Establish Governance Flashcards
You are working on a project in a weak matrix organization. Who has the authority over budgets in this type of structure?
A. Sponsor
B. Functional manager
C. Project manager
D. Customer
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
In a weak matrix organization, the functional manager has the authority.
Which of the following is not part of the project governance framework?
A. Project success and deliverable acceptance criteria.
B. Relationship between project team, organizational groups, and external stakeholders.
C. Modifying the company organization chart.
D. Process for stage gate or phase reviews.
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Components of the project governance framework can include: - Project success and deliverable acceptance criteria - Process to identify, escalate, and resolve issues - Relationship between project team, organizational groups, and external stakeholders - Project organization chart with project roles - Communication processes and procedures - Processes for project decision-making - Guidelines for aligning project governance and organizational strategy - Project life cycle approach - Process for stage gate or phase reviews - Process for review and approval of changes above the project manager’s authority - Process to align internal stakeholders with project process requirements It is not the project’s responsibility to modify the company’s organization chart. That is usually the responsibility of the Human Resources department.
The project manager has a large project with functional groups in four countries. Now that the project is close to completion, the project manager needs to obtain the correct signoff on the acceptance of project deliverables. What should be done to obtain the appropriate signoff on this project?
A. Ask the project sponsor to sign off.
B. Ask the steering committee to sign off.
C. Ask the director of the project manager’s business unit to sign off.
D. Ask for signoff from the managers of the four countries involved in the project.
Answer: A
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Since the sponsor provided the resources for the project, it is their responsibility to officially sign off on the project deliverables. PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) PMI/PMI/4.7/121; Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (2013) Harold Kerzner/John Wiley/Wiley/10/
You are leading a class for junior project managers when the topic of the distinctions between project, program and portfolio management surfaces. Which of the following focuses on ensuring that projects and programs are reviewed to prioritize resource allocation that are consistent with organizational strategies?
A. Project Management
B. Program Management
C. Portfolio Management
D. Leadership governance
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
This is what Portfolio Management seeks to achieve.
You are the project manager for a large technology company. You are overseeing the completion of the feasibility phase and nearing the start of the development phase. What is this transition period called?
A. Transition Project
B. Project Initiation Closure
C. Phase Gates
D. Project Closure
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Phase Gate involves handing over deliverables from one phase, and serve as a valuable checkpoint to ensure the next phase should be commenced.
You just completed your Agile training and are preparing to apply for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner exam. At work, you are also about to start a new project and want to use an Agile methodology so that you can gain more experience in Agile projects to meet the PMI-ACP application requirements. Unfortunately, the Agile methodology you want to use does not work with the portfolio or organization’s governance, what should you do?
A. Use the Agile methodology, servant leadership is about reducing barriers to team success and if the governance is in the way then it is your job to change it.
B. Select a methodology that allows you to mirror your organization’s governance.
C. Tell you Portfolio Manager to grow an Agile mindset.
D. Meet with your boss and inform him that the project methodology was selected by the team and he needs to act more like a servant leader.
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Project, Program, and Portfolio governance should always align. PMBOK Guide p. 44 first paragraph
There are several project methodologies you could use in your next project. You want to use a flow-based agile approach based on past experience with your customer. Unfortunately, the Agile methodology you want to use does not work with the portfolio or organization’s governance. What should you do?
A. Use the Agile methodology. Servant leadership is about reducing barriers to team success and if the governance is in the way, then it is your job to change it.
B. Select a methodology that allows you to mirror your organization’s governance
C. Work with your Portfolio Manager to develop an Agile mindset
D. Meet with your boss and inform him that the project methodology was selected by the team and he needs to act more like a servant leader
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Project, Program, and Portfolio governance should align. PMBOK Guide p. 44 first paragraph
Management wants a better understanding of projects within their organization. They often confuse them with portfolios, programs and other operational work. You explain to them that a project is best defined as which of the following?
A. An endeavor, which is planned, executed, monitored and controlled; performed by people; and constrained by limited resources.
B. A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.
C. Ongoing endeavors which utilize repetitive processes that typically produce consistent results over time.
D. A process of considerable scope that implements a pre-defined approved plan.
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Choice B is the PMBOK Guide’s definition of a project.
You have done schedule compression on your project to catch up after an unforeseen hail storm that damaged 75% of your construction project. Due to this, your management and contingency reserves have been depleted. The PMO is discussing the possibility of re-baselining your project as your current CPI is 2.43 and your SPI is 1.89. What is the status of your project?
A. Ahead of schedule and over budget due re-baselining
B. Ahead of schedule and under budget after re-baselining
C. Behind schedule and on budget after re-baselining
D. Due to re-baselining the CPI and SPI can only be 1
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
This is a simple question about CPI and SPI. Re-baselining has nothing do with your answer. You would compare actual to planned (the baseline). Your project is ahead of schedule and under budget.
You are working on developing a master quality policy which will be kept by your project management office and referenced by other project managers in the future. Which of the following themes should you be emphasizing when preparing this document?
A. More emphasis should be placed on testing and inspection than on planning, since the former serves to catch flaws/defects.
