Project Constraints Flashcards
“Factors that may impact the change of an existing constraint or may bring about a new constraint” is the definition of which one of the following?
A. A dependency
B. A predecessor
C. An influence
D. A constraint
C. An influence
Influences can manipulate or impact existing constraints or may bring about new constraints.
The steering committee originally mandated that cost was the most important factor to the project, keeping the project team size lean. As the project drags on, the steering committee shifts and tells the project manager that schedule is the most important factor to the project. This is an example of which type of influence on a project?
A. Change request
B. Constraint reprioritization
C. Scope creep
D. Interactions between constraints
B. Constraint reprioritization
Constraint reprioritization is a shifting of which constraint is unmovable, thereby setting how the other constraints are manipulated. “You can have it cheap, right, or fast—you get to pick two out of three” illuminates the interplay between the triple constraints.
What does the acronym SWOT stand for?
A. Situation, weaknesses, open source, threats
B. Strengths, work, opportunities, traceability
C. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
D. Situation, work, open source, traceability
C. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) is a tool used to perform a moment-in-time environmental scan.
A potential future event that can have either a negative or positive impact on a project is known as which one of the following?
A. An issue
B. A risk
C. A hope
D. A requirement
B. A risk
Remember that a risk can be either positive or negative, and it represents an opportunity or threat that did not exist earlier in the project.
As you identify all of the potential risks that might impact a project, you should record them in which one of the following?
A. RACI chart
B. Risk register
C. Risk probability matrix
D. Issue log
B. Risk register
The risk register is the tool used to document all potential risks for future analysis and evaluation.
The activity of selecting risks that have the greatest chance of occurring and the biggest impact on the project should they occur is called which one of the following?
A. Three-point estimating
B. Pareto diagraming
C. Monitoring and Controlling
D. Risk analysis
D. Risk analysis
Risk analysis is the process of figuring out what risks might happen and what the results would be if each risk did occur.
The consequence or opportunity the risk poses to the project is known as which one of the following?
A. Risk response plan
B. Risk impact
C. Risk register
D. Risk probability
B. Risk impact
Risk impact details the consequence or result that will occur if the event actually happens. Typically, this is categorized with a rating of High, Medium, and Low.
What are the three common constraints found in projects? (Choose three.)
A. Time
B. Personnel
C. Working space
D. Budget
E. Inventory
F. Scope
A. Time
D. Budget
F. Scope
Commonly referred to as the “triple constraints,” almost all projects are constrained by time, budget, and scope as they impact quality.
A road construction project is going to require the company’s road paver, a piece of equipment that lays asphalt on roadways, in the next two weeks. The road paver is in use until this Friday in a different city and will require five days to be relocated. This is an example of which type of constraint?
A. Environment
B. Scheduling
C. Scope
D. Quality
B. Scheduling
Similar to the availability of people with certain skills, equipment availability and scheduling can also lead to a constraint on a project.
In the determination of the project scope, which of the following constraints need to be factored into the discussion? (Choose two.)
A. Project manager
B. Predefined budget
C. Mandated finish date
D. Competitive advantage
B. Predefined budget
C. Mandated finish date
Two of the triple constraints are represented in the options, a predefined budget and a fixed, or mandated, finish date. These constraints will impact the options available in terms of scope, and they should be considered in terms of creating the scope statement.
A project calls for six master craftspeople in a particular discipline, but the organization only has four on staff. The Human Resources department has attempted to hire more, but there is a limited number of these craftspeople looking for work. What type of constraint does this represent?
A. Resources
B. Scheduling
C. Requirements
D. Quality
A. Resources
The scarcity of this particular type of skill set, or when they have restricted availability or cannot be on the project on time, can all represent a constraint on the project.
Lisa is the project manager on a project and receives a change request to add more scope to her project while not changing the schedule or the budget. Which of the following options are true of the change request?
A. It represents an influence on the project.
B. It represents a constraint on the project.
C. It represents an avoidance strategy.
D. It represents an environmental constraint.
A. It represents an influence on the project.
Change requests, scope creep, and interactions between constraints are some of the influences that can impact a project.
Which of the following roles should be included in the identification of risk on a project?
A. Subject matter experts (SME)
B. Core team members
C. Stakeholders
D. All of the above
E. Both B and C
D. All of the above
All three of these roles can contribute to the identification of risk on a project.
The steering committee for Wigit Construction monitors existing projects and approves new ones. The company just won a bid for a new project that must be completed in April, which is the same month that an underway project must also be completed. The stakeholders are doing which of the following?
A. Reprioritizing constraints by shifting a previously unmovable constraint within a project
B. Submitting a change request because the scope changed for the existing project
C. Demonstrating scope creep for the existing project as there are more deliverables to accomplish
D. Exerting influence by losing interest in the existing project as a new project begins
D. Exerting influence by losing interest in the existing project as a new project begins
There are no changes to the existing project, but a new project is competing for the same resources at the same time as the existing project. The stakeholders’ focus has changed.
