PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

Question 1

Victoria is a team member on a project involving new video game software. There are a large number of
stakeholders on this project, and she has been named the team member responsible for distributing project
communications. In order to do this in the most effective and efficient manner, Victoria needs a clear
comprehension of which of the following?

a. Stakeholder register
b. Monte Carlo simulation
c. Sender/receiver models
d. Fast-tracking

Answer 1

C

The best answer choice is C. Because communications typically involve senders and receivers, each with individual responsibilities, in order to be an effective communicator, one must have a clear understanding of sender/receiver models.

Question 2

Betty is managing a project for a new digital sensor for their full frame camera. There are a lot of highly technical issues with this product, and Betty realizes that good communication is key to project success. In order to ensure effective communication among the team members assigned to this project, which of the
following should Betty do?

a. Get the sponsor’s approval on all communication
b. Make sure all stakeholders receive copies of the information
c. Provide the right information in the right format at the right time
d. Rewrite the communications plan

Answer 2

C

The best answer choice is C. Betty needs to make certain that the right information is distributed in the right format at the right time.

Question 3

In a traditional communications model, the sender encodes the message and sends it to the receiver. Which of the following is the receiver responsible for?

a. Decoding the message
b. The message content
c. Determining the communication channel
d. Timely delivery

Answer 3

A

The best answer choice is A because from the choices listed, only decoding the message is the responsibility of the receiver.

Question 4

The project steering committee wishes to see an ad hoc report that shows the portfolio of projects displayed with variance reports, which provides an easy snap shot of project schedules. This is part of which process?

a. Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
b. Monitor Communications
c. Manage Stakeholder Engagement
d. Control Resources

Answer 4

B

Making sure communications meet the needs of the stakeholders is part of Monitor Communications.

Question 5

Juanita is developing her communications management plan. Which of the following inputs would be necessary to determine the correct communication recipients?

a. Communication methods
b. Communication models
c. Stakeholder register
d. Meetings

Answer 5

C

The best answer choice is C because it is the only choice that is an input to the Plan Communications Management process.

Question 6

Including the project manager, there are nine members making up your project team. How many communication channels are there in this project team?

a. 9
b. 18
c. 36
d. 81

Answer 6

C

The best answer choice is C. The equation used to determine communication channels is [n × (n – 1)] /
2. In this case, 9 × 8 / 2.

Question 7

There are pros and cons to using email communications. What is the primary disadvantage of email when compared to a face-to-face conversation?

a. Poor grammar
b. Not being able to see body language
c. Informality
d. None of the above

Answer 7

B

Visual communication is a strong component of human dialog. The primary communication disadvantage of email conversations, as compared to in-person conversations, is not being able to see body language.

Question 8

Elmer is a project manager for a large communications firm involved in creating a state-of-the-art
communications system for spacecraft that will employ a gimbal-supported video system to capture not only the audio portion of the communication but a video record as well as RAW digital images. As the manager of the project, Elmer must make relevant information on the project’s progress available to all stakeholders during the project’s life cycle. Effective distribution of this information is dependent on a number of techniques including sender-receiver models, distribution channel, message frequency, and writing style. In this context, which of the following would contain a feedback loop?

a. Writing style
b. Sender-receiver model
c. Distribution channel
d. Message frequency

Answer 8

B

The best answer choice is B. Of the choices given, only the sender-receiver model contains a feedback loop.

Question 9

The stakeholder register is an input to which process in the Project Communications Management Knowledge Area?

a. Manage communications
b. Control stakeholder engagement
c. Plan communications management
d. Control communications

Answer 9

C

The best answer choice is C because it is the only process listed that has the stakeholder register as an
input.

Question 10

An email reminder about an upcoming project status meeting is considered:

a. Formal and written
b. Formal and verbal
c. Informal and verbal
d. Informal and written

Answer 10

D

Written communication may also be informal, such as a brief note to a team member, an inquiry via email, or a follow-up reminder that a deliverable is due soon.

Question 11

You’ve been asked to give a short presentation to update the client on the status of a project. What type of communication is required?

a. Formal, written
b. Informal, written
c. Formal, verbal
d. Informal, verbal

Answer 11

C

The briefing is verbal, and the client, along with the rest of the project steering committee, necessitates formal communication.

Question 12

Valerie has just completed her project schedule. Which of the following choices provides the proper way to distribute it?

a. She should distribute it only to the project team members
b. She should have the project sponsor distribute it as he wishes
c. She should have the project manager distribute it as desired
d. She should distribute it according to the communications management plan

Answer 12

D

The best answer choice is D because the communications management plan will specify to whom the schedule needs to be distributed.

