CPT Project Planning & Execution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A performance improvement project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. Which metric from earned value management best describes this situation?
- Schedule Performance Index (SPI) below 1.0
- Cost Performance Index (CPI) below 1.0 (Correct answer)
- Cost Variance (CV) above zero
- Schedule Variance (SV) below zero
Correct answer: Cost Performance Index (CPI) below 1.0
A CPI below 1.0 means the project is getting less value per dollar spent than planned, indicating a cost overrun.
Question 2: Which stakeholder analysis tool maps individuals based on their level of interest AND power relative to the project?
- SWOT analysis
- Force field analysis
- Power-interest grid (Correct answer)
- Responsibility assignment matrix
Correct answer: Power-interest grid
A power-interest grid categorizes stakeholders into quadrants to guide appropriate engagement strategies for each group.
Question 3: A CPT is leading a cross-functional team with members from IT, HR, and Operations. Which leadership approach is MOST effective when team members have deep domain expertise?
- Autocratic leadership to ensure consistency
- Laissez-faire leadership, letting experts self-manage entirely
- Collaborative leadership that leverages expert input while maintaining direction (Correct answer)
- Micromanagement to maintain quality control
Correct answer: Collaborative leadership that leverages expert input while maintaining direction
Collaborative leadership respects domain expertise while the project manager maintains overall direction and accountability.
Question 4: In the context of CPT project execution, what is the purpose of a lessons learned session?
- To assign blame for project failures
- To document what worked and what did not for use in future projects (Correct answer)
- To justify budget overruns to the sponsor
- To evaluate individual team member performance
Correct answer: To document what worked and what did not for use in future projects
Lessons learned sessions capture knowledge from the current project to improve planning and execution of future projects.
Question 5: A performance technologist identifies a risk that could delay delivery by 3 weeks. The team decides to develop an alternate vendor relationship as a backup. This risk response strategy is called:
- Risk avoidance
- Risk mitigation (Correct answer)
- Risk transference
- Risk acceptance
Correct answer: Risk mitigation
Developing an alternate vendor reduces the probability or impact of the risk, which is the definition of risk mitigation.
Question 6: When developing a project communication plan, which factor should FIRST be determined?
- The communication technology to be used
- The frequency of status meetings
- Who needs what information and when (Correct answer)
- The template format for status reports
Correct answer: Who needs what information and when
Identifying information needs by stakeholder is the foundation of an effective communication plan before deciding on tools or frequency.
Question 7: A change request is submitted mid-project to add a new performance metric to the evaluation framework. A CPT should route this through:
- Informal approval from the nearest team member
- The integrated change control process with impact analysis (Correct answer)
- Direct implementation to avoid delays
- Rejection because the scope is already defined
Correct answer: The integrated change control process with impact analysis
Integrated change control ensures all changes are evaluated for impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality before approval.
CPT Project Planning & Execution 3
A performance improvement project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint.
Which metric from earned value management best describes this situation?