RPLS Project Planning and Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A land surveyor is preparing a scope of work for a boundary survey. Which element is MOST critical to define upfront to prevent scope creep?
- The color of the survey stakes
- The specific deliverables and limits of the survey area (Correct answer)
- The surveyor's preferred equipment brand
- The client's landscaping preferences
Correct answer: The specific deliverables and limits of the survey area
Clearly defining deliverables and the survey area boundary prevents misunderstandings and unauthorized scope expansion.
Question 2: When estimating project duration for a topographic survey, which factor has the GREATEST impact on field time?
- The client's preferred report format
- Terrain complexity and vegetation density (Correct answer)
- The color of the survey crew's vests
- Office software licensing costs
Correct answer: Terrain complexity and vegetation density
Terrain complexity and vegetation density directly affect instrument setup time, line-of-sight, and crew movement speed.
Question 3: A Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule for a large ALTA survey identifies a task with zero float. This means:
- The task can be delayed without affecting the project end date
- Any delay in this task will delay the entire project completion (Correct answer)
- The task is optional and may be eliminated
- The task requires no surveying expertise
Correct answer: Any delay in this task will delay the entire project completion
Zero float means the task is on the critical path, so any delay directly extends the overall project duration.
Question 4: Which contract type places the MOST financial risk on the surveying firm for cost overruns?
- Cost-plus-fixed-fee contract
- Time-and-materials contract
- Lump-sum (fixed-price) contract (Correct answer)
- Unit-price contract
Correct answer: Lump-sum (fixed-price) contract
Under a lump-sum contract, the firm bears all cost overrun risk since the price is fixed regardless of actual costs incurred.
Question 5: During project kickoff, the project manager discovers the client's deed description conflicts with a neighboring deed. The BEST immediate action is to:
- Ignore the conflict and proceed with fieldwork
- Notify the client in writing and document the conflict before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Arbitrarily choose one deed over the other
- Terminate the contract immediately
Correct answer: Notify the client in writing and document the conflict before proceeding
Documenting and notifying the client of the conflict in writing protects the surveyor legally and ensures informed decision-making before fieldwork.
Question 6: A project manager wants to track whether a survey project is on budget halfway through. Which metric BEST indicates cost performance?
- Schedule Variance (SV)
- Cost Performance Index (CPI) (Correct answer)
- Scope creep percentage
- Number of monument sets per day
Correct answer: Cost Performance Index (CPI)
CPI (Earned Value / Actual Cost) measures cost efficiency and indicates whether the project is over or under budget relative to work completed.
Question 7: When subcontracting GPS control work to another firm, the prime surveyor's MOST important contractual obligation is:
- Ensuring the subcontractor uses identical equipment brands
- Maintaining professional responsibility for the quality of all work delivered to the client (Correct answer)
- Requiring the subcontractor to use the same office software
- Delegating all client communication to the subcontractor
Correct answer: Maintaining professional responsibility for the quality of all work delivered to the client
The prime surveyor retains professional liability and responsibility for the overall project quality regardless of subcontracted work.
RPLS Project Planning and Management 2
A land surveyor is preparing a scope of work for a boundary survey.
Which element is MOST critical to define upfront to prevent scope creep?