PMBOK Chapter 3

Question 1

The __________ plays a critical role in the leadership of a project team in order to achieve the project’s objectives.

Answer 1

project manager

Question 2

A project managers role is comparable to the ________ in a band.

Answer 2

Conductor

Question 3

The _________ provides written communications (e.g., documented plans and schedules) and communicates in real time with the team using meetings and verbal or nonverbal cues.

Answer 3

project manager

Question 4

Typically, the __________ focuses on providing management oversight for a functional or business unit.

Answer 4

functional manager

Question 5

___________ are responsible for ensuring that business operations are efficient.

Answer 5

Operations managers

Question 6

The __________ is the person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

Answer 6

project manager

Question 7

The project manager uses ___________ to balance the conflicting and competing goals of the project stakeholders in order to achieve consensus.

Answer 7

soft skills (e.g., interpersonal skills and the ability to manage people)

Question 8

The ability to communicate with stakeholders, including the team and sponsors applies across multiple aspects of the project including, but not limited to, the following:

Answer 8

Developing finely tuned skills using multiple methods (e.g., verbal, written, and nonverbal);
Creating, maintaining, and adhering to communications plans and schedules;
Communicating predictably and consistently;
Seeking to understand the project stakeholders’ communication needs (communication may be the only deliverable that some stakeholders received until the project’s end product or service is completed);
Making communications concise, clear, complete, simple, relevant, and tailored;
Including important positive and negative news;
Incorporating feedback channels; and
Relationship skills involving the development of extensive networks of people throughout the project manager’s spheres of influence.

Question 9

The project manager proactively interacts with other project managers. Other independent projects or projects that are part of the same program may impact a project due to but not limited to the following:

Answer 9

Demands on the same resources,
Priorities of funding,
Receipt or distribution of deliverables, and
Alignment of project goals and objectives with those of the organization.

Question 10

The __________ also works with the project sponsor to address internal political and strategic issues that may impact the team or the viability or quality of the project.

Answer 10

project manager

Question 11

Depending on the organizational structure, a project manager may report to a ________

Answer 11

functional manager.

Question 12

In other cases, a project manager may be one of several project managers who report to a _________ who is ultimately responsible for one or more organization-wide projects.

Answer 12

PMO or a portfolio or program manager

Question 13

Industry trends the project manager should stay informed about are:

Answer 13

Product and technology development;
New and changing market niches;
Standards (e.g., project management, quality management, information security management);
Technical support tools;
Economic forces that impact the immediate project;
Influences affecting the project management discipline; and
Process improvement and sustainability strategies.

Question 14

Continuing knowledge transfer and integration is very important for the project manager. This knowledge transfer and integration includes but is not limited to:

Answer 14

Contribution of knowledge and expertise to others within the profession at the local, national, and global levels (e.g., communities of practice, international organizations); and
Participation in training, continuing education, and development:
In the project management profession (e.g., universities, PMI);
In a related profession (e.g., systems engineering, configuration management); and
In other professions (e.g., information technology, aerospace).

Question 15

“The ________ may serve as an informal ambassador by educating the organization as to the advantages of project management with regard to timeliness, quality, innovation, and resource management.

Answer 15

project manager

Question 16

The talent triangle focuses on three key skill sets:

Answer 16

Technical project management.
Leadership.
Strategic and business management.

Question 17

Technical project management is:

Answer 17

The knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to specific domains of project, program, and portfolio management. The technical aspects of performing one’s role.

Question 18

Leadership is:

Answer 18

The knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to guide, motivate, and direct a team, to help an organization achieve its business goals.

Question 19

Strategic and business management is:

Answer 19

The knowledge of and expertise in the industry and organization that enhances performance and better delivers business outcomes.

Question 20

Project managers frequently rely on __________ to perform well.

Answer 20

expert judgment

Question 21

Top project managers key skills:

Answer 21

Focus on the critical technical project management elements for each project they manage. This focus is as simple as having the right artifacts readily available. At the top of the list were the following:
Critical success factors for the project,
Schedule,
Selected financial reports, and
Issue log.
Tailor both traditional and agile tools, techniques, and methods for each project.
Make time to plan thoroughly and prioritize diligently.
Manage project elements, including, but not limited to, schedule, cost, resources, and risks.

