PMI-SP Baseline Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'baseline at completion' (BAC) in the context of schedule performance?
- The actual cost when the project finishes
- The total budgeted cost for all work in the approved baseline (Correct answer)
- The estimated time remaining to complete the project
- The number of milestones remaining
Correct answer: The total budgeted cost for all work in the approved baseline
Budget at Completion (BAC) represents the total authorized budget for all work scope as defined in the approved baseline.
Question 2: A project has multiple approved baselines over its life due to significant scope changes. Which version should be used for current performance reporting?
- The original approved baseline only
- The most recently approved baseline (Correct answer)
- The average of all baselines
- The baseline with the shortest duration
Correct answer: The most recently approved baseline
Performance should always be measured against the most recently approved baseline, which reflects the currently authorized scope, schedule, and budget.
Question 3: A schedule baseline shows a planned finish of Q4. A risk event occurs and adds 8 weeks. The risk was included in the risk register with a contingency reserve. What is the correct baseline action?
- Immediately re-baseline to Q1 of next year
- Use the contingency reserve; update only the working schedule until the CCB approves a baseline change if needed (Correct answer)
- Do nothing and absorb the delay silently
- Remove the activity from the baseline
Correct answer: Use the contingency reserve; update only the working schedule until the CCB approves a baseline change if needed
Contingency reserve is meant to handle identified risks; the project manager uses the reserve and only seeks a baseline change if the impact exceeds the reserve.
Question 4: Which PMI-SP competency area is most directly responsible for maintaining baseline integrity throughout the project lifecycle?
- Resource optimization
- Schedule control and change management (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder engagement
- Risk identification
Correct answer: Schedule control and change management
Schedule control and change management ensure that the baseline is protected from unauthorized changes and updated properly when changes are approved.
Question 5: A project manager wants to establish a baseline but the WBS is only 60% complete. What is the recommended approach?
- Baseline the 60% and ignore the rest
- Use rolling wave planning to baseline known near-term work and plan far-term work in detail as it approaches (Correct answer)
- Delay the project start until 100% of the WBS is complete
- Baseline 60% and freeze scope permanently
Correct answer: Use rolling wave planning to baseline known near-term work and plan far-term work in detail as it approaches
Rolling wave planning allows a baseline to be set on near-term detailed work while far-term work is elaborated progressively, a recognized PMI best practice.
Question 6: During project closeout, the scheduler is asked to conduct a baseline variance analysis. What is the primary purpose of this analysis?
- To assign penalties to team members who caused variances
- To capture lessons learned about estimating and planning accuracy for future projects (Correct answer)
- To justify additional billing to the client
- To update the project charter retroactively
Correct answer: To capture lessons learned about estimating and planning accuracy for future projects
Post-project baseline variance analysis identifies estimation and planning gaps to improve accuracy on future projects, forming a key lessons-learned artifact.
Question 7: Which of the following is NOT a valid reason to formally re-baseline a project schedule?
- A massive unplanned disaster adds 4 months to the project
- A scope change approved by the CCB shifts the project finish by 6 months
- The project team wants to avoid showing a large schedule variance (Correct answer)
- A government regulation requires adding a mandatory compliance phase
Correct answer: The project team wants to avoid showing a large schedule variance
Re-baselining solely to erase unfavorable variances is unethical and not a valid reason; baselines must reflect authorized changes, not performance problems.
PMI-SP Baseline Management 5
What is a 'baseline at completion' (BAC) in the context of schedule performance?