What are the three domains of the PMP exam?

The PMP Exam Content Outline covers three domains: People (42%) — leading and empowering teams, managing conflict, engaging stakeholders; Process (50%) — managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, communications, and delivery; Business Environment (8%) — benefits realisation, compliance, and strategic alignment.

What is the difference between a project and an operation?

A project is temporary with a defined beginning and end, producing a unique product, service, or result. Operations are ongoing, repetitive, and produce the same outputs continuously. Project management focuses on the temporary, unique work; operations management focuses on efficiency and continuity.

What is the triple constraint in project management?

The triple constraint (iron triangle) consists of Scope, Time, and Cost. These three are interdependent — changing one affects the others. Quality is sometimes added as a fourth constraint. The project manager's job is to balance these competing demands to meet stakeholder expectations.

What is an agile retrospective?

A Sprint Retrospective is a Scrum event held at the end of each sprint where the team reflects on how they worked together, identifies what went well and what could improve, and creates a plan to implement improvements in the next sprint. It is a key mechanism for continuous team improvement.

What is the difference between risk and issue in project management?

A risk is an uncertain future event that could affect the project — it may or may not happen. An issue is a problem that has already occurred and requires immediate attention. Risk management is proactive (plan responses before they occur). Issue management is reactive (respond to current problems).

PMP Project Management Practice Questions 2026

Question 01 of 150

What are the 12 PMBOK 7th Edition project management principles?

Explanation: PMBOK 7th ed (2021): principles-based approach (vs prescriptive process groups of PMBOK 6). 12 principles guide project decision-making. Complemented by 8 performance domains. Major shift in PMI philosophy.

Question 02 of 150

What are the 8 PMBOK 7th performance domains?

Explanation: 8 performance domains: Stakeholders, Team, Development Approach and Lifecycle, Planning, Project Work, Delivery, Measurement, Uncertainty. Cover entire project management landscape holistically.

Question 03 of 150

What is the traditional project management lifecycle (predictive)?

Explanation: Predictive (waterfall): requirements fully defined upfront, sequential phases, change control required. Best for: stable requirements, low uncertainty. Examples: construction, defence procurement.

Question 04 of 150

What is the difference between a project and a programme?

Explanation: Project: temporary, unique output. Programme: related projects + ongoing work managed together. Benefits realisation management. Portfolio: collection of projects/programmes aligned with strategic objectives.

Question 05 of 150

What is a project sponsor?

Explanation: Project sponsor: provides funding, strategic direction, removes obstacles, approves major changes. Different from customer (receives deliverable) and project manager (leads delivery). In governance: often on project board/steering committee.

Question 06 of 150

What is a stakeholder in project management?

Explanation: Stakeholder identification: start early, ongoing throughout project. Map: influence vs interest grid. High influence/high interest: manage closely. High influence/low interest: keep satisfied. Stakeholder register maintained.

Question 07 of 150

What is a RACI matrix?

Explanation: RACI: Responsible (does the work), Accountable (decision-maker, one per task), Consulted (two-way communication), Informed (one-way). Prevents ambiguity about ownership. Also RASCI (adds 'Supportive').

Question 08 of 150

What is a project charter?

Explanation: Project charter: formal authorisation to proceed. Contents: purpose, objectives, high-level scope, risks, assumptions, constraints, milestone summary, sponsor signature. Project manager has authority after charter issued.

Question 09 of 150

What is a work breakdown structure (WBS)?

Explanation: WBS: 100% rule: captures all work. Decompose to work packages (estimable, assignable, controllable). WBS dictionary: describes each element. Foundation for schedule, cost, and risk management.

Question 10 of 150

What is the critical path method (CPM)?

Explanation: CPM: identify all paths, calculate durations, find longest path = critical path. Float/slack: non-critical tasks can be delayed without delaying project. Compress critical path: crash (add resources) or fast-track (overlap activities).

Question 11 of 150

What is float (slack) in project scheduling?

Explanation: Total float: activity delay without delaying project completion. Free float: activity delay without delaying immediate successor. Critical path: total float = 0. Schedule compression: target critical path activities.

Question 12 of 150

What is schedule compression?

Explanation: Crashing: add resources/overtime to critical path activities. Cost increases, time decreases. Fast-tracking: start next phase before previous completes. Risk of rework if earlier work changes. Neither reduces scope.

Question 13 of 150

What is earned value management (EVM)?

Explanation: EVM: PV (Planned Value), EV (Earned Value), AC (Actual Cost). SV = EV-PV (schedule), CV = EV-AC (cost). SPI = EV/PV (schedule efficiency), CPI = EV/AC (cost efficiency). EAC = BAC/CPI (forecast).

Question 14 of 150

What is the cost performance index (CPI)?

Explanation: CPI: CPI=0.8: getting R0.80 of work for every R1 spent (20% over budget). EAC (forecast) = BAC/CPI. CPI is best single predictor of final cost performance.

Question 15 of 150

What is the schedule performance index (SPI)?

Explanation: SPI: SPI=0.9: only 90% of planned work completed for the time spent (10% behind schedule). On critical path: SPI<1 means project is late. SPI loses meaning near end of project (EV approaches BAC).

Question 16 of 150

What is risk management in projects?

