3 Flashcards
In which conflict resolution technique is the problem ignored or postponed?
Avoiding
Compromising
Confronting
Forcing
Avoiding
Avoiding is either retreating from a problem or failing to address it.
Compromising attempts to find a common ground and resolve a conflict by having both parties concede a little.
Forcing is a win-lose solution, because one party must yield its position to the other party.
Confronting is facing a problem and attempting to find and solve its root cause.
You are working on a project to upgrade the Human Resources Management System (HRMS). The sponsor on this project is the HR Vice-President, who is retiring in two months, three months before the project is completed.
This is a risk to your project because:
The new HR Vice-President may not support the project.
The HR department will be focusing on finding a replacement, not on the new system.
It is not a risk to the project.
You will need to reschedule the project to be completed before the HR Vice-President leaves.
The new HR Vice-President may not support the project.
The new Vice-President of Human Resources may have other ideas about how to run the organization, which do not necessarily include a new software system.
Departments always have things to focus on that compete with project work. This time delay should be included in the plan, not as a risk.
Nothing in the scenario suggests a need to change the schedule, so this is not a risk.
Anytime any key person of a project leaves, it should be considered a risk. This is true for the sponsor, the project manager, or a technical lead.
The project manager for the WingTip Toys mini-drone project has been asked why he or she would use a lead in a project plan.
When a lead occurs in an activity, what is its effect upon other activities?
It delays a predecessor task.
It accelerates a predecessor task.
It accelerates a successor task.
It delays a successor task.
It accelerates a successor task.
A lead represents an overlap in two tasks, with the successor task starting earlier than if there were no lead.
A lead cannot delay a successor task because of the overlapping nature of the lead.
A lead cannot delay a predecessor task because the lead applies to the successor task.
A lead cannot accelerate a predecessor task because the lead applies to the successor task.
You are working on a project to upgrade the Human Resources Management System (HRMS).
The sponsor on this project is most likely to be the:
Vice President of Information Systems
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
The Senior Vice President of Human Resources would be the sponsor for a human resources project as all the end users would report to him/her.
Although the finance area would fund the purchase of the new software, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) would not be the sponsor because the project affects human resources, not his/her reports.
A Vice President of Information Systems might serve as a sponsor of a technology infrastructure project, but not an HR system.
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is normally the highest-ranking person responsible for the technology infrastructure and would be the sponsor for major infrastructure upgrades, but not a new HR system.
During product testing, the team identifies a problem and needs to trace it back to its root cause.
Which quality tool would they use?
Scatter chart
Statistical sampling
Gantt chart
Fishbone diagram
Fishbone diagram
A fishbone diagram, also known as a cause-and-effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram, can be used to trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.
A scatter chart is used to examine the correlation between two variables. It is not used to determine the root cause of a problem.
A Gantt chart depicts project activities as a function of time.
Statistical sampling examines a subset of a population, where analysis of the entire population is not possible because the population is too large.
When stakeholders change their minds about the project requirements, they submit change requests that are evaluated and reviewed by a:
Toll gate committee
Project manager
Change Control Board (CCB)
Steering committee
Change Control Board (CCB)
The generic term for the person or group who evaluates and approves or denies changes is the Change Control Board (CCB).
On small projects, a project manager may function as the Change Control Board (CCB), but the umbrella term is CCB.
Some companies may call their approval groups toll gate committees, but the industry standard term is Change Control Board (CCB).
Steering committees of senior managers may function as a Change Control Board (CCB), but the industry standard term is CCB.
The project team has been working diligently to meet all of the milestones of their project. Acceptance of the interim and final deliverables is a key objective.
What should the deliverables be compared to?
The current baselines
The variance
The initial cost estimate
The actuals
The current baselines
Deliverables should be measured against the current baselines: scope, schedule, and time. Changes to the project will cause these baseline values to change, and the most recent approved baselines should be used.
