PMI-SP Progress Tracking 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager observes that the critical path has changed after updating the schedule. What is the most likely cause?
- A resource was added to the project
- One or more activities on the original critical path gained float due to early completion (Correct answer)
- The project sponsor approved a scope reduction
- A risk was retired from the risk register
Correct answer: One or more activities on the original critical path gained float due to early completion
If activities on the original critical path finish early, they gain float and may no longer be critical, shifting the critical path to another sequence of activities.
Question 2: Which progress tracking method is most objective for measuring near-complete activities that have deliverables?
- Subjective percent complete
- Weighted milestones (Correct answer)
- Level of effort (LOE)
- Management judgment
Correct answer: Weighted milestones
Weighted milestones assign earned value credit at specific, verifiable checkpoints, providing an objective measurement tied to tangible deliverables.
Question 3: What is a 'schedule health check' in the context of PMI-SP progress tracking?
- A review of the risk register for schedule risks
- A periodic assessment of schedule quality metrics such as logic, float, and baseline integrity (Correct answer)
- A meeting to assign new resources to delayed tasks
- A comparison of budgeted vs. actual resource hours
Correct answer: A periodic assessment of schedule quality metrics such as logic, float, and baseline integrity
A schedule health check evaluates technical quality indicators like missing logic, negative float, and baseline changes to ensure the schedule remains a reliable tracking tool.
Question 4: When actual durations exceed planned durations but total costs remain within budget, the most likely explanation is:
- Resources are working overtime at no premium
- Lower-cost resources replaced the planned resources (Correct answer)
- The project scope was reduced
- Earned value exceeds planned value
Correct answer: Lower-cost resources replaced the planned resources
If cheaper resources replaced planned resources, the project can stay within budget even when tasks take longer because the lower labor rate offsets the extra time.
Question 5: A project team is using 'physical percent complete' to measure progress on a construction activity. This method is best suited when:
- Work output is measurable and quantifiable (Correct answer)
- Activities are long-duration and primarily administrative
- The team lacks access to actual cost data
- Resource assignments change frequently
Correct answer: Work output is measurable and quantifiable
Physical percent complete works best when tangible output (e.g., cubic yards of concrete poured) can be measured and compared to total planned output.
Question 6: Which earned value parameter represents the value of work that was authorized and budgeted for, regardless of what has been accomplished?
- EV (Earned Value)
- AC (Actual Cost)
- PV (Planned Value) (Correct answer)
- BAC (Budget at Completion)
Correct answer: PV (Planned Value)
Planned Value (PV) is the authorized budget assigned to scheduled work, representing what was planned to be accomplished by a given point in time.
Question 7: When a PMI-SP practitioner identifies that a project's negative float is increasing over time, the correct response is to:
- Increase the project budget to compensate
- Investigate root causes and implement schedule compression techniques (Correct answer)
- Archive the current baseline and create a new one
- Report the issue only at project completion
Correct answer: Investigate root causes and implement schedule compression techniques
Increasing negative float signals growing schedule slippage, requiring investigation and corrective actions such as crashing or fast-tracking to recover the schedule.
PMI-SP Progress Tracking 4
A project manager observes that the critical path has changed after updating the schedule.
What is the most likely cause?