Chapter Stakeholder/Communication Management

Question 1

Maintaining trust, resolving conflicts, and preventing problems are all parts of:

A. Planning risk responses.
B. Managing stakeholder engagement.
C. Planning human resource management.
D. Controlling communications.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B

Question 2

You are managing a two-year project involving staff from several departments. The project is on
schedule and within budget. A key team member leaves for a four-week vacation without completing a
highly technical and specialized activity assigned to him (activity A). The project team cannot begin
activity B or activity E (a critical path activity) until activity A is completed. Activity A has three days float
and is not on the critical path. A team member, a seller, and a non-team member work overtime to
complete activity A within its float time. You need to reimburse the non-team member’s department and
pay the seller at an overtime rate. What action should you take?

A. Pay the cost out of your project reserves.
B. Thank the others for filling in, but tell them not to waste time on non-critical path activities.
C. Send a complaint letter to the key team member’s boss and ask him to fund the extra cost
expended.
D. Reevaluate your communications management plan

Answer 2

The correct answer is D.

Question 3

A stakeholders engagement assessment matrix can be used to identify:

.A Communications gaps.
B. Skill levels of stakeholders.
C. Additional stakeholders.
D. Key relationships between stakeholders

Answer 3

The correct answer is A.

Question 4

A project team includes five people when the project manager adds two more. How many additional
channels of communication are there?

A. 21
B. 10
C. 7
D. 11

Answer 4

The correct answer is D.

Question 5

Which of the following statements BEST describes how stakeholders are involved on a project?

A. They approve the project charter, help provide assumptions and create management plans.
B. They help to determine the project constraints and product deliverables.
C. They help to determine the project schedule, deliverables, and requirements.
D. They help to determine the resource needs and resource constraints on the project.

Answer 5

The correct answer is B.

Question 6

If a project manager wants to examine project results over time to see if performance is improving, she
would use a :

A. Trend report.
B. Variance report.
C. Forecasting report.
D. Status report

Answer 6

The correct answer is A.

Question 7

A particular stakeholder has a reputation for requesting many changes on projects. What is the BEST
approach a project manager can take at the beginning of the project to manage this situation?

A. Get the stakeholder involved in the project as early as possible.
B. Ask that the stakeholder not be included in the stakeholder listing.
C. Talk to the stakeholder’s boss to find ways of directing the stakeholder’s activities to another
project.
D. Say “No” to the stakeholder a few times to dissuade him from submitting more changes.

Answer 7

The correct answer is A

Question 8

You have completed project planning and are well into project executing when you discover a manager in
one of the internal clients’ departments is visiting your team members every afternoon for lengthy chats
about the project. What is the BEST thing to do?

A. Ask the manager to formally address his questions to you.
B. Meet with the manager to understand why he feels the need to communicate with your team
members.
C. Ask the manager to formally address project issues as per the communications management plan.
D. Tell your team members not to waste their time talking to the manager.

Answer 8

The correct answer is C.

Question 9

The project has been going well, except for the number of changes being made. The product of the project is being installed into seven different departments within the company and will greatly improve departmental performance when operational. The team has selected the appropriate processes for use
on the project. The project manager is a technical expert as well as having been trained in communications and managing people. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the project problems?

A. The project manager was not trained in understanding the company environment.
B. Some stakeholders were not identified
C. The project should have more management oversight since it will result in such great benefits to the
company.
D. The project should have used more of the project management processes

Answer 9

The correct answer is B.

Question 10

You are presenting your project status to the company’s management team using
visual aids and multimedia technology. What form of communication is this?

A. lnformal Verbal
B. Formal Verbal
C. Formal Visual
D. lnformal Visual

Answer 10

The correct answer is B.

Visual communication does not exist in the PM Book.

Question 11

A salience model is used in stakeholder analysis to classify stakeholders based on their:

A. Interest, influence, and legitimacy.
B. Power, urgency, and legitimacy.
C. Impact, interest, and urgency.
D. Urgency, interest, and power

Answer 11

The correct answer is B.

Question 12

A project manager has a problem with a team member’s performance. What is the BEST form of
communication for addressing this problem?

A. Formal verbal communication
B. Informal verbal communication
C. Formal written communication
D. Informal written communication

Answer 12

The correct answer is B.

Question 13

When do stakeholders have the MOST influence on a project?

A. At the beginning of the project
B. Throughout the project
C. At the end of the project
D. In the middle of the project

Answer 13

The correct answer is A.

Question 14

All of the following are true EXCEPT:

A. The stakeholders do not have a role in determining the project management plan unless they are
part of the project team.
B. The project manager needs to determine the skills of the stakeholders.
C. The communications management plan is part of the project management plan.
D. The stakeholders’ impact on the project must be assessed.

Answer 14

The correct answer is A.

Question 15

All of the following are responsibilities of the project manager EXCEPT:

A. Get stakeholders’ sign-off that the requirements are finalized.
B. Ask stakeholders to let you know about problems in project communications and relationships.
C. Figure out when stakeholders will be involved in the project and how extensively.
D. Carefully select the appropriate stakeholders for the project.

Answer 15

The correct answer is D.

