Communications Flashcards
You are managing a project to update the packaging and digital media for a popular snack food to promote a charity fundraiser. The project is well underway, and you are currently actively collecting and storing information about each deliverable team’s progress, creating forecasts for your sponsor, distributing work performance reports and planning presentations to key stakeholders, and verifying delivery. Which process are you performing?
Plan Communications Management
Monitor Communications
Manage Communications
Manage Stakeholder Engagement
To answer this question, first, determine under which knowledge area the described activities fall. With reference to sponsors and stakeholders, you may guess that it is Stakeholder Management. However, the activities of collection, creation, distribution, storage, and monitoring project information fall under Communications Management. Next, determine what process group is related to these activities. Is it Planning or Monitoring & Controlling? No, the task is not to develop the communication models in Planning, nor is the task to identify if the planned communications artifacts and activities have had the desired effect. Instead, the current activities are mostly collection, creation and distribution and delivery, which take place while executing the work of the project. An important clue is that you are distributing work performance reports, which is an output of the Direct and Manage Project Work process in the Integration knowledge area, in the Executing process group. Therefore, the correct answer is that these activities fall under Manage Communications.
A project manager analyzed the project’s communication requirements and decided that 10 out of the 30 stakeholders in the project would only need voicemail updates of certain information. This type of communication is:
Interactive communication On-demand communication Push communication Pull communication
Use of voicemail is push communication. In this type of communication, information is distributed to specific recipients who need to know the information. However, this method does not certify that the information actually reached, or was received by, the intended audience.
Sandra is managing a complex ERP design and implementation project. The project team has recently been hired. It is an enterprise-wide project affecting many stakeholders. It is very important for each team member to properly understand and follow the project communication requirements in order to keep the stakeholders engaged and informed. Which of the following tools and techniques can Sandra use to ensure that team members properly understand the project’s communications requirements?
Recognition and rewards
Training
Ground rules
Co-location
All of the choices look correct at the first glance. However, the question is specifically asking for a technique that will raise the awareness of the communication requirements. Training is the ideal tool for increasing the awareness of the team members.
James is managing a shopping mall construction project. During the project execution, he learns the project communications management plan is not effective and requires a major update. Which of the following processes will issue a change request for the required update?
Manage Communications
Perform Integrated Change Control
Plan Communications Management
Monitor Communications
Monitor Communications
Change request is an output of the monitor communications process. The monitor communications process will produce the change request, the perform integrated change control process will get that approved, and then the plan communications management process will make the necessary updates.
Lucy is managing a high-tech software development project. She has luckily acquired the organization’s best performing employees. However, the project team is not communicating effectively, causing delays. The project communications plan is in place, but it seems as if the employees are not following it. The communications plan lays out the communications requirements but does not explicitly assign responsibilities. What should Lucy do first? (Assume that all the following actions need to be taken at some stage.)
Set and manage expectations
Motivate the team to effectively communicate
Persuade the team to follow the plan
Resolve conflicts to prevent disruptive behavior
Set and manage expectations
Assuming that none of the given actions have been undertaken in the past, the first thing to do is to set expectations. Once the expectations are set, the behavior need to be managed. Persuasion, motivation and conflict resolution should follow this.
Along with the project communications management plan, work performance reports are vital inputs to the Manage Communications process. Where do these work performance reports come from?
Organizational process assets
Project integration management process
All monitoring and controlling processes
Plan Communications Management processes
The monitor and control project work, a process form the project integration management knowledge area, produces work performance reports.
A dashboard viewable by all project stakeholders displays various statuses using the industry standard of red, yellow, and green colors. Throughout project execution, to meet the needs of the project and some of the project stakeholders, the project manager has been adding more colors to reflect additional statuses. This situation has created confusion among some of the stakeholders over the status naming conventions and meanings. What should the project manager do?
Add a simpler status for the stakeholders who are confused Explain the meaning of the new statuses to the stakeholders Revert the status to an industry standard of red, yellow, green Remove statuses from the dashboard to avoid confusion
The Monitor Communications process ensures the project communications are fulfilling the needs of the project and its stakeholders. In this scenario, the statuses on the project dashboard have evolved over the life of the project to meet the needs of the project. In the process, it has met the needs of some of the project stakeholders but has confused others. The project manager must close that misunderstanding gap so that the communications meet the needs of all project stakeholders. Educating the stakeholders on the purpose, naming, and use of the statuses is the best option from those presented in the question.
This process ensures the project communications are fulfilling the needs of the project and its stakeholders.
