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CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes

Question 39 of 95 in Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes

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Nils Sokolov at Peregrine Global is leading an effort to upgrade the company's customer service platform. The upgrade will take 6 months, has a defined budget, and will conclude when the new platform is operational. His colleague manages the ongoing daily maintenance of all IT systems. What distinguishes Nils's work from his colleague's?
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Correct answer: Nils's work is a project because it is temporary and creates a unique outcome, while his colleague performs operations that are ongoing and repetitive

Explanation

A project is temporary (has a defined beginning and end) and creates a unique product, service, or result. The 6-month upgrade with a specific endpoint is a project. Operations are ongoing, repetitive activities that sustain the business, like daily IT maintenance.

**Why not A:** This reverses the correct classification. Nils's technology upgrade is temporary with a defined endpoint, making it a project — not operations. His colleague's ongoing daily IT maintenance is operations, not portfolio management. Technology involvement does not determine whether work is a project or operations.

**Why not C:** A portfolio is a collection of projects, programs, and operations managed to achieve strategic objectives — not a single initiative. Nils's work is a single project, not a portfolio. Additionally, his colleague performs ongoing operations, not project work.

**Why not D:** A program is a group of related projects managed together for coordinated benefits, not a single upgrade effort. Nils's work is a single project with one defined outcome. His colleague manages ongoing repetitive maintenance, which is operations — not a single project.

Key Concept

This question covers Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes under Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes (Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts).

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