Course 1 Flashcards
what is a project?
- a unique endeavor, and usually includes a set of unique deliverables
- a temporary pursuit; it has a defined beginning and end
- a set of tasks that must be completed in order to arrive at a particular goal or outcome
project management is ____________.
the use of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet the project requirements and to achieve a desired outcome
project management is valuable to businesses because_______
it helps ensure that a project delivers the expected outcomes both on time and within budget
a project manager_______.
- plans and organizes, manage tasks, budgets and controls costs and brings value to a company
- play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing out projects
- shepherd projects from start to finish and serve as guides for their team, using their impeccable organizational and interpersonal skills
project managers add value to their teams and organizations in key ways that include: ______, ________, and ______.
- prioritization
- delegation
- effective communication
prioritization ________.
helps project managers determine which tasks are the most critical to the success of the project by helping team members breaking down large tasks into smaller steps
delegation______.
helps project managers match tasks to individuals who can best complete the work
effective communication __________.
refers to project managers being transparent regularly checking in with the team and key stakeholders (or outside of the team)
what is a customer?
refers to a person or organization that defines a project’s requirements and sets guidelines such as budget and deadlines.
internal customers are _________.
stakeholders in an organization
- management
- project team members
- resource managers
- other org. dept.
external customers are ___________.
customers outside of an organization
- clients
- contractors
- suppliers
- consumers
how does project managers impact organizations?
- focusing on the customer (asking questions)
- building a great team
- fostering relationships and communication
- managing the project
- breaking down barriers
what are examples of project management responsibilities?
- planning and organizing
- managing tasks
- budgeting and controlling costs
a responsibility that falls under planning and organizing is ______
making use of productivity tools and creating processes to improve information sharing across the team; create plans, timelines, schedules and other forms of documentation to track project completion, maintain documentation through the project
a responsibility that falls under budgeting and controlling costs is ______
monitoring and managing budget; track issues and risks; manage quality
a responsibility that falls under managing tasks is ______
managing the team’s workload and ensure that things are getting done.
- tracking tasks demonstrates progress to people outside the immediate team, like your stakeholders.
a project task is _______.
an activity that needs to be accomplished within a set period of time by the project manager, the team, or stakeholders
interpersonal skills are ______.
behaviors used to interact with others
- communication
- active listening
- leadership
a project manager’s role within a team is _____
managing the tasks of a project by guiding team members and making sure they have the support needed to complete the project
a cross-functional team, or “T-shaped professionals” are ________
team members who have different backgrounds, types of expertise, and job functions
managing cross-functional team’s effectively requires the project manager to:
- clarify goals
- get team members with the right skills
- measure progress
- recognize efforts
what are 4 specific core skills of a project manager?
- enabling decision making
- communicating and escalating
- flexibility
- strong organizational skills
enabling decision-making means to __________.
ensure that projects stay on schedule by gathering information from teammates and using that to help the team make informed decisions
communicating and escalating means __________.
documenting plans, emailing project status updates, or holding a meeting to escalate risks or issues to stakeholders
flexibility means _______.
knowing how to be adaptable when changes are needed
strong organizational skills
the ability to organize processes and the core elements of a project to ensure nothing gets lost or overlooked
influencing without authority refers to _______.
a project manager’s ability to guide teammates to complete their assigned work without acting as their direct managers
A project life cycle is _______.
the order of processes and phases used in delivering a project
4 phases to a project life cycle include:
- initiate the project
- make a plan
- execute and complete tasks
- close the project
initiation means to:
- define goals and deliverables
- identify resources
- identify stakeholders/get project approval
planning means to:
- create a schedule
- create a list of individual tasks
- manage budget
executing and completing means to:
- update project to team
- manage project progress
- respond to changes and make adjustments
close the project means to:
- confirm project outcome is delivered and complete
- document what work and what didn’t
- confirm stakeholders accept the completed task
a project management methodology is ________.
a set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project through its life cycle
linear is a type of approach that refers to:
a previous phase or task has to be completed before the next can start
(ex: building a house)
it is a sequential process
iterative is a more flexible approach, which refers to:
some phases and tasks will overlap or happen simultaneously when other tasks are being worked on.
(ex. producing a new show for a television company)
it anticipates changes
waterfall is a traditional methodology that ________.
refers to the sequential ordering of phases
- created in the 70s
- a linear approach
- used in manufacturing and construction and software
- app design, event planning and retail
- follow an ordered set of steps
initiating, planning, executing and closing
you are catering an event for a client on a very tight budget. you have to confirm the number of guests first, clearly define the menu, get approval and agreement on the menu items and costs, order the unreturnable ingredients, and successfully feed the guests.
what methodology will you use?
the waterfall methodology
agile is a more flexible methodology that refers to:
tasks being worked on simultaneously
- emerged in the 90s
- iterative approach
- agile phases overlaps and tasks are completed in iterations, which in Scrum are called Sprints
- concerned with building an effective, collaborative team that seek regular feedback from the client so they can deliver the best value as quickly as possible and adjust as changes emerge
scrum is a form of _____
agile
sprints are ____.
short chunks of time usually one to four weeks where a team works together to focus on completing specific tasks
building a website is an example of ____
the agile methodology approach
lean six sigma is:
- a combination of 2 parent methodologies
- common in projects that have goals to: 1) save money, 2) improve quality and 3) move through processes quickly
- it focuses on team collaboration that promotes a positive work environment
5 phases in the lean six sigma approach:
D: define
M: measure
A: analyze
I: improve
C: control
DMAIC is ______.
a strategy for process improvement to figure out where the problems are in the current process and fix them to run smoothly
- focuses on data and on the customer or end-user
-prevents the likelihood of skipping important steps and increases the chances of a successful project.
DMAIC focuses on data and on the customer or end-user
lean six sigma and the DMAIC approach:
- improving the current process to fix complex or high risk problems like improving sales, conversions
- eliminating a bottleneck, which is when things get backed up during a process.
lean 5-S pillars include:
sort
set in order
shine
standardize
sustain
the final concept of lean uses kanban, which is:
- a scheduling system to manage production
- a visualization tool that enables you to optimize the flow of your team’s work, which gives the team a visual display to identify what needs to be done and when. it uses cards that are moved from left to right to show progress and help your team coordinate the work.
- also an example of the Agile framework
_____ and ____ are core methods of lean methodology
Kanban boards and 5S
six sigma is _______.
- a methodology used to reduce variations by ensuring that quality processes are followed every time
- originated from statistics … items or processes should have 99.9996% quality
the difference between lean and six sigma is that _________.
lean streamlines processes while Six Sigma reduces variation in products by building in quality from the beginning and inspecting products to ensure quality standards are met.
lean six sigma is ideal for solving complex or high-risk problems.
organizational structure refers to______.
the way a company or organization is arranged
- who reports to who
organizational structure tell you:
- how jobs are divided and coordinated
- who does what
- how different members of an organization relate to one another
organizational structure is most commonly mapped out using a _____ or _____.
reporting chart
“org” or organizational chart
reporting charts:
shows the relationship between people and groups within the organization, and details who each person or group reports to
classic and matrix are 2 types of organizational structures
classic organizational structure:
functional or top down structures
follows a typical chain of command: CEO and other executives > directors or managers > other section of employee
(ex. branch of military)
matrix organizational structure:
direct higher ups to report to and stakeholders from other departments or programs
- two or more managers
