CH02 z quizOrganizational Influences and project life cycle

Question 1

There is a difference between the project, the project life cycle, the project
schedule, and the overall project objective. At the core of these terms is the the
project life cycle. The project life cycle comprises which of the following?
A. Phases
B. Milestones
C. Estimates
D. Activities

Answer 1

A. The project life cycle comprises phases. B is incorrect because milestones
may exist within the project plan, but they do not constitute the project life
cycle. C is wrong because estimates are not directly related to the project life
cycle. D is incorrect because activities compose the phases within the project
life cycle, but not the project life cycle itself.

Question 2

Marci Koening, the project manager for the ERP Project, is about to complete the
project phase review. The completion of a project phase is also known as which
of the following?
A. Lessons learned
B. Kill point
C. Earned value management
D. Conditional advancement

Answer 2

B. The completion of a project phase may also be known as a kill point. Lessons learned is a collection of information and knowledge gained through an experience, typically a phase, within the project, so A is wrong. Earned value management can happen at different times throughout the project, not just at
the end of a project phase; therefore, C is wrong. D, conditional advancement, is a term that describes the conditions that must be present for the work to continue on a project. Conditional advancement, however, does not have to happen only at the end of a project phase.

Question 3

You are the project manager of the GHY Project for your organization. You have been tasked with creating a new software for your website which must also be mobile. There are several deliverables that must be documented for this project.
Which of the following best describes a project deliverable?
A. The resources used by the project to complete the necessary work
B. The resources exported from the project as a result of the project work
C. The end result of a project planning session
D. A verifiable, measurable work product

Answer 3

D. A deliverable is something that can be verified and measured. A defines the resources in order to create the deliverable. B is an inaccurate statement. C defines how the work and resources will be utilized to create the project deliverable, not the deliverable itself.

Question 4

. As the project manager you must work with your project team to identify the
project and the project phases within the project schedule. This identification
helps to communicate expectations and outcomes of the project work. The
compilation of all the phases within a project equates to the
____________________.
A. Project life cycle
B. Product life cycle
C. Project completion
D. Project processes

Answer 4

A. The project life cycle comprises all of the project phases within a project. B is
incorrect as the product life cycle describes how long a product will be in use
after it is created. C and D are incorrect because they do not accurately describe
the project life cycle.

Question 5

Projects move through a logical progression from the initiation to the project
closure. It’s important to understand the fluctuation of costs, schedules,
resources, even risks within the logical progression of the project life cycle.
Which of the following describes the early stages of a project?
A. High costs and high demands for resources
B. A high demand for change
C. A high demand for project team time
D. Low costs and low demands for resources

Answer 5

D. Projects typically have low costs and low demands for resources early in their
life cycle. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect statements in regard to projects.

Question 6

Management has asked you to help them identify the points of the project
where the risk of failure is highest and lowest. As a general rule, at which point is
the risk of failure the lowest, but the consequence of failure the highest?
A. During the early stages.
B. During the middle stages.
C. During the final stages.
D. Risk of failure is even across all project phases.

Answer 6

C. As the project moves closer to completion, the likelihood of risk diminishes,
but should the project fail, its consequence is the highest because of the time,
monies, and effort invested in the project. A, B, and D are incorrect in regard to
risk assessment in a project.

Question 7

Project team members are most likely to work full-time on a project in which of
the following organizational structures?
A. Functional
B. Weak matrix
C. Strong matrix
D. Projectized

Answer 7

D. Projectized structures often have project team members assigned to the
project on a full-time basis. A, B, and C are incorrect because these structures
have part-time project teams.

