Organization Flashcards
1
Q
What is the purpose of the organization theme?
A
To define and establish the project’s structure of accountability and responsibilities.
2
Q
What is the role of the management structure in a project?
A
To ensure clear definition of roles and responsibilities, informed decision-making, effective control over project phases, and efficient communication, aligning the project with objectives and managing risks.
3
Q
How is a stakeholder defined?
A
Any individual, group, or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by an initiative (e.g., a program, project, activity, or risk).
4
Q
How are roles and responsibilities managed?
A
Roles can be shared or combined according to the project’s needs, but responsibilities must always be allocated.
5
Q
What are the three principal categories of stakeholders?
A
Business, users, and suppliers. Each has a specific interest in the project and defined roles to ensure their interests are met.
6
Q
What is the role of the Executive in a project?
A
To represent business interests in the project, ensuring it meets business needs and provides value for the investment.
7
Q
What is the role of the Senior User in a project?
A
To represent user interests, specifying desired outputs and ensuring the project delivers them through the supplier.
8
Q
What is the role of the Senior Supplier in a project?
A
To represent supplier interests, providing necessary skills and producing the project product.
9
Q
What representations are essential in a project management team?
A
Representation of business, users, and suppliers is essential for project success.
10
Q
Why is having adequate governance important in a project?
A
Adequate governance clearly defines responsibilities for project direction, management, and delivery, ensuring effective control.
11
Q
What to ensure about project roles throughout the project?
A
Regularly review the project roles to ensure their continued effectiveness.
12
Q
What is the key to managing effective communication with stakeholders ?
A
Implementing an effective approach is crucial for ensuring smooth and informative communication.
13
Q
What are the four levels of management in PRINCE2?
A
Corporate/Programme Management/Customer, Directing (project board), Managing (project manager), Delivering (team manager).
14
Q
What are the responsibilities of the Corporate/Programme Management/Customer level?
A
Commission the project, identify the executive, define project-level tolerances.
15
Q
What are the main functions of the project board?
A
Approve major plans and resources, authorize deviations, approve completion of each management stage.
16
Q
What is the primary responsibility of the project manager?
A
Day-to-day management of the project within constraints set by the project board, ensuring that the project produces the required products within the goals of time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk.
17
Q
Who is responsible for delivering the project’s products?
A
Team members, responsible for delivering the project’s products to an appropriate quality within a specified timescale and cost.
18
Q
Why is stakeholder analysis important?
A
Identify stakeholders who may support or oppose the project, gain or lose from project delivery, see the project as a threat or enhancement to their position, and become active supporters or blockers of the project.
19
Q
What is the minimum requirement for a project’s organizational structure?
A
Define an organizational structure and roles that cover all required responsibilities.
20
Q
How does PRINCE2 handle the delegation of change authority responsibilities?
A
Document rules for delegating change authority, if necessary.
21
Q
What is the required approach to communicate and engage with stakeholders?
A
Develop a communication plan specifying the methods, timing, and recipients of communication, tailored to the needs of all stakeholders.
22
Q
What should the PID contain in relation to organization?
A
Provides references for project management, defining the team’s structure and roles.
23
Q
What does the communication management approach describe?
A
Describes the means and frequency of communication with internal and external stakeholders.
24
Q
What are the mandatory team roles in a project?
A
Certain roles must be fulfilled in every project, with the possibility of combining roles within certain limits.
25
What are the responsibilities of the project board?
Responsible for the project's success or failure, provides direction, delegates responsibilities, integrates the team, provides resources and funds, decision-making, supports the manager, communicates effectively.
26
How should the board be represented?
Must represent business, user, and supplier interests, typically through the executive, senior user, and senior supplier.
27
What are the main responsibilities of the Executive in a project?
The Executive is responsible for the project's success, ensuring it meets its objectives, delivers forecasted benefits, and provides value for money while balancing business, user, and supplier needs.
28
How is the Executive appointed in a project?
The Executive is appointed by corporate, programme management, or the customer during the pre-project process of starting up a project. They are the single point of accountability for the project.
29
What are the specific duties of the Executive in forming the project management team?
The Executive is responsible for designing and appointing the rest of the project management team, including other members of the project board.
30
What are the Executive's responsibilities regarding funding and the business case of the project?
The Executive secures the funding for the project and is responsible for the business case and the ongoing business justification of the project.
31
What is the role of the Senior User in a project?
