Section 1 - 9 (Intro) Flashcards
What would be found in a lessons learned register
What was done incorrectly in a project, What was done correctly in a project and what should have been done differently in a project.
WHAT is a lessons learned register?
A lessons learned register would not name who is responsible for a mistake. Assigning blame should always be avoided. A lessons learned register does contain information about what was done correctly, what was done incorrectly, and what should have been done differently.
WHAT is a risk management plan?
A risk management plan defines how your project’s risk management process will be executed. This includes the funds, tools and approaches that will be used to perform risk identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring activities.
WHAT are the 4 components of a risk management plan?
1) Identify the risk
2) Assess the risk
3) Treat the risk
4) Monitor and Report on the risk
WHAT is a risk register?
The purpose of the risk register is to note all risks in a project.
Risk Register vs Issue Log vs Risk Management Plan
A risk management plan is used to try and predict risks and how to avoid them becoming issues.
A risk register is used to report risks before they become issues.
An issue log is used to determine what is an issue and how to resolve (and when).
WHAT is an issue log?
The issue log, sometimes also known as an issue register, is a project document where all issues that are negatively affecting the project are recorded and tracked. When an issue log is created, it provides a tool for reporting and communicating all that is happening within the project.
WHAT are the 5 stages of the project life cycle?
1) Initiating (or origination)
2) Planning
3) Executing
4) Monitoring/Controlling
5) Closing
WHAT is a lessons learned register?
A lessons learned register is a document in which project team records their valuable experience.
WHAT is a change driven project?
Scope is flexible
WHAT is a project performance appraisal?
A project performance appraisal will indicate that an individual requires more training.
In a project performance appraisal, feedback is gathered from team member’s supervisor that may point out a need for additional training.
WHAT is a benefit of individual assessment?
An individual assessment is used to determine information about an individual about their decision-making process, interactions with others, and how they prefer to be led. An individual assessment would not contain anything about an individual’s skillset.
WHAT is a project management plan?
A project management plan serves as a guide to how the project will be managed.
WHAT is a feasibility study?
A feasibility study is a document that assesses the success of a project before it is executed.
WHAT is a work breakdown structure?
A work breakdown structure is a document that is specific to scope. It does not contain cost information nor guide the management of a project.
WHAT are the importance of training for a project?
Training is not always paid for from the project budget. In instances where the organization will benefit from the training in the long term, the training may be an organization (company) cost. Overall, training benefits individual performance, project performance, reduces project costs and reduces project schedule. Work smarter not harder
WHAT is an organizational impediment?
An organization impediment impacts an entire organization. Example: The office’s internet is out.
WHAT is a team impediment?
Team impediments only impact a subset of the organization.
Example: The CEO will now take the last Friday of the month. The QA team now requires a new issue recording tool. A coding audit will take place randomly to prevent software bugs from being delivered.
WHAT is work performance information?
information that can result in delaying (or expediting) the project. Example: a project manager realizes that a late shipment will delay the entire project by 4 days.
WHAT is NOT work performance information? Examples
a developer informs you that a task takes 3 hours to perform. This is a raw metric that isn’t new information. factored in the beginning stage of project management plan.
Sharing a report is not work performance information because this information is distributed and can be acted on .
WHAT is Scrum Project management?
In Scrum, the team meets daily for a meeting to discuss what work everyone is doing and to work through any roadblocks.
WHAT is a Scrum master?
A scrum master’s main job is to remove all obstacles to getting work done. Different than a project manager but a project manager can be a scrum master.
As the title implies, the scrum master is the master of scrum, who ensures the scrum framework is followed. Scrum has a clearly defined set of roles and rituals that should be followed and the scrum master works with each member of the scrum team to guide and coach the team through the scrum framework.
WHAT is Cost of Conformance?
The costs incurred while building in, or ensuring, quality are called the costs of conformance. Costs of conformance can include activities such as process documentation, training, inspections, and audits. This is money spent to avoid failures.
WHAT is not an example of Cost of Confrmances?
Scrap, inventory costs, rework of deliverables are all costs of non-conformance. These costs are the results of the problems that were encountered in the project.
WHAT types of PMO are there?
There are three: Supportive, Directive and Controlling.
What is a Supportive PMO?
A supportive PMO provides the tools and resources projects need to succeed. It is the place in a business that hold the documents and details to be able to run a project from beginning to end. Expect a supportive PMO to have:
Process outlines for things like procurement, talent acquisition, budget changes, and more
Templates for running a successful project such as Agile frameworks or Scrum weekly planners
Procedures that ensure every project is run along the same lines
WHAT is a Directive PMO?
The Directive PMO goes beyond control and directly manages the project. This PMO is professional in nature, providing both the project management experience and the resources needed to manage the project. It also has dedicated project managers who would directly take control of the project and report back to the PMO.
