22 Scope, Schedule & Cost Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. Which combination of documents forms the scope baseline of a predictive project?

   • A.The project scope statement, the WBS and the WBS dictionary✓ Answer
   • B.The project charter, the traceability matrix and the WBS dictionary
   • C.The scope management plan, the WBS dictionary and the milestone list
   • D.The project scope statement, the activity list and the cost baseline

   The scope baseline is the approved package made up of the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure and the WBS dictionary. Because the three are baselined together, altering any one of them requires an approved change request rather than an informal edit, which is what makes the baseline usable as a measurement reference.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, predictive plan-based methodologies; standard definition of the scope baselineReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A WBS element has been decomposed into four child elements. Under the 100 percent rule, what must be true of those children?

   • A.They each carry an equal share of the parent element's total budget
   • B.They each fit within a single reporting period of the project
   • C.They appear in the order in which the parent's work will be performed
   • D.They cover all of the parent element's work and nothing beyond it✓ Answer

   The 100 percent rule says the child elements of any WBS component must roll up to exactly that component's work: nothing missing and nothing added. The practical consequence is that work which appears nowhere in the WBS is outside the project scope and must not be performed without an approved change.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, work breakdown structure and work packages; the 100 percent rule of decompositionReport a problem with this question

3. 3. In a predictive project, which statement best describes a work package?

   • A.The zero-duration event that marks acceptance of a deliverable
   • B.The lowest WBS level, at which cost and duration are estimated✓ Answer
   • C.The management point at which scope, cost and schedule are integrated
   • D.The undecomposed work held below a control account for later planning

   A work package is the lowest element of the WBS, decomposed far enough that its cost and duration can be estimated with confidence and then scheduled, monitored and controlled. The other options describe a control account, a planning package and a milestone respectively, all of which sit at different levels of the same structure.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, work packages and control accounts in predictive planningReport a problem with this question

4. 4. What does the WBS dictionary provide that the WBS itself does not?

   • A.Detail for each component, such as the work, its owner and acceptance criteria✓ Answer
   • B.A calendar showing the dates on which each component must be finished
   • C.A ranked list of the identified risks with their probability and impact
   • D.A time-phased curve of the approved spending authorised for each period

   The WBS shows the hierarchy of deliverables, but each box carries only a short name. The dictionary supplies the supporting detail behind each component, including the description of work, assumptions, the responsible organisation, resources, estimates and acceptance criteria, so the team knows exactly what is meant by that box.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, WBS dictionary as a supporting artifact of the scope baselineReport a problem with this question

5. 5. A draft WBS contains the elements 'hold kickoff meeting', 'write weekly status report' and 'attend design review'. What is the main problem with it?

   • A.The elements name recurring activities instead of the deliverables produced✓ Answer
   • B.The elements omit the duration that each component is expected to take
   • C.The elements have not been assigned to the people responsible for them
   • D.The elements lack a code of accounts giving each component a unique number

   A WBS is a deliverable-oriented decomposition of the total scope, so its elements name outcomes such as 'training materials' or 'tested prototype'. Activities are derived from work packages later, during schedule planning, which is why a list of meetings and reports is a task list rather than a WBS.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, deliverable-oriented decomposition of project scopeReport a problem with this question

6. 6. A team plans to finish all interior painting before installing the flooring, because past projects show this order reduces damage. Nothing physically prevents the reverse order. How is this dependency classified?

   • A.Discretionary, since it reflects a preferred practice the team may change✓ Answer
   • B.External, since it reflects a constraint imposed from outside the team
   • C.Mandatory, since it reflects a sequence written into a signed contract
   • D.Mandatory, since it reflects a physical limit the team cannot change

   A discretionary dependency, sometimes called soft or preferred logic, comes from good practice or team preference rather than from the nature of the work or a contract. This matters because discretionary logic is the only kind the team can safely rearrange when fast tracking a schedule; mandatory logic cannot be changed, and external logic sits outside the team's control.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, activity sequencing and types of dependencyReport a problem with this question

7. 7. Activity B cannot be completed until activity A is completed, but B is allowed to start before A starts. Which precedence relationship describes this?

