Deck 5: Project Definition: Creating the Using the Work Breakdown Structure

Question 1

An easy way to assess team member interest in various aspects of a project before assigning responsibility is:

A) Create a responsibility matrix and fill in people's names.
B) Have each team member use a separate color during mind mapping and then look at the pen colors on the WBS mind map and see where team members' dominant interests seem to be.
C) Conduct an email survey.
D) Use a project-involvement matrix.
E) Create an OBS.

Answer 1

Have each team member use a separate color during mind mapping and then look at the pen colors on the WBS mind map and see where team members' dominant interests seem to be.

Question 2

A project team is using the PERT method to estimate time durations for tasks. One of the tasks has the following parameters:
t_o = 25 days
t_p = 50 days
t_m = 30 days
Based on these parameters, expected time for this task would be:

A) 32.5 days
B) 42.5 days
C) 4.17 days
D) 37.5 days
E) 30 days

Answer 2

32.5 days

Question 3

Which of the following is a reasonable way to determine the learning rate for a project?

A) Ask people who will do the work to estimate the learning rates of other team members.
B) Use the PERT method.
C) Find historical, internal data for similar projects.
D) Benchmark against learning rates for projects of all types within the organization.
E) Use whatever learning rate is specified by the customer
F) All of the above
G) None of the above

Answer 3

Find historical, internal data for similar projects.

Question 4

All of the following are advantages to including the team in creating the WBS, EXCEPT:

A) They are the content experts and best equipped to know what is involved in generating each deliverable
B) Team members will gain a total view of the project through their involvement in creating the WBS.
C) Participation in the creation of the WBS builds team members' commitment to the project.
D) Participation in the creation of the WBS can bring conflicting views to the surface before it is too late to address them
E) All of the above are advantages.

Question 5

Which of the following depends) on the WBS?

A) Schedule
B) Project charter
C) Work package estimates
D) Uncertainty analysis
E) All of the above
F) A and C only
G) A, C and D

Question 6

Which of the following WBS formats is are) best generated during a brainstorming session?

A) Mind map
B) Organizational chart
C) Outline
D) Network diagram
E) A and B
F) None of above

Question 7

A consumer electronics company is planning a 16-city product show in Central and South America. The 25 crewmembers have committed to working the entire tour. Set-up time in the first city, Managua, is estimated to require 200 hours of calendar time, and based on historical data, the project manager is forecasting a learning rate of 85%. Based on learning curve concepts, what is the estimate for the time needed to set up in the 16^th city, Caracas? Figures rounded to 2 places to the right of decimal.)

A) 170 hours
B) 122.83 hours
C) 104.40 hours
D) 88.74 hours
E) 7.75 hours
F) None of these. The answer is ______________hours show your work).

Question 8

Which of the following is not a characteristic of mind mapping as a tool for WBS development?

A) Mind mapping stimulates creative thinking about the project's activities.
B) Mind mapping engages the team.
C) Mind mapping helps generate enthusiasm and commitment to the project.
D) The nonlinear nature of the mind mapping process brings out fewer ideas than outlining.
E) Because mind mapping does not involve sequencing or priorities, mind mapping steers people away from potential disagreements about what or who is most important.
F) None of the above.

Question 9

A new project manager is taking over his company's annual charity event. Several members of the team have worked on this event project in previous years. In generating a time estimation for the various tasks, which of the following is are) most likely to aid improve estimation accuracy?

A) Involve the team members who will do the work
B) Consult the previous project manager for historical information on task and project durations
C) Set tight time goals so the team members are pushed to stay on schedule
D) Add 25% to each person's estimate
E) All of the above
F) A and B only
G) A and C only

Question 10

Which of these is the best guideline for determining how far a team should go in breaking down the WBS?

A) Each work package should require between 1-8 hours to complete,
B) Each work package should require between 8 and 800 hours to complete.
C) If it is useful for planning, accountability, or control purposes to break a task down into smaller component parts, then do so.
D) The level of detail the project team uses in planning a project should match the level of detail it uses for control.
E) None of the above

Question 11

A national circus organization performs in outdoor locations in approximately 35 cities each year. The same technical crew is used to set up and take down rides for all locations. Given that the set up for the rides is exactly the same at each location, and set up at the first location for a particular ride takes 85 minutes, how long would the set up for the same ride take at the 8^th location? Assume a 75 percent learning rate and round to two places to the right of the decimal.

A) 11.35 minutes
B) 35.860 minutes
C) 47.81 minutes
D) 26.90 minutes
E) 63.75 minutes
F) None of the above

Question 12

Which WBS approach is most likely to leave team members with individual views of the work packages, but not an entire view of the project?

A) Mind mapping
B) Top Down approach
C) Bottom-Up Approach
D) All of the above share this risk
E) None of the above have this risk

Question 13

Your school's recruiting staff is planning a multi-country road trip to Africa and the Middle East. Staff members will visit eight cities over a two-week period, and will set up an elaborate display, booth, and audio-visual show in each city. They have been reviewing last year's tour and discovered some information about how long the setup was in the same cities. Unfortunately, they do not have data for all cities. The data they do have are displayed below:
$$\begin{array} { | l | c | } \hline \begin{array} { l } \text { City (in order of } \\\text { visit) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Time Required for Setup Last } \\\text { Year }\end{array} \\\hline \text { (1) Lagos } & \text { 14 hours } \\\hline \text { (2) Casablanca } & \text { Unknown } \\\hline \text { (3) Khartoum } & 8.876 \text { hours } \\\hline \text { (4) Nairobi } & 7.875 \text { hours } \\\hline\end{array}$$
$\begin{array}{|l|}\hline \text {It is possible to solve this problem without a leaming curve table, but we advise the }\\\text {instructor to include one at the end of the exam for those students who would like to }\\\text { use it. }\\\hline \end{array}$
What rate of learning can the team estimate from the available data? round to the nearest whole number)

A) About 32 %
B) About 56 %
C) About 63 %
D) About 75 %
E) About 85 %
F) None of these, the answer is:____________ show your work or explain)