Project Management Concept 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'deliverable' in the context of project management?
- A scheduled team meeting
- Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability produced to complete a process or project (Correct answer)
- A budget report submitted to stakeholders
- A risk that has been resolved
Correct answer: Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability produced to complete a process or project
A deliverable is any measurable, tangible outcome or result that must be produced to complete the project or a phase.
Question 2: Which concept describes the relationship where the cost of making changes increases significantly as a project progresses?
- Cost of quality
- Cost escalation curve
- Cost of change curve (Correct answer)
- Earned value
Correct answer: Cost of change curve
The cost of change curve shows that changes made early in a project are far cheaper than changes made during later phases.
Question 3: In project management, what does 'baseline' refer to?
- The minimum acceptable quality standard
- The approved version of a plan used as a basis for comparison (Correct answer)
- The starting point of the project timeline
- The lowest budget estimate for the project
Correct answer: The approved version of a plan used as a basis for comparison
A baseline is the approved version of scope, schedule, or cost against which actual project performance is measured.
Question 4: What is 'gold plating' in project management?
- Adding premium materials to exceed budget
- Adding extra features beyond what was specified without authorization (Correct answer)
- Approving changes through a formal change control process
- Reporting inflated cost savings to stakeholders
Correct answer: Adding extra features beyond what was specified without authorization
Gold plating occurs when the project team adds unauthorized features or enhancements beyond the agreed scope, even with good intentions.
Question 5: What is a 'project life cycle'?
- The lifespan of the product created by the project
- The series of phases a project passes through from initiation to closure (Correct answer)
- The duration of each individual project task
- The recurring operational processes after project completion
Correct answer: The series of phases a project passes through from initiation to closure
The project life cycle represents all the phases a project goes through from start to finish, providing a structured framework for managing work.
Question 6: Which term describes the environment — including culture, structure, and processes — in which the project operates?
- Project ecosystem
- Enterprise environmental factors (Correct answer)
- Organizational process assets
- Governance framework
Correct answer: Enterprise environmental factors
Enterprise environmental factors are conditions not under the project team's control that influence, constrain, or direct the project.
Question 7: A project manager is asked to deliver a product 'fit for use.' This most closely relates to which concept?
- Quality (Correct answer)
- Scope
- Schedule
- Risk
Correct answer: Quality
'Fit for use' is a core definition of quality — the product meets the needs for which it was intended.
Project Management Concept 4
What is a 'deliverable' in the context of project management?