PMBOK PMBOK Project Schedule Management Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) measure in project schedule tracking?
- The ratio of budgeted cost of work performed to actual cost
- The ratio of earned value to planned value (Correct answer)
- The ratio of planned value to actual cost
- The ratio of budget at completion to estimate at completion
Correct answer: The ratio of earned value to planned value
The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) equals Earned Value (EV) divided by Planned Value (PV), indicating how efficiently the project is using its scheduled time.
Question 2: Which type of schedule dependency is defined by the project management team based on project knowledge, not physical constraints?
- Mandatory dependency
- External dependency
- Discretionary dependency (Correct answer)
- Hard logic dependency
Correct answer: Discretionary dependency
Discretionary dependencies (soft logic) are established based on best practices or team preferences rather than physical or contractual requirements.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a milestone in a project schedule?
- To allocate resources to specific tasks
- To mark a significant point or achievement in the project (Correct answer)
- To define the critical path of the project
- To calculate the earned value of completed work
Correct answer: To mark a significant point or achievement in the project
A milestone is a significant event or achievement in the project schedule, typically representing completion of a major deliverable or phase.
Question 4: When a project manager adds extra time to an activity estimate to account for identified risks, this technique is called:
- Management reserve
- Contingency reserve (Correct answer)
- Schedule compression
- Lag time
Correct answer: Contingency reserve
Contingency reserve is time added to activity or project estimates to account for identified schedule risks, while management reserve covers unknown risks.
Question 5: In PMBOK, what is the Rolling Wave Planning technique?
- Planning the entire project in detail before execution begins
- Progressively elaborating near-term work in detail while far-future work is planned at a high level (Correct answer)
- Updating the schedule baseline after each phase
- Using historical data to plan future project phases
Correct answer: Progressively elaborating near-term work in detail while far-future work is planned at a high level
Rolling Wave Planning is an iterative approach where near-term deliverables are planned in detail, and future work is planned at a higher level as more information becomes available.
Question 6: What does a Gantt chart primarily display in project schedule management?
- Resource costs versus planned budget
- Activity dependencies in a network diagram
- Activity durations plotted along a timeline with start and finish dates (Correct answer)
- Risk probability and impact for schedule delays
Correct answer: Activity durations plotted along a timeline with start and finish dates
A Gantt chart is a bar chart that illustrates the project schedule by showing activity durations, start dates, and finish dates along a horizontal timeline.
PMBOK PMBOK Project Schedule Management Questions and Answers 2
What does the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) measure in project schedule tracking?