Communication Flashcards
1
Q
- In your network infrastructure project XYZ, you have determined the type, format,
value, and information needs of the stakeholders through communication requirements
analysis. Project resources should be expended only on communicating information
that:
A. Originates from the sponsor or the project management office.
B. Has been generated by the project team members only.
C. Is relevant to the most influential and powerful stakeholders.
D. Contributes to project success or where a lack of communication can lead to a
failure.
A
- D: Communications requirements analysis determines the information type, format,
value, and needs of the stakeholders and identifies information that is most critical to
success or where a lack of communication can lead to failure.
2
Q
- A project manager is in the process of ensuring that the information needs of the project
stakeholders are met by monitoring and controlling communication throughout the
project life cycle. The project manager is involved in which process?
A. Direct and Manage Project Work
B. Monitor and Control Project Work
C. Monitor Communications
D. Manage Communications
A
- C: Monitor Communications is the process of ensuring that the information needs of the
project stakeholders are met by monitoring and controlling communication throughout
the project life cycle. The focus of this process is to ensure efficient information flow to
all stakeholders at any moment in time within the project.
3
Q
- You are in the Plan Communications Management process to identify the information
and communication needs of the people involved in your project by determining what
needs to be communicated, when, to whom, with what method, in which format, and
how frequently. Which of the following is MOST closely linked to this process?
A. Communication requirements analysis
B. Information management system
C. Interpersonal skills
D. Performance reporting
A
- A: Communication Requirements Analysis is a tool & technique in the Plan Communications
Management process. Performance reporting and information management systems
are tools & techniques within the Manage Communications process. Interpersonal
skills are associated with the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process (stakeholder
management).
4
Q
- A project manager is leading a team of fifteen team members. One of the team
members is not dedicated to the project and is having a performance issue. What form
of communication can the project manager use to address this kind of situation?
A. Informal written
B. Informal verbal
C. Formal written
D. Formal verbal
A
- B: The project manager should have an informal verbal discussion with the team member
about the lack of dedication and poor performance. The goal is to address the concern
of the project manager and to identify areas for improvement as well as any training
needs for the team member. If this method is not effective, then the project manager
should consider a formal written approach as the next step.
5
Q
- You recently successfully completed a data center project that has been in production
for more than a month. All the stakeholders have formally approved the project, and
no issues have been reported since it has been in production. While reviewing one of
the deliverables of your project with a project manager who is preparing for a similar
project, you discover a problem in your project that may cause a minor safety issue in
the future. What should you do under this circumstance?
A. Communicate with your management about your finding both verbally and in
writing.
B. There is no need to bring this minor safety issue to the attention of the customers
since no complaints have been filed.
C. Call the customers immediately and inform them about the safety issue.
D. Since it is a minor safety concern, it can be fixed without letting the customers know
about it.
A
- A: Even though no complaints have been filed and the issue is relatively minor, the project
manager should report this sort of finding to management and take action as per
management’s recommendation.
6
Q
- As a project manager, you know you will be spending 90 percent of your time
communicating with all the players involved in your project. You need to make sure that
you have the proper physical mannerisms such as facial expressions, hand gestures, and
body language, while conveying a message. You also need to be particularly observant
to the pitch and the tone of your voice, and you should try to receive comments and
feedback from the receiver while communicating. Your communication skills will be
utilized MOST during which of the following processes?
A. Communication Change Control
B. Manage Communications
C. Report Performances
D. Plan Communications Management
A
- B: Communication Change Control and Report Performances are not valid processes.
Communications planning involves identifying the information and communication
needs of the people involved in a project by determining what needs to be communicated,
when, to whom, with what method, in which format, and how frequently. Manage
Communications is the execution of your communications management plan, which
covers a broad range of topics such as what, how, when, and how frequently information
will be communicated and requires an ample amount of communication ability and
skills.
7
Q
- You are successfully managing a software project to automate the business processes
for one of your clients. A key stakeholder articulates her concern to you about the lack
of relevant information on her team’s deliverables in the project status reports that you
have been sending out. She is worried that her team has no visibility in this project and
has requested you to look into the matter as soon as possible. What should you do FIRST
in this situation?
A. Revisit the information distribution process in your project.
B. Have an urgent meeting with the stakeholders to understand what her team is
working on.