Question 8

Marcy is the project manager of the GQD Project for her organization. She is
working with Stan, the project sponsor, and they are identifying the most likely
phases for this type of project work. Why would an organization divide a project
into phases?
A. To provide better management and control of the project
B. To identify the work that will likely happen within a phase of the project
C. To identify the resources necessary to complete a phase of the project
D. To define the cash-flow requirements within each phase of the project

Answer 8

A. Organizations often divide projects into phases to make the management and
control of the project easier and more productive. B and C are incorrect because
these statements identify an attribute of a phase, not the reason to create all
phases. D is incorrect because this statement is not true for all projects; in
addition, cash-flow forecasting is part of planning and is not universal to all
project phases.

Question 9

You are the project manager for your organization. Gary, a new project team
member, approaches you as he’s confused about the concept of the project life
cycle. If you were explaining the project life cycle to Gary you could say that all of
the following are true statements about the project life cycle, except for which
one?
A. The project life cycle defines the work to be done in each phase of the project.
B. The project life cycle defines the deliverables that each phase will create.
C. The project life cycle defines who is involved in each phase.
D. The project life cycle defines how much each phase will cost.

Answer 9

D. The project life cycle does not define how much each phase of the project will
cost. The project life cycle does define the work to be done in each phase, the
deliverables each phase will create, and the resources needed in each phase, so
choices A, B, and C are incorrect.

Question 10

. You are the project manager of a new project. When is the level of failing to
achieve the objectives the highest within your project?
A. There is not enough information provided to know for certain.
B. At the start of the project.
C. At the end of the project.
D. During the intermediate phases of the project.

Answer 10

B. Projects are most likely to fail at the start of the project. As the project moves
closer to the project completion, its odds of finishing successfully increase. A is
not an accurate statement. C is incorrect because the project is more likely to
finish successfully at the end of the project. D is also incorrect because the
intermediate phases show progress toward project completion. The closer the
project moves away from its start and toward completion, the higher the odds of
success are.

Question 11

You are the project manager for your organization and new project has just been
initiated. You know that’s important to identify stakeholders and their attitudes
towards the project as early as possible in the project life cycle. Which one of the
following is an example of a positive stakeholder?
A. The comptroller within your organization
B. A customer who is eager for your project’s deliverable
C. An environmental group that has claims against your project
D. A union

Answer 11

B. The eager customer is an example of a positive stakeholder. A, the
comptroller, is usually an influencer and not a positive or negative stakeholder
for most projects. C, the environmental group that has claims against your
project, is an example of a negative stakeholder. D, the union, is another
example of a project influencer. In this example, the union is neutral, but there
are instances when a union could become either a positive or negative
stakeholder.

Question 12

You know that there are positive, negative, and neutral stakeholders in your
project. And based on your influence stakeholders’ attitude towards the project
can change. You want to work with the project team to ensure that all of the
project stakeholders have been identified as part of project initiation. None of
the following are key project stakeholders, except for which one?
A. Union
B. Sellers
C. Technical interface
D. Inspector

Answer 12

B. The seller is the only key stakeholder the PMBOK® Guide specifically
addresses out of those listed within this question. A, the union, and C, the
technical interface, could be examples of influencers, but not in every project. D, an inspector, is not a key stakeholder in every project, although an inspector
could be considered an influencer if one were involved with your project.

Question 13

You are a project manager acting in a functional organization. The functional
manager and you disagree about several deliverables the project will be creating.
The functional manager insists that you begin the project work now. What must
you do?
A. Begin work
B. Resolve all of the issues with the functional manager before you begin
working
C. Continue planning, as you are the project manager
D. Begin work as long as the issues don’t affect the project deliverables

Answer 13

A. Because you are working within a functional organization, you have little to no
power, and the functional manager has all of the power. You must obey the
functional manager and get to work. B, C, and D are all incorrect choices for the
project manager in a functional structure.

Question 14

You are a project manager working under a PMO. Your project resources are
shared among several projects. To whom will the project team members report?
A. The project manager of each project
B. The functional managers
C. The PMO
D. The project manager of their primary project

Answer 14

A. When resources are shared and a PMO exists, the project resources report to
the PMO for staff assignments, but they’ll report to the project manager of each
project they’re assigned to. B is correct in a functional structure. C is incorrect, as
the PMO may be responsible for staff alignment and assignment, but the project
team does not report to the PMI. D is not valid.

