APM PMQ RATED TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A
A+
✔✔Why might an organisation favour an iterative lifecycle? (5) - ✔✔Where development
projects are agile.
Where departments are flexible, adaptable and open to change.
They favour the idea of concurrency, or simultaneous engineering, where different
development steps are allowed to be performed in parallel.
They can manage uncertainty regarding the scope by allowing the objectives to evolve
throughout the life cycle as learning and discovery take place.
Prototypes, timeboxes or parallel activities are utilised to acquire new insights, obtain
feedback or explore high-risk options.
✔✔What Organisational Context and Culture would define the influence on life cycle
choice for an organisation? (3) - ✔✔Risk Tolerance, Decision making style, Change
Readiness
✔✔What Project-Specific Needs would define the influence on life cycle choice for an
organisation? (3) - ✔✔Project complexity, Requirement stability, Stakeholder
engagement, Resource Availability
✔✔Give three examples of necessary adaptations to lifecycle. - ✔✔Phased
Implementation, Custom Iterations, Integration of Agile Techniques
✔✔Give two strengths and two limitations of Linear Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths: Suitable
for low-risk projects, Provides a clear framework for the team to follow.
Limitations: Requires very early clarity on scope and governance, Longer process to
ascertaining benefits realised, Less flexible to accommodating change.
✔✔Give two strengths and two limitations of Iterative Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths:
Beneficial for evolving objectives or solutions, and agile projects, Suitable where project
scope might be vague, Allows iterative feedback and accommodates change more
easily.
Limitations: Lack of early certainty in terms of overall duration and cost, Could lead to
complexities in managing resource.
✔✔Give two strengths and a limitation of Hybrid Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths: Facilitates a
mix of approaches to suit a specific development, Building agile working into a project or
programme can offer increased efficiency and flexibility
Limitations: It requires great skill and clarity when using multiple different systems of
working to be successful
✔✔Define Business-As-Usual - ✔✔Business as usual (BAU) or operations within an
organisation are permanent structures that need specific resources to carry out routine
tasks with a stable team environment
,✔✔What is the most common temporary organisational structure used? - ✔✔Matrix
structure
✔✔Define a Functional Organisational Structure. - ✔✔Groups employees by specific
skills and job functions in a hierarchical structure.
✔✔Define a Matrix Organisational Structure. - ✔✔Combines functional and project-
based structures, with dual reporting lines.
✔✔Define a Project-based Organisational Structure - ✔✔Forms teams specifically for
projects, dissolving them after project completion
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a Matrix organisational structure -
✔✔Adv: Resource flexibility, enhanced inter-department communication, good for
complex projects.
DisAdv: Potential for role confusion, conflict, and high administrative costs
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a Functional organisational structure -
✔✔Adv: Clear career paths, specialised efficiency, easy management of tasks
Disadv: Risk of silos, poor cross department communication, less responsive to change
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of Project-based organisational structure
- ✔✔Adv: High adaptability, focused decision making, strong team motivation.
Disadv: Job security concerns, frequent team changes, challenging resource
management
✔✔State the 6 roles on a project - ✔✔Project Manager, Project Team Members, Project
Users, Project Sponsor, Project Steering Group/Board.
✔✔State the four stages of Project Management Governance - ✔✔Policies
Regulations
Procedures, Processes and Functions
Delegated Responsibilities
✔✔Why are Policies important for Project Management Governance? - ✔✔Provide
guidelines as to what the business expects of projects.
Outline the boundaries for the business.
Influence how projects are conducted and demonstrate the culture of the organisation.
Support governance of projects with various control points, such as decision gates,
audits and evaluation reviews.
✔✔Why are Regulations important for Project Management Governance? - ✔✔Ensure
conformance to standards.
, Ensure that the work adheres to legal, regulatory, corporate, ethical and professional
standards.
✔✔Why are Processes, procedures and functions Important for Project Management
Governance? - ✔✔Standardise methods of working and provide a structured
methodology for the delivery of projects.
Ensure consistency of practice.
Best practice to have a bank of processes, procedures, and standardised functions in
place for a project community such as best practice principles for managing risk,
controlling the budget, life cycle approach, etc.
✔✔Why are Delegated Responsibilities Important for Project Management
Governance? - ✔✔Clarify roles and increases efficiency; everyone has clarity on what is
expected of them.
Good governance expects that the roles and responsibilities of the team and wider
stakeholders are clearly defined.
Use of a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM or RACI) can support this activity.
✔✔Sustainability balances what four considerations? - ✔✔Environment, Social,
Economic, Administrative
✔✔What will sustainability initiatives influence in an organisation? - ✔✔Sustainability
initiatives will influence product design, manufacturing processes, energy consumption,
waste management and stakeholder relationships.
✔✔Give an example of a tool or technique to embrace sustainability. - ✔✔ISO 14001,
LEED, B Corp, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
✔✔Give an example of one of the measures and metrics for sustainability assessment -
✔✔Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) data
Operational carbon usage data
Embodied carbon measures
✔✔What considerations should be given to manage stakeholder perception? -
✔✔Consideration should be given to engaging internal and external communities
(particularly ensuring individual responsibility), providing transparent and credible data
and metrics, as well as the use of universally recognised data collection and analysis
techniques such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
✔✔What are the five elements of the business case? - ✔✔Strategic context: The
compelling case for change.
Economic analysis: Return on investment based on investment appraisal of options.
Commercial approach: Derived from the procurement strategy.