Explanation: Risk management: identify → qualitative analysis (probability × impact matrix) → quantitative (Monte Carlo, expected monetary value) → plan responses → implement → monitor. Risk register: living document.

Question 17 of 150

What is a risk response strategy for threats?

Explanation: Threat responses: Avoid (change plan to eliminate risk), Transfer (insurance, outsource), Mitigate (reduce probability/impact), Accept (active: contingency plan; passive: deal when it occurs). Escalate: above PM authority.

Question 18 of 150

What is the Agile Manifesto?

Explanation: Agile Manifesto (2001): 4 values + 12 principles. Values prefer: left side over right side (right side still has value). Foundation of all agile methods. Not a methodology itself — a philosophy.

Question 19 of 150

What is Scrum?

Explanation: Scrum: 3 accountabilities (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers), 5 events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective), 3 artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment) + 3 commitments.

Question 20 of 150

What is a sprint in Scrum?

Explanation: Sprint: time-box of 2 weeks (most common). No changes endangering Sprint Goal. Sprint Goal: single objective for sprint. Sprint cancelled only by PO if goal obsolete. New sprint starts immediately after.

Question 21 of 150

What is the Product Owner in Scrum?

Explanation: Product Owner (PO): creates and communicates product goal, manages product backlog (ordered, clear), ensures transparency. PO decisions respected by organisation. PO ≠ project manager. PO accountable for product value.

Question 22 of 150

What is the Scrum Master role?

Explanation: Scrum Master: servant-leader. Serves Scrum Team (coaching, removing impediments), PO (managing backlog, facilitating events), organisation (leading adoption, removing systemic impediments). Not a 'project manager lite'.

Question 23 of 150

What is a Product Backlog?

Explanation: Product Backlog: not a requirements doc — living, ordered, emergent. Items: features, fixes, improvements. Backlog refinement: add detail, estimates, ordering. Upper items: more detailed, lower items: less. PO responsible.

Question 24 of 150

What is a Sprint Backlog?

Explanation: Sprint Backlog: Sprint Goal (why), selected PBIs (what), delivery plan (how). Updated daily. Visible to all. Only Developers can change Sprint Backlog. Real-time picture of work remaining.

Question 25 of 150

What is a Definition of Done (DoD)?

Explanation: DoD: creates transparency and shared understanding. Typically includes: coded, peer-reviewed, tested (unit, integration), documented, deployed to test, performance tested. If PBI doesn't meet DoD: not included in Increment.

Question 26 of 150

What is the Daily Scrum?

Explanation: Daily Scrum: 15 minutes. Developers only (PO and SM may attend). Not: what did I do, what will I do, blockers — just inspect progress toward Sprint Goal and plan next 24 hours. Reduces need for other meetings.

Question 27 of 150

What is Kanban in project management?

Explanation: Kanban: visualise workflow (board), limit WIP (improve flow), manage flow (measure cycle time, throughput), make policies explicit, implement feedback loops, improve collaboratively. Not prescriptive about roles or events.

Question 28 of 150

What is the concept of velocity in Scrum?

Explanation: Velocity: sum of story points for completed PBIs in sprint. Average over several sprints = planning velocity. Should not be used as productivity target (inflates estimates). Leading indicator of throughput only.

Question 29 of 150

What is a user story?

Explanation: User story (Connextra template): '...so that...' captures the 'why'. Acceptance criteria: when is the story Done. INVEST criteria: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable.

Question 30 of 150

What is planning poker?

Explanation: Planning poker: Fibonacci sequence cards (1,2,3,5,8,13,21). Simultaneous reveal prevents anchoring. High/low explain reasoning. Re-estimate. Consensus-based. More accurate than individual estimates. Builds team knowledge.

Question 31 of 150

What is a project management plan?

Explanation: Project management plan: scope management plan, schedule management plan, cost management plan, quality management plan, resource management plan, communications plan, risk management plan, procurement management plan, stakeholder engagement plan.

Question 32 of 150

What is a change control process?

Explanation: Change control: change request → impact analysis → CCB (Change Control Board) decision → approve/reject → implement → update baselines. Baseline change: formal process. Scope creep: uncontrolled scope change.

Question 33 of 150

What is scope creep?

Explanation: Scope creep: gold plating (adding unrequested features). Prevention: clear scope definition, WBS, stakeholder management, change control process. Gold plating (PM adds features): also scope creep, avoid.

Question 34 of 150

What is a Gantt chart?

Explanation: Gantt chart: most common schedule visualisation tool (Henry Gantt, 1910s). Shows: activities, start/end dates, dependencies, milestones. Limitations: doesn't show resource loading or critical path clearly. MS Project, Smartsheet.

Question 35 of 150

What is project quality management?

Explanation: Quality: QA (process: are we following right processes?) vs QC (product: does the product meet requirements?). Cost of quality: prevention (training, design) < appraisal (testing) << failure (rework, recalls).

Question 36 of 150

What is the project management triangle?

Explanation: Iron Triangle (triple constraint): Scope-Time-Cost. Fix scope + cost → time expands. Fix scope + time → cost expands. Change scope → affects time and cost. Quality: sometimes added as central fourth constraint.