   • A.Finish-to-start, tying B's beginning to A's completion
   • B.Start-to-finish, tying B's completion to A's beginning
   • C.Finish-to-finish, tying B's completion to A's completion✓ Answer
   • D.Start-to-start, tying B's beginning to A's beginning

   In the precedence diagramming method each link constrains one specific end of the successor. Here only B's finish is constrained, and it is constrained by A's finish, which is precisely a finish-to-finish relationship; B's start is left free, so no start-side link applies.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, precedence diagramming method relationshipsReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A schedule specifies that painting may begin only three workdays after drywall finishes, to allow drying time. What does that three-day offset represent?

   • A.Free float, the delay available before the successor's start date moves
   • B.Total float, the delay available before the project finish date moves
   • C.A lead, an allowed overlap between the predecessor and the successor
   • D.A lag, an imposed waiting time between the predecessor and successor✓ Answer

   A lag pushes the successor later by a fixed amount and is written as a positive offset on the logical link, while a lead pulls the successor earlier and is written as a negative offset. Neither is float: float is spare time the schedule happens to contain, whereas a lag is required time the work itself demands.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, leads and lags in schedule network logicReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A network has four activities measured in workdays with no leads or lags. Activity A (3 days) starts the project. When A finishes, both B (5 days) and C (2 days) may start. Activity D (4 days) may start only after both B and C finish, and D ends the project. What is the shortest possible project duration?

   • A.7 days, the total of the two activities that every path shares
   • B.14 days, the sum of the durations of all four activities
   • C.12 days, the length of the longest path through the network✓ Answer
   • D.9 days, the length of the shortest path through the network

   The two paths are A-B-D at 3 + 5 + 4 = 12 days and A-C-D at 3 + 2 + 4 = 9 days. The critical path is the longest path through the network, and because D cannot start until the later of B and C is done, that longest path of 12 days is the shortest time in which the project can possibly finish.

   Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, applying critical path method to a schedule networkReport a problem with this question

10. 10. In a network measured in workdays, activity A (6 days) starts the project. When A finishes, activity B (7 days) and activity C (4 days) both start. Activity D (5 days) starts only after both B and C finish, and D ends the project. What is the total float of activity C?

    • A.4 days, which is equal to activity C's own planned duration
    • B.7 days, which is equal to the duration of the parallel activity B
    • C.3 days, the difference in length between the two parallel paths✓ Answer
    • D.0 days, because every activity in this network is on the critical path

    Path A-B-D is 6 + 7 + 5 = 18 days and path A-C-D is 6 + 4 + 5 = 15 days, so the project takes 18 days. Activity C can slip 18 minus 15, or 3 days, before the project finish date moves, and that difference is by definition its total float.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, total float calculation in critical path analysisReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Activity R can finish at the end of workday 12 at the earliest. Its only successor, activity S, cannot start before the beginning of workday 19, because S's other predecessor finishes at the end of workday 18. R's total float is 9 days. What is R's free float?

    • A.9 days, because free float always equals an activity's total float
    • B.0 days, because R has a successor that depends directly on it
    • C.6 days, the delay R can absorb before S's early start date moves✓ Answer
    • D.7 days, counting workday 12 through workday 18 inclusive

    Free float is the delay an activity can absorb before the early start of its earliest successor moves, so here R may slip through workdays 13 to 18, which is 6 days. The remaining 3 days of R's total float belong to the path as a whole and would be consumed by activities further downstream, which is why free float can never exceed total float.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, free float versus total float in schedule analysisReport a problem with this question

12. 12. An activity that is not on the critical path has 5 days of total float and finishes 2 days later than planned. All other work proceeds as planned. What is the effect on the project?

