Project Management Project Scope and WBS 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During scope planning, a project manager holds a structured meeting with key stakeholders to rapidly collect requirements. This technique is called:
- Benchmarking
- Facilitated workshop (JAD session) (Correct answer)
- Delphi technique
- Nominal group technique
Correct answer: Facilitated workshop (JAD session)
Facilitated workshops (such as JAD sessions) bring stakeholders together to quickly align on and document requirements.
Question 2: A project manager is creating the WBS and is unsure how far to decompose a deliverable. The best stopping point is when:
- There are at least 10 sub-components per level
- The work can be realistically estimated, assigned, and managed (Correct answer)
- All work packages are under 8 hours of effort
- The sponsor approves the level of detail
Correct answer: The work can be realistically estimated, assigned, and managed
Decomposition should stop when each component can be accurately estimated, clearly assigned, and effectively monitored.
Question 3: Which of the following scenarios best represents gold plating by a team member?
- Completing a deliverable ahead of schedule
- Adding an unrequested animation to a software interface after the feature was approved (Correct answer)
- Fixing a defect found during testing
- Documenting work completed in the status report
Correct answer: Adding an unrequested animation to a software interface after the feature was approved
Adding unrequested features, even well-intentioned ones, constitutes gold plating and violates scope discipline.
Question 4: The Plan Scope Management process produces which two key outputs?
- WBS and WBS dictionary
- Scope management plan and requirements management plan (Correct answer)
- Project charter and stakeholder register
- Scope statement and requirements traceability matrix
Correct answer: Scope management plan and requirements management plan
Plan Scope Management produces the scope management plan (how scope will be defined and controlled) and the requirements management plan (how requirements will be tracked).
Question 5: A project manager notices that Validate Scope is repeatedly skipped during phase gate reviews. The most significant risk this creates is:
- Increased project cost
- Delivering a product that does not meet stakeholder expectations or acceptance criteria (Correct answer)
- Slower team velocity
- Reduced risk register accuracy
Correct answer: Delivering a product that does not meet stakeholder expectations or acceptance criteria
Skipping Validate Scope means deliverables are not formally accepted, increasing the risk of rework or rejection at project close.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a constraint in a project scope statement?
- A feature the project must deliver
- A limiting factor such as a fixed deadline or budget cap that affects scope decisions (Correct answer)
- A risk that might impact the deliverable
- A requirement submitted by a secondary stakeholder
Correct answer: A limiting factor such as a fixed deadline or budget cap that affects scope decisions
Constraints are restrictions like budget ceilings, regulatory requirements, or fixed dates that bound what is possible within the project scope.
Question 7: A change request is approved that significantly expands the project scope. What must the project manager update immediately?
- The project charter only
- The scope baseline and all affected project management plan components (Correct answer)
- The lessons learned register only
- The risk register only
Correct answer: The scope baseline and all affected project management plan components
An approved scope change requires updating the scope baseline (scope statement, WBS, WBS dictionary) and any related plan components such as schedule and cost baselines.
Project Management Project Scope and WBS 5
During scope planning, a project manager holds a structured meeting with key stakeholders to rapidly collect requirements.
This technique is called: