Free Project Quality Management Questions from Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam Review

Hundreds of thousands of project managers know and understand why PMP Exam Prep: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam is a worldwide best-seller. Years of PMP exam preparation experience, endless hours of ongoing research, interviews with project managers who failed the exam to identify gaps in their knowledge, and a razor-sharp focus on making sure project managers don’t waste a single minute of their time studying are THE reasons this book is the best-selling PMP exam preparation guide in the world.

PMP Exam Prep, Eighth Edition contains hundreds of updates and improvements from previous editions–including new exercises and trusted PMP sample questions never before in print. Offering hundreds of sample questions, critical time-saving tips plus games and activities available nowhere else, this book will help you pass the PMP exam on your FIRST try.

Free Project Quality Management Questions from Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam are designed for your understanding solidification of project cost management and identifying and cementing knowledge gaps. They are highly recommended among lots of successful PMPs and shared among numerous PMP candidates. Don’t miss to join this group.

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About Author

Rita Mulcahy, PMP, was an international expert in project management Tricks of the Trade and best practices with over 15 years and $2.5 billion of hands-on experience. During her career, she directly taught tens of thousands of project managers from around the world, and prepared them to pass the PMP exam. Rita spent 7 years as a PMI chapter officer, speaking at PMI Global Congress, Project World, and PMI’s International Project Management Symposium to standing room only crowds.

Rita was the founder of RMC Project Management, a project management training, consulting and speaking firm helping companies use project management tools and techniques to complete projects faster, cheaper, better, and with fewer resources. RMC Project Management was among the first training firms to ever receive Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) status from the Project Management Institute. (Source: amazon.com)

35 Free Project Quality Management Questions from Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam

35 free project quality management questions from Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam help perfect your readiness for project quality management. Those free PMP exam prep questions by knowledge area are geared towards your knowledge broadening, critical thinking development and getting an idea of the question pattern. Here hard questions with immaterial information require your reasoned thinking utilization for successful solutions. Specially, the user friendly design helps refresh your practice. Just tick the best response to each multiple choice question, and hit submit at the bottom of the page to have your results automatically checked and graded. Correct answers are highlighted green while wrong answers red. If you get wrong answer, don’t worry because NO means next opportunities. Review your incorrect answer(s) beside correct ones for knowledge solidification. Best luck!

Following your completion on this practice, don’t forget to return here to see rationale for each choice. Rather, below summary of questions with answers and feedbacks will sure help your review and hereby knowledge deepening.

1. When a product or service completely meets a customer’s requirements:

Answer A. Quality is achieved

As a general rule, one cannot say that quality (as defined in the question) is either of high or low cost (choices Band C) or that it provides the minimum price (choice D). lt does give the customer what the customer wanted, which may not be the lowest or highest cost. Therefore, the best answer is A.

2. To what does the following sentence refer? “The point where the benefits or revenue to be received from improving quality equals the incremental cost to achieve that quality”

Answer B. Marginal analysis

Know the term so you will be able to answer questions that deal with this concept. Choices A, C, and D may sound good, but they are made-up terms.

3. Who is ultimately responsible for quality management on the project?

Answer B. The project manager

Although each person working on the project should check their own work as part of any project, the project manager ultimately has the responsibility for quality on the project as a whole.

4. A project has faced major difficulties in the quality of its deliverables. Management now states that quality is the most important project constraint. If another problem with quality were to occur, what would be the BEST thing for the project manager to do?

Answer C. Allow cost to increase by fixing the root cause of the problem

Many people would pick choice A. lt is proactive, but choice C mentions root cause and the probable effect of dealing with the problem. If a problem with quality occurs again, some other project constraint(s) must change to accommodate fixing the problem. Choice B is partially correct (allow schedule to slip) but may not need to occur, because the project manager might be able to compress the schedule in other areas. Besides, cutting cost does not necessarily cause the schedule to slip. Choice D is not best, because a quality problem is most likely to create additional cost, rather than cut cost.

