Isa Utility Specialist (Ch. 2 Program & Personnel Management) Exam Questions Answered Correctly Latest Update 2026

ISA UTILITY SPECIALIST (CH. 2 PROGRAM & PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026 ISA BMPs provide a practical guide for implementing __________ __________. - Answers industry standards NERC standards are specific to what line voltages? - Answers 200 kV & above NERC standards require the reporting of all tree caused outages by __________ categories - Answers three Trees growing into contact with a single-phase distribution conductor pose __________ threat of a tree-ground fault. - Answers little Clearing for a new distribution line is likely to be paid for by a __________ budget. - Answers capital A grid-based scheduling system is most likely to be used by highly __________ utilities. - Answers urbanized A challenge with grid-based scheduling is that circuits may traverse many grids, allowing for a variety of __________ __________. - Answers tree conditions The most expensive way to schedule work is: - Answers hotspotting A contractor is paid for each tree pruned or removed when contracted using a __________ __________ contract. - Answers unit price Communication between vegetation managers, contractors, supervisors, & workers should be both __________ & __________. - Answers written & verbal Long-term planning is __________, while short-term planning is __________. - Answers strategic; tactical __________ are documents that describe, instruct, & direct work results. - Answers specifications Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on __________-phase lines than on __________-phase lines. - Answers three; single A results-based strategy designed to target trees as close as possible to the time that they interfere with facilities is known as __________-__________-__________ management. - Answers just-in-time A __________ __________ structure is a prioritized outline of job components that must be completed for a successful project outcome. - Answers work breakdown For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered __________ __________ that do not generate income. - Answers cost centers Purchases of equipment or line construction are considered __________ expenses, whereas supply or salaries are considered __________ expenses. - Answers capital; operating Time & material contracts are generally __________ risk factors for contractors & __________ risk for utilities. - Answers low; high __________ __________ contracts are gaining popularity because the responsibility for productivity, work planning, & scheduling rests with the contractor. - Answers unit price Depreciation can be either __________-__________, in which costs are spread out over a lifetime of an item, or __________, in which the amount of depreciation taken is higher immediately after the purchase of an item. - Answers straight-line; accelerated True or False? All of the following are approaches to work planning: - Cycle-based - Results-based - Crisis management - Answers true SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool & an acronym, meaning: - Answers Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance can cost __________ times as much. - Answers five What are the three parts to the constraint triangle? - Answers time, cost, & scope With respect to personnel management, what is the most common reason that people leave jobs? - Answers treatment from supervisors Type of preventative maintenance that uses field data to diagnose & monitor a condition or system. - Answers predictive maintenance (aka on-condition maintenance) Governments sometimes mandate clearance distances, maintenance intervals, inspection intervals, or require available resources to be focused on: - Answers the worst-performing circuits (in terms of VM) Utility pruning should be performed at intervals that minimize the need for __________ responses, but not so frequently that costs exceed benefits. - Answers reactive It's more effective to base maintenance cycles on __________ __________ rather than fixed distances. - Answers growth rates Process where trees growing significantly faster than most other trees are pruned at approximately half the scheduled maintenance cycle length: - Answers mid-cycle pruning Crisis management is an indicator of chronic __________. - Answers underfunding Completing all necessary line clearance on a feeder or circuit basis: - Answers circuit work A concept in project management that shows the interrelation of the resources of time, cost, & scope; often depicted by the constraint triangle: - Answers triple constraint Project management stratification of the entire scope of work need to accomplish a project's objectives: - Answers work breakdown structure In project management, the longest period of time a series of tasks requires from project beginning to end: - Answers critical path Relationships that indicate when tasks in the work breakdown structure begin & end: - Answers dependencies Three types of dependencies: - Answers mandatory, discretionary, & external Which type of dependency is one in which one task cannot begin until another activity has ended? - Answers mandatory dependency Which type of dependency is developed my managers to meet a specific objective? - Answers discretionary dependency Which type of dependency is a relationship between a task under the direction of a project management team & an action outside of their control? - Answers external dependency __________ __________ are scheduling tools that provide a visual means of tracking a project. - Answers Gantt charts Expenditures that do not generate income: - Answers cost center Expenditures that generate revenue: - Answers profit center