At a minimum, which of the following types of information would be recorded on a risk register? (Choose three.)
A. Risk score
B. Risk trigger scores
C. Impact if the risk occurs
D. Risk owners
E. Description of risk
F. Mitigation strategy
A. Risk score
D. Risk owners
E. Description of risk
Standard information on a risk register might include an identification number, description, probability and impact, score, and owner as they all relate to risk.
A company is working on a project to produce a smartphone that will have similar features to a competitor’s product. After a marketing demo, the company receives correspondence from its rival demanding that sale of the smartphone be halted and not taken up again later, because it violates their intellectual property. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Memorandum of agreement
B. Cease and desist letter
C. Letter of intent
D. Request for proposal
B. Cease and desist letter
This is an example of a cease and desist letter, where there is an attempt to get a purportedly illegal activity halted and not continued again in the future.
If a project team wanted to enhance a positive risk, what are they trying to accomplish?
A. Assign the risk to a third party who is best able to bring about opportunity
B. Increase the probability or impact of the risk event to ensure that benefits are realized
C. Choose to accept the consequences of the risk
D. Look for opportunities to take advantage of positive impacts
B. Increase the probability or impact of the risk event to ensure that benefits are realized
Enhancing a risk involves increasing the probability or impact of the risk event to ensure that benefits are realized. This could come in the form of the construction company telling you that they could complete the building of a new gym early if there was a monetary reward for doing so.
Just allowing the consequences of a negative risk to happen is which type of risk response strategy?
A. Avoid
B. Transfer
C. Mitigate
D. Accept
D. Accept
Acceptance is choosing to live with the impact that a risk would have on the project.
What is the process of examining the risk analysis and establishing the appropriate course of action should it occur called?
A. Risk analysis
B. Risk probability
C. Risk response planning
D. Risk trigger
C. Risk response planning
The risk response plan outlines the course of action that will occur should the risk materialize and start impacting the project.
Which of the following is defined as the likelihood that a risk will occur?
A. Risk response plan
B. Probability and impact matrix
C. Risk register
D. Risk probability
D. Risk probability
Risk probability is the likelihood that a risk event will occur, and it is typically expressed as a number between 0.0 and 1.0.
In a SWOT analysis, opportunities generally look at which one of the following?
A. Positive news within the company that affects the project
B. External conditions that contribute to positive risks
C. Job openings on the project where hiring can occur
D. Long-term forecast of inclement weather during the project
B. External conditions that contribute to positive risks
Opportunities are external conditions that contribute to positive risks on a project, like a bull market in the product area, better weather conditions than expected, or a drop in materials costs.
Which of the following statements is true regarding a SWOT analysis?
A. Strengths/weaknesses are external to the organization; opportunities/threats are internal to the organization.
B. Strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats are all external to the organization.
C. Strengths/weaknesses are internal to the organization; opportunities/threats are external to the organization.
D. Strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats are all internal to the organization.
C. Strengths/weaknesses are internal to the organization; opportunities/threats are external to the organization.
SWOT involves analyzing the project by strengths/weaknesses, which are internal to the organization, and opportunities/threats, which are external to the organization.
Which of the following techniques could be used to create an initial list of risks on a project? (Choose three.)
A. Parametric estimating
B. Brainstorming
C. Three-point estimating
D. Interviews
E. Fishbone diagrams
F. Facilitated workshops
B. Brainstorming
D. Interviews
F. Facilitated workshops
The techniques of brainstorming, interviews, and facilitated workshops can all assist in creating an initial risk list. The estimating techniques are used in activity estimation for a task, and a fishbone diagram would help create cause and effect relationships.
What does IMS stand for in the project management sense?
A. Impulsive management system
B. Innovative mission statement
C. Iterative mapping system
D. Integrated master schedule
D. Integrated master schedule
An integrated master schedule is a networked and cross-referenced schedule containing the detailed work packages and plans to support a project.
All of the following are true regarding influencers, EXCEPT
A. A change request is an influencer.
B. Scope creep can influence schedule and budget.
C. Environmental factors can dictate when a project occurs.
D. Influences impact existing constraints or create new ones.
C. Environmental factors can dictate when a project occurs.
Environmental factors are actual constraints rather than influences of a constraint.
A customer submits to have a different requirement added to a project, and it follows the formal approval process to be added to the scope. This is what type of influence on a project?
A. Change request
B. Scope creep
C. An iteration between constraints
D. Resource scarcity
A. Change request
A change request can create impact on any existing constraints or cause a new constraint. Consider if the change request causes a change to the project due date; then the scheduling constraint would be affected.
A project team has been working for months on a project and is in the Execution phase. The customer discovers that a competitor has added new functionality to their product, and they would like to add that functionality to this project. To keep the project on time and on budget, this change cannot be accepted because of what type of constraint?
