CompTIA Project+ Exam Review Questions and
Answers with Explanations.
What is a Project? - Correct Answer A project can be defined as a one-time effort toward a
specific goal. Its distinctive characteristic is that it creates a unique product or service.
Every project has a definite start and end date, which makes it a temporary endeavor.
While a project could be the development of a new product, the launch of a new service, a
marketing campaign, or even a major family event, in business terms, a project is typically
created once, it's temporary, and it's specific. As one expert notes, "It has a beginning and
an end." A project consumes resources (whether people, cash, materials, or time), and it
has funding limits. A project isn't something that's part of normal business operations
Initiating the Project - Correct Answer Projects are initiated to solve a business problem or
to seize a business opportunity. Think of any project you've been involved with and you'll
see that the project can almost always be reduced to one of these two reasons. For
example, consider a company that's building a new warehouse. They could be doing this
to solve the problem of insufficient space in their current warehouse to reduce payments
made by owning versus leasing space, or to accommodate their growing business.
Initiation is a process group or stage that occurs at the beginning of the project. It
determines the nature and scope of the development. If this stage is not performed well, it
is unlikely that the project will be successful in meeting the business needs. The initiation
stage should include a cohesive plan that encompasses the following areas:
Study analyzing the business needs in measurable goals
Review of the current operations
Conceptual design of the operation of the final product
Equipment and contracting requirements including an assessment of 'long-lead' items
Financial analysis of the costs and benefits including a budget
Stakeholder analysis, including users, and support personnel for the project
Project charter including costs, tasks, deliverables, and schedule
,The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business environment
and making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the project. Any
deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix them.
Before projects are initiated there's often a business case or contract to consider. A
business case is a study on the financial gains and feasibility of launching the project. This
process may not include the project manager as it's a management decision to determine
if it's financially feasible to invest in the project. I
The Project Charter - Correct Answer Formal project initiation focuses on developing the
project charter. The project charter is written and signed by an individual in the
organization that has the power over the needed resources in the project; this person is
the project sponsor. It's important to have the correct project sponsor because a person
without the needed power over the project resources can wreck the project execution. In
other words you don't want Anna the cafeteria cook signing your project charter to update
the company's network. Anna may be nice, but she doesn't have the needed authority
over the resources and decisions in the project.
The second, and last, process in initiating is to identify the project stakeholders. A
stakeholder is anyone that is affected by the project 's existence. Stakeholders are usually
defined as negative, positive, or neutral. A negative stakeholder, as you may guess,
doesn't want the project to exist and may be difficult to work with. A positive stakeholder
wants the project to exist and is in support of the project needs. A neutral stakeholder,
such as your company's purchasing department or an inspector, doesn't really care about
the project's outcome, but they're still involved in the project. I 's important to identify the
project stakeholders early in the project life cycle as these people can affect the decisions
and outcomes of your project.
What is Project Management? - Correct Answer Project management is the discipline of
planning, organizing, securing, managing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve
specific goals. It is both a science and an art to organize the various components of a
project. No matter the type or size of project, there are five project management basics:
1. Definition
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Control
5. Closure
, The PMO - Correct Answer The Project Management Office (PMO) in a business or
professional enterprise is the department or group that defines and maintains the
standards of process, generally related to project management, within the organization.
The PMO strives to standardize and introduce economies of repetition in the execution of
projects. The PMO is the source of documentation, guidance, and metrics on the practice
of project management and execution. PMO tasks include following up a project until its
completion and reporting to the top management in a strategic purpose.
What or who are Project Resources? - Correct Answer In project management
terminology, resources are required to complete project tasks. They can be people,
equipment, facilities, money, or anything else required for the completion of a project
activity. The lack of a resource will therefore be a constraint or risk to project activity.
Resources may be storable or non-storable. Storable resources remain available unless
depleted by usage, and may be replenished by project tasks which produce them. Non-
storable resources must be renewed for each time period, even if not utilized in previous
time periods. Resources may be required for the entire duration of the project, at specific
times, or for a specific period in time. Resource scheduling, availability and optimization
are key factors to successful project management.
Project charter - Correct Answer The project charter is the document that officially
recognizes and acknowledges that a project exists. It helps define requirements and
expectations to all involved in the project. A project charter is issued by the project
sponsor. A project charter can be as simple as a one-page form for a very small project,
briefly describing the project and listing the responsibilities and authority of the project
manager. Charters can be much longer, however, depending on the size of the project. In
addition to formally authorizing a project, the charter provides the project manager with
the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Project charters are
important to the success of a project.
It's a good idea to have a project manager assigned to the project prior to the start of
planning, and preferably while the project charter is being developed. Here's an example
of a project charter.
Obtaining approval (signature) for the project charter - Correct Answer The project charter
isn't complete until sign-off has been received from the project sponsor, executive
leadership (for business critical projects), and key stakeholders. Sign-off indicates that the
document has been read by those signing it and that they agree with the contents and are
on board with the project. The signature signifies the formal authorization and acceptance
of the project. Acceptance of the charter is also important to formalize the assignment of
the project manager and their level of authority.
