Chapter 1

Question 1

How can a project succeed, and yet fail?

Answer 1

A project can be a technical success by working as designed, but be an organizational failure by not meeting the needs or expectations of the customer.

Question 2

What is a project?

Answer 2

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Question 3

What is a project manager?

Answer 3

A project manager is a person assigned to lead a team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

Question 4

What are some common attributes of all projects?

Answer 4

Some common attributes of all projects are:

• Time Frame
• Purpose: There’s a goal.
• Ownership: There are stakeholders.
• Resources: Shit don’t just happen without work and materials.
• Project Roles: Technical and non-technical skill is needed.
• Risks & Assumptions
• Interdependent Tasks
• Organizational Change
• Organizational Environment

Question 5

What is a project sponsor?

Answer 5

A project sponsor is the “champion” of the project, the person who can provide resources, make decisions, and play politics.

Question 6

What is a project client?

Answer 6

A project client is the person who uses the project’s end product.

Question 7

What is the difference between an internal and external risk?

Answer 7

Internal risks are risks that arise from how a project is run, external risks are risks that arise from things outside the control of management.

Question 8

What is a project manager/leader?

Answer 8

A project manager/leader is someone that is held responsible for the project management process itself, making sure it’s carried out right.

Question 9

What are assumptions and why are they important?

Answer 9

Assumptions are risks that we plan for, and work into our plans.

Question 10

What is progressive elaboration?

Answer 10

Progressive elaboration is the concept that, as we start a project, details may be vague, but they clarify as we go along.

Question 11

What is a project portfolio?

Answer 11

A project portfolio, like an investment portfolio, is a collection of diverse projects, diverse in risk and technology.

Question 12

What is a program?

Answer 12

A program is a set of projects within a project portfolio that interrelate to one another, and provide synergy.

Question 13

Why are projects organizational investments?

Answer 13

Projects are organizational investments because they take resources and time to produce results.

Question 14

How do projects support business strategy?

Answer 14

If done right, they support business strategy by enabling an organization to actually reach for the goals of the strategy.

Question 15

What are the four categories of project failure?

Answer 15

The four categories of project failure are:

• People: Having people batting for you, politically
• Processes: Having good management processes.
• Technology: Rarely, but sometimes we can’t make it work.
• Organization: Not having clear strategy, priorities, or just having your company hit hard times.

Question 16

What is the value-driven approach to project management?

Answer 16

The value-driven approach looks at developing value, as opposed to whether or not the project finishes on-time or under-budget.

Question 17

What is the socio-technical approach to project management?

Answer 17

The socio-technical approach to project management is referring to the social makeup of the company, understanding what it does, and being a part of it, developing what the business needs, and including the users as stakeholders.

Question 18

What is the project-management approach?

Answer 18

The project-management approach is basically seeing everything as a project, and managing it as one.

Question 19

What is the knowledge-management approach?

Answer 19

Knowledge-management refers to keeping what you learn stored in a way it can be used to make decisions intelligently.