A. Environment
B. Budget
C. Scope
D. Scheduling
C. Scope
Scope involves the specific goals, tasks, and deliverables of a project. It helps to provide boundaries for the project so that it does not expand and go on forever. Remember, when altering one of the triple constraints, at least one of the others is affected. Therefore, adjusting scope is sure to impact either schedule or budget.
A road construction project is going to build a road through the mountains, and there is a window of June through September to get the work done because of the risk of inclement weather. This is an example of what type of constraint?
A. Environment
B. Budget
C. Scope
D. Scheduling
A. Environment
Weather conditions form an environmental constraint that will influence when and often how a project can be completed.
Every project faces all of the following potential constraints, EXCEPT
A. Quality
B. Budget
C. Scope
D. Staffing
E. Time
D. Staffing
Staffing is not an automatic constraint on a project—it is more of an environmental factor to an organization. The other answers represent the triple constraints of time, budget, and scope, as they pertain to quality.
Cherie is working on a construction project where weather has the potential to disrupt operations. She determines there is a 0.25 percent probability of a wetter than normal season, which would have a high impact on the project. What activity is Cherie performing?
A. Risk identification
B. Risk analysis
C. Risk response
D. Constraint identification
B. Risk analysis
Determining how a risk might positively or negatively impact a project, and just how likely the risk is to occur, is risk analysis.
Which of the following is true of project constraints?
A. Project constraints will never change during a project.
B. Project constraints limit the options of the project team.
C. Project constraints are elements assumed to be true.
D. Project constraints have no impact on project outcomes.
B. Project constraints limit the options of the project team.
Constraints like a fixed timeframe or budget, small windows in weather, or scarce resources limit the options the project team can pursue.
Walt works for Wigit Construction, and he has been assigned as a project manager to build a new bridge. The team has six months to build the project and a fixed budget, and the bridge must handle four lanes of traffic. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Three-point estimating
B. Cost of quality
C. Triple constraints
D. Progressive elaboration
C. Triple constraints
The Wigit Construction bridge project is limited by time, budget, and scope, which are the elements of the triple constraints.
Which of the following is a tool or technique used in identifying risks to a project?
A. RASI
B. SWOT
C. RACI
D. COQ
B. SWOT
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and it is an exercise in performing an environmental scan at a moment in time. This environmental scan can help reveal project risks.
Wigitcom’s general counsel lets you know that it received a C&D, and there will need to be a meeting on the future of the project. In this context, what is a C&D?
A. Consequences and demands
B. Constraints and deliverables
C. Cease and demands
D. Cease and desist
D. Cease and desist
C&D is shorthand for cease and desist, where documents are sent to a business or individual in order to halt a supposed illegal activity and to prevent it from being resumed.
What does it mean to share a positive risk?
A. Assign the risk to a third party who is best able to bring about opportunity.
B. Monitor the probability or impact of the risk event to ensure that benefits are realized.
C. Choose to accept the consequences of the risk.
D. Look for opportunities to take advantage of positive impacts.
A. Assign the risk to a third party who is best able to bring about opportunity.
To share a positive risk, the project seeks to assign the risk to a third party who is best able to bring about the opportunity—for instance, a company that already has a working factory in a country where the materials are going to be sold, reducing costs of the project.
The risk response strategy that focuses on shifting the liability for a negative risk to a third party is known as which one of the following?
A. Avoidance
B. Transference
C. Mitigation
D. Acceptance
B. Transference
Transference is the strategy of moving the liability of the risk to a third party by purchasing insurance, performance bonds, and other tools.
When determining risk probability and impact, which tool typically offers the best results?
A. Expert judgment
B. Parametric estimating
C. Environmental factors
D. Project documentation
A. Expert judgment
Expert judgment is where subject matter experts, stakeholders, and project team members contribute their expertise on similar projects to help make a recommendation.
What tool would be used to prioritize and quantify risks so that the information is easy to understand and is visually informative?
A. Probability and impact matrix
B. Fishbone diagram
C. Histogram
D. Responsibility assignment matrix
A. Probability and impact matrix
The probability and impact matrix is a tool used to calculate an overall risk score, and to help organize, prioritize, and present information to determine what is needed in the risk response plan.
What does the weaknesses portion analyze in a SWOT analysis?
A. The market share of the smallest competitor
B. Which elements are weakest for the company’s competitor
C. Which elements are weak areas within the company
D. Portfolio elements that bring a negative return
C. Which elements are weak areas within the company
The area of weaknesses looks at the elements in the company where it can improve, which may introduce risk to a project. Negative risks are also associated with weaknesses.
All of these are common potential risks to a project, EXCEPT
A. Teams not attending status meetings
B. Insufficient budget assigned to the project
C. Scope changes after the project execution begins
D. Legal ramifications resulting from the project
A. Teams not attending status meetings
Teams not attending status meetings would be an example of an active issue, not a potential future consequence that will impact the project.
