Project Planning

Question 1

List the Typical Contents of a PMP

Answer 1

The PMP should answer:

Why - (answered in the BC)
What - (Scope which is refined in the lead up to the project)
When - (a timeline or schedule)
Who - (OBS with Responsibilities reporting lines and role descriptions
Where - (Project location)
How - Management strategy for the project (procurement, risk, cost etc.)

Question 2

briefly explain the relationship between the deployment baseline and the development of a PMP in linier and iterative lifecycles

Answer 2

In a linear lifecycle, the baseline is established at the end of development, while in an iterative lifecycle, the baseline is established earlier and updated more frequently.

Similarly, in a linear lifecycle, the PMP is developed early and updated periodically, while in an iterative lifecycle, the PMP is developed iteratively and updated frequently to reflect changing project conditions.

Question 3

Explain the importance of producing a PMP

Answer 3

Provides a roadmap for the project team to follow throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Helps to ensure that everyone involved in the project is aware of their roles and responsibilities, the project’s objectives and constraints, and the project’s timeline and budget.

Serves as a reference point for measuring progress and evaluating the success of the project.

By producing a PMP, project managers can improve communication, minimize risks, and increase the likelihood of successfully completing the project on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of stakeholders.

Question 4

What are the benefits to creating an affective communications plan?

Answer 4

Most appropriate method is used

focused comms with stakeholders

Consistent comms

Good adherence to to the organisations standards

Question 5

List several different types of factors that can influence communication

Answer 5

Jargon (good with glossary, not without)

Organisational hierarchies (good to mentor, may be intimidating)

Time zones (good when working hours, bad when not)

Physical and environmental aspects of location (hot and loud)

Planning of communication (who gets what)

Question 6

explain the relationship between stakeholder analysis and an affective communication plan

Answer 6

Helps to identify stakeholders and their communication needs, interests, and expectations.

Outlines how the team will communicate with stakeholders to keep them informed and engaged.

Helps develop an understanding of the stakeholders’ preferences.

Help build and maintain positive relationships, improve engagement, and increase project success.

Question 7

Explain two benefits of risk management to the sponsoring organisation

Answer 7

Two benefits of risk management to the sponsoring organization:

Improved decision-making: helps the organisation to make informed decisions by identifying potential risks and assessing their likelihood and impact. The organisation can make better decisions on how to manage the project, reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes and project failures.

Increased stakeholder confidence: By demonstrating a proactive approach to risk management, the organisation can show stakeholders that it is committed to delivering a successful project. This helps to build trust and improve relationships with stakeholders, which can be beneficial for future projects.

Question 8

List the 5 stages of risk management

Answer 8

Initiate

Identification

Analysis (probability and impact)

Response (proactive and reactive)

Closure

Question 9

Explain two reasons for a robust risk management process

Answer 9

A robust risk management process is essential for successful project management. Here are two reasons why:

Minimize the impact of potential risks: By identifying potential risks early on and developing strategies to mitigate those risks, a robust risk management process can help minimize the impact of those risks on the project. This can help prevent delays, cost overruns, and other negative impacts that can affect the project’s success.

Improve decision-making: A robust risk management process provides project managers with the information they need to make informed decisions. By identifying potential risks and their likelihood and impact, project managers can make decisions about how to allocate resources, adjust schedules, and manage project risks. This helps ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality.

Overall, a robust risk management process is essential for successful project management. By identifying potential risks early on and developing strategies to mitigate those risks, project teams can minimize the impact of those risks and ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality.

Question 10

Explain the proactive and reactive responses to risk (such as avoid, reduce, transfer or accept and exploit, enhance, share and reject)

Answer 10

Proactive responses to risk include:

Avoid: Taking action to eliminate the risk or avoid the activity that may lead to the risk.

Reduce: Taking steps to reduce the likelihood or impact of the risk.

Transfer: Shifting the risk to a third party, such as through insurance or outsourcing.

Accept: Acknowledging the risk and deciding to live with it.

Reactive responses to risk include:

Exploit: Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the risk.

Enhance: Taking steps to increase the likelihood or impact of the risk.

Share: Collaborating with others to share the risk.

Reject: Refusing to accept the risk and terminating the project or activity.

Question 11

explain the benefits of risk management

Answer 11

Minimizes project surprises and negative consequences
Improves project decision making
Enhances project quality
Increases stakeholder confidence
Reduces project costs and schedule overruns

Question 12

Explain the key aspects of issue management.