Question 37 of 150

What is procurement management in projects?

Explanation: Procurement: make-or-buy analysis, contract types, vendor selection, contract administration. Contract types: Fixed Price (seller bears cost risk), Cost Plus (buyer bears risk), T&M (mixed risk). Best contract = appropriate risk allocation.

Question 38 of 150

What is a fixed-price contract in projects?

Explanation: Fixed Price (FFP): seller bears cost risk → motivates efficiency. Buyer risk: scope must be well-defined. Types: FFP, FPIF (incentive fee), FP-EPA (economic price adjustment for long contracts). Government procurement often uses FP.

Question 39 of 150

What is the project management office (PMO)?

Explanation: PMO types: Supportive (guidance, templates), Controlling (compliance required), Directive (manage projects). PMO provides: methodologies, templates, lessons learned, training, portfolio oversight, resource management.

Question 40 of 150

What is stakeholder engagement?

Explanation: Stakeholder engagement: Identify → analyse (interest/influence/impact) → plan engagement → execute → monitor. Engagement levels: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, leading. Goal: move toward 'supportive' or 'leading'.

Question 41 of 150

What is a Retrospective in Scrum?

Explanation: Sprint Retrospective: 3 hours max for 1-month sprint (proportional). All Scrum Team (PO + SM + Devs). Focus: interactions, processes, tools, DoD. Output: actionable improvements to try in next sprint. PMI values retrospectives.

Question 42 of 150

What is the concept of Agile vs Waterfall?

Explanation: Waterfall: plan-driven, sequential. Agile: value-driven, iterative. Use waterfall: stable requirements, fixed price contracts, regulated industries. Use agile: evolving requirements, innovation, high uncertainty, experienced team.

Question 43 of 150

What is hybrid project management?

Explanation: Hybrid: PMBOK 7 explicitly recognises hybrid. PMI PMP exam: 50% agile/hybrid questions. Common pattern: waterfall phases + sprint-based delivery within phases. Tailor to: project type, organisation culture, team experience.

Question 44 of 150

What is a project retrospective vs a lessons learned session?

Explanation: Both capture improvements but differ: Retrospective is part of sprint cadence, team-internal, immediate action. Lessons learned: formal closing activity, shared with PMO/organisation, feeds future project templates.

Question 45 of 150

What is Monte Carlo simulation in PM?

Explanation: Monte Carlo: input three-point estimates (optimistic, most likely, pessimistic) for uncertain tasks. Run 10,000 simulations. Output: probability distribution for cost/schedule. Quantitative risk analysis. More accurate than PERT.

Question 46 of 150

What is PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)?

Explanation: PERT: (O + 4M + P)/6. Standard deviation = (P-O)/6. Used for schedule uncertainty. PERT chart = network diagram. CPM: deterministic durations. PERT: probabilistic. Often combined in practice.

Question 47 of 150

What is the concept of servant leadership in project management?

Explanation: Servant leadership: Robert Greenleaf (1970). Listen, empathise, heal, aware, persuade, conceptualise, foresee, steward, develop, build community. Agile: Scrum Master as servant-leader. PMBOK 7: leadership principle emphasises servant leadership.

Question 48 of 150

What is a Kanban board?

Explanation: Kanban board: physical or digital (Jira, Trello). WIP limits: if In Progress column full, must finish before starting new. Bottleneck visibility: cards pile before constrained column. Cycle time: card entry to completion.

Question 49 of 150

What is emotional intelligence in project management?

Explanation: EI in PM: Goleman's 5 components (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills). Conflict: use empathy. Difficult stakeholders: emotional reading. Team motivation: individual drivers. Burnout prevention.

Question 50 of 150

What is the concept of progressive elaboration?

Explanation: Progressive elaboration: project plans are not fully detailed at the start. Refine as understanding grows. Agile: sprint backlog detailed for current sprint; future backlog items less detailed. Rolling wave planning: predictive version.

Question 51 of 150

What is a project kickoff meeting?

Explanation: Kickoff: after planning complete, before execution starts. Attendees: project team, sponsor, key stakeholders. Agenda: project overview, roles/responsibilities, communication plan, schedule, risk awareness, next steps. Sets tone.

Question 52 of 150

What is the concept of a milestone in project management?

Explanation: Milestone: no duration (unlike tasks). Examples: 'Requirements approved', 'Design complete', 'UAT passed'. Milestone chart: simplified schedule showing only key milestones. Governance: often tied to stage gate reviews.

Question 53 of 150

What is a stage gate review?

Explanation: Stage gate (Phase Gate, Toll Gate): governance checkpoint. Deliverables reviewed against criteria. Go/No-Go decision by sponsor/steering committee. Common in NPD (new product development), pharma, large capital projects.

Question 54 of 150

What is benefits realisation in project management?

Explanation: Benefits realisation: bridge between project (delivers outputs) and portfolio/strategy (realises benefits). Often PM hands over to business owner. Benefit: measurable improvement from project output. PMI: business value = priority.

Question 55 of 150

What is the concept of a project baseline?

Explanation: Baseline: locked version of plan. Changes require formal change control. Scope baseline: WBS + WBS dictionary + project scope statement. Schedule baseline: approved schedule. Cost baseline (PMB): time-phased cost plan.

