Lecture 1

Question 1

What is a project?

Answer 1

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product service, or result.

Question 2

What is project Management?

Answer 2

• The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.

Question 3

What are the main processes of project management?

Answer 3

-Initiating
-Planning
-Executing
-Controlling
-Closing

Question 4

What is the project life cycle?

Answer 4

Based on the processes of project management:
– Starting the project (Initiation)
– Organizing and preparing (Planning)
– Carrying out the work (Execution)
– Closing the project (closure)

Question 5

What is a project charter

Answer 5

Short document that describes project
- Objectives, how it’s carried out (scope) and who the stakeholders are.

Question 6

Who are the Stakeholders

Answer 6

-Project manager; person responsible for managing project
-Customer/user: person / org that will use the end product
- Perfomring org - Enterprise whose employees are mostly involved in working on the project
- Project team members: the group that is performing the work of the project
- Project management team: members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities.
- Sponsor: person/group that provides financial resources.
- Influencers: people/group related or not directly to the acquisition/use of the product.

Question 7

Positive and negative stakeholders

Answer 7

• Positive benefit from a successful outcome.
  -Negative see negative outcomes from project’s success

Question 8

What are the three project management objectives

Answer 8

Time, cost, quality

Question 9

What is project integration managemnts.

Answer 9

Processes required to ensure proper coordination of various project elements.
- Project plan development
- Project plan execution
- Integration change control

Question 10

Project scope management

Answer 10

Processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required

Question 11

Project Time management

Answer 11

Processes to ensure timely completion of project

Question 12

Project cost management

Answer 12

To ensure the project is completed within planned budget

Question 13

Project Quality Management

Answer 13

processes required to ensure the project satisfies the needs for which it was undertaken.

Question 14

Project Human ressource management.

Answer 14

To ensure effective use of people involved.

Question 15

Project communications management.

Answer 15

Processes required to ensure timely and appropriate handling of project information.

Question 16

Project risk management.

Answer 16

Processes concerned with indetifying, analyzing, and responding to project risk

Question 17

Project procurement management

Answer 17

Processes required to acquire goods and services from outside the organization

Question 18

Project Phases:

Answer 18

• Inception
• Planning and definition
• Design
• Procurement and production
• Start up and commisioning

Question 19

Three types of organizational structures

Answer 19

• Functional
• Projectized
• Matrix

Question 20

Functional organization

Answer 20

Project is divided into segments and assigned to relevant functional areas and or group within functional areas.

Example:
CEO commands multiple functional managers (finance, R/D) who each command their own staff.

Question 21

Strengths of functional organization

Answer 21

• High stability
• High professional standard
• Incorporation of latest technology
• Excellent corporate memory

Question 22

Weaknesses of functional organization

Answer 22

• Poor communication accross functional areas
• Low adaptability
• overly rigid operating rules
• Resistance to change

Question 23

When does functional organization work best?

Answer 23

• Works best when design and construction don’t
  overlap

Question 24

Projectized organization

Answer 24

Project manager is in chage of a project team composed of a core group of personel from different functional areas/groups assigned on a full-time basis. Funcional managers have no involvement.

Basically, there are multiple project managers that report to a CEO, and each project manager orders staff.

Question 25

Matrix Organization

Answer 25

Hybrid of functional and projectized
Strong matrix -> resembled projectized
Weak matrix resembles functional.

Scope, cost, and schedule are responsibility of project manager
functional objectives such as quality assurance, etc are responsibility of functional manager

Question 26

Advantages of matrix

Answer 26

-combines functional strength with the advantge of project-oriented team
- fosters excellent climate for developping project managers.
- corporate memory

Question 27

Disadvantage of matrix:

Answer 27

• difficulty in defining accountability of both functional and project managers.
• violates the fact that no subordinate should report to two bosses