Actuals represent the present state of a deliverable and not a comparison to anything.
Variances are the difference between planned and actual values and are an indication of deviations in scope, schedule, and time. They need to be compared to something, and that will be the current baselines.
The initial cost estimate was developed before much (if any) planning was done, and it is not indicative of the current state of the project. Also, cost is only one of the project objectives.
You have taken over a project from another project manager and are deciding how to handle project risk.
The document you need to consult is the:
Risk Management Plan
Risk Probability and Impact Matrix
Risk Register
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Risk Management Plan
The Risk Management Plan documents how you should handle the risk process.
The Risk Register lists each risk, as well as its corresponding probability, impact, and score, which may be updated in quantitative risk analysis.
A Risk Probability and Impact Matrix shows how you might evaluate the priority of risks and is a part of the Risk Management Plan.
A hierarchical chart that organizes risk categories by their sources is called a Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS).
The project manager is evaluating a change request that appears warranted, but it will result in a large impact to the scope.
What should the project manager do next?
Evaluate the change request to determine if it is truly necessary
Get signoff on the change
Look for alternatives that might have less impact on the scope
Reject the change request
Look for alternatives that might have less impact on the scope
Look for alternatives that have less impact on the scope. The first solution to a problem might not be the best.
The change request has not gone through the change management process, and signoff cannot be obtained until that process is completed.
The change appears necessary, and more analysis will not change that conclusion.
The change request cannot be rejected until the change management process is completed.
Which of the following documents are contracts between the organization and one or more external entities to work together?
Organizational process assets
Teaming agreements
Enterprise environmental factors
Risk-related contract decisions
Teaming agreements
Teaming agreements are legal contractual agreements between two or more parties to form a joint venture or any other arrangement as defined by the parties to meet the requirements of a business opportunity. The parties can be internal or external to the organization executing the project.
Risk-related contract decisions result when one party transfers or shares a risk with another party. The contract will specify how much of the risk is to be borne by each party.
Organizational process assets are entities that can be used to influence the success of a project. They include policies, procedures, guidelines, formal and informal plans, templates, lessons learned documents, and historical information.
Enterprise environmental factors are the internal or external factors that can have a positive or negative influence on the project outcome. They include organizational culture, the human resources pool, marketplace conditions, stakeholder risk tolerances, political situations, and project management information systems.
Joe and Charlie are arguing about how to solve a technical issue on the database design project. After 15 minutes, Joe gets frustrated and leaves the room.
Which conflict management approach does this demonstrate?
Forcing
Smoothing
Avoiding
Confronting
Avoiding
Avoiding leaves the problem in place and simply does nothing about it. Joe avoided managing the conflict.
Forcing does not solve the root cause of a problem; it simply mandates a course of action.
Smoothing attempts to minimize a problem by convincing the parties that they do not really have a disagreement.
Confronting a conflict is the only technique that solves the root cause of a problem. The parties dig to explore and find the true cause of the problem, then to find a solution that removes the problem from further consideration.
You are executing the project plan for a new Point of Sale system for your retail stores and the Steering committee has given you the go ahead to move forward to installation of the software and equipment.
You inform the team. What was the trigger for this?
Stakeholder changes
Schedule changes
Gate reviews
Risk register updates
Gate reviews
Gate reviews are periodically scheduled assessments of progress that often include go/no go decisions, which are then communicated to the team.
Risk register updates are part of risk reassessment and are communicated to the sponsor and team when they occur.
A stakeholder change would be communicated to the team and affected stakeholders, but that has not happened at this point.
A schedule change would be a trigger to communicate with the sponsor, functional manager, and client, but that has not happened yet.
The manager of the TailSpin Toys robotic cat laser project is reviewing the project management plan prepared by the team, and something does not look right. Some of the subsidiary plans appear correct, but others do not.
Which of the following are correct subsidiary plans?
