PT M3 - Vocab/Components

Question 1

Who is responsible for change management

Answer 1

The Project Manager

Question 2

A type of planning used when you are under a lot of time pressure or the project is not well defined in the long term.

This type of planning is related to projects in the industrial world.

Answer 2

Rolling Wave Planning

Question 3

A type of planning that requires carrying out detailed planning for all of the project before executing it.

Answer 3

Predictive Planning

Question 4

A type of planning method that is carried out from the last activity of the project to the first.

The acquisitions and prior activities are planned based on what they need in order to produce the desired results.

Answer 4

On-Demand Planning a.k.a. Upstream Planning

Question 5

A type of planning used when you are under a lot of time pressure or the project is not well defined in the long term.

This type of planning is related to software development.

Answer 5

Agile or Iterative Planning

Question 6

An identified area of project management that is defined by its knowledge requirements and is described in terms of its processes, practices, inputs, output tools, and techniques.

These things create the structure of the project management processes that PMI recommends.

Answer 6

A Knowledge Area

Question 7

The space where work is done when co-located.

Features timelines and other graphics designed to improve communication and team morale.

Co-location can be temporary, either for the delivery of a specific milestone or the launch of a project stage.

Answer 7

The War Room

Question 8

A traditional practice in resource management that involves first organizing the information about the project’s resources in a specific way.

Usually, the information is organized into three large groups: people, materials, and teams. In the second step, the information in these groups is further decomposed into families and types.

Answer 8

The Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)

Question 9

Teams in which the team members decide how they are going to work.

The leader of this group does not order the team but facilitates their organization so that the team can discuss and choose the way they want to work and distribute tasks.

Answer 9

Self-Organizing Teams

These teams are usually motivated and feel involved in the project. This practice has emerged in recent years because of the increasing use of agile methodologies.

Question 10

A practice that recognizes and uses your emotions to facilitate your work.

Teams that work on this aspect of their work usually have a better performance and are more stable.

Answer 10

Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient (EQ)

Examples include: self-consciousness, knowing your virtues and defects, self-management, understanding others, active listening, etc.

Question 11

A network of sequences where every activity is related to another activity.

Answer 11

Project Schedule Network Diagram

Question 12

Extra time that a team member(s) gives themself to complete a task(s) without the Project Manager knowing about the overestimation.

Answer 12

Hidden Padding

Question 13

The difference in the duration of time between critical activities and non-critical activities.

Answer 13

Activity Slack

Question 14

Activities that set the duration of the project, because if they are delayed, they will delay the entire project.

Answer 14

Critical Activities

Typically they are the activities that are projected to last the longest duration of time or the activities that are needed to conclude the iteration/project.

Question 15

This type of estimation technique is carried out using the real durations of previous similar activities/projects or by asking experts in the field.

Answer 15

Analogous Estimation of the Duration of an Activity

This estimation is generally used in the early stages of planning to estimate the duration of the project when there is a limited or poorly detailed amount of information about its main activities.

Question 16

This type of estimation technique is quantitative and multiplies the amount of work to be done by a productivity ratio.

Answer 16

Parametric Estimation

Imagine that it takes 4 hours to make a drawing, that 12 drawings have to be made, and that you have 3 draftsmen. For this type of estimation, you would have to multiply the plans (12) by the hours of work required for each (4). This would give you the total amount of work (480 h). Then, you divide this by the number of craftsmen (3). In this way, you will have estimated duration of the task, which is 40 hours.

Question 17

A method of estimating the duration or cost of the project by adding the estimates of the smaller-level components.

Answer 17

Bottom-Up Estimating

For example, you would analyze how long it would take to build the tabletop (3 hours), the legs (2 hours) and the crossbars (2 hours) separately. Then you would add the estimate for the construction duration of each of these elements and obtain the estimate for the construction duration of the table (7 hours in total).

Question 18

A Duration Estimation Technique based on making three estimates for each activity. This is usually done when you have many past records of how long it takes to do an activity.

Answer 18

Estimation by 3 Points or PERT

You would take into account the following three estimates: Most Likely (Occurs the most), Optimistic (Shortest), Pessimistic (Longest).

The expected duration is calculated using the formula E = (optimistic + pessimistic + 4 x most likely) / 6. This expected duration is usually more accurate than a simple estimate.

