Which of the following corrective actions is the first action to take when a project experiences a
significant deviation on baselined budgets, baselined schedules, or required quality levels?
D
Explanation:
When a project experiences significant deviations from baselined budgets, schedules, or quality
levels, the first corrective action should be to realign project actuals and continue with the plan. This
involves:
Assessing the Deviation: Understanding the root cause and impact of the deviation on the project.
Adjusting the Plan: Making necessary adjustments to realign the project with its original goals.
Updating Stakeholders: Keeping stakeholders informed about the changes and the new plan.
Monitoring Progress: Continuously monitoring the project's progress to ensure it remains on track
after the adjustments.
This approach allows the project to stay aligned with its original objectives while addressing the
issues causing the deviations.
Reference:
PMBOK Guide by Project Management Institute (PMI)
"Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling" by Harold
Kerzner
A software quality engineer (SQE > is testing software in a system used to monitor critically ill
patients and administer dosages of life-sustaining medicines Tests reveal a flaw that could result in
an unscheduled shutdown under certain circumstances. Ox er the SQE's verbal and written
objections: the director of engineering decides to ship the system. The SQE knows from experience
that "whistle-blowers" in the company have lost their jobs The most appropriate next step for the
SQE would be to
C
Explanation:
In a situation where a software quality engineer (SQE) identifies a critical flaw and the immediate
superior decides to proceed despite the risk, the most appropriate next step is to discuss the issue
with top management. This involves:
Documenting the Issue: Clearly outlining the flaw, its potential impact, and the SQE's objections.
Escalating the Concern: Bringing the issue to the attention of higher management levels who have
the authority to reconsider the decision.
Focusing on Safety: Emphasizing the critical nature of the flaw, especially in a system used for
monitoring critically ill patients.
This step ensures that the concerns are heard at the highest level, potentially preventing a decision
that could endanger lives and the company's reputation.
Reference:
"Software Quality Assurance: Principles and Practice" by Nina S. Godbole
IEEE Code of Ethics
Which of the following activities is classified as data collection and storage?
C
Explanation:
Data collection and storage activities are focused on ensuring that the data is adequate, unique, and
consistent. This involves:
Adequacy: Ensuring that the collected data meets the necessary requirements for its intended use.
Uniqueness: Verifying that the data is not duplicated and is uniquely identifiable.
Consistency: Ensuring that the data is consistent across different datasets and over time.
These activities are critical for maintaining the integrity and reliability of the data, which is essential
for effective data analysis and decision-making.
Reference:
"Data Quality: The Accuracy Dimension" by Jack E. Olson
"Data Management for Researchers" by Kristin Briney
The software configuration management (SCM) planning process includes
D
Explanation:
The software configuration management (SCM) planning process includes defining the specific SCM
roles and responsibilities for the project. This involves:
Role Identification: Identifying all roles related to SCM, such as SCM Manager, SCM Engineer, and
Configuration Librarian.
Responsibility Assignment: Clearly defining the responsibilities associated with each role.
Documentation: Documenting these roles and responsibilities in the SCM plan to ensure clarity and
accountability.
This step is crucial for establishing a clear framework for managing configuration items and changes
throughout the project lifecycle.
Reference:
"Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration" by
Stephen P. Berczuk and Brad Appleton
IEEE Standard for Software Configuration Management Plans (IEEE Std 828)
Which of the following is a management practice that will provide business continuity?
A
Explanation:
A management practice that will provide business continuity involves creating and documenting a
business continuity plan. This includes:
Risk Assessment: Identifying potential risks and their impact on business operations.
Strategy Development: Developing strategies to mitigate identified risks and ensure continuity of
critical business functions.
Documentation: Documenting the continuity plan, including detailed procedures and guidelines for
response and recovery.
Training and Testing: Training employees on the plan and regularly testing the plan to ensure its
effectiveness.
A well-documented business continuity plan ensures that an organization can maintain or quickly
resume its critical functions during and after a disruption.
Reference:
"Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning for IT Professionals" by Susan Snedaker
ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems – Requirements
One advantage of outsourcing is that it allows the primary company to
A
Explanation:
Outsourcing is a business practice where a company hires an external organization to perform tasks,
handle operations, or provide services. One key advantage of outsourcing is that it allows the
primary company to focus its resources on its core competencies. By delegating non-core activities to
external specialists, the company can concentrate on what it does best, thereby enhancing efficiency,
innovation, and competitive advantage in its primary market.
Reference:
"The Outsourcing Revolution" by Michael F. Corbett
IEEE Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), Chapter on Software Engineering
Management
A software maintenance release is conducted to deliver new
A
Explanation:
Outsourcing is a business practice where a company hires an external organization to perform tasks,
handle operations, or provide services. One key advantage of outsourcing is that it allows the
primary company to focus its resources on its core competencies. By delegating non-core activities to
external specialists, the company can concentrate on what it does best, thereby enhancing efficiency,
innovation, and competitive advantage in its primary market.
Reference:
"The Outsourcing Revolution" by Michael F. Corbett
IEEE Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), Chapter on Software Engineering
Management
Which of the following documents must be under configuration control?
C
Explanation:
Test procedures must be under configuration control to ensure that all testing activities are
performed consistently and according to the specified standards. Configuration control involves
managing changes systematically so that the integrity and traceability of the testing process are
maintained. This helps in ensuring that the tests are repeatable and that any changes in the
procedures are documented and approved.
Reference:
"Configuration Management Principles and Practice" by Anne Mette Jonassen Hass
IEEE Standard for Configuration Management in Systems and Software Engineering (IEEE Std 828-
2012)
Which of the following software metrics is based on a nominal scale-1
A
Explanation:
Nominal scales are used in measurement to categorize data without any order or priority.
They are
the simplest form of measurement scale and are used to group items into distinct categories based
on names or labels123
.
Root cause of defect (Option A): This fits the nominal scale as it involves categorizing defects based
on their root causes, such as logic errors or data definitions.
These categories are mutually exclusive
and do not have a natural order1
.
Severity of a defect (Option B): This is an example of an ordinal scale, not a nominal scale.
The
severity levels (critical, major, minor) imply a ranking or order of importance or impact2
.
Defect density (Option C): This metric uses a ratio scale as it involves a quantitative measure
(number of defects) relative to the size of the software (function points), which has a true zero point
and allows for meaningful comparisons between measurements2
.
Defect discovery rate (Option D): This is also a ratio scale because it measures the rate of defect
detection over time (number detected per day), which is a quantitative assessment that allows for
arithmetic operations
A software developer is replacing a higher level code with a test code that establishes a function and
passes test data to that function What type of test environment is the developer using
C
Explanation:
In software testing, a driver is a piece of code that replaces a higher-level module to test a lower-
level module by establishing a function and passing test data to that function. Drivers are used in
bottom-up integration testing to simulate the behavior of higher-level modules that have not yet
been developed or integrated.
Reference:
"Software Testing and Quality Assurance: Theory and Practice" by Kshirasagar Naik and Priyadarshi
Tripathy
IEEE Standard for Software Unit Testing (IEEE Std 1008-1987)