All People Tasks 2: Lead a Team Flashcards
You are a project manager for the state. You are managing a virtual team with team members dispersed throughout the state. You are preparing a document which outlines high-level requirements, known high-level risks, a summary budget, and a description of the project manager’s level of authority. What knowledge area is being utilized here?
A. Project Scope Management
B. Project Stakeholder Management
C. Project Integration Management
D. Project Communications Management
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Project Integration Management, which focuses on the coordination of all components of project management, includes the development of the project charter (which is what the question describes).
When performing risk analysis, you and your project team realized you might lose a key resource during execution. Your mitigation was to have a non-team member from another department perform her duties. As it happens, the resource did quit and now you must go to the other team member and ask for his time. You know he is now very busy. In order to gain his commitment, you must be very persuasive and clearly articulate your points and positions. This is an interpersonal skill known as what?
A. Leadership
B. Influencing
C. Emotional intelligence
D. Negotiation
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
According to the PMBOK Guide, influencing involves the ability to be persuasive, clearly articulating points and positions, having high levels of active and effective listening skills, awareness of various perspectives and gathering relevant information to address issues.
Project Management includes many important documents. These documents are critically important to effectively manage a project. One such document formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Which knowledge area includes the creation of this document?
A. Project Scope Management
B. It is done throughout multiple knowledge area
C. Project Integration Management
D. Project Communications Management
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Project Integration Management, which focuses on the coordination of all components of project management, includes the development of the project charter.
As a project manager on a new construction project, you are outlining the roles and responsibilities of your project team in order to make staffing decisions. You have an experienced team and know that you can rely on or consult with others on the project team with respect to certain matters. Since you are new to the organization you want to utilize your team as much as possible. Which of the following is not something for which you should rely upon other team members?
A. Ensuring that stakeholders are properly engaged
B. Purchasing and procurement
C. Sales and marketing
D. Contracts and commercial law
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Motivation is actually an interpersonal skill that the project manager must have to inspire and energize the project team, and it is the project manager’s (non-delegable) job to do so. B, C, and D are all incorrect choices as these are specific skills/knowledge points that a project manager may consult with others about (or delegate to others, in whole or in part).
The document which contains ground rules regarding stakeholder engagement is called the:
A. Ground rules
B. Team charter
C. Team values
D. Team agreements
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
While A, C, and D are all important concepts in the PMBOK Guide, the only document listed which addresses expected behavior for project team members with regard to stakeholder engagement is the team charter.
You and your cross-functional team are planning for the next sprint. As the project manager for this team, what should you be more focused on?
A. Tasking team members with work
B. Telling the team your estimates for each piece of work g
C. Removing barriers and impediments to the doing of the work
D. Creating the overall project schedule
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Servant Leadership is discussed on p. 36 of the PMI Agile Practice Guide
You have been called into a meeting with your sponsor because of several complaints to the Human Resources department about your ability to manage your project. The complaints center on a lack of communication and direction. As the project manager, how could you have avoided this problem?
A. Maintain an environment of trust and team work
B. Maintain open and effective communication
C. Create and maintain open and effective communication and receive feedback
D. Develop trust, integrity, and a policy of keeping all problems internal
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
An effective project manager must have a cohesive team, which is not possible without open and effective communication. Receiving feedback from team members insures your communications are understood and provides the project manager with information on how their messages are being received.
Jackie is a project manager working with a team of more than 30 people. One of her subordinates tells her that the team members at the lowest level are lazy, and that they need to be supervised more closely. Jackie responds that the workers are as committed to the project as she is, that they are ambitious and self-disciplined and do not need to be watched every minute of the day. Instead, Jackie proposes that each worker should be given more responsibility. Which type of manager is Jackie?
A. Hygiene factor manager
B. Theory Z manager
C. Theory Y manager
D. Theory X manager
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
According to McGregor’s Theory of X and Y (but not Z), Jackie is a Theory Y manager. She trusts her employees to be self-motivated and believes that they do not need to be watched every minute. Theory X managers feel the way the subordinate does in this question – they feel that workers are lazy and need to be watched constantly. Theory Z is a management theory where creating the expectation of having the job for life motivates them to perform their best.
Theory _ manager trusts their employees to be self-motivated and believes that they do not need to be watched every minute. Theory _ managers feel the way the subordinate does in this question – they feel that workers are lazy and need to be watched constantly. Theory __ is a management theory where creating the expectation of having the job for life motivates them to perform their best.