The Senior User is responsible for specifying the needs of the users and ensuring that the solution meets those needs within the constraints of the business case. They represent the interests of all those who will use the project's products.
32
What tasks are assigned to the Senior User?
The Senior User commits user resources and monitors products against requirements. They specify the benefits and are accountable for demonstrating the realization of forecasted benefits.
33
How can user representation be managed in a project?
If necessary, more than one person may be required to represent the users to ensure adequate coverage of their needs.
34
What are the main responsibilities of the Senior Supplier in a PRINCE2 project?
Represents interests of those designing, developing, and implementing the project’s products. Accountable for the quality of products delivered and technical integrity of the project. Provides supplier resources and ensures proposals are feasible and realistic.
35
Does the Senior Supplier also represent post-closure interests of the project?
Represents interests of those who will maintain the specialized products after project closure, unless an external supplier is responsible for maintenance.
36
What is the role of Project Assurance in PRINCE2?
The project board, through the project assurance role, is responsible for independently monitoring the project's performance and products, separate from the project manager.
37
Who is responsible for project assurance and how are these responsibilities assigned?
Project board members are responsible for project assurance in their areas of concern. They may perform assurance tasks themselves or delegate to others.
38
What is the role of project assurance in supporting the project manager?
Project assurance supports the project manager by providing advice and guidance on corporate standards and appropriate personnel involvement.
39
How is the independence of project assurance maintained?
Individuals in the project assurance role must be independent of the project manager and report to the respective project board member related to their area of interest.
40
What is the main consideration regarding Change Authority at the start of the project?
Decide who is authorized to approve change requests or off-specifications. This can be the project board or a delegated entity.
41
Under what circumstances might the project board delegate change authority?
In dynamic environments with many change requests or when specific technical knowledge is required to assess changes.
42
How is change authority defined in a PRINCE2 project?
The project board decides whether to delegate the approval of changes or off-specifications, and such delegation must be documented in the appropriate role descriptions.
43
What are the main responsibilities of the Project Manager in a PRINCE2 project?
Is the focal point for day-to-day project management, has the authority to run the project on behalf of the project board within the constraints set by it.
44
What are the specific authorities and responsibilities of the Project Manager?
Manages the team and project support, is responsible for liaison with project assurance and the project board, and delegates responsibility for the managing product delivery process to the team manager.
45
How does the Project Manager manage work in the absence of a separate Team Manager or Project Support role?
The Project Manager directly manages work with team members and handles project support tasks, which can be shared with team members.
46
What is the primary responsibility of the Team Manager in a PRINCE2 project?
To ensure the production of products allocated by the project manager. The Team Manager reports to, and receives directions from, the project manager.
47
When might the project manager decide to appoint a separate Team Manager?
Due to the project's size, specific specialist skills required, geographical location of team members, or preferences of the project board.
48
How does the project manager assign work to the Team Manager or team members?
Uses work packages to allocate tasks, which can be employed formally or informally depending on the project's needs.
49
What considerations are important if the Team Manager comes from a supplier organization?
Understand any reporting lines to a senior supplier to avoid conflicts of interest and not undermine the project manager's authority.
50
What is the responsibility of Project Support in a PRINCE2 project?
It's the responsibility of the project manager, who can delegate some tasks to a project support role, including administrative services, advice on project management tools, or specialist functions.
51
When is it necessary to allocate a separate individual or group for Project Support?
The Project Support role is not optional, but allocating it to a separate individual or group is. The role defaults to the project manager if not otherwise allocated.
52
What are the constraints on combining roles in PRINCE2?
The roles of executive and project manager cannot be combined. There can only be one executive or project manager. The executive's accountability for project success cannot be delegated. The project board should not assign any project assurance roles to the project manager, team manager, or project support.
53
What considerations are important when combining roles in PRINCE2?
Avoid conflicts of responsibilities, ensure one person can handle combined responsibilities, and prevent workflow congestion. It is not recommended to combine the roles of senior user and senior supplier.
54
What does the communication management approach contain in a PRINCE2 project?
Describes the means and frequency of communication with internal and external parties, facilitating stakeholder engagement with a controlled and bidirectional flow of information.
55
Who is responsible for documenting the communication management approach in PRINCE2?
The project manager is responsible for documenting the approach during the initiating a project process. It is important to review and update it at each management stage boundary.
56
How should the project’s communication approach align with a programme’s approach?
Where the project is part of a programme, the project’s communication approach should align with the programme's approach to stakeholder communication and engagement.
