Project management Flashcards
Ace the fucking exam!
What is the purpose of organizing an operation, regardless of whether the organization is a private company, a public authority or a non-profit organization?
The purpose of organizing an operation is to achieve increased efficiency. The goal is to optimize the usage of resources available in the organization. Resources are always limited in an organization, no matter what size the organization is.
In the organizational theory, what does the structure of an organization include? Give 2 examples of what it can include
The structure of an organization includes visible components such as functions (marketing, sales, manufacturing etc.), positions (CEO, CFO, Line manager etc.), hierarchies, titles and ranks.
What do we mean when we talk about “The culture of the organization”? Give 2 examples of what in can include
The culture of an organization relates to values, norms, language, symbols, leadership and motivation.
- If you tell someone something that you have previously hidden, what happens from a Johari window perspective?
The group finds out where i stand and doesn’t have to guess. The self area grows, blind spot shrinks. If you tell something that you have hidden, the group learns where you stand and does not have to play the guessing game.
What is/are the risks associated with traditional resource allocation?
In the traditional resource allocation there are risk of creating bottlenecks, which causes delays, and in the worst-case scenario giving rise to new needs that must in turn be handled that are not value-generating.
- If others know things about yourself that you are not aware about, what happens from a Johari window perspective?
They know aspects of your body language, attitudes, embarrassment or feelings of being an outsider that you are not aware of. The quadrant is often called the “quadrant of bad breath” others detect the smell, but it don’t. This person is called a “clam” and will not take an active role in the teamwork, resulting in him/her ending up on the sidelines in the group.
- Give 3 examples of tacit knowledge and of explicit knowledge.
Tacit knowledge: riding a bike learning to drive facial recognition Explicit knowledge (facts in general): textbook theories a statistics report a financial report
- How can a resource histogram be used during execution?
The advanced estimate should be made based on accrual-basis accounting and presented in a table or graphically, in a chart, to be used during execution. It can be used as a tool to balance the resource consumption in different periods of the project timeline.
New question so fill it in if you have a better answer.
What is the difference between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge?
• Tacit knowledge – Cannot be describe in words, must be seen and experienced to be transferred from one person to another
- Riding a bike
- Learning to drive
• Explicit knowledge – is possible to express, verbalize and visualize – example is math.
According to the course book, what is the difference between knowledge and competence?
- Knowledge is something you can take in and learn
* Competence is something that appears when you transform knowledge into action
What does the concept “collective memory” stand for?
The concept refers to the sum of all the experience within an organization or occupational group. It is best to have a balance between different age categories. Transferring experiences and knowledge is often an informal process, where more experienced collegues acts as mentors.
What are reference measures?
Reference measures is when you make a measurement of the current situation and use to compare against the impacts. It is useful to when you need to prove that the project has had a difference.
Draw a hierarchical, project oriented and matrix structure
There are three structures:
-Hierarchial structure
-Matrix structure
Project-oriented structure
Explanation
The hierarchical organization and the project-oriented organization are opposites. In a project-oriented organization are the projects entirely separate from the other operations. Projects dispose of resources full-time and does not run the risk of having necessary project members being mired in other projects or tasks on the line.
look in book for pictures
How is work organized in a hierarchical organization?
In the hierarchal organization, decisions and communications are arranged in rows, and from the top to bottom. Most of the power and authority is found high up in the organization
Give 2 weaknesses of an hierarchical organization
- The space for the individual is limited
2. It has a hard time to adapt to altered external conditions
How is the work organized in a matrix organization?
The matrix organization has a flexible structure. Employees work vertically in the line, while the operations are conducted cross-functionally
What are the 2 weaknesses of a matrix organization?
- Dual decision paths, which demand more from managers in form of formulating goals and prioritizing tasks
- The boundary between the line organization and projects is diffuse.
What are the 2 main differences between a weak matrix and a strong matrix?
- The project manager has a low status in a weak matrix
2. In a weak matrix, hierarchical decision paths dominate
How can the impact measurement be determined?
Were the expected benefits realized and did the project entail costs on par with the estimates?
• Impact goals – Connect to S.M.A.R.T.
• Reference measure – Make an assessment of the current situation and use it to compare when the impacts are followed up
• Benefits realization – Follow up on the Business Case
Why are some projects discontinued? Please give three reasons and explain
There are many reasons why a project might be discontinued:
- The chosen solution cannot be realized
- Higher priority need the resources better.
- A competing product have been launched on the market during the projects course.
