CMPM5103JAN07/SI

INSTRUCTIONS: ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

Question 1

“Baking a loaf of bread.” In the following problem, some activities depend

on others having been undertaken in order, whereas others can be done
independently.

Activity Preceded by Elapsed time

(minutes)
A. Weigh ingredients - 1
B. Mix ingredients A 3
C. Dough rising time B 60
D. Prepare tins - 1
E. Pre-heat oven - 10
F. Knock back dough and place in tins C&D 2
G. Second dough rising time F 15
H. Cooking time E&G 40

Answer all of the following questions.

a. Draw a dependency graph to represent this project.

b. What is the critical path?
c. Assuming you have as many helpers as you need, how quickly (in minutes)
can you expect your staff to prepare the bread?
d. How many cooks are needed to finish the bread as quickly as possible?
e. If you need to do all these tasks yourself, then how long will it take?

[TOTAL: 40 MARKS]

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Question 2

For each of the following questions, select the correct answer, and justify your
choice (10 lines maximum per question).

a) George works for a medium-size IT consulting company and likes his job. He
recently became involved with an upgrade of his company’s IT system, and it
will likely become an ongoing activity for him in addition to his other
responsibilities. Which of the following describes the work that George is
doing for this new assignment?

i. It is an attractive project and he should take it.

ii. Because the project has several phases, it will use a lot of resources.
iii. His new work is an interesting program for the company.
iv. He should look for a new job.
[5 marks]

b) Project human resource management includes numerous “soft” skills that are
not easy to learn, and many project managers require additional training or
development to effectively schedule and coordinate resources. Human
resource planning includes all of the following, except:

i. Team skills analysis

ii. Staff acquisition
iii. Team development
iv. Organizational planning
[5 marks]

c) A waterfall methodology is commonly utilized with IT projects. There are

several steps in the process, which includes all of the following except:

i. Testing and implementation

ii. Analysis and development
iii. Requirements
iv. Design and customer buy-in
[5 marks]

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d) A work breakdown structure, a status report, and a responsibility assignment

matrix are frequently used throughout a project. However, their usage might
be iterative. These are examples of:

i. Project Management tools

ii. Work products
iii. Milestones
iv. Deliverables
[5 marks]

e) The triple constraints of Project Management are frequently discussed in

other contexts such as marketing classes and a variety of other subjects. The
interaction between ______________, ______________, and
______________ can be seen as a triangle, with the three sides impacting
the others.

i. quality, resources, time

ii. money, resources, quality
iii. scope, quality, planning
iv. time, scope, cost
[5 marks]

f) There are a number of tools and techniques that project managers can utilize
in order to create synergy on a project. Some of these skills cannot be
developed by reading a book and must be learned on the job. Project
managers need solid communication and negotiation skills primarily because:

i. They must give presentations and briefings to senior management.

ii. Getting the best deals from vendors requires these skills.
iii. They might be leading a team with no direct control over the individual
team members.
iv. They must be able to effectively share their technical expertise.
[5 marks]

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g) All projects should have basic elements in order to be planned and executed
efficiently and successfully. Many project managers do not plan properly and,
ultimately, the projects fail and money and resources are lost. One of the
following documents authorizes and initiates the project while empowering
the project manager to begin working on it. This document is known as a:

i. Project charter
ii. Project plan
iii. Work authorization form
iv. Project approval requisition
[5 marks]

h) RF Sportswear is undertaking the construction of a new manufacturing plant.

You are working with John, the project manager who is working on the project
plan. He has asked for the physical plant layout plans, which you don’t have
yet because the project has just started. You participated in helping to
develop the WBS and the activities list with John. As a former project
manager, you realize what John needs, and you send him a copy of the
mock-up drawing done for the steering committee and approval of the project.
Why does John need the plans at this point?

i. John is working on activity sequencing and the plans are needed for
helping to determine dependencies.
ii. John needs to archive all the documents for the project in one project
folder for future use.
iii. You know John is not an engineer and that he was not at the steering
committee meeting.
iv. John does not need the plans, but from a management standpoint,
you want to respect his authority as the project manager.
[ 5 marks]

i) After gathering the needed information from human resources, Gregg is

reviewing the WBS for his new warehouse project, and is trying to separate
staff needs from material needs. He needs four programmers, two
construction workers who are experts in metal framing, one drywall hanger,
and an electrician. He will also need the actual building materials, but he is

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not as familiar with construction as he is with systems development. He has

looked at a couple of other similar projects, and has an idea of the
manpower. What should he do to determine the material requirements?

i. Consult other project managers who have experience in construction.

ii. Hire a consultant for that part of the project.
iii. Check with the construction management unit of the White Paper
Company.
iv. All of the above.
[5 marks]

j) As a project manager, you know the WBS is important. What are the key
planning processes in which the WBS is an input?

i. Cost estimating, resource planning, cost budgeting, and risk

management planning
ii. Scope definition
iii. Activity duration estimating and activity sequencing
iv. All planning processes
[5 marks]

k) Which of the following should be included in human resources management

as it relates to Project Management?

i. Stakeholders, sponsors, customers, project team, and interested

parties
ii. Project team members and project managers
iii. Project team members
iv. Identifying, documenting, and assigning project roles and
responsibilities, and reporting relationships
[5 marks]

l) A golf club manufacturer is starting a project to develop a new club head out
of a titanium alloy using an unproven high heat and cooling method. The
product will have embedded “flex beads,” and is expected to revolutionize the

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industry, according to management. As the project manager for the new

product development, which of the following concerns you most?

i. Lack of prior experience in product development

ii. The technical risks associated with the new manufacturing method
iii. Other companies getting the process developed first
iv. Sufficiency of the budget to cover experimentation
[5 marks]

[TOTAL: 60 MARKS]

QUESTION PAPER ENDS HERE