Question 22

Project managers should be knowledgeable enough about a business to be able to:

Answer 22

Explain to others the essential business aspects of a project;
Work with the project sponsor, team, and subject matter experts to develop an appropriate project delivery strategy; and
Implement that strategy in a way that maximizes the business value of the project.

Question 23

In order to make the best decisions regarding the successful delivery of their projects, project managers should seek out and consider the expertise of the __________ who run the business in their organization.

Answer 23

operational managers

Question 24

At a minimum, the project manager should be knowledgeable enough to explain to others the following aspects of the organization:

Answer 24

Strategy;
Mission;
Goals and objectives;
Products and services;
Operations (e.g., location, type, technology);
The market and the market condition, such as customers, state of the market (i.e., growing or shrinking), and time-to-market factors, etc.; and
Competition (e.g., what, who, position in the market place).

Question 25

The project manager should apply the following knowledge and information about the organization to the project to ensure alignment:

Answer 25

Strategy,
Mission,
Goals and objectives,
Priority,
Tactics, and
Products or services (e.g., deliverables).

Question 26

The project manager determines how business and strategic factors could affect the project while understanding the interrelationship between the project and the organization. These factors include but are not limited to:

Answer 26

Risks and issues,
Financial implications,
Cost versus benefits analysis (e.g., net present value, return on investment), including the various options considered,
Business value,
Benefits realization expectations and strategies, and
Scope, budget, schedule, and quality.

Question 27

Through the application of business knowledge, a project manager has the ability to make the appropriate decisions and recommendations for a project. As conditions change, the project manager should be continuously working with the ___________ to keep the business and the project strategies aligned.

Answer 27

project sponsor

Question 28

A common denominator in all projects is _________.

Answer 28

people

Question 29

A large part of the project manager’s role involves dealing with ________.

Answer 29

people

Question 30

Qualities and skills of a leader include but are not limited to:

Answer 30

Being a visionary (e.g., help to describe the products, goals, and objectives of the project; able to dream and translate those dreams for others);
Being optimistic and positive;
Being collaborative;
Managing relationships and conflict by:
Building trust;
Satisfying concerns;
Seeking consensus;
Balancing competing and opposing goals;
Applying persuasion, negotiation, compromise, and conflict resolution skills;
Developing and nurturing personal and professional networks;
Taking a long-term view that relationships are just as important as the project; and
Continuously developing and applying political acumen.
Communicating by:
Spending sufficient time communicating (research shows that top project managers spend about 90% of their time on a project in communicating);
Managing expectations;
Accepting feedback graciously;
Giving feedback constructively; and
Asking and listening.
Being respectful (helping others retain their autonomy), courteous, friendly, kind, honest, trustworthy, loyal, and ethical;
Exhibiting integrity and being culturally sensitive, courageous, a problem solver, and decisive;
Giving credit to others where due;
Being a life-long learner who is results- and action-oriented;
Focusing on the important things, including:
Continuously prioritizing work by reviewing and adjusting as necessary;
Finding and using a prioritization method that works for them and the project;
Differentiating high-level strategic priorities, especially those related to critical success factors for the project;
Maintaining vigilance on primary project constraints;
Remaining flexible on tactical priorities; and
Being able to sift through massive amounts of information to obtain the most important information.
Having a holistic and systemic view of the project, taking into account internal and external factors equally;
Being able to apply critical thinking (e.g., application of analytical methods to reach decisions) and identify him or herself as a change agent.
Being able to build effective teams, be service-oriented, and have fun and share humor effectively with team members.

Question 31

________ involves influence, negotiation, autonomy, and power.

Answer 31

Politics

Question 32

Power and its use can be complex given its nature and the various factors at play in a project. Various forms of power include but are not limited to:

Answer 32

Positional (sometimes called formal, authoritative, legitimate) (e.g., formal position granted in the organization or team);
Informational (e.g., control of gathering or distribution);
Referent (e.g., respect or admiration others hold for the individual, credibility gained);
Situational (e.g., gained due to unique situation such as a specific crisis);
Personal or charismatic (e.g., charm, attraction);
Relational (e.g., participates in networking, connections, and alliances);
Expert (e.g., skill, information possessed; experience, training, education, certification);
Reward-oriented (e.g., ability to give praise, monetary or other desired items);
Punitive or coercive (e.g., ability to invoke discipline or negative consequences);
Ingratiating (e.g., application of flattery or other common ground to win favor or cooperation);
Pressure-based (e.g., limit freedom of choice or movement for the purpose of gaining compliance to desired action);
Guilt-based (e.g., imposition of obligation or sense of duty);
Persuasive (e.g., ability to provide arguments that move people to a desired course of action); and
Avoiding (e.g., refusing to participate).

