PMI-SP Baseline Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project experiences scope creep that was never formally approved. How does this affect the schedule baseline?
- The baseline automatically expands to absorb the extra scope
- The baseline remains unchanged and actual performance will appear worse than planned (Correct answer)
- The baseline is voided and must be re-created from scratch
- Scope creep has no effect on the schedule baseline
Correct answer: The baseline remains unchanged and actual performance will appear worse than planned
Unapproved scope additions cause actual durations to exceed the baseline without an authorized baseline change, making performance metrics misleading.
Question 2: What is the purpose of a baseline review meeting held at major project milestones?
- To replace the baseline with the most recent status report
- To assess whether the current baseline remains realistic or requires a formal change (Correct answer)
- To remove activities that are behind schedule
- To assign blame for schedule variances
Correct answer: To assess whether the current baseline remains realistic or requires a formal change
Milestone baseline review meetings evaluate whether the approved baseline still reflects achievable targets or if a formal re-baselining is warranted.
Question 3: A contractor's activity is running 3 weeks late due to a client-caused delay. The contractor submits a claim for a time extension. Which baseline artifact supports this claim?
- The resource histogram
- The original approved schedule baseline showing planned dates (Correct answer)
- The project charter
- The risk register
Correct answer: The original approved schedule baseline showing planned dates
The original approved schedule baseline establishes the contractual planned dates, providing the reference point needed to substantiate a delay claim.
Question 4: Re-baselining is most appropriate when:
- A single activity finishes one day late
- Scope, cost, or schedule changes are so significant that the original baseline is no longer meaningful for control (Correct answer)
- The project manager wants to hide past variances
- Resource assignments are changed
Correct answer: Scope, cost, or schedule changes are so significant that the original baseline is no longer meaningful for control
Re-baselining is justified only when changes are so fundamental that the original baseline cannot serve as a meaningful performance measurement benchmark.
Question 5: Which term describes the practice of updating a schedule baseline to remove or hide past negative variances?
- Baseline recovery
- Baseline integrity maintenance
- Baseline gaming or baseline manipulation (Correct answer)
- Corrective re-planning
Correct answer: Baseline gaming or baseline manipulation
Resetting a baseline solely to eliminate unfavorable variances is called baseline gaming or manipulation and is an unethical practice that distorts performance data.
Question 6: A project has a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 0.82 against its baseline. What does this indicate?
- The project is 18% ahead of schedule
- The project is completing work at 82% of the planned rate — it is behind schedule (Correct answer)
- The project is on budget
- The baseline needs to be updated immediately
Correct answer: The project is completing work at 82% of the planned rate — it is behind schedule
An SPI of 0.82 means the project is only achieving 82 cents of planned work for every dollar of time elapsed, indicating it is behind the baseline.
Question 7: When integrating cost and schedule baselines into a performance measurement baseline (PMB), what additional element is included?
- Risk register
- Management reserve (Correct answer)
- Scope baseline
- Resource calendar
Correct answer: Management reserve
The Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) integrates scope, schedule, and cost baselines; management reserve is held outside the PMB for unknown risks.
PMI-SP Baseline Management 3
A project experiences scope creep that was never formally approved.
How does this affect the schedule baseline?