C. Ask the stakeholder to send the status of her team so that you can incorporate them
in your report.
D. Revisit your communications management plan.
A
- D: Since the stakeholder is receiving the status reports, there is no issue with the information
distribution process. You should revisit your communications management plan
first to understand the information need, communications requirements, format, method,
time frame, and frequency for the distribution of required information for this specific
stakeholder. You may want to have an urgent meeting with the stakeholder once you
have the details.
8
Q
- A project manager overseeing an ERP implementation project planned to distribute
large volumes of information about the project to a large audience. He decided to post
the information in an online knowledge repository for access at the discretion of the
stakeholders. This type of communication method is known as:
A. Interactive communication
B. Push communication
C. Pull communication
D. Expert judgment
A
- C: Pull communication utilizes intranet sites, e-learning, knowledge repositories, and
other types of accessible databases for a large volume of information or for a large
audience who will be accessing the contents at their own discretion. Expert judgment
generally refers to the input from subject matter experts. Interactive communication is
between two or more parties performing a multidirectional exchange of information; in
push communication, information is distributed, but it is not certified that the information
reached its intended audience or was understood.
9
Q
- As a project manager, you are required to report project performance to all your
stakeholders on a regular basis. Which one of the following can utilize Earned Value
Management (EVM) in its preparation for management?
A. Status reports
B. Trend reports
C. Progress reports
D. All of the above
A
- D: Earned Value Management (EMV) terms such as Actual Cost (AC), Earned Value (EV),
Planned Value (PV), Estimate at Completion (EAC), Estimate to Complete (ETC), Variance
at Completion (VAC), and Budget at Completion (BAC) can be used for all kinds of performance
reports such as status, trend, and progress reports.
10
Q
10. Which communication method is used essentially for prominent documents that go into project records? A. Informal verbal B. Informal written C. Formal verbal D. Formal written
A
- D: Prominent records such as complex problems, the project management plan, the
project charter, important project communications, contracts, legal notices, and other
items use the formal written method.
11
Q
- In your project, you are facing many multifaceted problems that need to be discussed
and resolved. You have explored different communication methods to use in solving
complex problems. Extensive use of which of the following methods will most likely
assist in solving complex problems in your project?
A. Nonverbal
B. Verbal
C. Written
D. Paralingual
A
- C: Both verbal and written communications should be used in solving complex problems.
But in a written communication, your words will be documented and presented in
the same form to everyone. In the case of the other methods listed, the same message
will not be received by everyone; thus, they will not be as helpful as a written method.
12
Q
- A project manager supervising a video conferencing implementation project has several
internal and external stakeholders whom she needs to send project progress, status, and
forecast reports to on a regular basis. The project manager is making sure she is sending
information to specific recipients who need to know it. Even though she ensures that
the information is distributed, she is not concerned with whether it reached or was
understood by the intended audience. This type of communication method is known as:
A. Interactive communication
B. Push communication
C. Expert judgment
D. Pull communication
A
- B: Push communication is a way of sending information to specific recipients who need
to know it. This ensures that the information is distributed, but it is not concerned with
whether it reached or was understood by the intended audience.
13
Q
- A project manager is in the process of making relevant information available to project
stakeholders in a timely manner as planned. The project manager is involved in which of
the following processes?
A. Plan Communications Management process
B. Manage Communications process
C. Monitor Communications process
D. Distribute Information process
A
- B: Manage Communications is the process of making relevant information available to
the project stakeholders in a timely manner as planned by creating, collecting, storing,
retrieving, and distributing project information. It is performed throughout the entire
project life cycle and in all management processes.
14
Q
- A project manager is in the Manage Communications process of collecting and
distributing performance information and is especially focused on reporting against the
performance baseline. Which one of the following is an output in this process?
A. Performance reporting
B. Information management system
C. Communication methods
D. Project communications
A
- D: Performance reporting, information management system, and communications
methods are tools & techniques in the Manage Communications process; only project
communications are the outputs.
15
Q
- Your project currently has ten more people assigned to the team besides you. As
your project is getting delayed, management wants you to add four additional team
members to your project at the end of the month. How many more communication
channels will you have added once the additional team members are added?