Question 33

_________ will work to acquire the power and authority they need within the boundaries of organizational policies, protocols, and procedures rather than wait for it to be granted.

Answer 33

Top project managers

Question 34

Project managers need to employ both ___________ in order to be successful.

Answer 34

leadership and management

Question 35

Factors to consider in leadership styles:

Answer 35

Leader characteristics,
Team member characteristics,
Organizational characteristics,
Environmental characteristics

Question 36

Types of Leadership Styles:

Answer 36

Laissez-faire (e.g., allowing the team to make their own decisions and establish their own goals, also referred to as taking a hands-off style);
Transactional (e.g., focus on goals, feedback, and accomplishment to determine rewards; management by exception);
Servant leader (e.g., demonstrates commitment to serve and put other people first; focuses on other people’s growth, learning, development, autonomy, and well-being; concentrates on relationships, community and collaboration; leadership is secondary and emerges after service);
Transformational (e.g., empowering followers through idealized attributes and behaviors, inspirational motivation, encouragement for innovation and creativity, and individual consideration);
Charismatic (e.g., able to inspire; is high-energy, enthusiastic, self-confident; holds strong convictions); and
Interactional (e.g., a combination of transactional, transformational, and charismatic).

Question 37

___________ refers to the individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Answer 37

Personality

Question 38

Personality characteristics or traits include but are not limited to:

Answer 38

Authentic (e.g., accepts others for what and who they are, show open concern);
Courteous (e.g., ability to apply appropriate behavior and etiquette);
Creative (e.g., ability to think abstractly, to see things differently, to innovate);
Cultural (e.g., measure of sensitivity to other cultures including values, norms, and beliefs);
Emotional (e.g., ability to perceive emotions and the information they present and to manage them; measure of interpersonal skills);
Intellectual (e.g., measure of human intelligence over multiple aptitudes);
Managerial (e.g., measure of management practice and potential);
Political (e.g., measure of political intelligence and making things happen);
Service-oriented (e.g., evidence of willingness to serve other people);
Social (e.g., ability to understand and manage people); and
Systemic (e.g., drive to understand and build systems).

Question 39

The role of the project manager is twofold when performing integration on the project:

Answer 39

Project managers play a key role in working with the project sponsor to understand the strategic objectives and ensure the alignment of the project objectives and results with those of the portfolio, program, and business areas. In this way, project managers contribute to the integration and execution of the strategy.
Project managers are responsible for guiding the team to work together to focus on what is really essential at the project level. This is achieved through the integration of processes, knowledge, and people.

Question 40

Several project management processes such as the Control Scope process and the Perform Integrated Change Control process may involve a change request. The _________________ occurs throughout the project for integrating change requests.

Answer 40

Perform Integrated Change Control process

Question 41

Although there is no stated definition on how to integrate the project processes, it is clear that a project has a small chance of meeting its objective when the project manager fails to __________ the project processes where they interact.

Answer 41

integrate

Question 42

The three dimensions of complexity are defined as:

Answer 42

System behavior. The interdependencies of components and systems.
Human behavior. The interplay between diverse individuals and groups.
Ambiguity. Uncertainty of emerging issues and lack of understanding or confusion.

Question 43

When approaching the integration of a project, the project manager should consider _________ that are both inside and outside of the project.

Answer 43

elements

Question 44

Complexity as a characteristic or property of a project is typically defined as:

Answer 44

Containing multiple parts,
Possessing a number of connections between the parts,
Exhibiting dynamic interactions between the parts, and
Exhibiting behavior produced as a result of those interactions that cannot be explained as the simple sum of the parts (e.g., emergent behavior).

Question 45

Context Level Integration is

Answer 45

Change based on context of environment.

Question 46

Process Level Integration is

Answer 46

focuses specifically on project process interactions. Also called project level integration

Question 47

Cognitive level integration is

Answer 47

growing as a project manager through practical experience, gaining knowledge and deriving wisdom from past experiences