Monitor Communications
Julia is currently recruiting her project team. She has carried out various interviews and has shortlisted potential candidates. Now, according to the project communication management plan, she has to submit the shortlisted profiles to the project client (customer) for approval. Only then, can she formally hire the approved candidates for the project. The submission of the profiles to the client will go through which of the following processes?
Plan Resource Management Manage Communications Manage Stakeholder Engagement Acquire Resources
Manage communications is the process of distributing project information in accordance to the communications management plan. The interviews and shortlisting was carried out during the acquire resources and so will be the hiring once the approvals come in. However, the profiles submission to the client will be done through the manage communications process.
It is the process of distributing project information in accordance to the communications management plan
Manage communications
Reporting performance about scope to stakeholders is a part of which knowledge area?
Project Scope Management
Project Quality Management
Project Communications Management
Project Integration Management
Project reporting is a tool and technique of the manage communications process.
Which of the following is NOT considered a method in the Manage Communications process?
Change control systems
Project reporting
Project Management Information System
Communication technology
Change control systems
The change control system is not a tool and technique of the manage communications process. The other choices are valid tools and techniques of this process.
The details of the issue escalation process, including the names of the chain of command to refer issues to that cannot be resolved at a lower level can be found in which document?
The issue escalation process must be documented during the planning phase of a project. Issues that cannot be resolved at a lower level can be escalated up the chain of command within a stipulated time frame. This information is part of the communications management plan.
Communication noise refers to influences on effective communication that influence the interpretation of conversations. Noise affects which components of communication?
Encoding and feedback
Encoding and decoding
Transmission and decoding
Decoding and feedback
Transmission and decoding
Noise is anything that compromises the original meaning of a message. It gets either introduced during the transmission itself or during decoding (when the receiver of the message doesn’t fully comprehend).
You are working on a project with all the team members located in geographically different areas, and all communication is by email and chat. It is sometimes hard to infer the true meaning of these messages because you cannot see facial expressions or hear tones of voice. This is an example of:
Encoding Noise Medium Decoding
Noise
Anything that interferes with the meaning of a message is considered noise.
When one factor used to determine the effort required to produce a unit of work is increased while all other factors remain fixed, a point will eventually be reached at which additions of that one factor start to yield progressively decreased productivity. This is known as:
The theory of constraints The law of diminishing returns The Pareto Law The 100 percent rule
When one factor used to determine the effort required to produce a unit of work is increased while all other factors remain fixed, a point will eventually be reached at which additions of that one factor start to yield progressively decreased productivity. This is commonly known as the law of diminishing returns.
Which of the following tools and techniques are not applicable while communicating project information?
Communication methods
Information management systems
Communication technology
Communication requirements analysis
The question is asking for a tool and technique that is not part of the manage communications process. Communication requirements analysis is a tool and technique of the plan communications management process and not the manage communications process.
You want to determine the information needs of the project stakeholders, specifically focusing on the type and the format of information that will be required to communicate with the stakeholders. What is your best course of action?
Conduct a communication requirements analysis
The question implies that you are performing the Plan Communications Management process with the development of the communications management plan. Communication requirements analysis is one of the tools and techniques that may be used in this process. Analysis of communication requirements determines the information needs of the project stakeholders. These requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis of the value of that information. Therefore, of the available answer choices, conducting a communication requirements analysis is the best course of action in this scenario.
Your project calls for communication with an extremely large audience. What communication method would be appropriate under such circumstances?
Interactive communication
Two-way communication
Verbal communication
Pull communication
The situation in the project would call for pull communication. This is suitable for a large audience, and it allows them to access information at their own discretion.
Stakeholder notifications must be archived for future reference. Whenever the Manage Communications process produces a stakeholder notification, the notification must be:
Updated to the project management plan
Updated to the stakeholder register
Updated to the project communications management plan
Updated to the organizational process assets
Updated to the organizational process assets
Stakeholder notifications must be archived for future reference. Whenever the manage communications process produces a stakeholder notification, the notification must be updated to the organizational process assets.
Shawn is in the execution phase of his project. He is getting unexpected requests from his stakeholders about the project’s progress. Shawn can use all the following to respond to their requests except:
Work performance reports
Communications management plan
Business case
Organizational process assets
Communications management plan
Since shawn is in the execution phase and stakeholders are requesting project information, he must respond through the manage communications process. The communications management plan, organizational process assets and work performance reports are inputs to this process. Shawn can use any of these documents to respond to their requests. The project’s business case is not of much help at this stage.
No matter how good you are in communicating, information distribution to stakeholders as planned is a challenging task. Many tools and techniques are used during the Manage Communications process except:
Communication technologies Work performance reports Communication skills Project reporting
Work performance reports
The work performance reports are inputs to the manage communications process. The other choices are the valid tools and techniques of the manage communications process.