Question 56 of 150

What is a lessons learned register?

Explanation: Lessons learned: captured throughout (not just at close). Should include: what happened, impact, how addressed, recommendation. PMO: stores and shares across projects. Often neglected: culture change needed.

Question 57 of 150

What is the difference between risk and uncertainty in PM?

Explanation: Known-knowns: planned. Known-unknowns: risks (can identify, analyse, plan response). Unknown-unknowns: true uncertainty (unk-unks) — use management reserve, iterative approaches. Rumsfeld's taxonomy applied to PM.

Question 58 of 150

What is contingency reserve vs management reserve?

Explanation: Contingency reserve: PM can use without change request (for identified risks). Management reserve: requires sponsor approval. Total Budget = Cost Baseline + Management Reserve. BAC = Cost Baseline only.

Question 59 of 150

What is resource levelling vs resource smoothing?

Explanation: Resource levelling: delays tasks if resource overloaded (extends schedule). Resource smoothing: uses float to shift tasks (schedule unchanged). Levelling: critical when resources are constrained. Smoothing: when schedule is fixed.

Question 60 of 150

What is the concept of a stakeholder register?

Explanation: Stakeholder register: identification, assessment, classification. Contains: name, organisation, role, contact info, major requirements, expectations, potential influence, classification. Not public — may contain sensitive assessments.

Question 61 of 150

What is the Agile principle of sustainable pace?

Explanation: Sustainable pace (Agile Manifesto Principle 8): sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain constant pace indefinitely. Overtime: short-term gain, long-term loss. Scrum: sprint capacity planning respects sustainable pace.

Question 62 of 150

What is the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP)?

Explanation: MVP (Eric Ries, Lean Startup): build → measure → learn loop. Not the minimum feature set — minimum learning vehicle. Validate: will customers use/pay? Fail fast: learn quickly, pivot if needed. Not a bug-ridden product.

Question 63 of 150

What is the concept of technical debt in agile?

Explanation: Technical debt: shortcut code → faster now → slower later (harder to maintain, extend). Types: deliberate (conscious trade-off), inadvertent (lack of knowledge). Manage: regular refactoring, code reviews, DoD includes code quality.

Question 64 of 150

What is a release plan in agile?

Explanation: Release plan: PO creates with team. Groups backlog items into releases by priority and team capacity (velocity). Not rigid — updated every sprint. Communicates: what, when, approximately. Stakeholders: aligns expectations.

Question 65 of 150

What is the concept of value delivery in PMBOK 7?

Explanation: Value: PMBOK 7 shifts from process to value delivery. Value = worth, importance, usefulness. Projects deliver outputs → outcomes → benefits → value. PM: continuously checks if project still delivers intended value.

Question 66 of 150

What is an impediment in Scrum?

Explanation: Impediment: blocks team. Raised in Daily Scrum. Scrum Master: removes or escalates. Types: internal (team can resolve), external (needs outside help). Not same as issue — broader. Log impediments for pattern analysis.

Question 67 of 150

What is a Definition of Ready (DoR)?

Explanation: Definition of Ready: INVEST criteria often used. Must: have clear description, acceptance criteria, estimated, no external dependencies. Not in Scrum Guide (unofficial practice). Risk: creates unnecessary 'gate' — keep lightweight.

Question 68 of 150

What is portfolio management in PM?

Explanation: Portfolio management: aligns investments with strategy. Portfolio selection: scoring models, strategic alignment, resource constraints. Portfolio review: regular assessment of project value, status, risk across entire portfolio.

Question 69 of 150

What is the concept of project governance?

Explanation: Governance: who decides what. Steering committee, project board, sponsor. Escalation paths. Decision rights. Reporting requirements. Stage gates. PMO: enforces governance standards. Weak governance: projects drift from strategy.

Question 70 of 150

What is the concept of emotional contagion in project teams?

Explanation: Emotional contagion: PM's anxiety → team anxiety. PM's confidence → team confidence. Self-awareness: monitor own emotional state. Regulate before team interactions. Psychological safety: team can take interpersonal risks.

Question 71 of 150

What is a project issue log?

Explanation: Issue log: issue description, date raised, owner, priority, resolution, date closed. Active management: issues left unresolved become crises. Distinguish: risk (may happen) vs issue (happening or has happened).

Question 72 of 150

What is the sprint review vs sprint retrospective?

Explanation: Sprint Review: external focus (product, stakeholders, backlog update). Retrospective: internal focus (team, process, collaboration, improvements). Both are sprint events. Review: what we built. Retro: how we built it.

Question 73 of 150

What is decomposition in project management?

Explanation: Decomposition: WBS: deliverables → work packages. Activity list: work packages → activities. Agile: epics → features → user stories → tasks. Decompose enough to estimate and assign, not so much it's micromanagement.

Question 74 of 150

What is the concept of a project dashboard?

Explanation: Dashboard: real-time or near-real-time. Metrics: schedule (SPI), cost (CPI), scope, risks, issues, quality, team health. RAG status: objective criteria for green/amber/red. Tools: Power BI, Jira dashboards, Monday.com.

Question 75 of 150

What is the concept of contract negotiation in procurement?