A. 55
B. 50
C. 105
D. 160
A
- B: Your team currently has eleven team members including you; thus, the number of
communication channels is calculated by using the formula: # of Channels = n* (n – 1)/2
11 (11 – 1)/2 = 55
If you add four more resources, then you will have 11 + 4 = 15 team members. So the
number of channels will be 15 (15 – 1)/2 = 105
So you will have 105 – 55 = 50 more channels after adding the new resources.
16
Q
- Which one of the following is not a noteworthy factor in the determination of the
method that may be used to transfer information to, from, and among project
stakeholders?
A. Availability of technology: Appropriate systems may already be in place, or you may
need to procure a new system or technology.
B. Urgency of the need for information: There may be a need to have frequently
updated information available at a moment’s notice, or regularly issued written
reports may be sufficient.
C. Stakeholder identification: It will provide a list of stakeholders affected by the project
and who have interest in the project.
D. Duration of the project: Technology will not likely change prior to the project’s
completion or it may need to be upgraded at some point.
A
- C: The methods used to transfer information to, from, and among project stakeholders
can vary significantly. Factors such as availability of technology, expected project staffing,
urgency of the need for information, project environment, duration of the project,
and other things may play a significant role in determining the method that may be
used to transfer information among project stakeholders. Stakeholder identification will
provide a list of stakeholders affected by the project and does not play much of a role in
this situation.
17
Q
- You set up a project status meeting with key stakeholders and customers, but it is not
going too well. Participants are discussing various topics at random, talking at the same
time and interrupting each other, a few of the attendees are not participating in the
discussion at all, and two of the customers are busy over the phone. To avoid this kind of
situation and have an effective meeting, what meeting rules should you apply?
A. You should have a real purpose of the meeting and invite the right people.
B. You should always schedule your meeting in advance so that people have plenty of
time to be prepared for the meeting.
C. You should create and publish an agenda with specific topics to discuss and set up
ground rules.
D. You should control who is allowed to speak and who is not and ask everyone to
demonstrate courtesy and consideration to each other.
A
- C: ‘A’ and ‘B’ will not help too much in this kind of situation as there is no indication here
that the right people were not invited to the meeting or the meeting was not scheduled
in advance. ‘D’ is not a rule for a meeting. People discussing topics at random suggests
that there was no set agenda for the attendees to follow. Imposing ground rules will
restrict people from talking at the same time and interrupting each other or remaining
busy over the phone.
18
Q
- You have several internal and external stakeholders involved in your construction
project. As a project manager, you need to identify the information type, format, value,
and needs for all these stakeholders. Which of the following tools & techniques is used to
identify this type of information?
A. Stakeholder management strategy
B. Communications requirements analysis
C. Trend analysis
D. Value analysis
A
- B: Stakeholder communications requirements are determined during communications
requirements analysis. The intention is to identify information that is most valuable to
stakeholders. The stakeholder management strategy is an output to identify the stakeholder
communication process, and it defines an approach to manage stakeholders and
to increase support for and minimize negative impacts on stakeholders throughout the
entire project life cycle. A trend analysis examines project results over time to see if performance
is improving or deteriorating. Value analysis or value engineering is associated
with product analysis, and it helps to find a less costly way to do the same work without
loss of performance.
19
Q
- You have fifteen identified internal and external stakeholders in the network
infrastructure project you are supervising. You are sending out progress and status
reports to all your stakeholders on a regular basis as per your communications
management plan. One of the stakeholders needs a very specific progress report on her
team’s deliverables and sends you an urgent e-mail requesting you to send the report
as soon as possible. Your bandwidth is almost fully occupied in various project-related
activities, but you have to find some spare time to fulfill this unexpected request from
the stakeholder. What will be your BEST course of action?
A. Consider it as part of the Manage Communications process and send out the
requested report.
B. Consider it as gold plating and ignore the request from the customer.
C. Inform the stakeholder that you are unable to send out ad hoc reports as it is not
included in the project communications management plan.
D. Complain to the sponsor about this unreasonable request from the stakeholder.
A
- A: Accommodating to planned and ad hoc information requests is part of the Manage
Communications process.
