Question 1

After completing detailed planning for a project,it is often helpful for the project manager and team to apply a sanity test to the project plan.Which of the following accurately describes the application of a sanity test?
A) It is based largely on the expectations of supervisors and sponsors.
B) It is primarily focused on the team members.
C) It should include questions to ensure budgets,schedules and resource plans are reasonable and achievable.
D) It focuses on whether the project charter should be changed

Accepted Answer

A sanity test is used to ensure that a project plan is reasonable and achievable. This includes testing the feasibility of budgets, schedules, and resource plans. The test helps to identify potential areas of risk, and it ensures that the project team has a clear idea of what they need to achieve. The test is not focused on the expectations of supervisors and sponsors or whether the project charter should be changed.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is consistent with the ideas that W.Edwards Deming promoted regarding quality management?
A) Understanding variation is essential to improving quality.
B) Statistical concepts rather than behavioral considerations should govern quality improvement efforts.
C) A key to quality improvement is to ensure that each part of the system functions effectively,independent from the others.
D) The burden of quality falls on those that do the work

Accepted Answer

W.Edwards Deming emphasized the importance of understanding variation in the quality management process. He believed that statistical concepts should be used to govern quality improvement efforts, and that the burden of quality falls on management, not the workers. He also advocated for a focus on systems thinking to ensure that each part of the system functions effectively in order to achieve quality improvements. Therefore, statement A is consistent with Deming's ideas.

Question 3

DMAIC is a disciplined process that includes five phases: Define,Measure,Analyze,Improve and Control.DMAIC is most typically associated with which of the following quality improvement approaches?
A) Malcolm Baldrige
B) Total Quality Management (TQM)
C) Six Sigma
D) ISO 9001:2008

Accepted Answer

DMAIC is a key component of the Six Sigma approach to quality improvement. Malcolm Baldrige, TQM, and ISO 9001:2008 also emphasize quality improvement, but they do not use DMAIC as a specific methodology.

Question 4

The decision process for developing relevant quality standards on a project includes all of the following activities EXCEPT:
A) identify all stakeholders
B) understand the prioritized stakeholders' requirements
C) design work systems
D) make tradeoff decisions

Accepted Answer

Designing work systems is not directly related to the decision process for developing relevant quality standards on a project. The other activities listed are crucial for determining the quality standards needed for a project.

Question 5

The four core project quality concepts include which of the following?
A) assumption-based management
B) stakeholder satisfaction
C) benchmarking
D) earned value management

Accepted Answer

The four core project quality concepts are customer satisfaction, prevention over inspection, continuous improvement, and stakeholder satisfaction. Assumption-based management, benchmarking, and earned value management are project management techniques but not specific quality concepts.

Question 6

Joseph Juran provided guidance regarding how to conduct quality planning.All of the following items are consistent with his quality planning guidance EXCEPT:
A) identify all customers and their needs
B) quality must be inspected into the process
C) develop methods to satisfy customer requirements
D) develop requirements based on customer needs

Accepted Answer

Joseph Juran emphasized that quality should not be inspected into the process but rather designed and built into the process through planning and prevention. The other options (A, C, D) are consistent with his guidance on quality planning.

Question 7

All of the following statements accurately describe special cause variation EXCEPT:
A) It is not inherent in the system
B) It comes from external sources
C) It is inherent in the system and is predictable
D) It can be quite unpredictable

Accepted Answer

Special cause variation is not inherent in the system and is generally not predictable. It comes from external sources and can be quite unpredictable. Therefore, all of the statements except for C accurately describe special cause variation.

Question 8

During which DMAIC phase would you find the objectives of identify possible root causes,collect data,and confirm root causes through data analysis?
A) Define
B) Measure
C) Analyze
D) Improve

Accepted Answer

The phase in which the objectives of identifying possible root causes, collecting data, and confirming root causes through data analysis would be found is the Analyze phase of DMAIC. This phase involves analyzing data to identify the root cause(s) of the problem or defect, and verifying the root cause(s) through statistical analysis to ensure that they are indeed the key factors contributing to the problem.