Theory, Y, X, Z
As a project manager, you realize that managing stakeholder expectations is an important priority. Which statement regarding project stakeholders is not correct?
A. Negative stakeholders must be ignored if the project is to be brought to a successful completion in a timely manner.
B. Stakeholders have varying levels of responsibility and authority when participating on a project and these can change over the project`s life cycle.
C. Some key stakeholders include the project manager, performing organization, project team members, customer and sponsor.
D. Stakeholder expectations may be difficult to manage because stakeholders often have conflicting objectives.
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Choice A is correct. Negative stakeholders are often overlooked by the project team at the risk of failing to bring the projects to a successful end. You should never ignore negative stakeholders.
You are the project manager of a globally distributed team and will face challenges organizing project work across time zones, cultures, and political boundaries. This will require the use of a host of project management skills. Some, such as interpersonal skills and the ability to manage people are examples of which type of management skill?
A. Soft
B. General
C. Technical
D. Advanced
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Soft skills refer to the ability to optimize interactions with stakeholders and team members. Contrast this with hard skills, which are more technical in nature and may refer to knowledge about a topic such as science or engineering.
A project manager has been assigned to manage a project in China. The disorientation the PM will likely experience as he gets acclimated to the country is known as what?
A. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
B. Time dimension
C. Ethnocentrism
D. Culture shock
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Culture shock is the typical disorientation a person feels when visiting a foreign country with a culture that differs from the person’s home country.
Which of the following is an interpersonal skill?
A. Motivating the project team
B. Organizing resources
C. Communicating orally
D. Preparing reports and other written communications
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
The ability to motivate is considered an interpersonal skill, a.k.a. soft skill.
You are managing an international project that requires your team to conduct the work onsite with your customer in Thailand. Jax from Facility Management has just informed you that your scrum team will not have access to the team room during the holiday season. It’s April, and your American team doesn’t understand what holiday will be occurring in April that would cause the local Facility to shutdown. As the project manager, you tell the team that you will handle the situation and schedule a meeting with Facility Management to find a solution. In this scenario, what is the project manager doing?
A. Distracting the team with a pointless meeting.
B. Smoothing
C. Fast Tracking
D. Acting as a Servant Leader.
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Servant Leadership is discussed on p. 36 of the PMI Agile Practice Guide. The servant leader focuses on paving the way for the team do its best work.
Many junior project managers concentrate on achieving deliverables regardless of the cost. What will the project manager seek to create by developing the team?
A. Team-building activities
B. Improved performance by the team
C. Improved performance of the individual team members
D. Smoothing
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Developing the project team can happen throughout the project. Generally speaking, the project manager takes a group of strangers (or at least people who are possibly unfamiliar with one another) and turns them into a cohesive team, thus resulting in performance improvement.
You are the project manager for an agile Scrum project that is building a new high-tech missile guidance system for the military. Several agile teams are involved, so a Scrum of Scrums approach is being utilized. Several agile teams are subcontractors who are geographically distributed all over the country. What leadership style is most appropriate for this project?
A. Servant leadership
B. Directive leadership
C. Managerial leadership
D. Accommodating leadership
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Servant leadership is the standard for all agile projects, which encourages the self-definition, self-discovery, and self-awareness of team members by listening, coaching, and providing an environment which allows them to grow. Directive and accommodating leaderships are suggestive of conflict resolution techniques, which aren’t appropriate for agile teams, since agile teams are self-managing. Managerial leadership is a made-up term.
You are working in another country and you find that even though you schedule meetings for an exact time, people tend to drift in late to the meeting and it starts when everyone arrives. You were thrust into this role at the last minute and are frustrated by your inability to get stakeholders together. An important next step is for you to do what?
A. Increase your cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity
B. Invite the sponsor to the meeting to bring everyone in line
C. Explain to the group that meetings must begin exactly on time as that is what is done in your culture
D. Have the sponsor send a note to the stakeholders advising them to support you
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Project managers are expected to be able to work within a global environment. It is important to account for cultural sensitivities and considerations concerning group dynamics, as well as expectation management.
You have a new team and you are in the Norming phase of the Tuckman model. Which of the following is a leadership style in which the project manager shares problems with team members and formulates solutions as a group?
A. Autocratic
B. Consultation in a group
C. Consensus
D. One-to-one consultation
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Consensus leadership style is where the project manager shares problems with team members and formulates solutions as a group.