Scope management plan, budget management plan, procurement management plan, process improvement plan
Risk response plan, quality management plan, communications management plan, process improvement plan
Scope management plan, risk management plan, procurement management plan, human resource plan
Time management plan, cost management plan, requirements management plan, human resource plan
Scope management plan, risk management plan, procurement management plan, human resource plan
Scope management plan, risk management plan, procurement management plan, human resource plan are all subsidiary plans.
There is no time management plan; the correct plan is schedule management.
The risk response plan is not a separate subsidiary plan; it is included in the risk management plan.
There is no budget management plan; the correct plan is cost management.
You are nine weeks into a three-month project, and your schedule has increased by three weeks. Your sponsor has asked you to hire more resources for the critical path tasks to get back on schedule.
This is known as:
Leveling
Fast-tracking
Smoothing
Crashing
Crashing
Decreasing the schedule by adding more resources is known as crashing.
Fast-tracking is compressing the schedule by overlapping tasks.
Smoothing is removing resource over-allocation within slack/float.
Leveling is removing resource over-allocation regardless of schedule changes.
A team member is confused about the difference between two work packages with similar names.
The best document to have that team member consult is the:
Requirements Traceability Matrix
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Dictionary
RACI Matrix
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Dictionary
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) dictionary describes many different attributes of a work package, including a more detailed description of the component, specific guidelines to meet, accounting codes, etc.
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) shows the hierarchy of the work packages, but does not provide additional detail on them.
The Requirements Traceability Matrix shows where the requirements on a work package came from, but does not provide additional detail to differentiate between work packages.
A RACI Matrix shows the roles and responsibilities various resources have on a work package, but does not provide additional clarifying detail on the work package itself.
During the course of a project, resources might be needed on an “ad hoc” or occasional basis.
To whom do these resources report in a projectized organization?
Determined by Human Resources Department because of the ad hoc nature of the assignment
Determined by senior management; could be either project manager or functional manager
Functional manager unless there is a specific agreement with the project manager, because of the ad hoc nature of the assignment
Project manager
Project manager
All project resources in a projectized organization are under the direction of a project manager.
The Human Resources Department does not make project staffing assignments.
The functional manager does not make project staffing assignments in a projectized organization.
Senior management does not make project staffing assignments.
A stakeholder approaches the project manager with an idea for a new project.
What document will be prepared as a result of this meeting?
Stakeholder register
Project charter
Business case
Scope
Business case
The business case justifies the investments made for a project, and how the investments comply with the organization’s policy. It is prepared very early in the project.
The charter authorizes the project to begin. It names the project manager and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. It is prepared after a business case has been written.
The stakeholder register lists information about the stakeholders. It is prepared after the project has begun.
The scope is written after the project has begun.
You are working on a six-month project to redesign the corporate website and add product purchasing functionality. You are two months in when you get a $20,000 grant toward the project.
This is an example of what type of change?
Requirements change
Funding change
Timeline change
Scope change
Funding change
This request will decrease internal expenses by $20,000, so it will require a funding change.
Timeline changes increase or decrease the schedule.
Requirements changes affect the parameters that define the deliverables.
A scope change increases or decreases the work the project must accomplish.
You are working on a new purchasing system project and are getting ready to start executing the project.
Which of the following is a disadvantage of holding the kick-off meeting in person?
The content might be forwarded to inappropriate recipients.
Stakeholders need to be in the same physical location at the same time.
Stakeholders need to have the communication technology installed in their locations.
It is an outdated form of communication.
Stakeholders need to be in the same physical location at the same time.
For in-person meetings such as proposed here, everyone attending needs to be in the same place at the same time, which may be difficult and expensive to accomplish.
Stakeholders do not need any specific type of technology for an in-person meeting.
With email, not in-person meetings, content might be forwarded to inappropriate recipients.
Faxes are often considered outdated methods of communicating, but in-person meetings are not.
Which administrative unit or department in an organization distributes project management tools to projects under its control?