Answer 12

Identifying potential issues that could impact project outcomes

analyzing their potential impact

taking action to address them in order to remove or minimize the threat that they pose.

The goal of issue management is to ensure that project issues are identified and addressed in a timely and effective manner to minimize their impact on the project’s success.

Question 13

Explain the role of contingency planning in projects

Answer 13

developing a plan of action to address unforeseen events that may impact the project’s success.

Minimizes delays, budget overruns, or quality issues, by identifying and preparing for potential risks in advance.

Question 14

Explain what is meant by quality planning

Answer 14

defining quality standards, developing a plan to meet them, assigning responsibilities, establishing metrics, and implementing the plan to ensure a project or product meets required standards and expectations.

Question 15

Differentiate between quality control and quality assurance

Answer 15

Quality control (QC) is a process that focuses on detecting and correcting defects or errors in a product or service, while quality assurance (QA) is a process that focuses on preventing defects or errors before they occur.

In other words, QC is reactive and involves testing and inspection of products or services to ensure they meet the desired level of quality, while QA is proactive and involves implementing processes and procedures to prevent defects or errors from occurring in the first place.

Question 16

Explain the purpose, typical content and importance of a procurement strategy

Answer 16

Outlines how an organization plans to buy goods and services.

includes the methods used to select suppliers, the criteria for evaluation, timelines, and budget.

Ensures that procurement is cost-effective, timely, and of good quality, while also minimizing risks and ensuring transparency and accountability.

Question 17

Differentiate between different methods of supplier reimbursement (fixed price, cost plus fee, per unit quantity, target cost)

Answer 17

Fixed price: an agreement where the buyer agrees to pay the supplier a set amount of money for a specified product or service. The price is fixed and does not change, regardless of the actual cost incurred by the supplier.

Cost plus fee: an agreement where the buyer agrees to reimburse the supplier for the actual cost of materials, labor, and overhead, plus an additional fee for profit or management. This type of contract is often used when the buyer is unsure of the total cost of a project and wants to share the risk with the supplier.

Per unit quantity: an agreement where the supplier is paid a fixed amount for each unit of a product or service delivered.

Target cost: an agreement where the buyer and supplier agree on a target cost for a product or service, and the supplier is then reimbursed for actual costs up to that target amount. If the actual cost is higher than the target cost, the supplier absorbs the difference. If the actual cost is lower than the target cost, the supplier receives a bonus.

Question 18

Differentiate between different contractual relationships

Answer 18

Comprehensive: one contract for all
Sequential: series of contracts one after another
Parallel: concurrent contracts
Sub-Contracts: primary contractor and subcontractor
Partnering/Joint venture: new entity formed by two or more parties

Question 19

Explain two reasons for using an Organisation Breakdown Structure (OBS) when creating a communication devise known as a Responsibility Assignment Matric (RAM)

Answer 19

1) It helps to clearly define the roles. They know the work they have been assigned and their position within the orgainisation.

2) It helps to ensure that all necessary roles and responsibilities are covered. It helps identify all of the functional areas or departments involved in the project and ensure that each area has a clear role and responsibility defined in the RAM. This prevents confusion or overlap between different areas.

Question 20

What coding structure can be applied to a RAM?

Answer 20

RACI coding structure.

Responsible: the person who is responsible for completing the task or activity.

Accountable: the person who is accountable for the overall success of the project or task, and who must approve any decisions or changes.

Consulted: the person who must be consulted before any decisions are made or actions taken.

Informed: the person who must be informed of any decisions or actions taken.

Using the RACI coding structure in a RAM can help to clearly define and communicate roles and responsibilities, ensure that everyone involved in the project understands their role, and prevent confusion or misunderstandings.

Question 21

What is a common prioritisation technique that can be used for requirement request management.

Answer 21

MoSCoW stands for:

Must have: requirements that are critical to the success of the project or business and must be implemented.

Should have: requirements that are important but not critical, and should be implemented if time and resources permit.

Could have: requirements that are desirable but not essential, and can be implemented if there is time and resources available.

Won’t have: requirements that are not necessary for the current project or business phase, and can be deferred or deleted.

Using the MoSCoW method can help to ensure that the most critical requirements are addressed first, and that the project team focuses their efforts on delivering the most important features and functionalities.