Explanation: Contract negotiation: win-win approach preferred for long-term relationships. Key terms: scope, price/payment terms, IP ownership, change control, termination clauses, warranties, performance metrics, dispute resolution.

Question 76 of 150

What is the concept of team development in PMBOK 7?

Explanation: Team performance domain: team culture, high performance, leadership, diverse skills, team agreements (ground rules, working agreements). Tuckman (forming→performing). Situational leadership. Psychological safety (Lencioni, Google Project Aristotle).

Question 77 of 150

What is psychological safety in project teams?

Explanation: Psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999; Google Project Aristotle, 2012): single most important factor in team performance. Build: model humility, invite input, reward learning from failures, frame challenges as learning opportunities.

Question 78 of 150

What is the concept of a work package?

Explanation: Work package: WBS leaf node. 8/80 rule: no work package < 8 hours or > 80 hours (heuristic). Basis for: activity definition, resource assignment, cost estimation. WBS dictionary: describes each work package.

Question 79 of 150

What is the concept of portfolio balancing?

Explanation: Portfolio balancing: bubble chart: value vs risk vs resource. Categories: mandatory (regulatory), operational, growth, innovation. Balance risk: not all high-risk. Balance time horizon: some near-term returns, some long-term.

Question 80 of 150

What is an agile release train (SAFe)?

Explanation: Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): ART = 5-12 Scrum teams working in synchronised PI (Programme Increment = 8-12 weeks). PI Planning: all teams align. Big Picture: Portfolio → Large Solution → Programme → Team levels.

Question 81 of 150

What is a WBS dictionary?

Explanation: WBS dictionary: companion to WBS. For each work package: ID, description, assumptions, inclusions/exclusions, responsible, schedule milestones, resource requirements, estimated cost, quality requirements.

Question 82 of 150

What is the concept of the project management information system (PMIS)?

Explanation: PMIS: scheduling (MS Project, Primavera), agile (Jira, Azure DevOps), document management (SharePoint), reporting (Power BI). Integrated PMIS: all in one. Enterprise PMIS: portfolio-level visibility.

Question 83 of 150

What is the concept of cost of quality?

Explanation: Cost of quality: prevention < appraisal << internal failure << external failure. Invest in prevention: cheapest. Juran: 'Poor quality costs money; good quality saves money.' 1-10-100 rule: fix in design (1×) vs production (10×) vs field (100×).

Question 84 of 150

What is adaptive project management?

Explanation: Adaptive approach: frequent inspect and adapt cycles. Appropriate when: high uncertainty, innovative product, evolving requirements, experienced team. Contrast: predictive (stable requirements, known technology, fixed price contracts).

Question 85 of 150

What is a communications management plan?

Explanation: Communications plan: stakeholder info needs, message, format (report/dashboard/email/meeting), sender, frequency, channel. PM: 90% of time in communication. Poor communication: #1 cause of project failure (PMI Pulse).

Question 86 of 150

What is the concept of active risk management vs passive acceptance?

Explanation: Risk acceptance: active (contingency reserve + plan ready). Passive (no plan, accept consequences). Active: for medium risks worth planning. Passive: for low probability/impact risks. Not ignoring risk — conscious decision.

Question 87 of 150

What is the concept of agile metrics?

Explanation: Agile metrics: velocity (story points/sprint), burndown (work remaining in sprint), burnup (work completed vs total), cumulative flow diagram (WIP, cycle time), lead time (request to delivery), NPS (customer satisfaction).

Question 88 of 150

What is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification?

Explanation: PMP requirements: 36 months PM experience (degree holder) or 60 months (no degree), 35 PM education hours, pass 180-question exam. Exam: 50% predictive, 50% agile/hybrid. Highly valued globally. ~1m PMP holders.

Question 89 of 150

What is an epic in agile?

Explanation: Epic → Features → User Stories → Tasks. Epic: too large for single sprint. Example: 'As a user, I want to manage my account.' Break into: 'update profile', 'change password', 'manage notifications' user stories.

Question 90 of 150

What is a product increment in Scrum?

Explanation: Increment: usable, potentially releasable product. Each sprint: add to previous increment. Meets DoD. PO decides: release now or continue building. Inspect in Sprint Review. Value increases with each increment.

Question 91 of 150

What is the concept of flow efficiency in Kanban?

Explanation: Flow efficiency: (Active time / Lead time) × 100. Typically 15-40% (most time is wait). Improve: reduce batch sizes, limit WIP, remove blockers fast, reduce handoffs, improve collaboration. Visible on cumulative flow diagram.

Question 92 of 150

What is the PMBOK principle of stewardship?

Explanation: Stewardship (PMBOK 7 principle 1): ethical conduct, caring for resources (financial, human, environmental), acting in best interests of stakeholders. PMI Code of Ethics: responsibility, respect, fairness, honesty.

Question 93 of 150

What is the concept of a programme benefit map?

Explanation: Benefit map (dependency map): outputs (what delivered) → outcomes (what changes as a result) → benefits (improvement in organisational performance) → strategic objective. Managed by programme manager. Validates programme business case.

Question 94 of 150

What is impediment removal in Scrum?

Explanation: Impediment removal: Scrum Master: coach team to self-organise (resolve own impediments), escalate to management (systemic issues), work with stakeholders (external dependencies). Impediment log: track all. Not a task manager.