Question 19

1 of 2 intensification techniques used to decrease project durations w/out changing the project’s scope -

This technique increases the costs of the project, but not the risks.

For example, working extra hours, adding more resources (people, machinery, materials), or paying more money to accelerate the delivery of each activity.

Answer 19

Crashing

Question 20

1 of 2 intensification techniques used to decrease project durations w/out changing the project’s scope -

Involves carrying out activities in parallel that would normally be done sequentially.

This technique can sometimes lead to delays and an increase the project’s risks.

Answer 20

Fast-Tracking

Question 21

This is a duration technique in which the planned start and finish dates for a project’s activities are adjusted based on the company’s available staff.

Normally, this technique leads to extending the duration of the project.

Answer 21

Resource Leveling

Question 22

This technique is used to plan work but not to shorten the project’s duration.

Answer 22

Applying Leads & Lags

Question 23

This is the amount of time by which a successor activity can begin in relation to a predecessor activity.

For example, in a project to construct a social club, the start of the successor activity (making preparations for the garden) can be scheduled two weeks before the finish date of the predecessor activity (excavation work).

Answer 23

Lead

Question 24

This is the amount of time by which a successor activity is delayed in relation to a predecessor activity.

For example, a technical writing team can start editing a draft document (successor activity) 15 days after the writer started writing it (predecessor activity).

Answer 24

Lag

Question 25

1 of 2 tools of the Knowledge Management Process -

Includes the actions that are carried out to obtain key knowledge about the project so that it can be completed correctly.

An example of a this tool would be to hold a meeting with a supplier who has worked on the project to see what has been done well, what has been done wrong, and what can be done better.

Answer 25

The Knowledge Management Tool

Question 26

1 of 2 tools of the Knowledge Management Process -

The actions and tools that you use to make knowledge available to the organization.

This knowledge may be about the company or it may be generated by the development of the project.

An example of this tool would be a company intranet where you can upload all the information generated from the resolution of incidents in the company’s projects.

Answer 26

The Information Management Tool

Question 27

A set of formal procedures that are used to manage all project changes.

Answer 27

The Change Control System (CCS)

Question 28

This tool is a set of formal procedures used to manage and document the different versions of the elements of a project (documents, deliverables, products, etc.) and identify the version in use.

Answer 28

The Configuration Management System

Question 29

A group of key stakeholders that reviews requests for important changes.

Answer 29

The Change Control/Project Board (CCB) a.k.a. the Steering Committee

This group is formally constituted and is responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes in the project, as well as recording and communicating these decisions. This group is formed when the project has already started, usually during the planning phase.

Question 30

A Communication Method -

Used to share significant amounts of information by uploading content to a shared platform so that other users can access the content when they need it.

Examples of these platforms include servers, intranet, virtual classroom, and online libraries.

Answer 30

Pull Communication

Question 31

A Communication Method -

Occurs between two or more parties who actively interchange information.

Examples of this method include a conversation, a meeting, a chat, instant message, videoconference, etc.

Answer 31

Interactive Communication

Question 32

A Communication Method -

Occurs when material or information is sent to various people without the need for feedback.

This guarantees that the information has been sent, but not that it has been received or understood.

Examples of this include newsletters, memos, or reports.

Answer 32

Push Communication

Question 33

A Communication Method -

Indirect communication that is a result of working in the same physical location.

An example would be if two co-workers are talking in the office about how demanding a client was in the last product review, and a third co-worker overhears them and decides to improve the work they are doing for that same client.

Answer 33

Osmotic Communication

Question 34

A theory that defines the stages through which the development of a team passes.

This theory helps project managers understand their teams.

The 4 stages are sequential, although teams that have already worked together may skip some of them.

Answer 34

The Tuckman Scale/Theory

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing

Question 35

1 of 4 phases in Tuckman’s Theory -

The phase in which team members meet and are informed of the work they have to carry out in the project. Their roles and responsibilities are also established.

At this stage, team members are usually very well behaved and focused on their own tasks. They tend to talk about details related to the work itself.

Answer 35

Forming

Question 36

1 of 4 phases in Tuckman’s Theory -

At this stage, individual work is usually exhausted and team members have to start working as a team to integrate different tasks.

Team members begin to question technical approaches and different people’s ways of doing things. If this is not discussed openly, it often leads to an uncomfortable working environment.