5. A manager notices that a project manager is holding a meeting with some of the team and some stakeholders to discuss the quality of the project. The project schedule has been compressed, and the CPI is 1.1. They have worked hard on the project, the team has been rewarded according to the reward system the project manager put in place, and there is a strong sense of team. The manager suggests that the project manager does not have enough time to hold meetings about quality when the schedule is so compressed. Which of the following BEST describes why the manager is wrong?

Answer A. Improved quality leads to increased productivity, increased cost effectiveness, and decreased cost risk

Notice in this question that there is a lot of data not relevant to answering the question ? Expect these distracters to occur in almost every question on the exam. Quality should produce a decrease rather than an increase in cost risk as a result of less rework, so choices B and C can be eliminated. Quality should also provide increased cost effectiveness due to less rework. This eliminates Choice D, leaving the best answer, choice A.

6. From the project perspective, quality attributes:

Answer C. Are specific characteristics for which a product is designed and tested

Quality attributes are the measurements that determine if the product is acceptable. They are based on the characteristics of the product for which they were designed.

7. Quality is:

Answer C. The degree to which the project meets requirements

Choices A and B cannot be the best, because there can be a cost impact (or time, risk, etc.) of exceeding expectations or adding extras. Since a project should meet requirements, choice C is best.

8. All the following are examples of Perform Quality Control EXCEPT:

Answer B. Cost of quality

Choices A, C, and D are done as part of Perform Quality Assurance or Perform Quality Control (depending on how they are used). This leaves only choice B, which must be the best answer, as cost of quality is part of Plan Quality.

9. Pareto charts help the project manager:

Answer A. Focus on the most critical issues to improve quality

Choices B and C relate to fishbone diagrams. Choice D relates to control charts. Only choice A relates to Pareto charts.

10. A control chart helps the project manager:

Answer D. Determine if a process is functioning within set limits

Choice A relates to Pareto charts. Choices B and C relate to fishbone diagrams. Only choice D relates to control charts.

11. Testing the entire population would:

Answer A. Take too long

The length of time it takes to test a whole population is one of the reasons to take a sample.

12. All of the following are examples of the cost of nonconformance EXCEPT:

Answer B. Quality training

Only quality training (choice B) is a cost of conformance to quality. All the other choices are costs of nonconformance to quality.

13. Standard deviation is a measure of how:

Answer B. Far the measurement is from the mean

Standard deviation is the measurement of a range around the mean. Therefore, choice B must be the best answer.

14. What percentage of the total distribution is 3 sigma from the mean equal to?

Answer D. 99.73%

Memorize the numbers for 1, 2, 3, and 6 sigma.

15. What percentage of the total distribution is 3 sigma from the mean equal to?

Answer C. 95.46%

Quality metrics are an output of the Plan Quality process. They are an input to the Perform Quality Assurance process, which is the process in which quality audits take place.

16. A control chart shows seven data points in a row on one side of the mean. What should be done?

Answer C. Find an assignable cause

The rule of seven applies here. If you have seven data points in a row on the same side of the mean, statistically the mean has shifted, calling for action to correct the problem.

17. You are managing a project in a just-in-time environment. This will require more attention, because the amount of inventory in such an environment is generally:

Answer D. 0 percent

With a just-in-time environment, supplies are delivered when you need them and not before. Therefore, you have little or no inventory.

18. In planning your project, which would generally have the highest priority: quality, cost, or schedule?

Answer D. It should be decided for each project

This can be a tricky question, in that most project managers dismiss the need to focus on quality. Quality, cost, and schedule should be considered of equal importance unless specific project objectives make any one of them most important. Quality, cost, schedule, scope, risk, and other factors may be prioritized differently on each project.

19. You are the program level manager with several project activities underway. In the executing process group, you begin to become concerned about the accuracy of progress reports from the projects. What would BEST support your opinion that there is a problem?

Answer A. Quality audits

Quality audits are a necessary part of the Perform Quality Assurance process to improve project performance quality.