57
What is the main rule when combining roles in PRINCE2?
Even though roles can be combined, all the organizational responsibilities listed in PRINCE2 must still be assumed. This includes appointing the executive and project manager, providing resources, defining and verifying requirements, approving the communication management approach, and providing administrative support to the project team.
58
What is the theme most affected by the size, scale, and complexity of a project?
Organization is the theme most affected by the size, scale, and complexity of a project. It involves assigning the right people with the right experience to the right roles, in the right numbers, and at the right time.
59
Why is it important to customize role descriptions?
It's important to customize standard role descriptions to match each individual's actual capability and authority in the context of the project role they will be undertaking.
60
What are some considerations for smaller and simpler projects?
For smaller, simpler projects, it's important to ensure that all responsibilities are fulfilled by a relatively small group of people. Roles and functions can be consolidated without eliminating them, for example, by combining the roles of executive and senior user.
61
What are the main concerns for larger and more complex projects?
In larger, more complex projects, responsibilities are distributed among a larger set of people, with some roles and responsibilities being shared. Clarity of individual accountabilities, limits of delegation, authority, and governance becomes crucial.
62
What differences exist in organizational structures?
Projects can exist within various organizational structures, ranging from traditional functional structures, were staff are organize by type of work, to project-focused corporate organizations, were work with project teams. These differences will impact the degree of overlap between the interests of business, user, and supplier stakeholders.
63
What impacts can a program's structure have on a project within it?
A project within a program can be influenced by the structure of the program itself. This includes being subject to specific program reporting requirements and the need to integrate project management structures and roles with those of the program.
64
How should responsibility lines and reporting be managed in projects within a program?
There should be clear lines of responsibility from top to bottom to avoid duplications, and reports and reviews should be efficient. This may include aligning project stage boundaries and conducting collective end-stage assessments.
65
How can the roles of program manager, business change manager, and design authority be integrated into a project?
The program manager can act as the project's executive, the business change manager can perform the role of senior user or executive, and the design authority can act as the change authority or project assurance, ensuring alignment and control in changes.
66
What are the responsibilities of the business change manager and the design authority in a program?
The business change manager manages benefits from identification to realization and ensures the implementation of new capabilities. The design authority provides expert advice and may have responsibilities for corporate functions, services, standards, or strategies affected by the program.
67
What is the main objective in structuring project management team roles in a commercial customer/supplier context according to PRINCE2?
The objective is to ensure that both organizations (customer and supplier) establish and maintain a solid business justification for their work and that their individual governance is respected.
68
What is the typical role of the project manager in a PRINCE2 context and how can it vary?
In PRINCE2, the project manager usually comes from the customer organization. However, in projects where the project manager comes from the supplier organization, the customer may choose to remain distant from the operational level and expect the supplier to manage the project.
69
How should job titles and PRINCE2 roles be managed in a project?
It's important to map job titles to PRINCE2 roles and ensure that responsibilities for each role are clear and recorded in the PID (Project Initiation Documentation). Every project team member must understand their project responsibilities, regardless of their job title.
70
What is the typical structure of a project board in a context with multiple suppliers?
A joint project board can be established with representatives from both the customer and the suppliers. The executive on this joint board is provided by the customer, and the senior suppliers represent each supplier. In case of many suppliers, it may be more effective to have a contracts manager or a prime contractor.
71
How can the relationship between the customer's project board and the separate boards of suppliers be managed?
The supplier may treat their work package(s) within the customer's project as a project within the supplier's organization, establishing a separate 'supplier project board'. The relationship between these boards and the customer’s project board should be clearly defined.
72
What are the key considerations in integrating an agile delivery team with the PRINCE2 project management framework?
It is essential to understand how a self-organized delivery team operates and its relationship with the roles of team manager and change authority in PRINCE2, as well as to comprehend the specific responsibilities of roles in the agile approach and the role of the product owner.
73
How is communication managed between agile team leaders and the project manager in a PRINCE2 project?
Agile team leaders must effectively coordinate with the project manager, especially in projects with multiple teams, to ensure cohesive and efficient project management.
74
Why is management by exception crucial in integrating PRINCE2 with agile methods?
Management by exception allows project teams to self-organize within defined limits, which is essential for effectively combining PRINCE2 and agile methods while maintaining team empowerment and boundary clarity.
75
What are some examples of alternative terminology for project roles in PRINCE2?