Question 13

Posting a written project progress report onto a project website for people to access as needed is an example of ________ communication.

a. Pull
b. Push
c. Interactive
d. Written

Answer 13

A

Pull communication requires recipients to access the communication content at their own discretion.

Question 14

In the Control Communications process, which of the following is not considered an input?

a. Work performance information
b. Project management plan
c. Work performance data
d. Issue log

Answer 14

A

The best answer choice is A because work performance information is an output of this process.

Question 15

Stuart is an aspiring project manager. He has been tasked with determining the communication methods that will be used to convey project information. Which of the following would provide this information?

a. Sender/receiver model
b. E-mail directory
c. Stakeholder register
d. Communications Management plan

Answer 15

D

The best answer choice is D. Stuart will need to refer to the Communications Management plan to find the methods used to convey project information.

Question 16

A monthly project status report is required to be given to all key project stakeholders. How best should this
information be conveyed?

a. Internally and verbally
b. Formally and written
c. Unofficially and written
d. Vertically and written

Answer 16

B

The most appropriate form of communication for project status reports is formal and written because they formally communicate the status of the project and are official in nature.

Question 17

Donna has determined that there are 36 communication channels associated with her project team. Based on the equation that gives the number of communication channels calculation as [n (n – 1)] / 2, how many members are on Donna’s team?

a. 36
b. 18
c. 9
d. 8

Answer 17

C

The best answer choice is C based on the equation and the total number of channels being 36.

Question 18

As the project manager, part of your responsibility is to distribute project information and data according to
the Communications Management plan. Which of the following should you NOT consider for effective
communications management?

a. Chicago Manual of Style
b. Interpersonal skills
c. Sender-receiver models
d. Internet supplier

Answer 18

D

The best answer choice is D because all of the choices are considerations when conducting effective communications management.

Question 19

As a member of the project team, Felix has been assigned to oversee the implementation of the
Communications Management plan. As the team member in charge of distributing relative project
communications data to the specified stakeholders, Felix has several communications methods at his disposal. From the following list, select the choice that is not considered a typical communications method.

a. Interactive communication
b. Push communication
c. Inactive communication
d. Pull communication

Answer 19

C

The best answer choice is C. Interactive, push, and pull are the commonly used communications methods. Inactive communication is an invalid choice.

Question 20

You’ve posted a monthly status report to the company intranet with the expectation that project stakeholders
will access the information at their convenience. Which of the following best describes this type of communication?

a. Interactive
b. Written
c. Push
d. Pull

Answer 20

D

Pull communication requires recipients to access the communication content at their own discretion.

Question 21

You have a routine status update to provide. You can provide this by _____________. However, for more
complex topics, it’s best to do what?

a. An email; meet face to face
b. A one-on-one meeting; document it in a memo
c. A briefing; write an email
d. A phone call; write a memo

Answer 21

A

Email is sufficient for routine information, but meeting face to face is best for complex topics.

Question 22

Saul’s new project involves 24 stakeholders, not only from his organization, but from the community as well.
He is working on his project communications plan and needs to know how many communications channels are involved between all of the stakeholders. Which of the following equations should Saul use to determine this?

a. [n (n –1)] / 2
b. n (n + 1) / 2
c. (n + 1) × 2
d. (n – 1) × 2

Answer 22

A

The best answer choice is A. In this example the result would be (24 × 23) / 2 or 276.

Question 23

Marco is in the process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, and retrieving project information as directed by the Communications Management plan. He has determined that the e-mail system at his company is not compliant with the mainframe that stores the project data he needs to communicate to the project team members. He has requested his IT expert to investigate the possibility of a work-around in order to get the two systems to communicate with each other. In which of the following processes is Marco involved?

a. Plan Procurements
b. Manage Communications
c. Monitor Communications
d. Plan Communications Management

Answer 23

B

The best answer choice is B. The important information in this question is in the first sentence which describes what Marco is doing. He is managing communications.

Question 24

Homer is a project manager assigned to manage a new communications project. Having a long history of work in the communications field, Homer realizes the importance of communication. He has dedicated himself to making certain that all the information available on the project is accurate, meets the stakeholder needs, and is distributed in a timely manner so that the recipients of his updates will have the most current and recent information that may have an impact on their work. Which of the following process groups do Homer’s activities fall into?

a. Manage Stakeholder Engagement
b. Control Communications
c. Monitoring and Controlling
d. Manage Communications

Answer 24

C

The best answer choice is C, the only one that lists a process group, which is what the question is asking.