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PMBOK Section: Plan Communications
Process Group: Planning Process Group
Question Type: Calculation
Knowledge Area: Communications Management
DifficultyLevel:Hard

Question: "You are managing a telecom project. You have got two teams reporting to you. One team is responsible for equipment installation and the other team is responsible to commission and test that equipment. Both teams are working in parallel such that as soon as the installation teams finishes equipment installation at one site they move on to another site for installations and the commissioning and testing team start their activities on the newly installed site. The reporting structure is such that each of the teams have 5 engineers headed by a team lead. Each team member interacts with each other, however only the team leads interact with you. Both the team leads also interact with each other to synchronize their operations.


How many communication channels do you have in your project?"

A. 33

B. 23

C. 42

D. 78
 

Hint:

Calculate communication channels for each team and add them together
Reference: PMBOK4 pg:253
Explanation: This was a hard question, wasn't it? Lets analyze the scenario to calculate the answer. Here we have two independent teams. Each team has 6 members, i.e., 5 engineers and one team lead. Each team member is interacting with each other, so communication channels for each team are (6)(6-1)/2=15. Both the team leads are communicating with you so there are two communication channels for this interaction. Further since both the team leads are interacting with each other there is an another communication channel between them. Hence the total communication channels in your project is 15+15+2+1=33.


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Choice A is the only correct answer to this question.

Although many people use the terms “contingency plan” interchangeably with “workaround”, they are not the same. The difference between the two terms is related to whether the problems being handled were identified ahead of time or not. Contingency plans are made based on potential risks that are identified that could derail a project. Workarounds are responses to problems that develop while the project is being worked that were never identified.

When a project plan is first put together, potential risks are identified that could pose a significant threat to the project if they occur. Contingency plans are developed around those possible issues and they are completed before the threat takes place. These contingency plans should address the objective of the plan, the criteria for activating the contingency plan, the people and responsibilities involved, and the additional details required for implementation.

Here is an example of a contingency plan. A company that produces skis has a project to stock its retail stores with the latest models for the winter season. While the project was being planned, a risk was identified regarding a potential strike. The project continued, but a contingency plan was developed in case the strike lasted longer than anticipated. In the case that the strike was not over by a pre-identified date, the company decided to reassign the work that was to be done by the factory on strike to alternative factories.  Potential costs were reviewed and it was determined that this contingency plan would be beneficial.

A workaround is not a planned response because the problems being addressed were not anticipated ahead of time.  Per the name, a “workaround” let’s you “work around” the problem. As soon as it is determined that there is an unanticipated problem, it needs to be addressed, researched and incorporated into the documentation of the project plan.

A corrective action must be taken occasionally to make sure the project stays in line with the projected results.  Examples of corrective action include the implementation of both contingency plans as well as workarounds. Most projects will require the implementation of a contingency plan or will require a workaround to be created.  Since larger projects tend to be more complex, these are common fixtures as the size of the project increases.

The PMBOK Guide discusses both Workaround and Contingency Plans in sections 11.5.3 – 11.6.3 in it’s fourth edition.

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com - The answer is at the bottom:

On Friday March 25, 2011 we will be launching a new PMP Exam Simulator at http://www.pm-exam-simulator.com. Sign up to our launch newsletter and you will receive a 20% discount

PMBOK Section: Estimate Costs
Process Group: Planning Process Group
Question Type: Calculation
Knowledge Area: Cost Management
Difficulty Level: Hard

Question: You are managing an amusement park development project. You have received the following estimates for site excavation and area development activity that is critical to the success of your project. The most likely estimate is $100,000, the optimistic estimate is $90,000, and the pessimistic estimate is $120,000. What is the variance of this data?

A. 25000000
B. 5000
C. 30000
D. 105000

Hint:

Explanation:

Standard deviation can be calculated as (Pessimistic - Optimistic) / 6. Variance can be calculated by squaring the standard deviation. For the given data, the variance is $25,000,000 and the standard deviation is $5,000. Hence choice A is the correct answer. Reference: PMP Study Guide 5ed - Sybex - pg:170