- Changes in company ownership
What are the hidden flaws of project closure?
Errors you can’t see during the project, but that might reveal themselves after the product is handed over. This may include sloppy elements that need to be remade or certain aspects that need to be altered to satisfy the users. Hidden flaws will cause profit to shrink and cost to increase.
Agile projects have been said to be better at meeting deadlines and budget than projects with detailed schedules, but are they better at meeting quality goals too? Motivate
No, since it is possible to launch the systems and close the project even though several product requirements have not been fulfilled. In a project that follows a schedule, all activities must usually need to be performed before a usable result can be handed over.
Which elements should be included in a final report?
- Background, purpose and impact goals
- Project goals and delimitations
- Project owner
- Evaluation of goals – Project goals, actual cost and estimates
- Analysis of project course – Resources, risk management, communication & routines
- Evaluation of the project organization – Structure, staffing, steering committee
- Quality follow-up - Results
- Comments from steering committee
- Comments from reference group
- Recommendation
- References
Explain how a project can be evaluated
A project should be evaluated in as many ways as possible. Both the results and the process should be studied.
• Product quality
• Actual costs
• Time expenditure
According to Tonnquist (2016), administration and management of the results are important in order to secure impact goals. What is the primarily goals of an administration and management model?
To manage and plan the work and activities necessary for the administration of the product. It consists of: • Processes • Roles and responsibilities • Documents and templates
What are the three stages of an individual’s attitude to change?
- Excitement – Finally, something is happening
- Hangover – You start to hesitate when you realize some consequences might not be positive
- Positive attitude – You understand and accept the change
What activities can facilitate a successful hand-over?
- Deliverables
- Step-wise deliverables
- Assessment
Tonnquist (2016) argues that even if the employees know that a change is necessary, it might be difficult to execute it. What can be done to facilitate this process?
By dividing the project into sub-deliveries and communicating with stakeholders frequently you can minimize the negative effects. It is important to get users on-board as soon as possible. Education is also a way to facilitate this process.
What does project implementation entail?
Implementation related to placing the product in the environment it is created for. In other words; start using the results of the project. Implementation might be in a construction project might be opening the office, moving into the house or opening a road.
how do you calculate the schedule performance index (SPI)
Schedule Performance Index = Earned Value/ Planned Value
Which are the six steps for keeping project cost under control?
- Reporting and following up on actual costs as compared with the plan
- Identifying deviation as compared with the plan
- Identifying the causes of deviations
- Creating and implementing relevant measurements
- Following up to see if the measures have fixed the problem
- Creating further measures if necessary
Name two of the methods for status reports and briefly explain them
- Milestone chart – Compares the planned milestones with the outcome of reality. You see if a planned milestone was executed before or after the schedule. Milestones does not however, provide any information about resource usage.
- Burndown Charts – You check of tasks performed and ongoing work on a daily basis. It is not unusual for the sprint log to grow during a sprint. It is important that you have a margin for the unexpected.
What does RACI stand for?
- Responsible – The person in charge of the execution
- Accountable – The person with mandate to approve and make decisions
- Consulted – The person who provides support as a resource
- Informed – The person who needs information on status and decisions
RACI is a responsibility matrix who defines who is in charge of execution, who has decision-making mandate and who needs what information.
Which activities should be performed during execution?
- Communicating and reporting
- Following up and comparing results with schedules and burndown charts
- Following up and comparing resources and costs with budget
- Analysing consequences
- Handling changes
- Following up contracts and resources
Describe three different conflict management style and their strengths and weaknesses.
Competing
• When quick decisive action in necessary
• In unpopular actions, where a rigid stance is needed • Can destroy relationships, as you fulfill your goals at the expense of the other party
Collaborating
• For important decisions that have a long-term effect. Win-win solutions. • Often takes time and is not suitable for trivial problems
• Not applicable in emergencies or crisis situations
Compromising
• A useful solution under time pressure • Can lead to both parties being dissatisfied. Should not be the first option
Avoiding
• Delays a conflict until emotions have cooled.
• For trivial problems, where more important things take precedence
• The conflict does not affect me
• The conflict is not resolved.
Accommodating
• The collaboration is more important than the cause of the conflict
• The problem is more important for the other party
• Adaptability decreases the respect of the other party
• When important matters are at stake.
*Note, see word
In the project methodology, what are the three main characteristics that define a process?