WHAT is a Controlling PMO?
Controlling PMOs have a moderate level of control. They create documentation, methodologies, templates, and frameworks for project managers to follow and ensure organizational standards for successful project management and execution.
WHAT is the difference between Directive and Controlling PMO?
The directive PMO directly manages most or all projects within the organization. They both are active PMO types. Controlling PMO: the office provides support and requires that the support be used. It can mandate specific methodologies, templates and work streams.
WHAT is an impediment backlog?
An Impediments Backlog is a simple list of hurdles, obstacles, snares, deterrents, blockers, and impediments that cause waste in the organization.
WHAT is the difference between a “blocker” and a “impediment”?
The impediment backlog would contain impediments that are holding up activities or tasks, not the entire project. A small code change, a technical dependency, a new keyboard are all examples of impediments.
The project budget would be an example of a blocker due to it holding up the whole project not just an activity or task within that project.
What is the benefit of conducting a stakeholder analysis?
Conducting a stakeholder analysis will help ensure that all project benefits are identified. This allows all stakeholders to voice what it is they hope that the project will achieve.
WHAT is a change request log?
A change request log is held in the executing and monitoring and controlling stage of a project. The change request log allows for noting documents that will need to be created.
When should you review a project’s risk management process?
When you review the baselines and notice that the scope, schedule and cost baselines are all significantly off track.
According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, which factor is most likely to motivate someone?
Professional growth is most likely to motivate someone as it is a motivating agent. Salary, relationships ant work, and personal life are important, but these are simply hygiene factors.
What is Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation?
The ‘hygiene-motivation’ or ‘two factor’ theory resulted from research with two hundred Pittsburgh engineers and accountants. Herzberg aimed to dissect employee’s attitudes to their jobs, to discover what prompted these attitudes, and what impact they had on the person and their motivation to work. Subjects were asked what pleased and displeased them about their jobs. From their responses, Herzberg concluded that man has two sets of needs:
Lower level needs as an animal to avoid pain and deprivation
Higher level needs as a human being to grow psychologically.
Some factors in the workplace meet the first set of needs but not the second and vice versa. The first group of factors he called ‘hygiene factors’ and the second, ‘motivators’.
What warrants project closure activities?
Project closure activities should be done when a project is complete, when a phase of a project is complete, or when a project is terminated.
What makes up a COMPLIANCE council?
The individuals in this group have diverse backgrounds including a legal expert, a security architect, and an environmental scientist.
When can a stakeholder be identified?
A stakeholder can be identified throughout the project - except for closing stage.
What is retrospective meeting? What are the benefits?
Retrospective meetings occur at the end of a project to help teams pause and think about improving future performance. It’s a safe space for reviewing the project’s successes, identifying opportunities for process improvement, and solving issues that may have come up.
Retrospectives do improve trust and transparency within a team, increase morale and spirit, and push the team to further develop and grow.
What is leadership?
Leadership implies the ability to communicate the vision and goals to all stakeholders to engage them in the project.
What is Active Listening?
Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented. This form of listening conveys a mutual understanding between speaker and listener.
Difference between blocker and an impediment part 2 (read only)
The deliverable that was scheduled to go to production but needs fixing is an example of a blocker. It is important to understand the difference between a blocker and an impediment. An impediment slows down the progress of the team. A blocker completely stalls the team from delivering on time. Here, the deliverable needing to be fixed before going to production is a blocker. The lead developer’s slow internet connection, the junior developer’s absence, and the bug found in a testing feature are all impediments because they are problematic, but they do not completely stall the project.
What is a risk trigger?
Risk triggers will alert the team when a risk is about to become an issue. Therefore, assessing and setting risk triggers with the team will help establish clues as to when a risk may become an issue.
What are the different management styles?
3 Types: Autocratic, Democratic management and Laissez-faire management styles.
What is an Autocratic management style?
This type of management follows a top-down approach, with one-way communication from bosses to employees.
This is the most controlling of the different management styles, with the management making all workplace decisions and holding all of the power.
Employees are treated as drones, to be monitored closely as they perform within clearly defined perimeters.
Employees are not encouraged to ask questions, submit ideas, or share their thoughts on improving processes, and are in some cases actively discouraged from doing so.
The subtypes of autocratic management style are authoritative, persuasive, and paternalistic.
What is authoritative management style?
Under the autocratic style tree.
Managers dictate exactly what they require their subordinates to do and punish those who do not comply. Employees do not question the authority and managers monitor the employees closely.
What are the pros and cons of authoritative management style?
Pros:
This management style allows quick decision making, and creates clearly defined roles and expectations.
With unskilled workers or large teams, setting clear and solid expectations can allow workers to operate without uncertainty.
Productivity will increase, but only when the manager is present.