Question 9

Fact-based management includes four key ideas.Which of the following is among the key ideas associated with fact-based management?
A) the need to understand variation
B) reliance on historical research
C) routine use of interrogations
D) use of analogous estimating

Accepted Answer

The need to understand variation is one of the key ideas associated with fact-based management. This includes understanding the sources of variation, measuring and analyzing it, and using those insights to improve processes and make better decisions. Reliance on historical research, routine use of interrogations, and use of analogous estimating are not specifically key ideas associated with fact-based management.

Question 10

All of the following items contribute to developing empowered performance in an organization EXCEPT:
A) setting an expectation for managers to encourage associates to treat risk events as learning opportunities
B) accepting the fact that the project manager has total decision making authority
C) training and equipping workers so that they're willing to take risks
D) helping develop specialists who can aid anyone in the organization

Accepted Answer

Empowered performance in an organization relies on giving employees decision-making power and encouraging them to take risks. Option B, which states that the project manager has total decision-making authority, contradicts this principle and does not contribute to developing empowered performance. The other options, A, C, and D, support the development of empowered performance through encouraging risk-taking, training and equipping workers, and developing specialists to aid others in the organization.

Question 11

Joseph Juran provided guidance regarding how to control quality.Which of the following items is consistent with his quality control guidance?
A) identify all team members and their needs
B) establish measurement systems
C) prove effects
D) expend necessary efforts to exceed requirements

Accepted Answer

Establishing measurement systems aligns with Juran's focus on data-driven quality control. While identifying team members and proving effects may be important aspects of quality control, they are not directly aligned with Juran's guidance. Exceeding requirements is also not a focus of Juran's principles, which instead emphasize meeting customer needs and expectations.

Question 12

The project manager is responsible for selecting appropriate quality standards for the project.Typically,these standards apply to all of the following EXCEPT:
A) team selection criteria
B) documentation created during the project
C) deliverables created by the project
D) materials and related inputs used by the project

Accepted Answer

The quality standards selected by the project manager typically apply to documentation, deliverables, and materials used in the project. Team selection criteria are more related to human resources management and may have their own specific standards, separate from overall project quality standards.

Question 13

Which of the following serves as a pre-condition that must be met in order for a project kick-off meeting to be successful?
A) An atmosphere of trust and relationship building should be set by all.
B) Project performance results should be calculated and made available to team members.
C) Compensation packages and benefits plans should be shared with all team members.
D) The meeting location should always be off-site

Accepted Answer

Building an atmosphere of trust and relationship building is a crucial pre-condition for a successful project kick-off meeting. It sets the tone for the project, helps to establish good communication and collaboration between team members, and fosters a positive team dynamic. Project performance results, compensation packages, and the meeting location are all important factors to consider but are not the most critical pre-condition for a successful kick-off meeting.

Question 14

All of the following items are among the key areas covered by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award EXCEPT:
A) Leadership
B) Strategic planning
C) Team Learning
D) Customer focus

Accepted Answer

While team learning is an important aspect of organizational development and quality improvement, it is not one of the key areas covered by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award focuses on leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement and analysis, workforce focus, and operations focus.

Question 15

Which of the following quality management thought leaders is generally credited with contributing the insight that team learning is necessary to improve quality?
A) Ishikawa
B) Senge
C) Taguchi
D) Harrington

Accepted Answer

Peter Senge, in his book "The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization", argued that team learning is necessary for improving quality. He emphasizes the importance of team learning in building learning organizations that can continuously improve and adapt in response to change.

Question 16

The formality of a kick-off meeting can vary considerably depending on the size and type of project.

Accepted Answer

The formality of a kick-off meeting is not fixed and can vary based on the project's size and nature.

