Final Test Flashcards
What is project management software?
• Allows users to plan, track and manage their projects
What are some different kinds of project management software?
- Budgeting & cost management
- Documentation management
- Project planning, Project tracking and control
- Report generation
- Resource management
- Communications
What are some advantages of PM software?
- Can collaborate with team members in real time
- Document sharing
- Manage and track project costs
- Ability to manage risks, forecasting and budgets
- Reporting capabilities
- Intuitive to use
What are some disadvantages of PM software?
- Can be very costly
* PM software may complicate simple projects
What is a GANTT chart?
- A planning and scheduling tool that displays project activities along a time scale
- A type of bar chart
- Breaks the project down into smaller steps
- Gantt Charts keep users on track, providing a visual timeline for starting and finishing specific tasks
Why are GANTT charts used?
- Keeps everyone on the same page – when everyone has the same information, mutually understood expectations, there are fewer chances for misunderstanding
- Understand Task Relationships: Gantt Charts show how various tasks are interrelated (concurrent and precedential relationships)
- Visually very effective
- Effectively allocate resources
- Stay on track and forecast into the future: see the project in its entirety
What are some ways to create a GANTT chart?
- Microsoft Office (Project)
- Mac
- MS PowerPoint
- MS Excel
- MS Word
What is phase 1 of the project life cycle?
Phase 1:
• Identify need, problem, or opportunity
• Determine if project is to be selected
• Develop project charter: rationale, project objective, expected benefits, general requirements and conditions
• Decide if RFP (request for proposal) is needed
What is phase 2 of the project life cycle?
Phase 2:
• Show how project scope will be accomplished
• Plan the work and work the plan
• Develop baseline plan: what needs to be done, how will it get done, who will do it, how long will it take, how much will it cost, what are the risks
• Have actual resources plan the work
What is phase 3 of the project life cycle?
Phase 3:
• Accomplish project objectives: project manager leads, project team completes the project
• Increase pace as more resources are added
• Monitor and control progress
• Take corrective action as needed
• Manage and control changes with sponsor approval
• Achieve customer satisfaction with acceptance of deliverable
What is phase 4 of the project life cycle?
Phase 4: • Collect and make final payments • Recognize and evaluate staff • Conduct post project evaluation • Document lessons learned • Archive project documents • Record lessons learned
What are some aspects of client feedback?
- To gain the client’s perspective on the team’s performance, how satisfied the client is, and to provide recommendations for future
- Schedule this shortly after project completion and submission of deliverables
- Face to face meeting and/or survey
What are some aspects of project change?
- Initiated by the customer
- Initiated by the project team
- Caused by unanticipated occurrences during the performance of the project
- Required by the users of the project results
- The later in the project that changes are identified, the greater their effect
- Aspects most likely to be affected are budget and completion date
- At the start of the project, procedures need to be established regarding how changes will be documented and authorized
What should you do when a client requests changes?
- Have project team members estimate the effects on cost and schedule
- Be sure team members won’t casually agree to changes that may require additional person-hours
- Develop open communication and a climate of trust
- Have users participate up front in the decision to change
What are some aspects of the project manager?
• Provides leadership to the project team to accomplish
the project objective.
• Makes sure the client is satisfied with completed work
• Quality manner, within budget and on-time
• Responsibilities: Plan, Organize and Control
• Plan: clearly define project objective with client onside
• Organize: secure appropriate resources to perform work
• Control: monitor actual progress, compare it with initial plans, take corrective action if off track