Each project team provides their own tools
Project Sponsors Group
Project Management Office (PMO)
Senior management of the organization
Project Management Office (PMO)
The Project Management Office (PMO) within an organization provides the tools that projects can use so projects within the organization have the same “look and feel.”
Sponsors are champions for their projects, but they do not provide tools. Also, there is no Project Sponsors Group.
Senior management resolves conflicts between projects and day-to-day business operations.
Project teams will frequently use their own tools. However, in addition, they will use PMO tools if available.
In which type of organization does the authority of the project manager range from weak to strong?
Functional
Matrix
Composite
Projectized
Matrix
In a matrix organization, authority is shared between the project manager and the functional manager. In a strong matrix, the project manager has relatively more authority than the functional managers; in a weak matrix, relatively less; and in a balanced matrix the level of authority is similar.
In a projectized organization, authority rests with the project manager.
In a functional organization, authority rests with the functional manager.
A composite organization is a blend of the other three types.
Trey Research, Inc. begins approximately 100 projects a year, and the Project Management Office (PMO) reviews every charter before it reaches a sponsor’s desk for approval.
Which of the following items should the PMO insist be in every charter?
Historical information that led to the decision to start a project
Business need of the project
Detailed cost estimate
Charter management plan
Business need of the project
The primary purpose of the charter is to authorize a project, and the business need provides the reason for the project. If there is no business reason to launch a project, there should be no project.
The detailed cost estimate is prepared after the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is prepared, which is after the scope is written, which is after the charter is approved.
There is no charter management plan.
The historical background that led to the project is not included in the charter.
You are moving the corporate servers to a new building in Buffalo, NY in January and February. You have included snow in your risk list. Your sponsor asks you what your contingency is for this risk.
What is she asking?
What you’ll change the move date to so snow will not affect it.
What your plan is if it does snow and it impacts the move.
To what other city you considered relocating the servers.
What resources are in place to monitor the risk.
What your plan is if it does snow and it impacts the move.
A contingency is a special type of risk response you follow only if the risk event occurs; it snows in this case.
Changing the date of the move out of the typical snow period would be an example of an avoid response; i.e., it would not snow in July.
Having resources monitoring risks, in this case snow, is important but is not a contingency.
What other locations are considered is part of alternatives analysis before a specific location is selected.
The manager of the AdventureWorks Cycles high-speed braking system project has decomposed the scope to produce the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Which of the following statements is not true about a WBS?
The WBS includes all of the work that must be done to satisfy the scope.
The WBS represents progressively smaller pieces of work.
Activities should appear in the WBS in the order they will be performed.
Every element in the WBS should have a unique number or other identifier.
Activities should appear in the WBS in the order they will be performed.
Activities should appear in the WBS in the order they will be performed is not true. Sequencing is not part of the WBS process.
Every element in the WBS should have a unique number or other identifier as they will be referenced throughout the project and unique identifiers will prevent confusion.
The WBS must include all of the work to be done to satisfy the scope.
The WBS represents progressively smaller pieces of work. It does not list activities in order of their required completion time.
The term “baseline” is confusing the engineer who is working on the project plan for the Awesome Computers wireless network upgrade project.
What are the components of the scope baseline?
Scope statement and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Scope statement, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and WBS dictionary
Scope statement
Scope statement, list of work packages, and list of activities
Scope statement, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and WBS dictionary
The scope baseline consists of the scope statement, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and WBS dictionary.
The WBS dictionary must be included in the scope baseline. It contains descriptions of the work in each WBS component.
The WBS and WBS dictionary must be included in the scope baseline.
Lists of work packages do not contain enough detail to describe the WBS, and lists of activities are too much detail for the scope baseline.
Which schedule format depicts the duration of a task as a horizontal bar and shows the task’s predecessors and successors?
Milestone chart
Network diagram
Gantt chart
Critical Path Method (CPM) chart
Gantt chart
A Gantt chart shows the project schedule in bar-chart form, where the lengths of bars correspond to the durations of tasks. Bars are connected with lines that represent links to predecessor and successor tasks.