It is important for the team leader to push through the this phase and provoke a constructive confrontation between the team members. In this way, team members will establish common riles of co-existence that will favor performance and a good working environment.

Answer 36

Storming

Question 37

1 of 4 phases in Tuckman’s Theory -

During this stage, the team creates its own rules and the members begins to work together in a consensual way.

If this stage is conducted well, with explicit rules that take everyone into account, a cohesive team is formed.

Answer 37

Norming

Question 38

1 of 4 phases in the Tuckman’s Theory -

Teams that reach the stage are called high-performance teams.

They are self-organized, extremely decisive, and they are aware of their capabilities.

Answer 38

Performing

Question 39

These things include part of the scope of the project that will be done in the future and that still has not been defined in detail.

These things are en element used in rolling wave planning.

Answer 39

Planning Packages

Question 40

This is the register in which the different stakeholders in the project are documented and described.

Their power, interest, and attitude towards the project are evaluated.

Answer 40

Stakeholder Register

This register is the first register to be created.

Question 41

In this register, all project change requests are tracked, with information being updated when changes are classified, analyzed, approved, or rejected.

Answer 41

Change Log

This register is created during planning, once the scope, time frame, and costs are determined.

Question 42

This register is where identified risks are documented and described.

This information is updated when the possible impacts that these risks could have are qualified and quantified.

Answer 42

Risk Register

This register is created during project planning.

Question 43

This record/log documents the issues that must be addressed by the project team for the project to be successfully managed.

Answer 43

The Issues Log

This record is created at the beginning of the project’s execution phase.

Question 44

1 of 2 Elements Necessary to Schedule a Project -

These things consists of decomposing the work breakdown structure (WBS) in order to create the list of actions and to create the project schedule timeline.

Answer 44

Defining Actions

Question 45

1 of 2 Elements Necessary to Schedule a Project -

This thing consists of determining which actions should come first, which can be delayed to a later point, and what the relationship between the actions is.

This process is part of developing the schedule of the project because it will lead to the creation of the project schedule network diagram.

Answer 45

Establishing a Sequence of Actions

Question 46

A hierarchical decomposition (breakdown) of the total scope of the work contained in the required deliverables, which are in turn made up of work packages.

When defining the project’s activities, you identify and describe the activities that will make up each of the work packages.

Answer 46

Work Breakdown Structure

Question 47

What is the next step after defining the WBS?

Answer 47

1. Define, describe and then sequence the specific activities.
2. Once this is done, the resource and cost estimation may be gathered and calculated concurrently.

Question 48

1 of 4 Dependency Attributes -

Optional dependencies or ways to improve the project’s results.

Established by the project team or the project manager based on previous experiences.

Answer 48

Discretionary Dependencies a.k.a. Soft Logic

Question 49

1 of 4 Dependency Attributes -

Dependencies that are necessary because of the nature of the work that you are doing.

Answer 49

Mandatory Dependencies a.k.a. Hard Logic

Question 50

1 of 4 Dependency Attributes -

Involve activities that are generally within the control of the project’s team.

Answer 50

Internal Dependencies

Question 51

1 of 4 Dependency Attributes -

Dependencies that must be performed by people outside of the project team.

Answer 51

External Dependencies

Question 52

These things define the work to be done so that the project manager can estimate and manage the project’s cost and duration.

These things group together a series of related activities.

Answer 52

Work Packages

Question 53

1 of 3 actions that is a type of change in a project -

Decisions aimed at correcting a trend related to job performance.

For example, if a team of five builders is falling behind in constructing part of a building, a corrective change would be to change the project plan and correct performance by increasing the team to seven builders.

Answer 53

Corrective Actions

Question 54

1 of 3 actions that is a type of change in a project -

Decisions focused on preventing possible future damages and are related to the risks of the project.

For example, if there is a possibility that a computer attack could damage the data of a technological project, a change in the project plan would be proposed. This change could be to perform regular backups.

Answer 54

Preventative Actions

Question 55

1 of 3 actions that is a type of change in a project -

Decisions focused on fixing poorly executed elements. It is an intentional activity that modifies a non-conformity of a product or one of its components.

For example, in a project to implement a photovoltaic (solar energy) farm, a series of panels have been installed incorrectly. A _____ would be to change the project plan so that the operators reinstall the defective panels.

Answer 55

Defect Repairs