B. Quality planning should be done as needed throughout the project, as opposed to spending excessive time planning up front.
C. Quality outcomes should be measured by the level of customer satisfaction achieved.
D. Substantial time and money should be spent planning quality at the beginning, to avoid defects in the first place.
Answer: D
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The PMBOK Guide states that your highest expense in quality management will likely come in the form of quality planning. Quality must be planned in, or “managed in” to a project on the front end, which will save money and effort in the long run because there will be fewer defects and problems to fix. Remember, quality is the extent to which the requirements are met, which is not always the same as simply creating customer satisfaction.
You are working for a company that uses agile methods. Who is generally responsible for creating and maintaining organization-wide project management best practices?
A. Team Facilitator
B. Agile Team
C. PMO
D. Product Owner
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Regardless of whether it is an Agile project or not, the best answer will be the PMO. They are the ones responsible for creating the policies and procedures regarding project management for the organization. PMI Authorized PMP Exam Prep Student Guide/ Page 51
The project sponsor has requested a description of the project’s performance to date as it pertains to the amount of work completed vs. what had been planned to this point. Specifically, she wants to know the exact amount of shortfall/surplus of work accomplished relative to the schedule. Which calculation should you employ to provide the information requested?
A. EV-PV
B. EV/AC
C. EV/PV
D. EV-AC
Answer: A
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The sponsor is asking for the schedule variance, which shows the amount of work performed relative to what had been planned at a given point in time. The formula for schedule variance is EV (Earned Value) - PV (Planned Value).
You are the project manager in a large manufacturing organization. Your project appears to have been progressing well with minimal interruptions and changes. Your customer has approved all phases of your project to date, but says an important deliverable was ignored. After having a meeting with the client, he also wants to stop the project and withhold payment. Which of the following statements is true?
A. You and your company may have to use problem-solving techniques such as arbitration and mediation to reach an agreement.
B. You and your company may have to use communication techniques such as arbitration and mediation to reach an agreement.
C. You and your company may have to use negotiation techniques such as mediation to reach an agreement.
D. You and your company may have to use influencing techniques such as arbitration and mediation to reach an agreement.
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Mediation is a negotiation technique you may employ to resolve disputes. The first step is always to try to resolve the problem yourself, which you already did. You would now need to escalate the matter.
As the new year begins, Selina will be engaged full-time on her new project as its project manager. Which of the following is a project manager responsible for?
A. Setting company policies and procedures
B. Predicting the product life cycle
C. An analysis of available resources
D. Setting the marketing budget
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The project manager is responsible for determining the available and required resources for the project.
Mark is overseeing construction of 5-star hotel which includes 2 swimming pools, 1 modern gymnasium, 18 stories of luxury rooms and 20 suites. Each item is managed individually by his team members. What is Mark managing here?
A. Mark is managing a Portfolio as it includes projects and programs
B. Mark is managing a Program as it includes various related projects
C. Mark is managing one large project including various sub-projects
D. Mark is managing operations
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Mark is managing a Program as there are several projects overseen by him that are related.
You have just been hired by Acme Software Corporation. You are excited about this opportunity since Acme Software Corporation has a great reputation in the industry. In your job description it indicates that you will be responsible for oversight and coordination of several interrelated projects, each of which has its own project manager. Your role is best defined as:
A. Project Manager
B. Portfolio Manager
C. Program Manager
D. PMO Manager
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The best answer is choice C. A program is a group of projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing each project individually.
You are in charge of a PMO and responsible for creating and conducting project based training. You are documenting product life cycle, project life cycle and project phases. Each project phase is marked by the completion of ____?
A. Task oriented objectives
B. Deliverables
C. Phase exit
D. Product life cycles
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Project Phases are a collection of logically-related project activities, usually culminating in the completion of a major deliverable. Project phases are components of the overall Project life cycle. Be sure not to confuse them with process groups (planning, executing, etc.)
Which of the following is not part of the project governance framework?
A. Process for getting the Project Charter approved.
B. Process to identify, escalate and resolve issues.
C. Project organization chart with roles
D. Project life cycle approach
Answer: A
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Components of the project governance framework can include: - Project success and deliverable acceptance criteria - Process to identify, escalate, and resolve issues - Relationship between project team, organizational groups, and external stakeholders - Project organization chart with project roles - Communication processes and procedures - Processes for project decision-making - Guidelines for aligning project governance and organizational strategy - Project life cycle approach - Process for stage gate or phase reviews - Process for review and approval of changes above the project manager’s authority - Process to align internal stakeholders with project process requirements There is no need for a process to get the Project Charter approved, as only the project sponsor signs it.
You just completed your Agile training and are preparing to apply for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner exam. At work, you are also about to start a new project and want to use an Agile methodology so that you can gain more experience in Agile projects to meet the PMI-ACP application requirements. Unfortunately, the Agile methodology you want to use does not work with the portfolio or organization’s governance, what should you do?
A. Use the Agile methodology, servant leadership is about reducing barriers to team success and if the governance is in the way, then it is your job to change it.