A network diagram shows tasks as boxes, with lines connecting the boxes to represent links to predecessor and successor tasks. Unlike the Gantt chart, all tasks are the same physical size on the diagram, and task duration is written in the boxes.
A milestone chart shows tasks with zero duration (milestones) as diamonds rather than bars, since milestones have zero duration.
The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a schedule network analysis method that estimates the minimum project duration and determines the amount of scheduling flexibility that exists in a project. It is not a type of chart.
Meetings are an important component of a project that is using the Agile methodology.
When should these meetings be held?
At the beginning of each sprint
At the end of the work day
At the end of each sprint
At the beginning of the work day
At the beginning of the work day
Brief stand-up meetings should be held at the beginning of each work day, to summarize the tasks that were completed yesterday and must be completed today, and any roadblocks that each team member might be facing.
Meetings at the end of the day will not adequately prepare for the next day’s tasks because memories will not be fresh the next morning.
The Agile methodology is built upon frequent iterations and feedback among the team members. Each iteration can last for several weeks, and changes can occur during that time. Meetings at the beginning of each sprint will not capture the changes that can occur on a day-to-day basis.
End-of-sprint meetings are a good way to review what the sprint accomplished, but they will not help the team respond to changes that the team will need to make during the sprint.
The Lucerne Publishing Co. project manager is reviewing the project dashboard. Which of the following are examples of dashboard items?
Number of change requests approved last month, date of next scheduled project meeting, issues closed out last month
Project cost variance, schedule variance of a milestone, remaining budget
Communication plan updates last month, initial budget at completion, revised budget at completion
Number of late activities, activities completed last month, names of project team members who were hired last month
Project cost variance, schedule variance of a milestone, remaining budget
Project cost variance, schedule variance of a milestone, and remaining budget are all valid dashboard examples.
The date of the next scheduled project meeting is not a dashboard item; the other choices are valid examples.
Communication plan updates last month are not dashboard items; the other choices are valid examples.
The names of project team members who were hired last month are not dashboard items; the other choices are valid examples.
You are developing a new purchasing system for a client and want to know which constraint will have the greatest impact on the success of the project.
Which risk technique should you use?
Expected Monetary Value (EMV)
Monte Carlo Simulation
Decision-tree analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis looks at how sensitive various constraints (time, cost, scope) are to the success of the project.
Decision-tree analysis is used to determine best options, not to see which parameters are most important.
Monte Carlo Analysis is a special type of simulation that creates a range of, and probabilities for, potential results for time, cost, etc.
Expected Monetary Value (EMV) attaches quantifiable incomes and costs as impacts, allowing you to select the best option, not to see which parameters are most important.
The project manager is beginning to prepare the scope. At this time, which is the most important activity of this process?
List project risks.
List the resources.
Confirm that key stakeholders have provided their input.
Create the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Confirm that key stakeholders have provided their input.
Input from stakeholders is needed before the scope can be prepared. This input can include requirements documentation, meeting notes, and other correspondence.
The WBS will follow the scope, so it is too early to begin its preparation.
Resources cannot be determined until the WBS has been prepared.
Some preliminary determination of risks can begin, but very little can be done until the scope and the WBS are complete.
You are working on creating a chart that displays which resource is working on which task.
What are you developing?
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Pareto chart
Resource Allocation Matrix (RAM)
Requirements Traceability Matrix
Resource Allocation Matrix (RAM)
A RAM, or Resource Allocation Matrix, is a generic document used to show who is working on which tasks. A specific type of RAM is a RACI.
A WBS, or Work Breakdown Structure, shows the hierarchical organization of the project’s work.
A requirements traceability matrix is used to show the source of each requirement in the requirements definition document.
A Pareto chart is a special vertical bar chart used in quality control to find the source of defects.
What circumstance can cause the cost baseline to change?
