PMP Practice Questions #80
In your project, a recent resequencing of activities due to unanticipated changes in project requirements has resulted in one of your key team members being allocated at 150% of their capacity for the upcoming 15 days. Concurrently, your project’s Cost Performance Index (CPI) stands at 0.9 and the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is 1.1. As the project manager, what action should you take to address the resource overallocation?
A) Implement resource levelling by adjusting the project schedule to evenly distribute tasks.
B) Extend the work hours of the overallocated team member.
C) Onboard additional resources to redistribute the excessive workload.
D) Initiate negotiations with stakeholders for a possible project scope reduction.
Analysis:
The project manager is facing a situation where a key team member is overallocated due to recent changes in project requirements, while the project’s Cost Performance Index (CPI) is at 0.9 and the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is at 1.1. This scenario requires balancing the need to address resource overallocation with maintaining cost and schedule efficiency.
Analysis of Options:
Option A: Implement resource levelling by adjusting the project schedule to evenly distribute tasks. This approach is suitable as it directly addresses the resource overallocation without impacting the cost performance. Given that the SPI is 1.1, there is some leeway in the schedule to accommodate these adjustments.
Option B: Extend the work hours of the overallocated team member. This option, while offering a quick fix, is not sustainable and can lead to team burnout, impacting both productivity and morale. This approach does not address the root cause of overallocation and could potentially worsen the project’s cost performance, given the current CPI of 0.9.
Option C: Onboard additional resources to redistribute the excessive workload. While this might seem like a direct solution to overallocation, it poses a significant risk of escalating costs, which is critical to avoid given the current CPI of 0.9. Adding more resources can lead to increased expenditure, which the project may not be able to sustain.
Option D: Initiate negotiations with stakeholders for a possible project scope reduction. . This option does not directly address the immediate issue of resource overallocation and could lead to complex changes in the project’s scope. Such a drastic measure is not warranted based on the current SPI and CPI, and it could lead to unintended consequences on both the cost and schedule of the project.
Conclusion: Option A, advocating for resource leveling, presents a tailored approach to managing the identified resource overallocation. It suggests a careful reevaluation and redistribution of tasks, based on the current project situation, without rigidly adhering to pre-set plans. This flexible and adaptive strategy aligns well with the project’s favorable SPI of 1.1, allowing for adjustments in the schedule without severely disrupting the project’s progress. By “figuring out the best based on the project situation,” Option A embodies a pragmatic and responsive approach, crucial for maintaining equilibrium between schedule efficiency and resource constraints, especially in light of the project’s CPI of 0.9.
PMP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
|---|---|
| Process | Task 5: Plan and manage budget and resources |
| Process | Task 6: Plan and manage schedule |
Topics Covered
- Predictive Scheduling
- Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
- Cost Performance Index (CPI)