Cons:
The negatives of authoritative management style includes an increase in the dissatisfaction of employees, which leads to higher turnover, resentment, a lack of professional development and employee engagement, and the formation of an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality between employees and management.
Innovation is stifled and inefficient processes will remain in place.
AKA great when working with a bunch of clueless dummies. Terrible for people that know what they are doing.
What is persuasive management style?
Under the Authoritative tree.
managers persuade employees to believe the unilateral decisions that the manager implements is best for team. Drink the koolaid.
Rather than simply ordering employees to perform tasks, managers employing this style would invite questions and would explain the decision-making process and rationale behind policies. This can help employees feel as though they are a more trusted and valued part of the staff and are involved in key business decisions, leading to lower levels of resentment or tension between management and staff.
What are the pros and cons for persuasive management style?
ros:
Management can establish a higher level of trust between themselves and employees, and employees will accept top-down decisions more easily.
Employees respond more positively to reason and logic than they do the threat of punishment, and may feel less constricted than those managed with an authoritative style.
Cons:
Employees will still chafe under the restrictions they are placed under, and become frustrated that they cannot give feedback, create solutions, or upskill in a meaningful way.
What is Paternalistic management style?
Under the authoritative tree.
The manager acts with the best interests of their subordinates at heart.
Usually, the organization will refer to staff as ‘family’ and ask for loyalty and trust from employees.
Management using this style will use unilateral decision making but will explain to employees that the decision-makers are working from a place of expertise, and thus, legitimacy. Decisions are explained to employees, but there is no room for collaboration or questioning.
What are pros and cons of Paternalistic management style?
Aka overly protective mommy
Pros:
A paternalistic manager is focused on the welfare of their employees, and will base their decisions on what is best for their staff.
Upskilling and employee education are valued, leading to happier, more skilled, more productive employees.
Cons:
Employees can become too dependent on management, leading to a lack of innovation and problem-solving.
There is a high chance of this style breeding resentment among employees who do not believe in the ‘organization as family’ concept.
Employees might find this style condescending and infantilizing.
What is the Democratic management style?
the second of the three leadership style categories.
Managers encourage employees to give input during the decision-making process but are ultimately responsible for the final decision.
Communication goes both ways, top-down and bottom-up.
What is Consultative Management style?
Under the Democratic management style.
Managers ask for opinions and thoughts of their team, consulting every member.
The manager will make the final decision, but they will consider all of the information given by team members before they do so.
This style is often used in specialized fields, where staff are experts and their input is needed for the management to make informed decisions.
What are Pros and Cons of consultative management style?
Pros:
This style promotes a deeper bond between staff and management, and builds trust within teams.
Management grows with the team, as they learn from the ideas, opinions and experience of the employees that they lead.
Innovation and voicing opinions are encouraged, leading to better problem-solving.
Cons:
The process of consulting staff can be labor and time-intensive.
If a manager is not skilled in the time management aspect of this process, they can easily get bogged down.
If there is an appearance of favoritism or bosses not listening to opinions, employees may become resentful and distrustful of the manager.
Excessive reliance on this style can lead to staff losing trust in their boss, as they will start to wonder why they are always called on to help solve problems instead of management handling it as part of their job.
What is participative management style?
Under the Democratic management style.
In this style, managers and staff are all active members of the decision process.
Staff are given access to more information about the company and its goals, and are encouraged to innovate solutions.
Management seeks the thoughts, ideas and opinions of staff, works together with staff to make decisions and then the company acts on them.
What are the pros and cons of participative management style?
Pros:
Employees feel as though they are valued by their management team and the organization as a whole, and will respond with increased motivation and productivity.
The more they understand and connect with the organization’s goals, the higher their engagement will be. Innovation is increased.
Cons:
This process can be a slow one, and there is a risk of staff with bigger personalities steamrolling less assertive staff members, leading to conflicts and resentment.
In industries with trade secrets, letting staff have access to sensitive information can be risky.
If employees do not want to be involved in this type of decision making, they can grow to resent managers who employ this style.
What is the collaborative management style?
Under the democratic tree.
In this style, management creates an open forum for ideas to be discussed extensively before making decisions based on majority rule. Staff is empowered to take ownership of outcomes, which can lead to increased engagement, innovation and creativity.
Pros and Cons of Collaborative management style?
Pros:
Staff feels trusted, valued and heard by all levels of their management team.
They are inspired to put forth their best work, find collaborative solutions to problems, and engage completely with the process.
Open communication means that workplace conflicts are often solved before real issues arise.
Turnover is decreased when employees are engaged, and diverse voices often lead to better solutions and outcomes.
Cons:
As with other democratic management styles, this process can be time-consuming.
Majority rule can also not always be the best choice for an organization, and if there is a decision that is not in the best interests of the business, management will need to step in and change it, which can breed resentment and mistrust.