The cost baseline does not change once it has been approved
A change request
An approved modification to the project
Actual costs exceeding planned costs
An approved modification to the project
The cost baseline represents the approved time-phased budget for a project. It will change if a change request that affects project cost is approved.
A change request that affects project cost is only a request; the cost baseline is not modified until the change is approved.
The cost baseline will change if the approved planned cost of the project changes.
When actual costs exceed planned costs, the management team should determine the root cause of the discrepancy. They should then initiate a change to the project, which will result in a change to the cost baseline.
Who should sign off on the completion of the project?
Project manager
Senior management
Sponsor and an external client, if there is one
Organization’s manager of quality assurance
Sponsor and an external client, if there is one
One of the responsibilities of the project sponsor is to confirm that the objectives and requirements were met. This is accomplished with a formal signed document. If an external client was involved, a member of that organization should also sign a statement that the project met the organization’s project objectives.
Senior management is not in the formal chain of command for the project.
The project manager should not sign off that the project was completed successfully; this is a sponsor responsibility.
The manager of quality assurance is not in the project’s chain of command.
Which statement best describes a portfolio?
A set of repetitive ongoing tasks
A set of projects managed in a coordinated way
A collection of projects that are grouped to achieve the strategic business objective of an organization
A temporary endeavor that is undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
A collection of projects that are grouped to achieve the strategic business objective of an organization
A portfolio is a collection of projects that relate to a strategic business objective.
A set of repetitive ongoing tasks is defined as an operation.
A temporary endeavor that creates a unique product, service, or result is a project.
A program is a set of projects that are managed in a coordinated way. Projects within a program do not have to share any objectives.
You are working on a project to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which includes a purchasing system and a new sales system. The project will take nearly a year, and three months in, the vendor informs you that their planned upgrade to one of the critical modules is behind schedule.
This is an example of what type of change?
Quality change
Resource change
Funding change
Risk event
Risk event
This is a new risk event and can affect a number of the project’s constraints.
A quality change increases or decreases the work needed to assure and control quality.
A resource change can affect a number of the project’s constraints but is referring to personnel changes.
Funding changes increase or decrease the budget/cost.
The project manager and the project team are closing a successful project. They are collecting project documentation, status reports, correspondence with the client, and contracts with vendors.
What are they preparing to create?
Project variance report
Archives
Project sign-off
Lessons-learned document
Archives
The materials being gathered will be used to create the project archives, which will be available for other projects to reference.
Project documentation, status reports, correspondence with the client, and contracts with vendors would be used to create the lessons-learned document throughout the project.
The project variance report is created throughout the project based on performance measures.
All of the documentation being gathered is not needed for project sign-off.
You are developing a new purchasing system for a client and you are starting to identify and prioritize risks. You have performed qualitative analysis and are now using a part of your Risk Management Plan to decide the priority of responses to each risk event.
The piece you are using is known as a(n):
Ishikawa diagram
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Risk Probability and Impact Matrix
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Risk Probability and Impact Matrix
A Risk Probability and Impact Matrix shows how you might evaluate the priority of risks and is a part of the Risk Management Plan.
Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) are hierarchical charts that organize a project’s work by deliverable, phase, or type of work.
An Ishikawa diagram shows the cause and effect of a variety of problems.
The hierarchical chart that organizes risk categories by their sources is called a Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS).
Which of the following is a benefit of daily meetings of the scrum team?
Review of budget and schedule
Sign-off on past sprints
Continuous feedback
Planning for future sprints
Continuous feedback
Daily scrum team meetings are intended to briefly review the previous day’s work, and this includes sharing feedback on what worked well and what did not.
Daily team meetings will discuss the present day’s planned work, but nothing further forward than this.
Sign-off is not an agenda meeting for daily meetings because the entire team does not need to be present and the focus of the meetings is on technical work done during yesterday and planned work for today.
Budgets and schedules should not be discussed in daily team meetings.