20. A project manager and team from a firm that designs railroad equipment are tasked to design a machine to load stone onto railroad cars. The design allows for two percent spillage, amounting to over two tons of spilled rock per day. In which of the following does the project manager document quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvements for this project?

Answer A. Quality management plan

Choices Band C are components of a quality management plan. The quality management plan is part of the project management plan. The best answer is the quality management plan.

21. During a team meeting, the team adds a specific area of extra work to the project because they have determined it would benefit the customer. What is wrong in this situation?

Answer A. The team is gold plating

This is an example of gold plating. You should provide ONLY what the customer asked for. The team does not know if their change will provide benefit to the customer. Focus efforts on fulfilling the requirements.

22. The project team has created a plan for how they will implement the quality policy. It addresses the organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, and other information about plans for quality. If this changes during the project, WHICH of the following plans will also change?

Answer C. Project management

The plan described is the quality management plan. Since the quality management plan is included in the project management plan, changing the quality management plan will also change the project management plan.

23. You are a project manager for a major information systems project. Someone from the quality department comes to see you about beginning a quality audit of your project. The team, already under pressure to complete the project as soon as possible, objects to the audit. You should explain to the team that the purpose of a quality audit is:

Answer C. To identify inefficient and ineffective policies

Perform Quality Assurance, of which an audit is part, focuses on processes, procedures, and standards. Though ISO may be thought of as a standard, that is not the only reason an audit would be conducted, and so choice A cannot be best. The seller cannot generally control or review the customer’s process, so choice B cannot be best. Choice D is more representative of a cost audit than a quality audit, so cannot be the best choice.

24. You are in the middle of a major new facility construction project. The structural steel is in place and the heating conduits are going into place, when a senior manager informs you that he is worried that the project will not meet the quality standards. What should you do in this situation?

Answer C. Form a quality assurance team

Choice A is not productive since it does not solve the problem. An analogous estimate (choice B) looks at past history of other projects. This would not be appropriate to determine how the current project is going. The quality management plan (choice D) does not provide results. Perform Quality Assurance (choice C) helps to determine if the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards.

25. You are asked to select tools and techniques to implement a quality assurance program to supplement existing quality control activities. Which of the following would NOT be appropriate for this purpose?

Answer D. Focus groups

Quality audits (choice A), statistical sampling (choice B), and Pareto charts (choice C) are tools and techniques used in the Perform Quality Assurance and Perform Quality Control processes. Focus groups are a tool of the Collect Requirements process, and would not be useful in the Perform Quality Assurance process.

26. The new software installation project is in progress. The project manager is working with the quality assurance department to improve everyone’s confidence that the project will satisfy the quality standards. Which of the following MUST they have before they start this process?

Answer C. Quality control measurements

This question is similar to others in this book, but not exactly the same. You may also see this occur on your exam. Carefully read the questions! Though quality problems (choice A) MAY lead to quality assurance efforts, they are not a MUST. Quality improvement (choice B) is a result of Perform Quality Assurance, not an input. Rework (choice D) can be an output of Perform Quality Control. That leaves only quality control measurements (choice C), which are inputs to Perform Quality Assurance.

27. The project you are working on has an increase in cost effectiveness, increased productivity, and increased morale. What might be the reason for these changes?

Answer B. Increased quality

As you increase quality, there will be associated benefits for the project. Some of these benefits are increased productivity, increased cost effectiveness, decreased cost risk, and improved morale.

28. A project manager has just taken over the project from another project manager during the execution of the project. The previous project manager created a project budget, determined communications requirements, and went on to complete work packages. What should the new project manager do NEXT?

Answer B. Identify quality standards

Performance of work packages (choice A) is done after project planning. Since the previous project manager did not finish planning, choice D should not be next. Identify Risks (choice C) sounds like a good choice: however, identifying quality standards (choice B) occurs before the Identify Risks process. The best answer is B.