    • A.The finish date slips 2 days, since delays pass to all successors
    • B.The finish date slips 2 days unless that activity is crashed now
    • C.The finish date holds, and the activity regains its original float
    • D.The finish date holds, and the activity keeps 3 days of total float✓ Answer

    Total float is the amount an activity can slip before the project end date is affected, so a 2-day slip against 5 days of float is absorbed and the finish date does not move. Float is a property of the path rather than of one activity, so the 3 days that remain are now unavailable to the downstream activities that share that path.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, effect of activity slippage on and off the critical pathReport a problem with this question

13. 13. Three activities can each be shortened by one week: activity X on the critical path for an extra $9,000, activity Y on the critical path for an extra $3,000, and activity Z, which has float, for an extra $1,000. The team must finish sooner at the lowest added cost. What should it do?

    • A.Shorten Z, the cheapest week available anywhere in the schedule
    • B.Shorten Z and then X, so that both paths are protected at once
    • C.Shorten X, because the larger spend buys a more reliable gain
    • D.Shorten Y, the cheapest week available on the critical path✓ Answer

    Crashing shortens the project only when it is applied to the critical path, because the critical path determines the project duration. Among the critical-path options the team should buy the lowest cost per time unit saved, which is Y at $3,000; spending on Z would buy float that nobody needs and would not move the finish date at all.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, schedule compression by crashing the critical pathReport a problem with this question

14. 14. How does fast tracking differ from crashing when a schedule must be compressed?

    • A.It moves activities within their float and holds the finish date
    • B.It removes agreed scope so that less work has to be performed
    • C.It overlaps activities at no added cost but raises the risk of rework✓ Answer
    • D.It adds resources at extra cost while keeping the original sequence

    Fast tracking runs activities in parallel or overlaps them, so it does not by itself increase cost, but starting successor work before its predecessor is complete increases the chance of rework. Crashing takes the opposite trade: it buys time with money and extra resources while leaving the sequence intact, and neither technique may quietly reduce approved scope.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, schedule compression techniques and their trade-offsReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A sponsor asks for a one-page summary showing only the project's major commitments and their dates. Which schedule presentation fits best?

    • A.A milestone chart, because milestones are events of zero duration✓ Answer
    • B.A resource histogram, because it shows staffing period by period
    • C.A network diagram, because it shows the logical order of the work
    • D.A bar chart, because bars show each activity's duration and dates

    A milestone chart plots only significant points such as approvals, handovers and phase gates, each of which has zero duration and consumes no resources, which is exactly the summary altitude a sponsor wants. A bar chart works at activity level with durations shown as bars, so it carries far more detail than the request calls for.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, milestone charts and bar charts as schedule presentationsReport a problem with this question

16. 16. A vendor prices site clearing at $12 per square metre, and the site measures 4,000 square metres. Which estimating technique is this, and what estimate does it produce?

    • A.Parametric estimating, giving an estimate of $4,800
    • B.Analogous estimating, giving an estimate of $48,000
    • C.Bottom-up estimating, giving an estimate of $48,000
    • D.Parametric estimating, giving an estimate of $48,000✓ Answer

    Parametric estimating multiplies a validated unit rate by a quantity, so 4,000 multiplied by $12 gives $48,000. Analogous estimating would instead scale the cost of a similar past project and is faster but least accurate, while bottom-up estimating would price each work package separately and is the most accurate and the most time-consuming.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, parametric, analogous and bottom-up estimating techniquesReport a problem with this question

17. 17. An activity is estimated at 8 days optimistic, 14 days most likely and 32 days pessimistic, using the beta (PERT) distribution. What is the expected duration?

    • A.18 days, averaging the three estimates with equal weight
    • B.20 days, averaging the optimistic and pessimistic values
    • C.14 days, taking the most likely estimate on its own
    • D.16 days, weighting the most likely estimate four times✓ Answer

    The beta or PERT form of three-point estimating is (optimistic + 4 times most likely + pessimistic) divided by 6, so (8 + 56 + 32) divided by 6 equals 16 days. The four-fold weighting pulls the answer toward the most likely value while still letting the long pessimistic tail push the expected duration above 14 days.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, three-point estimating using the beta distributionReport a problem with this question

18. 18. An activity is estimated at 6 days optimistic, 9 days most likely and 21 days pessimistic, using the triangular distribution. What is the expected duration?