A+
✔✔Why might an organisation favour an iterative lifecycle? (5) - ✔✔Where development
projects are agile.
Where departments are flexible, adaptable and open to change.
They favour the idea of concurrency, or simultaneous engineering, where different
development steps are allowed to be performed in parallel.
They can manage uncertainty regarding the scope by allowing the objectives to evolve
throughout the life cycle as learning and discovery take place.
Prototypes, timeboxes or parallel activities are utilised to acquire new insights, obtain
feedback or explore high-risk options.
✔✔What Organisational Context and Culture would define the influence on life cycle
choice for an organisation? (3) - ✔✔Risk Tolerance, Decision making style, Change
Readiness
✔✔What Project-Specific Needs would define the influence on life cycle choice for an
organisation? (3) - ✔✔Project complexity, Requirement stability, Stakeholder
engagement, Resource Availability
✔✔Give three examples of necessary adaptations to lifecycle. - ✔✔Phased
Implementation, Custom Iterations, Integration of Agile Techniques
✔✔Give two strengths and two limitations of Linear Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths: Suitable
for low-risk projects, Provides a clear framework for the team to follow.
Limitations: Requires very early clarity on scope and governance, Longer process to
ascertaining benefits realised, Less flexible to accommodating change.
✔✔Give two strengths and two limitations of Iterative Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths:
Beneficial for evolving objectives or solutions, and agile projects, Suitable where project
scope might be vague, Allows iterative feedback and accommodates change more
easily.
Limitations: Lack of early certainty in terms of overall duration and cost, Could lead to
complexities in managing resource.
✔✔Give two strengths and a limitation of Hybrid Lifecycles. - ✔✔Strengths: Facilitates a
mix of approaches to suit a specific development, Building agile working into a project or
programme can offer increased efficiency and flexibility
Limitations: It requires great skill and clarity when using multiple different systems of
working to be successful
✔✔Define Business-As-Usual - ✔✔Business as usual (BAU) or operations within an
organisation are permanent structures that need specific resources to carry out routine
tasks with a stable team environment
,✔✔What is the most common temporary organisational structure used? - ✔✔Matrix
structure
✔✔Define a Functional Organisational Structure. - ✔✔Groups employees by specific
skills and job functions in a hierarchical structure.
✔✔Define a Matrix Organisational Structure. - ✔✔Combines functional and project-
based structures, with dual reporting lines.
✔✔Define a Project-based Organisational Structure - ✔✔Forms teams specifically for
projects, dissolving them after project completion
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a Matrix organisational structure -
✔✔Adv: Resource flexibility, enhanced inter-department communication, good for
complex projects.
DisAdv: Potential for role confusion, conflict, and high administrative costs
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a Functional organisational structure -
✔✔Adv: Clear career paths, specialised efficiency, easy management of tasks
Disadv: Risk of silos, poor cross department communication, less responsive to change
✔✔Give one advantage and one disadvantage of Project-based organisational structure
- ✔✔Adv: High adaptability, focused decision making, strong team motivation.
Disadv: Job security concerns, frequent team changes, challenging resource
management
✔✔State the 6 roles on a project - ✔✔Project Manager, Project Team Members, Project
Users, Project Sponsor, Project Steering Group/Board.
✔✔State the four stages of Project Management Governance - ✔✔Policies
Regulations
Procedures, Processes and Functions
Delegated Responsibilities
✔✔Why are Policies important for Project Management Governance? - ✔✔Provide
guidelines as to what the business expects of projects.
Outline the boundaries for the business.
Influence how projects are conducted and demonstrate the culture of the organisation.
Support governance of projects with various control points, such as decision gates,
audits and evaluation reviews.
✔✔Why are Regulations important for Project Management Governance? - ✔✔Ensure
conformance to standards.
, Ensure that the work adheres to legal, regulatory, corporate, ethical and professional
standards.
✔✔Why are Processes, procedures and functions Important for Project Management
Governance? - ✔✔Standardise methods of working and provide a structured
methodology for the delivery of projects.
Ensure consistency of practice.
Best practice to have a bank of processes, procedures, and standardised functions in
place for a project community such as best practice principles for managing risk,
controlling the budget, life cycle approach, etc.
✔✔Why are Delegated Responsibilities Important for Project Management
Governance? - ✔✔Clarify roles and increases efficiency; everyone has clarity on what is
expected of them.
Good governance expects that the roles and responsibilities of the team and wider
stakeholders are clearly defined.
Use of a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM or RACI) can support this activity.
✔✔Sustainability balances what four considerations? - ✔✔Environment, Social,
Economic, Administrative
✔✔What will sustainability initiatives influence in an organisation? - ✔✔Sustainability
initiatives will influence product design, manufacturing processes, energy consumption,
waste management and stakeholder relationships.
✔✔Give an example of a tool or technique to embrace sustainability. - ✔✔ISO 14001,
LEED, B Corp, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
✔✔Give an example of one of the measures and metrics for sustainability assessment -
✔✔Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) data
Operational carbon usage data
Embodied carbon measures
✔✔What considerations should be given to manage stakeholder perception? -
✔✔Consideration should be given to engaging internal and external communities
(particularly ensuring individual responsibility), providing transparent and credible data
and metrics, as well as the use of universally recognised data collection and analysis
techniques such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
✔✔What are the five elements of the business case? - ✔✔Strategic context: The
compelling case for change.
Economic analysis: Return on investment based on investment appraisal of options.
Commercial approach: Derived from the procurement strategy.
