TPM Project and Program Management Methodologies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), what is the primary purpose of the Program Increment (PI) Planning event?
- To review completed sprints and gather stakeholder feedback
- To align all teams on a shared mission and create synchronized iteration plans (Correct answer)
- To prioritize the product backlog for the next quarter
- To conduct retrospectives across multiple Agile Release Trains
Correct answer: To align all teams on a shared mission and create synchronized iteration plans
PI Planning aligns all Agile Release Train (ART) teams on a shared mission and objectives, producing synchronized iteration plans and identifying dependencies across teams.
Question 2: Which Kanban principle directly addresses limiting the amount of work actively in progress to improve flow?
- Visualize the workflow
- Limit Work in Progress (WIP) (Correct answer)
- Manage flow continuously
- Make process policies explicit
Correct answer: Limit Work in Progress (WIP)
Limiting WIP is a core Kanban principle that prevents teams from starting too many tasks simultaneously, reducing multitasking and improving throughput.
Question 3: A TPM is overseeing a program using a hybrid methodology. Which scenario best justifies combining Waterfall and Agile approaches?
- The team prefers Waterfall but management mandates Agile
- Regulatory compliance requires fixed deliverables while product features need iterative refinement (Correct answer)
- All stakeholders are collocated and available daily
- The project has a fixed budget with no scope uncertainty
Correct answer: Regulatory compliance requires fixed deliverables while product features need iterative refinement
Hybrid approaches work best when regulatory or contractual requirements demand fixed, documented deliverables alongside product components that benefit from iterative development.
Question 4: In the PRINCE2 methodology, what does the principle of 'Continued Business Justification' require?
- That the project sponsor reviews the budget monthly
- That a valid reason to proceed must exist throughout the entire project lifecycle (Correct answer)
- That the business analyst updates requirements at each stage gate
- That the project manager submits ROI reports to the PMO quarterly
Correct answer: That a valid reason to proceed must exist throughout the entire project lifecycle
PRINCE2's 'Continued Business Justification' principle requires that a project must have a justifiable reason to start and remain justified throughout its life, recorded in a Business Case.
Question 5: What distinguishes 'program management' from 'project management' in the PMI framework?
- Program management focuses on a single deliverable with a defined end date
- Program management governs related projects to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually (Correct answer)
- Program management is restricted to IT and software development initiatives
- Program management replaces portfolio management in smaller organizations
Correct answer: Program management governs related projects to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually
According to PMI's Standard for Program Management, program management coordinates related projects and activities to deliver strategic benefits that individual projects cannot achieve alone.
Question 6: During a Scrum sprint, the development team discovers that a user story is larger than estimated. What is the correct course of action?
- Extend the sprint duration to accommodate the story
- Split the story and carry only the completable portion into the current sprint (Correct answer)
- Remove the story from the sprint and escalate to the Program Manager
- Reduce the definition of done to complete the story within the sprint
Correct answer: Split the story and carry only the completable portion into the current sprint
In Scrum, if a story is larger than estimated mid-sprint, it should be split so that a deliverable portion can be completed while the remainder enters the backlog for future sprints.
Question 7: Which critical path method (CPM) calculation correctly identifies the float of an activity?
- Float = Early Finish – Late Finish
- Float = Late Start – Early Start (Correct answer)
- Float = Late Finish – Early Finish – Duration
- Float = Early Start – Late Finish + Duration
Correct answer: Float = Late Start – Early Start
Total float is calculated as Late Start minus Early Start (or equivalently Late Finish minus Early Finish), representing how long an activity can be delayed without delaying the project.
TPM Project and Program Management Methodologies 2
In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), what is the primary purpose of the Program Increment (PI) Planning event?