    • A.9 days, using the most likely estimate without adjustment
    • B.12 days, the simple average of the three estimates✓ Answer
    • C.10.5 days, weighting the most likely estimate four times
    • D.13.5 days, averaging the optimistic and pessimistic values

    The triangular form of three-point estimating is (optimistic + most likely + pessimistic) divided by 3, so (6 + 9 + 21) divided by 3 equals 12 days. Because it weights all three values equally, the triangular result sits further from the most likely value than the beta result of 10.5 days for the same inputs.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, three-point estimating using the triangular distributionReport a problem with this question

19. 19. Work package cost estimates aggregate to $800,000. The team adds a contingency reserve of $50,000, and management authorises a management reserve of $75,000. What are the cost baseline and the project budget?

    • A.Cost baseline $800,000 and project budget $925,000
    • B.Cost baseline $850,000 and project budget $925,000✓ Answer
    • C.Cost baseline $925,000 and project budget $925,000
    • D.Cost baseline $875,000 and project budget $850,000

    Aggregated estimates plus contingency reserve give the cost baseline, so $800,000 plus $50,000 is $850,000. Adding the management reserve gives the total authorised project budget of $925,000, and the management reserve stays outside the baseline so that performance is measured against $850,000.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, cost baseline, reserves and total project budgetReport a problem with this question

20. 20. A risk recorded in the risk register occurs, and the planned response costs money. Which funds should be used, and what approval does that require?

    • A.Management reserve, which the project manager may use as planned
    • B.Contingency reserve, which the project manager may use as planned✓ Answer
    • C.Contingency reserve, which first needs an approved change request
    • D.Management reserve, which first needs an approved change request

    Contingency reserve is set aside for known unknowns, meaning identified and analysed risks, and it sits inside the cost baseline so the project manager can draw on it when one of those risks occurs. Management reserve covers unknown unknowns, sits outside the baseline, and moving any of it into the baseline requires management approval through a change request.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, contingency reserve versus management reserve in cost planningReport a problem with this question

21. 21. At the status date a project reports planned value (PV) of $150,000, earned value (EV) of $135,000, actual cost (AC) of $160,000 and budget at completion (BAC) of $400,000. What are the schedule variance and the cost variance?

    • A.SV is 15 days behind and CV is -$25,000, schedule in days
    • B.SV is -$15,000 and CV is +$25,000, so cost is favourable
    • C.SV is -$25,000 and CV is -$15,000, so both are unfavourable
    • D.SV is -$15,000 and CV is -$25,000, so both are unfavourable✓ Answer

    Schedule variance is EV minus PV, so $135,000 minus $150,000 is -$15,000, and cost variance is EV minus AC, so $135,000 minus $160,000 is -$25,000. Both variances are expressed in currency rather than in days, and a negative result means less work was earned than planned and more was spent than the work earned.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, calculating cost and schedule variances from earned value dataReport a problem with this question

22. 22. A project reports a cost performance index (CPI) of 0.85 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 1.05. What does this tell the team?

    • A.Work done is costing less than budgeted, and progress is behind plan
    • B.Work done is costing more than budgeted, and progress is ahead of plan✓ Answer
    • C.Work done is costing more than budgeted, and progress is behind plan
    • D.Work done has used 85 percent of the budget, and 5 percent time is left

    CPI is earned value divided by actual cost, so a value below 1.0 means every unit of currency spent is returning less than a unit of budgeted work, that is, an overrun on the work completed. SPI is earned value divided by planned value, so a value above 1.0 means more work has been earned than was scheduled by this date; neither index is a percentage of the budget or of the remaining time.

    Source: PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, interpreting cost and schedule performance indexesReport a problem with this question

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