Question 16

You are a public executive working on your fourth project to order new buses for a transportation route
between two cities. You include a government official as a stakeholder and include meetings with that
official in the WBS. Your manager objects to such activities as unnecessary. The BEST response is to
inform your manager that:

A. The government official knows the end-users better than either of us.
B. The government official can negatively impact the project.
C. The government official is a stakeholder since the buses will be used in his city.
D. The government official is a stakeholder because he will be using the buses.

Answer 16

The correct answer is B.

Question 17

Paralingual cues cannot be transmitted by:

A. Casual conversations.
B. E-mail.
C. Face to face meetings.
D. Telephone conversations.

Answer 17

The correct answer is B.

Question 18

You are managing a construction project for a client company. One of your senior (and
most powerful) stakeholders calls you and asks for an update regarding the status of
the project. You quickly give him a rundown of the project status. Which form of
communication did you use?

A. Semi Formal Verbal
B. Formal Verbal
C. Informal Verbal
D. None of the above

Answer 18

The correct answer is C.

Question 19

Stakeholders can be identified during which project management process groups?

A. Initiating and planning
B. Initiating, planning, executing, and monitoring and controlling
C. Monitoring and controlling and closing
D. Planning and monitoring and controlling

Answer 19

The correct answer is B.

Question 20

The role of each stakeholder is determined by:

A. The stakeholder and the sponsor.
B. The project manager and the sponsor.
C. The project manager and the stakeholder.
D. The team and the project manager.

Answer 20

The correct answer is C.

Question 21

The procurement management plan is an input to Identify Stakeholders because:

A.All stakeholders must receive a copy of the contract.
B. The plan includes the results of market research to identify additional stakeholders.
C. The procurement statement of work includes a complete list of project stakeholders.
D. All parties to the contract are stakeholders.

Answer 21

The correct answer is D.

Question 22

The communications management plan for the project has been completed and approved by the
customer when a major stakeholder requests the project manager issue reports on the amount of
testing done throughout the life of the project. However, testing is only a minor aspect of the quality
control plan. It would be BEST for the project manager to:

A.Not issue the report. Project resources should be expended on communicating information that
contributes to success.
B. Issue the report, as this is a major stakeholder. Her needs would have been included in the staffing
management plan.
C. Have the stakeholder meet with the project sponsor to get the sponsor’s agreement that project
funds should be expended on this effort.
D. Request details of the information the stakeholder needs in the report. Provide that information to
those handling the quality control function on the project

Answer 22

The correct answer is A.

Question 23

You are the project manager for a large installation project when you realize there are over 200 potential
stakeholders on the project. Which of the following would be the BEST course of action for you to take?

A. Contact your manager, and ask which stakeholders are most important.
B. Find an effective way to gather the needs of all stakeholders.
C. Eliminate some stakeholders.
D. Gather the needs of all the most influential stakeholders.

Answer 23

The correct answer is B.

Question 24

All of the following are parts of the team’s stakeholder management effort EXCEPT:

A. Determining stakeholders’ needs.
B. Identifying stakeholders.
C. Managing stakeholders’ expectations.
D. Giving stakeholders extras.

Answer 24

The correct answer is D.

Question 25

Extensive use of __ communication is MOST likely to aid in solving complex problems.

A. Formal verbal
B. Formal written
C. Nonverbal
D. Informal written

Answer 25

the correct answer is B.

Question 26

Your boss has made statements such as “Your team always delivers late!”, “Offshore resources never
understand what we need”, and “Get to the bottom of this quality problem by the end of the week, or
else.” What BEST describes this behavior?

A. Threats may or may not be carried out, and stereotypes are rarely true.
B. Your boss jumps to conclusions that are often incorrect.
C. Too much emotion gets in the way of clear communication.
D. Communication blockers often obstruct a shared, equitable understanding

Answer 26

The correct answer is D.

Question 27

Barriers can influence communication when sending or receiving information. Which of the following is
NOT a barrier?

A. Prejudices
B. Feedback
C. Personality and interests
D. Attitudes and emotions

Answer 27

The correct answer is B.

Question 28

To a project manager, which of the following is the BIGGEST disadvantage of progress reports as
compared to watching what is going on in a project, asking questions, and assisting team members?

A. Progress reports include information from all the team.
B. Progress reports supply information about trends.
C. Progress reports generally show problems after they have occurred.
D. Progress reports require expending time gathering information from stakeholders

Answer 28

The correct answer is C.

Question 29

A major construction project has been having a lot of schedule changes due to unanticipated weather
problems. Who is it BEST to notify of these changes?

A. Sponsor
B. Functional managers
C. Project team
D. Stakeholders

Answer 29

The correct answer is D.

Question 30

You are a project manager leading a US $3,000,000 chemical engineering project. To
date, you’ve been leading the other 11 people who comprise the overall project team.
Lately, you’ve noticed that you are spread too thin and the schedule is being negatively
impacted. Because the project is date-constrained, you convinced senior management
to accept a cost variance and add a senior quality assurance analyst to the project
team. This new resource will work directly with the three project team members who
comprise the testing sub-team. How many more communication channels will there be

A. 12
B. 11
C. 78
D. 66

Answer 30

The correct answer is A..