PGMP practice question 17 of 35

While setting up a program’s infrastructure and plan, a program management team develops documents and processes that provide commonality and consistency throughout the program’s components. What should the team also prepare, if not already provided by the organization’s assets?

Answer options

A: Breakdowns such as the program work breakdown structure (PWBS), component project milestones, and budgets that transform top-level planning into fragments relevant to the components Correct answer

B: Industry standards that provide guidance to the component project managers on how to adapt their detailed planning to the program’s master plan

C: Documents that enable level-adequate aggregation and consolidation of component/program information and forecasting

D: Files, filing structures, and templates for knowledge repositories that contain centrally stored and commonly maintained program data

Correct Answer:

A. Breakdowns such as the program work breakdown structure (PWBS), component project milestones, and budgets that transform top-level planning into fragments relevant to the components

Explanation

When establishing a program's infrastructure and plan, the primary goal is to translate high-level strategic objectives into a structured, executable framework. The Program Work Breakdown Structure (PWBS) is the cornerstone of this effort. It decomposes the total scope of the program into manageable components and work packages. This hierarchical breakdown provides the essential framework for developing detailed schedules (milestones) and budgets for each component, ensuring consistency and alignment with the overall program goals. This process is fundamental to transforming the top-level plan into actionable segments for the component teams, which directly addresses the core activity described in the question.

Why Incorrect

B. Industry standards are external constraints or guides that a program adopts or complies with; the program management team does not prepare or create them.
C. These documents are part of the program's monitoring and control infrastructure, focusing on reporting and information flow up from components, which typically follows the initial planning and work breakdown.
D. This describes the setup of the information and knowledge management systems. While a key part of the program infrastructure, it supports the management of the plan rather than defining the plan's core content (scope, schedule, cost).

References

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). The Standard for Program Management (4th ed.).

Section 5.3

Program Scope Management: This section explains that the PWBS is a "program-level artifact that provides a framework for consolidating the component-level WBSs" and is used to "organize and define the total scope of the program." This directly supports option A as a foundational planning document.

Section 3.4.2

Program Definition Phase Activities: This section lists the development of the "program management plan and its component plans" as a key activity. It explicitly states that "Key outputs from the Program Definition Phase include the program scope statement

program work breakdown structure (PWBS)

and program schedule." This confirms that creating the PWBS and related planning documents is a primary task in setting up the program.

Section 3.4.2.2

Program Infrastructure Development: This section discusses the development of information systems and processes

which relate to options C and D. However

these are described as supporting the execution of the plan

which is first defined by artifacts like the PWBS (Option A).

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