Question 17

Which quality tool provides a crisp definition of what and how to measure specific performance?
A) voice of the customer
B) root cause analysis
C) quality metrics
D) benchmarking

Accepted Answer

Quality metrics provide a clear and specific definition of what and how to measure specific performance. Quality metrics are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively a company is achieving its business objectives. They can be used to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and create accountability within an organization.

Question 18

All of the following reasons explain why it is better to design quality into processes than to find problems through inspections EXCEPT:
A) The cost of rework can be expensive.
B) The time spent on rework aggravates time pressures that already exist on projects.
C) Some mistakes are likely to reach the customer.
D) The best inspectors should find every variation and defect

Accepted Answer

The statement "the best inspectors should find every variation and defect" does not support the idea that it is better to design quality into processes. Instead, it suggests that inspections can be relied upon to catch all problems, which is not always the case. The other options (A, B, and C) all support the idea that designing quality into processes is preferable to relying on inspections. They all highlight the potential negative consequences of finding problems through inspections, such as the cost and time involved in correcting issues, as well as the possibility that some mistakes may slip through and reach the customer.

Question 19

A source of variation that is inherent in a system and predictable is typically known as:
A) special cause variation.
B) common cause variation.
C) systemic variation.
D) life cycle variation

Accepted Answer

Common cause variation is the inherent variability that is inherent in the system and can be predicted. It is also known as random variation or noise. Special cause variation, on the other hand, is caused by assignable factors that are not inherent to the system and can be identified and eliminated. Systemic variation refers to a change in the mean or variance of a process over time due to external factors. Life cycle variation is not a recognized term in statistical process control.

Question 20

Which of the following documents describes how the project team will implement the performing organization's quality policy?
A) quality benchmarking plan
B) quality control plan
C) quality management plan
D) quality audit plan

Accepted Answer

The quality management plan describes how the project team will implement the performing organization's quality policy. It outlines the processes, procedures, and standards that will be followed to achieve and maintain the required level of quality throughout the project. The other options (A, B, and D) are all specific plans that are part of the quality management process, but do not address the overall implementation of the quality policy.

Quiz 11: Project Quality Planning and Project Kick-Off

After completing detailed planning for a project,it is often helpful for the project manager and team to apply a sanity test to the project plan.Which of the following accurately describes the application of a sanity test?

Which of the following statements is consistent with the ideas that W.Edwards Deming promoted regarding quality management?

DMAIC is a disciplined process that includes five phases: Define,Measure,Analyze,Improve and Control.DMAIC is most typically associated with which of the following quality improvement approaches?

The decision process for developing relevant quality standards on a project includes all of the following activities EXCEPT:

The four core project quality concepts include which of the following?

Joseph Juran provided guidance regarding how to conduct quality planning.All of the following items are consistent with his quality planning guidance EXCEPT:

All of the following statements accurately describe special cause variation EXCEPT:

During which DMAIC phase would you find the objectives of identify possible root causes,collect data,and confirm root causes through data analysis?

Fact-based management includes four key ideas.Which of the following is among the key ideas associated with fact-based management?

All of the following items contribute to developing empowered performance in an organization EXCEPT:

Joseph Juran provided guidance regarding how to control quality.Which of the following items is consistent with his quality control guidance?

The project manager is responsible for selecting appropriate quality standards for the project.Typically,these standards apply to all of the following EXCEPT:

Which of the following serves as a pre-condition that must be met in order for a project kick-off meeting to be successful?

All of the following items are among the key areas covered by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award EXCEPT:

Which of the following quality management thought leaders is generally credited with contributing the insight that team learning is necessary to improve quality?

The formality of a kick-off meeting can vary considerably depending on the size and type of project.

Which quality tool provides a crisp definition of what and how to measure specific performance?

All of the following reasons explain why it is better to design quality into processes than to find problems through inspections EXCEPT:

A source of variation that is inherent in a system and predictable is typically known as:

Which of the following documents describes how the project team will implement the performing organization's quality policy?