WGU C722 (Project Management) Study Guide
Disclaimer: This guide is based on the common principles of project management
found in the PMBOK® Guide and standard curricula. Always defer to the official
course materials, cohort videos, and rubrics provided by your instructor for the
most accurate and specific guidance for your assessment.
Module 1: Project Management Fundamentals
1. Project
ANSWER ✓ A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or
result.
Example: Developing a new mobile application for a bank. It has a defined start (project
charter signed) and end date (app launched in app stores) and creates a unique product.
2. Operations
ANSWER ✓ Ongoing, repetitive activities that an organization performs to produce
goods or services or to achieve its business objectives.
Example: The daily processing of customer transactions at the same bank. This is a
repetitive, ongoing process.
3. Project Management
ANSWER ✓ The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project
activities to meet the project requirements.
Example: Using a Gantt chart, a budget, and a communication plan to guide the
development of the new mobile app.
4. Program
ANSWER ✓ A group of related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities
managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them
individually.
Example: A "Digital Transformation" program that includes the new mobile app project,
a new website project, and a new backend database project.
, 5. Portfolio
ANSWER ✓ A collection of projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations
managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives.
Example: The bank's entire portfolio includes the Digital Transformation program, a
marketing program, a risk management project, and its daily operations. This aligns with
the bank's overall business strategy.
6. Organizational Project Management (OPM)
ANSWER ✓ A framework in which portfolio, program, and project management are
integrated with organizational enablers to achieve strategic objectives.
Example: The bank uses a standardized software tool (organizational enabler) for all its
projects and programs to ensure they contribute to the strategic goal of increasing
digital customer engagement.
7. Project Management Office (PMO)
ANSWER ✓ A management structure that standardizes the project-related governance
processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.
Example: A central PMO department that provides templates, best practices, and
project managers for all projects in the organization.
8. Predictive (Waterfall) Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle where the project scope, time, and cost are determined
in the early phases and changes are carefully managed.
Example: Constructing a new building. The plans are fully designed before any
construction begins, and changes to the blueprint are costly.
9. Iterative Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle that allows for feedback on partially completed or
unfinished work to modify and improve the product.
Example: Developing a software prototype, getting user feedback, and then using that
feedback to improve the prototype in the next cycle.
10. Incremental Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle where the product is delivered in successive, usable
increments until the final product is complete.
Example: Delivering a basic version of the mobile app first (e.g., just balance checking),
then adding new features (e.g., bill pay, transfers) in subsequent releases.
, 11. Agile Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ An iterative and incremental approach where requirements and solutions
evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams.
Example: Using Scrum framework with 2-week "sprints" to develop and release small
chunks of the mobile app functionality rapidly based on constantly changing user
stories.
12. Hybrid Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A combination of predictive and adaptive (Agile) approaches within a single
project.
Example: Using a predictive approach to plan the overall budget and timeline for the
app project but using Agile sprints within the development phase to handle feature
changes.
13. Project Constraints (The Triple Constraint / Iron Triangle)
ANSWER ✓ The competing and interconnected constraints of Scope, Time, and Cost.
Quality is often at the center. Some models also include Risk and Resources.
Example: If the project scope increases (client adds new features), it will likely require
more time and/or cost to maintain the same level of quality.
14. Project Manager's Sphere of Influence
ANSWER ✓ The areas where a project manager exerts authority and impact, including
the project, the organization, the industry, and the profession.
Example: A PM influences the project team (project), advocates for better tools
(organization), stays updated on tech trends (industry), and earns a PMP certification
(profession).
Module 2: Project Initiation
15. Project Business Case
ANSWER ✓ A documented economic feasibility study used to establish the validity of
the perceived benefits of a project. It justifies the investment.
Example: A document showing the projected development cost of the app vs. the
expected increase in new customers and transaction fees over 3 years.
Disclaimer: This guide is based on the common principles of project management
found in the PMBOK® Guide and standard curricula. Always defer to the official
course materials, cohort videos, and rubrics provided by your instructor for the
most accurate and specific guidance for your assessment.
Module 1: Project Management Fundamentals
1. Project
ANSWER ✓ A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or
result.
Example: Developing a new mobile application for a bank. It has a defined start (project
charter signed) and end date (app launched in app stores) and creates a unique product.
2. Operations
ANSWER ✓ Ongoing, repetitive activities that an organization performs to produce
goods or services or to achieve its business objectives.
Example: The daily processing of customer transactions at the same bank. This is a
repetitive, ongoing process.
3. Project Management
ANSWER ✓ The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project
activities to meet the project requirements.
Example: Using a Gantt chart, a budget, and a communication plan to guide the
development of the new mobile app.
4. Program
ANSWER ✓ A group of related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities
managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them
individually.
Example: A "Digital Transformation" program that includes the new mobile app project,
a new website project, and a new backend database project.
, 5. Portfolio
ANSWER ✓ A collection of projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations
managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives.
Example: The bank's entire portfolio includes the Digital Transformation program, a
marketing program, a risk management project, and its daily operations. This aligns with
the bank's overall business strategy.
6. Organizational Project Management (OPM)
ANSWER ✓ A framework in which portfolio, program, and project management are
integrated with organizational enablers to achieve strategic objectives.
Example: The bank uses a standardized software tool (organizational enabler) for all its
projects and programs to ensure they contribute to the strategic goal of increasing
digital customer engagement.
7. Project Management Office (PMO)
ANSWER ✓ A management structure that standardizes the project-related governance
processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.
Example: A central PMO department that provides templates, best practices, and
project managers for all projects in the organization.
8. Predictive (Waterfall) Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle where the project scope, time, and cost are determined
in the early phases and changes are carefully managed.
Example: Constructing a new building. The plans are fully designed before any
construction begins, and changes to the blueprint are costly.
9. Iterative Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle that allows for feedback on partially completed or
unfinished work to modify and improve the product.
Example: Developing a software prototype, getting user feedback, and then using that
feedback to improve the prototype in the next cycle.
10. Incremental Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A project life cycle where the product is delivered in successive, usable
increments until the final product is complete.
Example: Delivering a basic version of the mobile app first (e.g., just balance checking),
then adding new features (e.g., bill pay, transfers) in subsequent releases.
, 11. Agile Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ An iterative and incremental approach where requirements and solutions
evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams.
Example: Using Scrum framework with 2-week "sprints" to develop and release small
chunks of the mobile app functionality rapidly based on constantly changing user
stories.
12. Hybrid Life Cycle
ANSWER ✓ A combination of predictive and adaptive (Agile) approaches within a single
project.
Example: Using a predictive approach to plan the overall budget and timeline for the
app project but using Agile sprints within the development phase to handle feature
changes.
13. Project Constraints (The Triple Constraint / Iron Triangle)
ANSWER ✓ The competing and interconnected constraints of Scope, Time, and Cost.
Quality is often at the center. Some models also include Risk and Resources.
Example: If the project scope increases (client adds new features), it will likely require
more time and/or cost to maintain the same level of quality.
14. Project Manager's Sphere of Influence
ANSWER ✓ The areas where a project manager exerts authority and impact, including
the project, the organization, the industry, and the profession.
Example: A PM influences the project team (project), advocates for better tools
(organization), stays updated on tech trends (industry), and earns a PMP certification
(profession).
Module 2: Project Initiation
15. Project Business Case
ANSWER ✓ A documented economic feasibility study used to establish the validity of
the perceived benefits of a project. It justifies the investment.
Example: A document showing the projected development cost of the app vs. the
expected increase in new customers and transaction fees over 3 years.