A project manager should be able to do all of the following except:
A. Lead and inspire team members
B. Motivate, lead and inspire team members
C. Create cohesive environments and communicate with stakeholders
D. Maintain environments built on abstract information
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
A project manager with ambiguous information or abstract data will most likely not be an efficient communicator. A project manager is expected to have the skills to identify, build, maintain, motivate, lead, inspire, and create an environment that facilitates the development of high-performance teams.
One of the teams on your hybrid project was facing a real perplexing issue that no one on the team was able to resolve. Another team member from a different team immediately stepped in and was able to resolve the issue and put the project back on track. Your stakeholders were so impressed with this team members commitment and performance that they offered her a $100 gift card, much to her surprise. Which of the following best describes her gift?
A. This is known as a reward since the team member was being rewarded for her outstanding performance.
B. This is a reward because going above and beyond should be recognized.
C. This is known as a recognition since the gift was unexpected.
D. This is a recognition because going above and beyond is always recognized by stakeholders.
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
A recognition is more personalized and usually unexpected. In the scenario it states that she was surprised which implies the gift was unexpected, and so this would be a recognition. A reward is usually something that is expected for achieving an agreed result. Unfortunately going above and beyond is not always recognized by stakeholders! PMI Authorized PMP Exam Prep Student Guide / Page 203
One of your team members recently received a reward for their performance on scope, cost, and schedule. The team member seemed unenthusiastic about the accolade. Additionally, the team has an issue with the recognition of team members. What most likely is the issue?
A. The reward system in place has no value for the team member
B. The team member is bashful, and the reward has embarrassed them
C. The team member did nothing with scope or cost and it truly is a team endeavor
D. It was a team effort and the team should have been recognized
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
When faced with a choice between rewarding the entire team and giving out a reward to an individual, assuming everything else is equal, the team reward is the best choice. The reason is simple. When the team is rewarded for working together, they will continue to work together to receive additional rewards.
You are a team facilitator and you are working to develop the team values and agreements. Some of the team members are new and want to know exactly what your role will be during each of the sprints. Which of the following does not describe your role?
A. You will collaborate with team members and provide them the tools they need to complete their tasks.
B. You will remove any obstacles and impediments that may hinder progress.
C. You will be transparent and communicate results to appropriate stakeholders.
D. You will be transparent and clearly communicate to team members the tasks they need to work on.
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
The scenario describes an Agile team, and as a team facilitator you are a servant leader. The servant leader does not delegate tasks to team members, or even tell them what tasks they need to work on. The team will determine the tasks for each sprint. The other options are all required of a servant leader.
You have been called into a meeting and are told that you are going to be the replacement for a project manager that was let go recently. You have been told that there is much confusion about the direction of the project, what the high-level goals are, and who is funding the project. There is a list of stakeholders but some of the stakeholders are disputing their involvement on the project. Which document is most likely missing?
A. Project Charter
B. Stakeholder Register
C. Project Management Plan
D. Scope Document
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
The Project Charter should clearly highlight the high-level goals of the project and identify the Project Sponsor (who is responsible for funding the project).
When will stakeholders have the most influence over the outcome of a project?
A. At the end of the project
B. During scope validation
C. At the start of a project
D. At the start of each phase
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Stakeholders have the most influence at the start of the project when they are providing their requirements which will help shape the scope of the project and its deliverables.
The processes in Project Resource Management are_____?
A. Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing
B. Plan Resource Management, Estimate Activity Resources, Acquire Resources, Develop Team, Manage Team, Control Resources
C. Managing, rewarding, salary reviews and punishments
D. Plan Resource Management, staff acquisition, staff training, staff deployment,
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
These are the six processes in Project Resource Management.
A project manager presented premier performance certificates to project team members who delivered above and beyond their required task at each project milestone. The plan for which rewards to present, and the criteria for earning them, would have been laid out in which of the following?
A. Cost Performance Baseline
B. RACI chart
C. Resource Management Plan
D. Resource Calendars
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
This is an example of a rewards and recognition system, which is set forth in the Resource Management Plan. Other items set forth in the Resource Management Plan include safety and training, methods for hiring/firing, and compliance matters (OSHA, Health & Safety boards, unions, legal/regulatory).
You are working with a very vocal stakeholder who has a high influence on the project but very little power. How should communication be handled in this situation?
