criteria rather than finding the optimal solution.
2. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) decomposes project deliverables into work packages. What rule defines when decomposition is sufficient?
Decomposition is complete when work packages can be reliably estimated, scheduled, monitored, and assigned to a responsible party.
3. Which technique involves walking through a risk scenario step-by-step with key stakeholders to test whether existing controls would be effective?
A tabletop exercise is a discussion-based simulation where participants work through a hypothetical scenario to evaluate their preparedness and the adequacy of controls.
4. Which type of process map shows the flow of work across multiple departments or functional areas?
A swim-lane diagram divides a process map into horizontal or vertical lanes, each representing a department or role, to show handoffs and responsibilities.
5. A manager wants to build psychological safety on their team. Which action BEST fosters this environment?
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is built when team members feel safe to take risks and voice ideas without fear of negative consequences.
6. When a project team adds extra duration to a schedule to account for schedule uncertainty, this buffer is called:
Schedule contingency reserve is time added to the baseline schedule to accommodate potential delays from identified risks.