29. A project is facing a major change to its project deliverables. If the project manager is involved in determining which quality standards are relevant to the change, the project manager must be involved in:

Answer C. Plan Quality

Although quality planning usually occurs during project planning, all projects or parts of projects frequently need to be replanned.

30. At the end of a project, a project manager determines that the project has added four areas of functionality and three areas of performance. The customer has expressed satisfaction with the project. What does this mean in terms of success of the project?

Answer B. The project was unsuccessful because it was gold plated

Gold plating a project wastes time and probably cost. It makes the project unsuccessful.

31. During project executing, a project team member informs the project manager that a work package has not met the quality metric, and that she believes it is not possible to meet it. The project manager meets with all parties concerned to analyze the situation. Which part of the quality management process is the project manager involved in?

Answer C. Perform Quality Control

Measuring is part of the Perform Quality Control process. Did you select choice B? The question asked what part of the quality process are you in, not what part of the project management process are you in.

32. The project manager notices that project activities being completed by one department are all taking slightly longer than planned. To date, none of the activities/work packages have been on the critical path, nor have they affected the critical chain planning that has occurred. The project manager is bothered by the problem, since four of the next five critical path activities are being completed by this department. After making three calls, the project manager is finally able to converse with the department manager to determine what is going on. The conversation is slow, because both speak different native languages and they are trying to converse in French, a shared language. To make communication easier, the project manager frequently asks the department manager to repeat back what has been said. The department manager communicates that his staff is following a company policy that requires two levels of testing. During the conversation, the department manager also makes a comment that leads the project manager to believe that the policy may include excessive work. This is the fourth time the project manager has heard such a comment. What is the BEST thing to do?

Answer D. Work on increasing the effectiveness of the performing organization by recommending continuous improvement of the policy in question

“What?” you say. Yes, D is the best answer. Let’s take a look, as this question could be said to have more than one right ans wer. Choice A might be a good idea, but has two problems. It may not be needed on the project, and it does not deal with the problem at hand, the policy that is slowing things down. Choice B is not the best choice as the project manager already has heard the opinion on many other occasions. It is already confirmed. Choice C is just being reactive. A good project manager will find the root cause and deal with that, even if it means attempting to improve the company’s policies and processes. This is continuous improvement. Because there are several activities affected by the policy, it would serve the project better to get to the root cause of the problem and solve it.

33. As the project manager, you are preparing your methods for quality management. You are looking for a method that can demonstrate the relationship between events and their resulting effects. You want to use a method to depict the events that cause a negative effect on quality. Which of the following is the BEST choice for accomplishing your objective?

Answer C. Ishikawa diagram

All reports and diagrams are communications tools. This question asks you to pick the most appropriate quality tool to help communications. An Ishikawa diagram (choice C), also called a cause and effect diagram. is more appropriate than the Pareto chart (choice B) since you are trying to determine the causes. Once causes are known and you have data on occurrences, the data can be displayed in a Pareto chart.

34. Which of the following explains why quality is planned in and not inspected in?

Answer D. It improves quality and is less expensive

Look for the proactive approach. When we plan for quality, it improves quality, which is less expensive over the long run. NOTE: You may spend more initially for increased quality, but you will save through reduced rework, etc.

35. Work on a project is ongoing when the project manager overhears two workers arguing over what a set of instructions mean. The project manager investigates and discovers that the instructions for the construction of the concrete footings currently being poured were poorly translated between the different languages in use on the project. Which of the following is the BEST thing for the project manager to do FIRST?

Answer B. Look for quality impacts of the poor translation of the instructions for the footings

Though all of these choices are correct things to do, the question asks what to do first. What is the most immediate problem? Isn’t it most urgent to find out whether the concrete footings meet your project requirements? Choice A could be done, but it does not address the immediate concern. Choice C is excellent, and something many project managers might never think of doing. However, it does not address the immediate problem. Choice D is also not taking action to solve the problem. Are the concrete footings adequate? Only choice B will help you answer that.