A. Keep satisfied and use informal written communication methods where possible
B. Keep informed and use informal written communication methods where possible
C. Keep satisfied and use informal verbal communication methods
D. Keep informed and use informal verbal communication methods
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Since the stakeholder is very vocal it is best to use a written communication method such as email so that all communication can be documented in case of a dispute. According to the PMBOK, email is considered informal written communication. Because the stakeholder has little power, you need not concern yourself with necessarily keeping her satisfied, however, you should keep her well informed.
You are trying to determine how best to reward your team for a job well done. Where would you find this information?
A. Reward and recognition plan
B. Resource management plan
C. Stakeholder Engagement Plan
D. Cost management plan
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Rewards and recognition are included in the Staffing Management Plan. Technically the Staffing Management Plan is part of the Human Resource Plan, however, the more precise answer is the Staffing Management Plan. On the PMP exam always choose the more precise answer when asked where certain information would be contained. There is no such thing as a Rewards and Recognition Plan.
General Management skills include all of the following except for which one?
A. Finance and accounting
B. Strategic planning
C. Sales and marketing
D. Developing a new product or service
Answer: D
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Developing a new product or service is an organizational strategy, while the remaining options are all general management skills.
You are managing a 14-month mission-critical project for your company with a limited number of labor resources. The project end date is set by top management and can’t be moved. To complete all planned deliverables on time, the team will have to work many overtime hours each week and some weekends. What is the best way to minimize the risk that team members will burn out and quit the project prematurely or possibly even leave the company?
A. Add a threat risk to the Risk Register, and closely monitor the stress levels of the team for any signs of burnout.
B. Add an opportunity risk to the Risk Register, and adopt an exploit strategy that provides positive rewards and recognition for working overtime hours.
C. Add a threat risk to the Risk Register, and adopt a mitigation strategy that provides positive rewards and recognition for working overtime hours.
D. Add a threat risk to the Risk Register, and adopt an avoid strategy by signing a Time & Materials contract with a consulting firm that can provide staff augmentation on short notice to replace any team member who quits.
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
While you will certainly do answer A, the best choice is C since it will set expectations of rewards and recognitions with the team up front, as it will be part of the Resource Management Plan. Answer D might work, but it does little to promote developing an effective team and can discourage team harmony and unity. Answer B is false since this scenario describes a threat risk, not an opportunity risk.
What is one of the most important skills for a project manager to have?
A. Negotiation skills
B. Influencing skills
C. Communication skills
D. Problem-solving skills
Answer: C
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Negotiation, influencing, and problem-solving skills are all important for a project manager to possess, however, communication skills are the most vital skills a project manager can have.
You are the project manager for a team that has been together for seven years. The team addresses project work and makes technical decisions based on the project management approach and there are several animated discussions. What stage of team development are you in?
A. Forming
B. Storming
C. Norming
D. Mourning
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
The storming stage is where the team begins to address the project work, technical decisions and the project management approach. During this phase, team members may be uncooperative, engage in heated discussions and disagreements might arise.
You are facilitating a meeting to discuss a specialized area of your project where your knowledge is lacking. It is vital that a decision be made quickly so the project can proceed. You gather a team of experts in the area to help you make the decision, however, the meeting is not going according to plan. There seems to be much contention between the experts and there are widely-varied opinions on how to proceed. Some members in the meeting are even going so far as making false accusations of others and you notice that the opinion of one member is constantly being rejected. What would be the best approach to try and come up with a resolution?
A. Institute a voting method to reach the decision quickly
B. Immediately halt this meeting and then use the Delphi technique to reach a decision
C. Immediately halt the meeting and engage in team building exercises
D. Immediately halt the meeting and set up guidelines for conduct during the meeting, and re-iterating the agenda of the meeting
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
The Delphi technique is useful where there is hostility amongst a group of experts, and especially where personal differences are tainting people’s reception of others’ ideas.
A project manager is constantly plagued by frustrations in projects, largely due to constant confusion and miscommunications amongst the project team. What would be the best environment for the team to operate in so that these problems could be minimized?
A. A team in the same location that reports directly and only to the project manager
B. A team that meets frequently face to face, but has other functional duties
C. A loosely connected group of functional experts who help direct the project
D. A team that resides offsite but communicates via videoconference
Answer: A
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Co-location of the team and a project oriented organizational structure would help avoid confusion, and also ensure there is a clear line of authority between team members and the project manager.
Which of the following processes belong to the executing process group?
A. Validate Scope
B. Develop Team
C. Control Quality
D. Develop Schedule
Answer: B
People - Task 2 - Lead a Team
Develop team is part of the executing process group.
