TPM Project and Program Management Methodologies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Lean project management, which concept describes eliminating activities that consume resources without adding customer value?
- Kaizen
- Muda elimination (Correct answer)
- Poka-yoke
- Heijunka
Correct answer: Muda elimination
Muda is the Japanese term for waste in Lean methodology; eliminating Muda means removing non-value-adding activities such as overproduction, waiting, and unnecessary motion.
Question 2: A TPM is managing a program with multiple interdependent projects. Which artifact is most effective for visualizing cross-project dependencies and sequencing?
- Risk register
- Program roadmap
- Dependency board or dependency map (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder engagement plan
Correct answer: Dependency board or dependency map
A dependency board or dependency map explicitly shows which projects or workstreams depend on outputs from others, enabling the TPM to sequence work and manage blockers proactively.
Question 3: In Agile program management, what is the difference between a 'feature' and an 'epic'?
- An epic is a small user story that spans one sprint; a feature spans multiple sprints
- An epic is a large body of work that can be broken into features, which are broken into user stories (Correct answer)
- A feature belongs to the portfolio backlog; an epic belongs to the team backlog
- Features are time-boxed; epics are deliverable-based with no time constraint
Correct answer: An epic is a large body of work that can be broken into features, which are broken into user stories
In SAFe and most Agile scaling frameworks, epics are large initiatives broken into features, which are then decomposed into user stories that teams can complete within a sprint.
Question 4: Which scheduling technique uses three time estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, most likely) to account for uncertainty in activity durations?
- Critical Path Method (CPM)
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) (Correct answer)
- Monte Carlo simulation
- Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
Correct answer: Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT uses a weighted average of three estimates (optimistic, most likely, pessimistic) to calculate expected activity durations, making it suitable for projects with high schedule uncertainty.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a 'Definition of Ready' (DoR) in Scrum?
- To specify what a sprint goal must include before the sprint begins
- To ensure user stories meet minimum criteria before being accepted into a sprint (Correct answer)
- To define when a completed product increment is acceptable to the customer
- To document the team's agreed sprint velocity for planning purposes
Correct answer: To ensure user stories meet minimum criteria before being accepted into a sprint
The Definition of Ready establishes criteria that a backlog item must meet (e.g., clear acceptance criteria, sized, dependencies identified) before a team commits to working on it in a sprint.
Question 6: In the context of program governance, what is a 'stage gate' review?
- A daily stand-up meeting at each program milestone
- A formal review point where leadership decides whether to proceed, pause, or terminate a program (Correct answer)
- A backlog refinement session held at the end of each program increment
- A risk assessment conducted exclusively by the PMO
Correct answer: A formal review point where leadership decides whether to proceed, pause, or terminate a program
Stage gate reviews are structured decision points where program leadership evaluates progress against criteria and formally approves continuation to the next phase or stage.
Question 7: A TPM's program is experiencing scope creep. Which process is most effective for controlling scope changes while maintaining agility?
- Freezing all requirements and rejecting any new requests
- Implementing an integrated change control process that evaluates impact before approving changes (Correct answer)
- Delegating all scope decisions to individual project teams
- Replacing the project manager who allowed the scope to expand
Correct answer: Implementing an integrated change control process that evaluates impact before approving changes
Integrated change control evaluates the impact of proposed changes on scope, schedule, cost, and risk before approval, ensuring changes are deliberate and documented rather than uncontrolled.
TPM Project and Program Management Methodologies 3
In Lean project management, which concept describes eliminating activities that consume resources without adding customer value?