Alternative names include 'sponsor' or 'senior responsible owner (SRO)' for the executive role, 'business change manager' for the senior user, 'PMO' for project support, and 'work package manager' for the team manager.
76
What does a PMO represent in a PRINCE2 context?
PMO stands for Project Management Office, which is a support office for programs and projects, also known as Programme Management Office or Portfolio Management Office. It is often considered a center of excellence.
77
What are the four key characteristics of a good project board?
The key characteristics are: 1) Authority - members must be senior enough to make strategic decisions; 2) Credibility - they must be credible within the organization to lead the project; 3) Delegation capability - they should allow space for the project manager to manage the project; 4) Availability - they must be available to make decisions and provide direction.
78
What is the role of the executive and the project manager in forming the project board?
The executive, supported by the project manager, is responsible for defining an appropriate team structure and tailoring it to the size, risk, and complexity of the project.
79
How should the project board be represented?
The project board should represent all stakeholders within the organizational, program management, or client structure and involve any identified suppliers (internal or external).
80
How can the project management team structure be adapted in complex projects?
In complex projects, adaptation may involve splitting PRINCE2 roles into multiple appointments, such as different senior users or senior suppliers. However, it is good practice to keep the project board as small as possible while representing all business, user, and supplier interests.
81
What is the key consideration in the decision to include external suppliers on the project board?
The decision to include external suppliers may depend on cultural considerations related to the fear of disclosing commercial or financial information. Excluding them can cause delays, but it is the executive's decision on how practically to resolve this dilemma.
82
Why are people crucial to the success of a project in PRINCE2?
People are essential because, even if the required processes and systems are in place, the team's ability to work effectively together largely determines the project's success.
83
How can an understanding of different personality types influence team formation?
Understanding the different personalities and how they interact can help the project manager structure balanced teams capable of effective collaboration during the project.
84
What are some examples of different personality types in a project team?
Some people are very sociable and enthusiastic, generating many ideas, while others are more analytical, skilled in detailed work, and ensuring no tasks are overlooked.
85
How can a project manager effectively build and balance a project team?
By using knowledge of members' natural roles, the project manager can form a team with a balanced mix of personalities, avoiding imbalances such as an excess of 'ideators' or 'detail-oriented' individuals, to ensure both strategic vision and attention to detail.
86
What are the challenges that a project manager can encounter in a strong functional environment?
In a strong functional environment, project managers may face difficulties in managing cross-functional projects due to the inability to agree on overall leadership among various groups, requiring more active involvement from the project board.
87
What are the responsibilities of a project manager towards the functional/linear management?
The project manager may be responsible for performance assessments as part of the project or provide input for assessments carried out by the functional area of the organization.
88
What is the importance of training for project team members?
Project team members may need training in PRINCE2, specialized training related to their role, or training on specific processes and standards used in the project.
89
How do you manage changes in the project management team?
A clearly defined team structure and comprehensive role descriptions help reduce disruptions caused by changes in the project management team. Management phases allow for smooth transitions, and phase reviews facilitate well-documented handovers.
90
What are the considerations for managing part-time teams in a project?
Part-time team members may have a higher likelihood of being absent or getting distracted from their project responsibilities. To address this, the project manager should consider these factors when making plans and may need to discuss and agree upon a guaranteed minimum availability from part-time team members or be more flexible and understanding about potential interruptions.
91
What does "stakeholder engagement" mean and why is it essential?
Stakeholder engagement is the process of identifying and effectively communicating with individuals or groups interested in or influential to the project's outcome. It is crucial for the project's success, especially when not embedded in a program.
92
What is the first step in stakeholder engagement?
The first step is identifying the stakeholders involved or affected by the project, grouping similar ones for targeted communications.
93
How do you analyze stakeholder profiles?
Analysis involves understanding stakeholders' influences, interests, and attitudes toward the project, assessing the significance and power of each, and quantifying perceptions of benefits where possible.
94
What are the steps to define an effective stakeholder engagement approach?
The stakeholder engagement approach requires clearly establishing communication responsibilities and defining key messages to convey. It involves determining the necessary information to and from stakeholders, communication methods, formats, frequency, and identifying who will send and receive the communication.
95
What are the steps for planning and implementing stakeholder engagement?
After defining how to engage, plan the methods and timing of communications, selecting credible and respected communicators. Engagement is realized through scheduled meetings and communications.
96
How do you measure the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement?
Monitor the effectiveness of engagements by evaluating whether all key stakeholders, their informational needs, and the most appropriate communication channels have been considered.