20
Q
- You are the project manager of a very important software development project in
your organization. As you are closely monitoring and managing your project, you are
happy that the project is progressing as per your plan. You reviewed the status of all the
deliverables with your team members prior to having a project status update meeting
with the stakeholders. Your team has developed a prototype, or a working model of
the proposed end product, and it will be presented to the stakeholders for interaction
and feedback. This will be an iterative process, and the prototype may be modified
numerous times to incorporate the feedback until the requirements have been finalized
for the product. Which one of the following will you do in your status meeting?
A. Do not mention anything about the prototype.
B. Demo the prototype to the stakeholders and obtain their formal approval.
C. Report on the progress of the prototype and point out that it’s a completed task.
D. Review the technical documentation of the prototype and obtain the formal
approval.
A
- C: Usually the project manager reports on the progress of the project in a status meeting
rather than demoing any prototype or reviewing any technical documentation.
21
Q
- While planning communication for the network infrastructure project to which you
have been assigned as project manager, you know you have to pay particular attention
to your body’s mannerisms, facial expressions, and the tone and pitch of your voice to
communicate effectively. All of the following are FALSE about communication EXCEPT:
A. Acknowledge means the receiver has received and agreed with the message.
B. Encode means to translate ideas or thoughts so that others can understand them.
C. Noise has nothing to do with sending and receiving messages.
D. Verbal communication is more important than nonverbal communication.
A
- B: Acknowledge means the receiver has received the message, but it does not mean
that the receiver necessarily agrees with the message. Noise or communication blockers
play a vital role in effective communication. 55 percent of all communication is nonverbal,
and verbal communication is not more important than nonverbal communication.
Encoding is translating ideas and thoughts.
22
Q
- While working on your communications plan, you have considered several
communication technologies to transfer information among project stakeholders.
Communication technology will take into account the following factors that can affect
the project EXCEPT which one?
A. Urgency of the need for information: Are regularly issued written reports enough for
the project, or is frequently updated information needed at a moment’s notice?
B. Expected project staffing: Are the proposed communication systems compatible
with the experience and expertise of the project participants, or is extensive training
and learning required?
C. Duration of the project: Is the available technology likely to change before the
project is over?
D. Reason for the distribution of information: What are the reasons for distributing
information?
A
- D: Communication technology will take into account urgency of the need for information,
expected project staffing, and duration of the project, but not reason for the distribution
of information.
23
Q
- You are managing a software development project and have worked on the stakeholder
register and communications management plan. Now you are about to execute your
communications management plan. Which one of the following is TRUE regarding
Manage Communications?
A. Manage Communications will end when the product has been accepted.
B. Communication methods such as individual and group meetings, video and audio
conferences, computer chats, and other remote communication methods are used to
manage communications.
C. Manage Communications is a monitoring & controlling process.
D. Manage Communications only carries out predetermined communication and does
not respond to unplanned requests from stakeholders.
A
- B: Some stakeholders will need information distributed even after the product has
been accepted as they want to get information about the closure of the project and the
contract. The Manage Communications is an executing process. Manage Communications
carries out not only predetermined communication but also handles responses to
unplanned requests from stakeholders. The listed communication methods are used in
Manage Communications; thus, letter ‘B’ is the correct answer.
24
Q
- The project manager who has been managing a large, multi-year network infrastructure
project recently left the company, and you were assigned as a project manager to
continue with the project. There are more than five different vendors, fifteen team
members, and several key stakeholders involved in this very important project. While
trying to identify stakeholder communication requirements, format, method, time
frame, and frequency for the distribution of required information, which of the following
will you be referring to?
A. Communications management plan
B. The information distribution plan
C. Project management plan
D. Stakeholder management strategy
A
- A: Even though the communications management plan is a part of the project management
plan, the best option here will be the communications management plan, where
the purpose for communication, communication requirements, method, time frame and
frequency for distribution, person responsible for communication, methods for updating
the communications management plan, and other communication related items can be
found.
25
25. A Project Management Information System (PMIS) is used as a tool & technique in many
of the 49 processes. Which statement describes a PMIS BEST?
A. A PMI certification for project management focused on information systems.
B. A necessary log for timekeeping.
C. A repository for project information used for future reference.
D. An automated system to support the project by optimizing the schedule and
helping collect and distribute information.
25. D: PMIS is an automated tool used to gather, integrate, and disseminate project information.