Question 22

Explain how to define scope in terms of outputs, outcomes and benefits 9including use of product, cost and work breakdown structures)

Answer 22

To define scope, identify the specific outputs (products), outcomes (results), and benefits (advantages) of the project using tools such as PBS, CBS, and WBS. These structures break down the project into manageable components and show the relationship between them and the final product, cost, and work required to complete the project.

Question 23

What is included in the requirements management processes?

Answer 23

Gathering requirements: from customers, users, and project team members through interviews, surveys, and focus groups.

Analysis: prioritizing them using the MoSCoW method, and ensuring that they are aligned with the project objectives.

Justifying requirements: Evaluate the business case for the requirements, reviewing constraints such as time, cost, and resources, and ensuring that they are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.

Baseline needs: Formally documenting and approving the baseline. This ensures that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of what is expected and what will be delivered, and provides a reference point for managing changes to the requirements during the project.

Question 24

Explain how to manage scope through configuration management processes (such as planning, identification, control, status accounting, and verification audit)

Answer 24

To manage scope through configuration management

plan
identify
control
maintain accurate records of the project’s configuration
conduct periodic reviews to ensure consistency with the project’s objectives.

This ensures that changes to the project’s configuration are controlled and traceable throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Question 25

Explain different stages of a typical change control process (such as request, initial evaluation, detailed evaluation, recommendations, update plans and implementation)

Answer 25

A typical change control process involves several stages:

Request: Receiving a request for a change.

Initial evaluation: Determine if it is feasible and aligns with the project objectives.

Detailed evaluation: Analyze ito determine the impact of the change on the project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and resources.

Recommendations: Made regarding the approval or rejection of the change request.

Update plans: If the change request is approved,

Implementation: Monitored to ensure that it is completed as planned and that it achieves the desired results. T

Question 26

List t he benefits of developing an affective team

Answer 26

Improved quality of output

Better comms

Increased productivity

Improved motivation

Innovation and problem solving

Question 27

What is the model used for forming new teams.

Answer 27

Tuckman Model

Question 28

Explain the Tuckman Model

Answer 28

Forming:

Team members are getting to know each other.
Uncertainty about team’s purpose, goals, and roles.
Polite and cautious interactions.

Storming:

Conflicts and disagreements may arise.
Team members express opinions and assert ideas.
Opportunity to clarify goals, roles, and expectations.

Norming:

Team members develop cohesion and collaboration.
Common goals, norms, and values are established.
Improved teamwork and effectiveness.

Performing:

Team functions at a high level.
High level of trust, cooperation, and communication.
Efficiently achieves goals.

Adjourning:

This stage occurs when the team has completed its project or achieved its goals.
Team members may feel a sense of loss or disorientation as the project comes to end.
Recognize and celebrate the team’s accomplishments and to provide closure for the team members.

Question 29

EXPLAIN HOW LEADERSHIP IMPACTS ON TEAM PERFORMANCE AND MOTIVATIONS (Maslow, Harzberg and McGregor)

Answer 29

Leadership has a significant impact on team performance and motivation. The theories of Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor highlight the importance of leadership in creating a work environment that fosters motivation and performance.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests that people have different needs that must be met to achieve self-actualization. Good leaders understand and meet the needs of their team members, creating an environment in which they can feel motivated and satisfied.

Herzberg’s two-factor theory suggests that motivation is driven by factors such as achievement, recognition, and personal growth, rather than just job satisfaction. Good leaders understand the importance of these factors and work to create opportunities for their team members to achieve personal growth and development.

McGregor’s theory X and theory Y suggests that leadership styles can either motivate or demotivate employees. Leaders who adopt a theory Y approach, in which they trust and empower their team members, are more likely to foster motivation and positive team performance.

Question 30

explain factors which influence the creation, development and leadership of teams (using models such as Belbin, Margerison-McCann, Myers-Briggs, Hackman, Tuckman, Katzenbach and Smith)

Answer 30

Belbin: Emphasizes the importance of team roles and how they can complement each other.

Margerison-McCann: Highlights the importance of balancing work functions within a team to achieve optimal performance.

Myers-Briggs: Focuses on individual personality preferences and how they can impact team dynamics.

Hackman: Emphasizes the importance of team design and how it can impact team performance. Clear goals, appropriate team composition, and a supportive organizational context.

Tuckman: Team development, including forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Katzenbach and Smith: Emphasizes the importance of team identity and how it can drive team performance. Working, management, and leadership -