Question 95 of 150

What is risk appetite vs risk tolerance?

Explanation: Risk appetite: strategic ('we are comfortable with moderate innovation risk'). Risk tolerance: operational ('we will accept up to 10% cost overrun'). Risk threshold: specific point where risk response triggered.

Question 96 of 150

What is the concept of value stream mapping in agile?

Explanation: Value stream map: end-to-end process. For each step: process time + wait time. Identify: waste (non-value-adding steps). Current state → future state. Lean/agile: eliminate waste, optimise flow. Toyota Production System origin.

Question 97 of 150

What is a sprint goal?

Explanation: Sprint Goal: not just a list of features. Why are we doing tour sprint? What's the single most important outcome? Can be achieved even if some PBIs adjusted. Flexibility: team can negotiate PBIs if Sprint Goal threatened.

Question 98 of 150

What is the concept of minimum marketable feature (MMF)?

Explanation: MMF: feature complete enough to release externally. vs MVP: minimal learning vehicle (may not be released). Agile product management: release MMFs frequently rather than wait for complete product.

Question 99 of 150

What is the concept of scope validation?

Explanation: Scope validation: customer formally accepts completed deliverables. Done after quality control confirms deliverables meet requirements. Deliverable accepted → moves to close. Rejected → rework. Output: accepted deliverables.

Question 100 of 150

What is the concept of kickoff in agile vs predictive?

Explanation: Agile kickoff: often called 'inception' or 'sprint zero'. Establish: product vision, initial backlog, team norms, tools, Definition of Done. Not a formal PMBOK process but widely practised in agile projects.

Question 101 of 150

What is the concept of project tailoring?

Explanation: Tailoring (PMBOK 7 principle): consider: organisation context, project size, risk level, team maturity, customer needs, technology. Tailor processes, tools, methods. PMI ECO: practitioners expected to tailor throughout.

Question 102 of 150

What is a risk register?

Explanation: Risk register: risk ID, description, category, probability, impact, risk score, response strategy, risk owner, trigger, residual risk, secondary risk, contingency plan. Updated throughout project as risks emerge, change, close.

Question 103 of 150

What is agile value delivery?

Explanation: Agile Manifesto Principle 1: highest priority is customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Deliver frequently (weeks not months). Welcome changing requirements even late in development.

Question 104 of 150

What is project integration management?

Explanation: Integration management: PMBOK 6 Knowledge Area 1. The 'glue' of project management. PM's primary responsibility: integration — balancing competing constraints, coordinating across all areas, making trade-off decisions.

Question 105 of 150

What is a product vision in agile?

Explanation: Product Vision: 'For [target customer] who [need/opportunity], the [product name] is a [product category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [primary competitor], our product [key differentiator].' (Moore's template). Foundation of product strategy.

Question 106 of 150

What is the concept of definition of done for the increment?

Explanation: Increment DoD: if a PBI doesn't meet DoD, it cannot be included in Sprint Review increment. If DoD requires external factors not possible during sprint, no increment can be delivered that sprint. More rigorous DoD = higher quality.

Question 107 of 150

What is the concept of swarming in agile?

Explanation: Swarming: whole team works on one story at a time. Extreme Programming (XP): pair programming. Kanban: limit WIP → naturally encourages swarming. Benefits: faster completion, knowledge sharing, fewer hand-offs.

Question 108 of 150

What is a programme manager vs a project manager?

Explanation: Programme manager: reports to portfolio/executive. Manages benefits realisation, strategic alignment, interdependencies between component projects. Multiple PMs report to programme manager. Focus: benefits, not just outputs.

Question 109 of 150

What is the concept of knowledge management in PMBOK 7?

Explanation: Knowledge management (PMBOK 7): tacit knowledge (experience, judgment) and explicit knowledge (documented). Tools: communities of practice, lessons learned, CoPs, knowledge repositories, expert interviews.

Question 110 of 150

What is a project closeout?

Explanation: Project closeout: close procurements, obtain final acceptance, financial closure, lessons learned, archive records, release team, celebrate success. PMBOK: closing process group. Often rushed/skipped — important for learning.

Question 111 of 150

What is the concept of Disciplined Agile (DA)?

Explanation: Disciplined Agile (PMI acquired in 2019): Choose Your WoW (Way of Working). Process blade: full lifecycle from inception to transition. GCI (Guided Continuous Improvement). More flexible than Scrum or SAFe.

Question 112 of 150

What is the concept of change management vs change control?

Explanation: Change control: project management — control baseline changes. Change management: organisational behaviour — help people adopt changes. Kotter, Prosci ADKAR. PM may need both skills on transformational projects.

Question 113 of 150

What is co-location vs distributed teams in PM?

Explanation: Co-location: osmotic communication (overhear conversations). Agile: traditionally preferred co-location. Distributed: video, chat, digital whiteboards (Miro), documented decisions, time zone management. COVID: accelerated distributed agile.

Question 114 of 150

What is the concept of an agile coach?

Explanation: Agile coach: team-level (like Scrum Master), programme-level (SAFe), enterprise-level (agile transformation). Coaches: leaders, teams, processes. ICAgile, ICP-ACC certifications. Different from Scrum Master (framework-specific).

