PMP Schedule Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager notices that two activities on the critical path have a start-to-start dependency with a 3-day lag. If the predecessor slips by 2 days, what is the impact on the successor?
- Successor slips 5 days
- Successor slips 2 days (Correct answer)
- Successor is unaffected
- Successor slips 3 days
Correct answer: Successor slips 2 days
With a start-to-start dependency, a 2-day slip in the predecessor's start date shifts the successor's earliest start by 2 days; the lag remains constant.
Question 2: Which technique involves interviewing subject matter experts to obtain reliable duration estimates by reconciling high, low, and most-likely estimates?
- Parametric estimating
- Three-point estimating (PERT) (Correct answer)
- Analogous estimating
- Bottom-up estimating
Correct answer: Three-point estimating (PERT)
Three-point estimating (PERT) uses optimistic, pessimistic, and most-likely estimates from experts to calculate expected duration with statistical confidence.
Question 3: A project has a total float of 10 days on a non-critical activity. The project manager uses 8 days of that float. What happens to the float on subsequent activities in the same path?
- Their float increases by 8 days
- Their float remains unchanged
- Their float decreases by 8 days (Correct answer)
- They become critical path activities
Correct answer: Their float decreases by 8 days
Total float is shared along a path; consuming 8 days of float on one activity reduces available float for all subsequent activities on that path by the same amount.
Question 4: During Sequence Activities, the project manager identifies an activity where work can begin before its predecessor finishes. This is represented using:
- Lag
- Lead (Correct answer)
- Free float
- Total float
Correct answer: Lead
Lead allows a successor activity to start before its predecessor finishes, effectively overlapping activities to shorten the schedule.
Question 5: A project manager is reviewing the schedule baseline. Which statement about the schedule baseline is correct?
- It is updated automatically as actual data is entered
- It can only be changed through the integrated change control process (Correct answer)
- It represents the most recent schedule update
- It is optional for projects using agile methodology
Correct answer: It can only be changed through the integrated change control process
The schedule baseline is a formal, approved version of the schedule that can only be changed through integrated change control, not routine progress updates.
Question 6: In an agile project, the team uses story points and velocity to plan iterations. What is velocity used to predict?
- Total project cost
- How many story points the team can complete in a future sprint (Correct answer)
- The critical path length
- Resource utilization per sprint
Correct answer: How many story points the team can complete in a future sprint
Velocity is the average story points completed per sprint and is used to forecast how much work the team can accomplish in upcoming iterations.
Question 7: A project manager needs to compress a schedule but cannot add resources. Fast tracking is selected. What is the PRIMARY risk introduced?
- Increased project costs
- Rework due to work being done out of optimal sequence (Correct answer)
- Reduced team morale
- Extended project duration
Correct answer: Rework due to work being done out of optimal sequence
Fast tracking increases the risk of rework because activities performed in parallel may produce outputs that need revision when earlier work is finalized.
PMP Schedule Management 4
A project manager notices that two activities on the critical path have a start-to-start dependency with a 3-day lag.
If the predecessor slips by 2 days, what is the impact on the successor?