Question 15

You are the project manager for your organization and you’re working with the
project team to explain the approach of the project life cycle and how you’ll be
managing proposed changes to the project scope. As a general rule, at what
point in the project may stakeholders most cost-effectively recommend changes
to the project deliverable?
A. Before the project charter is created
B. At the start of the project
C. During the intermediate phases
During the final phase of the project

Answer 15

B. It’s easiest and least costly for stakeholders to ask for changes at the start of
the project. A is incorrect, as changes can easily be requested after the charter is
created but before the project work begins. C is not true, as changes may affect
work that has already been completed. D is absolutely false, as these changes
may have the highest cost on the project.

Question 16

Beth is the project manager for her organization and she’s just received word
that the organization has decided to kill a project. When is this decision most
likely made?
A. At the end of a phase
B. At the start of a phase
C. When the project is not meeting its financial requirements
D. When technology has superseded some of the technology used within the
project

Answer 16

A. The end of a phase is also known as a kill point. B is inaccurate, as projects are
most likely killed at the end of a project phase, not at its start. C is incorrect, as
the most likely answer is A. D is also incorrect, as technology may change, but
the demand for the project deliverable may not. If technology has changed, the project may elect to upgrade the technology being used to the newer available
technology.

Question 17

Nancy is a project manager for the NHG Corporation. She has identified several
positive stakeholders for her construction project and a few negative
stakeholders. Nancy and the project team have been meeting regularly with the
positive stakeholders, but have not met with the negative stakeholders. What
can happen if Nancy ignores negative stakeholders?
A. Her project will likely succeed without any objections.
B. Her project may suffer poor political capital from the negative stakeholders.
C. Her project will risk failure to bring the project to a successful end.
D. The negative stakeholders will not have an opportunity to communicate with
the project manager.

Answer 17

C. Nancy cannot simply ignore the negative stakeholders. Their influence on the
project may cause the project to fail. Nancy must work with the negative
stakeholders to squelch their protests, or consider their demands to ensure
compliance or agreement with their issues. A, B, and D are all inaccurate
outcomes of ignoring the stakeholders.

Question 18

Don is the project manager for his organization. In this project his team will be
comprised of local workers and workers from Scotland, India, and Belgium. Don
knows that he needs to consider the working hours, culture, and expectations of
this virtual team in order to manage it successfully. All of the following are
cultural attributes of an organization, except for which one?
A. Policies and procedures
B. Work ethics
C. View of authority relationships
D. Experience of the project management team

Answer 18

D. The experience of the project management team is not a cultural attribute of
an organization. A, B, and C—the policies and procedures, the work ethics, and
the view of authority relationships—are all classic examples of an organization’s
culture.

Question 19

. You are a new project manager for your organization. Management has asked
you to begin creating a project management plan with your project team based
on a recently initiated project. The project management plan defines which one
of the following?
A. Who the project manager will be
B. How the project manager will use the project management system
C. When the project team will be assembled and released
D. How the deliverable will be shipped to the customer

Answer 19

B. The project plan defines how the project management system will be used. A
is incorrect; the project charter defines the project manager. C is incorrect
because the Staffing Management Plan (see Chapter 9) defines how the project
team will be assembled and managed. D is incorrect because not every project
will need to ship a deliverable to a customer.

Question 20

You are the project manager in your organization. Unlike your last job, which
was a functional structure, this organization is utilizing a weak matrix. Who has
full authority over project funding in a weak matrix?
A. The project manager
B. The functional manager
C. The PMO
D. The project sponsor

Answer 20

B. The functional manager has the power over the project funding, not the
project manager. In a weak matrix, the functional manager is likely to be the
project sponsor. A, C, and D are all incorrect statements, as these do not define
the authority of the project manager in a weak matrix structure.