- A process is a sequence of interconnected activities
- A process refines a product or service to fulfil a need
- A process has at least one supplier of input and one customer who is the recipient of the outputs
What is the difference between a core process and a support process?
tasks that lead to the result of the project
• The support process deliver output necessary for executing the work within the core process, e.g. recruitment.
Draw a typical project lifecycle
A description of the project process with defined phases and decision points
Pre-Study –> Planning – Execution –> Closure
What are the phases of a project lifecycle? Explain them
- Idea phase – The purpose is to make it possible for management to assess and prioritize the project idea alongside other project ideas, as well as making a decision to initiate a pre-study.
- Pre-study – The purpose of a pre-study is to decrease uncertainties by analysing the bases for executing the project. Requirements must be documented, the scope of the project must be defined, stakeholders must be identified, and the business benefits must be assessed and set against costs and risks.
- Planning – The purpose of planning is to select a method for realization and draw up a plan for how the project goal will be achieved. Here resources must be organized, cost must be calculated, and risks must be handled.
- Execution – During the execution phase, results are created and handed over. Regular follow ups on activities and costs, deviations should be analysed.
- Closure – The purpose of closure is to evaluate the project and take advantage of lessons learned and phase out the project group.
- Impact – The purpose of the impact phase is to ensure that benefits are realized and followed up on. This phase can begin in connection with the first delivery, i.e. before the project has ended.
Here is a list of activities typically happening in a project, to which phases of the project life cycle does each of the activity belong?
Doing a SWOT analysis Pre-study
Doing a budget Planning
Writing a group contract Pre-study
Defining the goal of the project Pre-study
Having daily scrums Execution
Following up and comparing results with burndown charts Closure
Revising the plan Execution
Making a burndown chart Planning
Using Earned Value Management Execution
Analysing the risk and planning how to handle them Planning
Handing over the results of the project Execution
Writing a final report Closure
Creating a final balance sheet Closure
Estimating costs Planning
Establishing a structure for communication Planning
Signing contracts with suppliers Planning
Creating time and resource plans Planning
Dividing the project into stages Planning
Planning project evaluations Planning
Closing down project accounts Closure
Evaluating how risks were handled Closure
Phasing out the project group Closure
Documenting and archiving Closure
What is a decision point in the project model?
A decision point is a tollgate that can only be passed when the results of the previous phase has been approved. It can be used as a tool by the project owner to manage and control the project. At each decision point a meeting is held to discuss continuous action.
What are the 4 alternative decisions that can be taken at a decision point in the project model?
- Continuing the project as planned
- Going back making changes or supplements
- Putting the project on hold temporarily
- Ending the project
In the traditional project organization, what are the tasks of the project owner?
The project owner has the most important role. He has overall responsibility for the project and must ensure that there are sufficient resources for the project. The project owner is expected to make demands and critically review the results.
- Is the owner of the project.
- Is in charge of business impact goals and project goals
- Selects a project manager and allocates resources
- Appoints and chair the steering committee
- Is in charge of the pre-study
- Is in charge of business impact realization
- Initiates, follows up and terminates the project
In the traditional project organization, what are the tasks of the steering committee?
The steering committee is the decision-making body of the project. They are tasked with verifying and validating the project during its lifecycle. It is usually the responsibility of the steering committee to approve the decision points.
- Ensuring that the project is in line with the overall goals of the operations
- Determining the project plan and approving the result
- Reviewing the results and deciding on changes
- Handling business opportunities/changes
In the traditional project organization, what are the tasks of the project manager?
The project managers main task is to ensure that the project goal is achieved. A project manager can be seen as the project’s CEO. A project manager has responsibility for organizing and managing the work; he is not supposed to execute the work!
- Ensuring that the project goal is achieved
- Organizing and planning the project
- Delegating and following up on activities
- Solving problems and handling conflicts
- Influencing others and getting things done
- Communicating, involving and motivating
- Reporting outcomes and handling risks and changes
- Calling and leading project meetings
- Applying project tools and models
In the traditional project organization, what are the tasks of the project group?
The main task of the project group is to conduct the activities that lead to the project goal as ordered. The project members are expected to understand what the project should deliver.