B. Select a methodology that allows you to mirror your organization’s governance
C. Tell you Portfolio Manager to grow an Agile mindset
D. Meet with your boss and inform him that the project methodology was selected by the team and he needs to act more like a servant leader
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Project, Program, and Portfolio governance should align. PMBOK Guide p. 44 first paragraph
All of the following are true regarding the project charter, except for which one?
A. The project charter is signed only by the project sponsor(s).
B. The project charter should be published under the name of the project manager.
C. The project charter should be published under the name of a manager external to the project team.
D. The project charter gives the project manager authority to assign organizational resources to the work of the project.
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Per the PMBOK Guide, the project charter should be published under the name of a manager external to the project team, which excludes the project manager. According to the PMBOK, the sponsor is considered to be external to the project team, and the charter is usually published under his or her name. The remaining answers all correctly describe elements of the project charter.
Which of the following will least likely be relevant for an Agile project?
A. Project Governance
B. Phase Gate
C. Project Management Plan
D. Cycle Times
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Phase Gate is generally found on Predictive projects where at the end of each phase a decision is made whether or not to continue. In Agile there are no real phases and so phase gate will usually not apply.
Various negative trends seen in the issue log and work performance reports have led to the discovery that the behaviors of one specific project team member need to be addressed. When taking disciplinary actions, you should do so in accordance with which of the following policies?
A. Project team
B. Sponsor
C. Government
D. Organizational
Answer: D
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The organization should set policies concerning disciplinary actions, which will of course take into account any policies stemming from governmental entities. You should contact the HR department to make sure you are in compliance with the organizational policy before taking substantial disciplinary measures.
You have been analyzing project data from the last two-week reporting period. The main data you have been looking at involve the value of the work that should have been completed, what was completed, and the cost to complete such work. In which of the following areas will these data be most useful?
A. Requirements Tracking
B. Earned Value Management
C. Closing Project or Phase
D. Defining Scope
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Earned value management begins with a determination of how much work should have been done at a given time (Planned Value), how much work was actually performed (Earned Value), and the cost to perform such work (Actual Cost).
You are a working for an organization that has given you total responsibility and authority over resources, budget and time lines. You are most likely working in which type of organization?
A. Strong Matrix
B. Project-oriented
C. Functional
D. Functional Matrix
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
A project-oriented organizational structure gives ultimate responsibility over resources, budget and time lines to the project manager. It is good insofar as you will have the resources you need, however, the drawback is your team (and perhaps yourself) may not have work after the project concludes.
According to the PMBOK Guide, when establishing project governance, which of the following processes would not be considered?
A. Capturing lessons learned
B. Define roles and responsibilities
C. Determine iteration length
D. Escalate and resolve risk
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Option C is correct. Project governance would not focus on iteration length. Instead, among other things, it would focus on ensuring lessons learned were documented, roles and responsibilities were defined, and an escalation process was created for large issues and risks. See page 545 of the PMBOK Guide version 6 for more details.
Stacy has operated in several kinds of organizations over the years; but most recently her experience had been in military contract project management under a projectized environment. Now she is in the private sector and finds that her first project is a matrixed organization. In a matrixed project organization, the administrative manager function of the project team is typically performed by whom?
A. The business department manager
B. The human resource manager
C. The functional manager
D. The project manager
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
In a matrixed project, the functional manager performs administrative managerial functions for his or her staff.
There are several project methodologies you could use in your next project. You want to use a flow-based agile approach based on past experience with your customer. Unfortunately, the Agile methodology you want to use does not work with the portfolio or organization’s governance, what should you do?
A. Use the Agile methodology, servant leadership is about reducing barriers to team success and if the governance is in the way then it is your job to change it.
B. Select a methodology that allows you to mirror your organization’s governance.
C. Tell you Portfolio Manager to grow an Agile mindset
D. Meet with your boss and inform him that the project methodology was selected by the team and he needs to act more like a servant leader.
Answer: B
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
Project, Program, and Portfolio governance should align. PMBOK Guide p. 44 first paragraph
William knows that the objective of project management is to engage actively in key activities that increase the likelihood that the project team meets project objectives effectively and efficiently. As such, William is working with the project sponsor to set forth preliminary responsibilities for himself so he can clearly articulate what is to be expected of him by project stakeholders. Which of the following is the project manager not responsible for?
A. Predicting materials required
B. Predicting equipment required
C. Predicting work required
D. Predicting project performance
Answer: D
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
The project manager is responsible for predicting materials, equipment, and work required for a project. Project performance should be a pre-defined requirement determined by the stakeholders and should fall within a specific set of parameters.
You have just joined a new organization and are taking over a project from another project manager who has left the organization. This project is unfamiliar territory for you and you have little experience in this particular industry. With which of the following should you first acquaint yourself?
A. Work Breakdown Structure
B. Risk Register
C. Enterprise Environmental Factors
D. Project Schedule
Answer: C
Process - Task 14 - Establish Governance
A Project Manager just assigned to a project needs to familiarize herself with all of the above, but since this is unfamiliar territory you will want to understand the culture, policies, market conditions, external factors etc. before you can truly understand the impact of the other documents. Therefore you will be trying to understand the EEFs first and foremost.