Transformational management style
Under the democratic tree.
This style of management is agile and growth-focused.
Managers focus their efforts on pushing their staff to ever greater accomplishments through encouragement, pushing them past their comfort zones regularly, and consistently motivating their teams to raise their bar for achievements.
Managers work alongside with their employees, inspiring their team to ever greater efforts by demonstrating their own work ethic.
Pros and Cons of Transformational management style
Pros:
Innovation is increased, and employees will more easily adapt to change, disruptions, or challenging projects.
Creative thinking is encouraged, and problem-solving and product development will benefit from the increased flexibility of the staff.
Cons:
If not used carefully, this style will cause staff to burn out.
Staff may end up spread too thin, worn out from constantly pushing themselves, and unable to keep up with the pace.
Coaching Management Style
Under the democratic tree.
In this style, managers see themselves as the coach and their employees as the valued members of their team.
The manager’s job is to develop and guide their team, putting their team’s professional development at the forefront of their priorities. Long-term development is valued above short-term failures in this style, and the manager wants to promote learning, upskilling and growing in the workplace.
Pros and Cons of Coaching Management Style.
Pros:
Employees feel valued, they know that they will learn and develop within their roles, and are more likely to be engaged.
Managers build a strong bond with their employees, who will in turn be more likely to put forth their best work for their ‘coach’.
Cons:
This style can lead to toxic environments, as staff jockey for favored roles and development tasks.
Too much focus on long-term development can leave short-term projects without proper support.
What is Laissez-faire management style?
The third category of management styles.
In this style, management takes a hands-off approach to leadership.
Staff is trusted to do their work without supervision, and they are left to control their decision making and problem-solving.
Management is present at the delegation and delivery stages of work, but otherwise steps back and gives staff the freedom to control their workflow and outcomes. Management is only involved during the process if the staff requests their assistance.
What is Delegative management style?
Under the Laissez-faire management style
In this style, the manager is only present to assign tasks, although they still are responsible for tasks being completed successfully. Once the task is assigned, then the employees are empowered to do their work as they see fit.
After the task is complete, the manager steps back in to review the work and give advice about how to improve future projects.
Pros and Cons of Delegative management style
Pros:
Innovation and creativity are fostered by this system, especially in organizations with highly skilled workers.
Problem solving and teamwork are strengthened, as staff are given space to handle their own issues and will work together to solve them.
Job satisfaction may be increased in those who crave autonomy in their workplace.
Cons:
Without leadership, productivity may suffer.
Teams can experience a lack of direction, focus, or uniformity.
Poorly managed conflicts may flare up and breed resentment.
Some staff may feel that the management is not contributing anything towards the team’s success and become resentful.
What is Visionary management style?
Under the Laissez-faire tree.
managers lead through inspiring their staff.
Team members are motivated by their manager, then allowed the freedom to achieve their tasks with minimal interference. Managers will check in from time to time, but they trust that their shared vision will keep employees on track and produce good results.
Managers offer a lot of constructive feedback during and after the process to assist their employees, and make sure to give praise liberally.
Pros and Cons of Visionary Management style
Pros:
Engagement is heightened because staff believes in what they are creating and are driven to complete tasks to the best of their ability.
Employees are more satisfied, motivation is higher and turnover will be lowered.
Innovation is higher, and problem-solving can happen quickly within teams.
Cons:
Not all managers can be legitimately inspiring. It depends on the job, the industry, the product, and the person.
This is not a style that can be faked, employees must actually be inspired, or they will not perform as well.
What is the Stakeholder cube?
Power x Interest x Influence
stakeholder cube is a three-dimensional model showing aspects of a stakeholder or stakeholder group.
What is a Power and Interest grid?
The Power/Influence Grid, which is also known as the Power/Influence Matrix in stakeholder management, is a simple tool that helps you categorize project stakeholders by the power and influence they have on the project.
What is a Salience model?
a salience model because of a salience model groups stakeholders by authority, involvement, and need for attention.
What are examples of responsibility under a project manager?
The project manager is not responsible for approving or rejecting change requests; the change control board or project sponsor is responsible for this. The project manager is responsible for overseeing the change management process including developing a change management plan, assessing the impacts of change requests, preventing the root causes of changes, and more.
What is a configuration management plan?
The purpose of the configuration management plan is to establish policies around naming conventions and versioning control.
What is a requirements management plan?
A requirements management plan is a document that is typically created alongside the primary project plan as a piece of the scope management process. Its primary purpose is to ensure that all stakeholder and business requirements are captured, analyzed, managed, and addressed by the project plan
What is a network diagram?
A network diagram sequences the activities in the order they should be performed.
What is a GAntt chart?
A Gantt chart measures duration of a project over time.