- Ensuring that delegated tasks are performed
- Planning and organizing its own activities
- Reporting performance and hours worked
- Complying with routines, methods and quality systems
- Proposing improvements
- Participating in project meetings
Who is Governing:
Who is organizing & managing:
who is executing:
who is supporting:
Governing : Project owner and steering committee
Organizing & Managing: Project Manager
Executing: Project group
Supporting: Reference group and Quality Manager
What are the similarities between agile methods and LEAN? Name 3 similarities
Agile methods are based on a set of values, attitudes and principles that describes how work should be organized in a complex, changeable world. There are similarities with LEAN, such as a focus on:
- Collaborative teams
- Avoiding unnecessary work
- Visualizing progress on boards
Why are agile methods particularly good in complex and uncertain projects?
Agile methods are based on work in short cycles, with frequent deliveries and continuous feedback loops. This makes it possible to react quickly to changes and to apply lessons learned during the course of the project. Results are followed up daily.
What is Scrum and what does it mean in practice?
Scrum is an agile development method. It is good for develop and administrate complex products. The central aspect of Scrum is an interactive work method that means dividing the tasks into stages of equal length, called sprints. Each sprint should deliver value!
How are daily scrum meetings organized and what is done during these meetings?
Daily scrums are meetings that should take circa 15 minutes. During these meetings each project member reports on what he is doing by answering the following three questions:
- What did I do yesterday?
- What am I going to do today?
- Are there any obstacles?
What are the five conditions needed for a cohesive self-organizing team?
- The group should not be too small or too large. Optimal is between three to nine people.
- The group must have a clear common goal
- The group must have the competency necessary to carry out the task
- Everyone should spend most of their time working on the task
- The staffing should be fixed, and not change
These conditions are hard to fulfil though.
In Agile project management, what are the tasks of the product owner?
The product owner is responsible for handling the product backlog (A list of tasks included in the assignment). The main task of the product owner is to ensure that the team delivers benefits by taking charge of requirements and prioritizing what should be done. The product owner also approves the results that each sprint delivers
In Agile project management, what are the tasks of the Scrum Master?
The Scrum Master’s task is to coach the team and ensure that the agile methodology is used. The Scrum Master has a more limited mandate than a project manager. The Scrum Master must facilitate collaboration, clear obstacles and help the team so that work is efficient.
A Scrum Master should strive to ensure that Scrum is implemented in the organization and help employees and stakeholders understand and execute Scrum
If you compare the traditional project management and the Agile project management, what are the main differences with regard to the roles present in the project organization?
In the Agile project management there is no project owner or project manager. These are replaced by a product owner and a Scrum Master.
According to the course book, what is the definition of a project?
- Specific goal – a unique assignment
- Specific time period – timed
- Specific resources – an independent budget
- Unique work arrangement – temporary organization
Use the definition of a project to figure out if a ski trip to Sälen for you and your friends in week 17, with a budget of 15 000 SEK is a project
- Specific goal – A trip to Sälen
- Specific time period – Week 17
- Specific resources – 15.000 SEK
- Unique work arrangement – Everybody is dropping their daily routines and work to attend the trip
According to the definition of a project in the course book, the ski trip is a project.
What is the purpose of forming a business case?
A business case is the basis for investment, showing if a project is profitable and feasible. The business case describes the project on an overall level, as well as the benefits the project is expected to create. The business case provides the foundation for a decision at the initiation decision point.
A project has different kind of goals. Which of the following goals are business impact goals, product goals and project goals?
- The project should provide a NPV of 200.000SEK Business impact goals
- By the 5th of May there should be a working prototype Project goals
- The cost of warranty claims is not to exceed 100.000SEK Project goals
- Maximum energy consumption of the product is 500kWh per year Product goals
- 98 percent of the users should be satisfied or very satisfied Product goals
Product requirements The What, the expected result and the outcome of the project
Project requirements The How, timed, resources and measurable
What does SMART mean in a project setting?
- Specific – The goal must be clearly formulated and pertain only to this project
- Measurable – Should be able say yes or no if the goal has been achieved
- Attainable/Accepted – The goal should be supported by project members and users
- Realistic – The goal should be achievable with the resources that may be used
- Times – The goal should be achieved at a given point in time
What needs to be specified in a project charter?
- Background of the project
- Purpose and goals of the project
- Project owner and client
- Timeframe for delivery
- Budget limitations (Usually in internal projects)
A project charter may also be called an assignment description, project directive, idea description, project specification or tender. The project charter is the founding document upon which the entire project rests.
What is the purpose of a requirement specification and why is it sometimes difficult to make such a document?
A requirement specification defines what the project should deliver. It can be hard to make a requirement specification since it is seldom the case that the requirements are documented in the initiation phase.
A requirement specification contains product and project requirements.