Question 115 of 150

What is the concept of iteration zero (Sprint Zero)?

Explanation: Sprint/Iteration Zero: set up dev environment, CI/CD pipeline, initial architecture decisions, team working agreements, Definition of Done, initial backlog creation. Controversial: no shippable increment. Some prefer 'inception' instead.

Question 116 of 150

What is capacity planning in Scrum?

Explanation: Capacity: team members × days × focus factor (% time on development). Sprint Planning: select PBIs fitting within capacity (or velocity). Capacity ≠ velocity: capacity = available hours; velocity = historical story points delivered.

Question 117 of 150

What is the concept of the Iron Triangle vs Agile Triangle?

Explanation: Traditional Iron Triangle: all three sides can't be optimised simultaneously. Agile Triangle (Highsmith): value (business/customer value), quality (reliability), constraints (time+cost fixed, scope flexible). Agile: fix time+cost, flex scope.

Question 118 of 150

What is the concept of a project management methodology?

Explanation: Methodology: PRINCE2 (prescriptive, UK/EU), PMBOK (best practice guide, USA), agile methods (Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe). Organisation may develop bespoke methodology using elements from multiple sources. PMI: tailor to context.

Question 119 of 150

What is the concept of a project health check?

Explanation: Health check: periodic or triggered. Assess: scope stability, schedule performance, cost performance, stakeholder satisfaction, team health, risk exposure, quality, value delivery. Red/amber/green. Sponsor: may commission external health check.

Question 120 of 150

What is the difference between an output, outcome, and benefit?

Explanation: Output → Outcome → Benefit: build new CRM system (output) → sales team uses it consistently (outcome) → 15% increase in customer retention (benefit). Benefit realisation: PM/business owner must track benefits post-delivery.

Question 121 of 150

What is the concept of rolling wave planning?

Explanation: Rolling wave: week 1-4: detailed tasks. Month 2-3: milestones. Month 4+: high-level phases. Progressive elaboration applied to scheduling. Similar to agile: detailed near-term backlog, sketchy long-term. Reduces false precision.

Question 122 of 150

What is estimation accuracy in PM?

Explanation: Estimate accuracy: ROM (concept stage): very uncertain. Budget estimate: feasibility complete. Definitive: detailed design complete. Cone of uncertainty (Boehm): estimate range narrows as project progresses.

Question 123 of 150

What is agile release management?

Explanation: Release management: agile: release frequently (ideally each sprint). CI (Continuous Integration): code integrated frequently. CD (Continuous Delivery/Deployment): automate path to production. DevOps: breaks wall between dev and ops.

Question 124 of 150

What is the concept of a project constraint?

Explanation: Constraints: given (non-negotiable), assumed (believed to be true), identified (planning assumption). Constraint vs assumption: constraint is fact (deadline is December 31). Assumption is believed true (team will be available full-time).

Question 125 of 150

What is the concept of a project assumption log?

Explanation: Assumption log: assumption, made by whom, date, implication if wrong, status. Validate assumptions regularly. False assumption → risk (if uncertain) or issue (if confirmed false). Close related to risk register.

Question 126 of 150

What is the concept of stakeholder salience?

Explanation: Mitchell, Agle, Wood (1997): 8 stakeholder types based on combinations of power, legitimacy, urgency. Definitive stakeholder: has all three (highest priority). Dormant: power only. Demanding: urgency only. Discretionary: legitimacy only.

Question 127 of 150

What is the concept of benefits register?

Explanation: Benefits register: benefit description, owner, baseline (current state), target (desired state), indicator, measurement method, expected date, actual date achieved. Programme benefit maps inform register. Updated at stage reviews.

Question 128 of 150

What is the concept of change readiness in project management?

Explanation: Change readiness: Prosci ADKAR: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement. Before: assess readiness. During: build capability. After: reinforce adoption. PM: ensure deliverables will actually be used.

Question 129 of 150

What is the concept of a project management framework vs a methodology?

Explanation: Framework (PMBOK): what to do, not prescriptively how. Methodology (PRINCE2, Scrum): more prescriptive about processes, roles, events. Organisation often: adopt methodology + supplement with framework guidance. Tailor either.

Question 130 of 150

What is the concept of a project communication strategy?

Explanation: Communication strategy: formal (reports, meetings) vs informal (corridor, chat). Push (send to stakeholders), Pull (stakeholders retrieve when needed), Interactive (two-way). Consider: culture, stakeholder preferences, information sensitivity.

Question 131 of 150

What is timeboxing in project management?

Explanation: Timeboxing: core agile concept. Sprint (Scrum): fixed 1-4 weeks. Daily Scrum: 15 mins. Sprint Planning: max 8hrs. Benefit: creates focus, prevents perfectionism, forces trade-offs, enables regular retrospection.

Question 132 of 150

What is the concept of self-organising teams in agile?

Explanation: Self-organising teams: decide who does what (internally). Choose technical approach. Manage impediments collaboratively. Scrum: within sprint, team fully owns Sprint Backlog. No external direction on how to work. Manager = servant-leader.

Question 133 of 150

What is the concept of continuous improvement in PM?