You are the Project Manager and are responsible for the development of a mall. As with any construction project, there will be multiple iterations of blueprints and engineering drawings. Therefore, you have decided to create an online database that can be used to query the documents by name, type, date, etc. This is an example of what type of communication tool?
Project Management Information System Lessons Learned Project Records Configuration Management System
The online database is an example of a project management information system.
Which of the following are the tools and techniques used in both the Plan Communications Management and Manage Communications processes?
Communication requirements analysis
Communication methods
Expert judgment
Project reporting
Communication methods are the common tools and techniques for plan communications management and manage communications processes.
To ensure effective communications throughout a project lifecycle, a project manager should develop a communications plan early in the project. When developing a communications plan, a project manager must consider a number of factors. Which of the following is the least important consideration among the list while developing a communications plan?
Which PMBOK processes are required on the project? What kind of communication is required? What time zones and language barriers are involved? Where should the information be stored?
The project manager must tailor the pmbok processes to meet the needs of the project. However, this is a consideration while developing the overall project management plan for the project. The rest of the choices are more of a concern during the plan communications management process.
Robert is managing a construction project. The project’s client is responsible for the design, while Robert’s organization is responsible for the construction. There has been a 45-day delay on a couple of major structure designs. This delay can only be recovered through crashing and will cost $2 million in addition to the approved budget. Robert prepares a detailed report and emails it to the client. In this scenario, Robert’s email to the client is an example of:
Informal unofficial communication
Informal official communication
Formal unofficial communication
Formal official communication
Informal official communication
According to the pmbok guide, all email correspondence is informal. Although the communication was between two officials, it cannot be considered official unless the information is transmitted formally.
Which of the following is the correct sequence of the PMBOK processes that collects work performance data, converts it to work performance information, formats it into work performance reports, and distributes these reports?
Monitor Communications -> Direct & Manage Project Work -> Monitor & Control Project Work -> Manage Communications
Direct & Manage Project Work -> Monitor & Control Project Work -> Manage Communications -> Monitor Communications
Direct & Manage Project Work -> Monitor Communications -> Monitor & Control Project Work -> Manage Communications
Direct & Manage Project Work -> Monitor & Control Project Work -> Monitor Communications -> Manage Communications
Direct & Manage Project Work -> Monitor Communications -> Monitor & Control Project Work -> Manage Communications
The direct & manage project work process produces the work performance data. This work performance data is converted to work performance information by the monitor communications process. The monitor & control project work process uses this information and produces work performance reports which are then distributed to the stakeholders by the manage communications process.
During the project’s iterations, the daily standup meetings have been held at 9 AM every day. Three of the project team members have missed or been late to the last seven meetings because they are running tests in another building each of those days. These tests will most likely continue for the rest of the iteration. What is the project manager’s best action?
Select one Mark question
Cancel the meetings
Move the meeting to a set time later in the day
Start the meeting once everyone is present
Start the meeting at different times every day until a particular time gets full attendance
Meetings are a tool of the Monitor Communications process. As projects move through the iterations when managed in an agile manner, daily standup meetings are the cornerstone of good team communications. The structure of a standup meeting may vary greatly from one team or one project to the next. What is most important is that these meetings are held at the same time and place for a pre-determined cadence beneficial to the team. Whether every day or once a week or some other timing, the meeting is designed to include as many of the project team members to briefly meet, share updates, ask for assistance, and align efforts. If the timing of the meeting does not work for part of the team, the project manager should seek to accommodate the team by seeking more beneficial times. Canceling or continuously moving the meeting times does not help the team’s communication in this scenario.
Ben is the project manager for a mobile application development project. Due to a recent technological development, a significant change in the product design is required. This change would require a 25 percent increase in the project budget. Ben prepares a detailed report and emails it to the project sponsor, and the sponsor acknowledges the receipt of the report. What should Ben do next?
Select one Mark question
Update the project schedule
Update the cost management plan
Update the project budget
Wait for the formal approval of the new budget
Acknowledgement of a message does not necessarily mean agreement with or comprehension of the message. Ben should wait for a formal approval of the budget before taking any action.
James is managing a shopping mall construction project. During the project execution, he learns the project communications management plan is not effective and requires a major update. Which of the following processes will issue a change request for the required update? Select one Mark question Perform Integrated Change Control Manage Communications Plan Communications Management Monitor Communications
Change request is an output of the monitor communications process. The monitor communications process will produce the change request, the perform integrated change control process will get that approved, and then the plan communications management process will make the necessary updates.