Explanation: Continuous improvement: Agile Manifesto Principle 12: at regular intervals, team reflects and adjusts. Scrum Retrospective: every sprint. Kaizen (lean): everyone, every day, improves. PDCA cycle: Plan-Do-Check-Act (Deming).

Question 134 of 150

What is the concept of risk identification techniques?

Explanation: Risk identification: brainstorming (group). Delphi (anonymous expert rounds). SWOT (strategic risks). Checklist (from past projects). Cause-and-effect (Ishikawa). Assumption analysis. Prompt lists (PESTLE, TECOP). Document: risk register.

Question 135 of 150

What is the concept of a procurement statement of work (SOW)?

Explanation: Procurement SOW: what seller must deliver. More detailed than project scope statement. Types: design/specification (for products), level of effort (time-based), performance (outcome-based). Basis for vendor selection and contract.

Question 136 of 150

What is a Request for Proposal (RFP)?

Explanation: RFP: invites competitive bids. vs RFQ (Request for Quotation — price only), RFI (Request for Information — market research). Evaluation: technical proposal + commercial proposal. Scoring matrix. Vendor presentations.

Question 137 of 150

What is earned value in simple terms?

Explanation: Earned Value (EV) = % complete × Budget At Completion (BAC). If 40% done on R100k project: EV = R40k. If planned 50% done: SV = EV-PV = R40k-R50k = -R10k (behind schedule). Objective measure of progress.

Question 138 of 150

What is the concept of agile planning poker and story points?

Explanation: Story points: not hours. Relative: 'is tour bigger than that?' Fibonacci: 1,2,3,5,8,13,21,40,100. Large stories: split into smaller. Team calibrates: agree on reference story (e.g., story X = 3 points). Enables velocity tracking.

Question 139 of 150

What is the concept of stakeholder power-interest grid?

Explanation: Power-Interest grid: High power/High interest: manage closely. High power/Low interest: keep satisfied. Low power/High interest: keep informed. Low power/Low interest: monitor. Adjust strategies as project evolves.

Question 140 of 150

What is the Agile Manifesto principle about working software?

Explanation: Principle 7: 'Working software is the primary measure of progress.' vs waterfall: milestone completion, document sign-offs. Agile: running, tested, demonstrable software proves progress. Demo at Sprint Review.

Question 141 of 150

What is the concept of managing project communications?

Explanation: Communications management: create communications management plan → manage communications (execute) → monitor communications (check effectiveness). 5Cs of good communication: complete, concise, clear, correct, courteous.

Question 142 of 150

What is the concept of a project network diagram?

Explanation: Network diagram: nodes (activities) + arrows (dependencies). Types: PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method) — most common. Dependency types: FS (Finish-Start), SS (Start-Start), FF (Finish-Finish), SF (Start-Finish).

Question 143 of 150

What is a finish-to-start dependency?

Explanation: Finish-to-Start (FS): predecessor must finish before successor starts. e.g., 'Foundation must be complete before walls can start.' Most common. Lag: add delay after predecessor. Lead: start successor early (negative lag).

Question 144 of 150

What is the concept of a project management maturity model?

Explanation: PMM models: OPM3 (PMI), CMMI, P3M3 (UK). 5 levels: Initial (ad hoc), Repeatable (basic processes), Defined (standardised), Managed (measured), Optimising (continuous improvement). Basis for PM capability improvement.

Question 145 of 150

What is the concept of Agile Manifesto Principle 12?

Explanation: Principle 12: foundation of Scrum Retrospective, Kanban review, Lean kaizen. Continuous improvement embedded in agile DNA. Not a one-off: regular cadence. Team owns improvement: not imposed by management.

Question 146 of 150

What is a lead vs lag time in project scheduling?

Explanation: Lead: -2 days (start 2 days before predecessor done). Used for: fast-tracking. Risk: if predecessor delayed, successor may need to restart. Lag: +5 days (must wait 5 days after predecessor). e.g., concrete curing time.

Question 147 of 150

What is the concept of quality management in agile?

Explanation: Agile quality: 'Built in, not bolted on.' TDD: write test first, then code. Continuous integration: catch defects early. DoD: quality gate every sprint. Pair programming (XP). Reduces: technical debt, rework, late defect discovery.

Question 148 of 150

What is the concept of sprint planning in Scrum?

Explanation: Sprint Planning: PO presents prioritised backlog. Team: 1) What can we do tour sprint? (select PBIs → Sprint Backlog). 2) How will we do it? (tasks, hours). Sprint Goal: agreed objective. Team commits (not PO or SM).

Question 149 of 150

What is the concept of programme management office (PgMO)?

Explanation: PgMO: programme-specific. PMO: organisation-wide. Programme Office: hands-on support for programme manager. Functions: schedule management, risk reporting, dependency tracking, financial monitoring, information management.

Question 150 of 150

What is the concept of change impact analysis?

Explanation: Change impact analysis: quantify impact: time (+2 weeks), cost (+R50k), risk (new technical risk), quality impact. Document in change request. CCB decision: approve, reject, defer. Update baselines if approved.

PMP Project Management

Practice More on Dragonfly

Flashcards

Study Resources

More Practice Tests

Related Study Guides

Frequently Asked Questions