Stakeholders

Question 1

You are the project manager of the Server Update Project for your organization. This project has 543 stakeholders, many of which are end users. Some of the end users are critical of the server update because they’re concerned about where the data is stored, how they’ll access the data in the future, and their mapped drives. You’ve communicated with all the users that the server update will change how the users will access their files and home folders in the future. Now some of the end users have been complaining to their functional managers about the change. In this scenario, what type of stakeholders are the end users?

A) Uninformed
B) Negative
C) Unresponsive
D) Low Influence/Low Interest

Answer 1

B) Negative

Negative stakeholders are people who do not want your project to succeed or even exist in the organization.

Question 2

Beth is the project manager of a new construction project for her organization’s client. This project will construct a new bridge in a major thoroughfare in her city. Beth is preparing for stakeholder identification because she wants to capture all the internal and external stakeholders who may influence and be influenced by this project. In her preparations, Beth will need all the following documents as inputs except for which one?

A) Project Charter
B) Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)
C) Organizational Process Assets
D) Risk Management Plan

Answer 2

D) Risk Management Plan

Beth will not need the risk management plan as part of the stakeholder identification process.

This is an input for stakeholder identification. Note that the question asked which one is not an input to the process. Beth will need the project charter, business documents, communications management plan, stakeholder engagement plan, change log, issue log, requirements documentation, agreements, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets.

Question 3

You are the project manager for a software development project for your company. This project will create a web-based application that will allow users to create maps for different hiking trails in North America. You’ll be working with developers who are employees of your company and developers who are contract-based. Your project will also include information from the National Parks Service, local communities, and hikers from around the United States. You and the project team will first complete stakeholder analysis to make certain that you’ve captured all the project stakeholders. What are the three logical steps to stakeholder analysis for this project?

A) Identify the stakeholders, prioritize the stakeholders, anticipate stakeholder responses
B) Identify the stakeholders, confirm the project scope, communicate the project plan
C) Identify the stakeholders, anticipate stakeholder responses, create a response strategy
D) Identify the stakeholders, meet with the stakeholders to address concerns, create a stakeholder response plan

Answer 3

A) Identify the stakeholders, prioritize the stakeholders, anticipate stakeholder responses

There are three logical steps to stakeholder analysis: First you need to identify the project stakeholders. Next, you’ll prioritize the stakeholders based on their role and influence in the project. Finally, you’ll anticipate stakeholder responses to issues, concerns, and requirements in the project

Question 4

You have been working on a new project that will affect your entire organization of 1233 people. You and the project team know that you should create a stakeholder register for the stakeholders, but is it necessary to create 1233 entries in this register?

A) Yes, all stakeholders should be identified
B) Yes, but it is appropriate to group the stakeholders for easier management
C) No, only the key stakeholders need to be identified in the stakeholder register
D) No, only negative stakeholders and key stakeholders must be documented in the stakeholder register

Answer 4

B) Yes, but it is appropriate to group the stakeholders for easier management

A project that has this many stakeholders is likely to create groups of stakeholders to manage. For example, the stakeholders could be grouped by departments, roles in the organization, or even interests in the project. Grouping stakeholders helps the project manager address a large group with a common message rather than manage multiple messages to many stakeholders individually.

Question 5

Mike is the project manager of a new software deployment project that will affect 3235 people in his organization. He’s communicated the deployment and explained the effect the software will have on the organization, and his plan includes training for the end users. Some of the stakeholders, especially the functional managers, are worried about the deployment and how it will affect the organization’s productivity. Anna, the project sponsor, asks Mike to create a visual diagram showing which stakeholders can affect the project the most based on their power in the organization. What chart should Mike create?

A) Power/Influence Diagram
B) Pareto Diagram
C) Force Field Diagram
D) Ishikaway Diagram

Answer 5

A) Power/Influence Diagram

Mike should create a power/influence diagram, which shows the correlation between power over the project and the influence over the project for each key stakeholder. Stakeholders with high power and high influence need to be managed more closely than stakeholders with low power and low influence, for example. This chart helps the project team create a better defined stakeholder management strategy and prioritization of stakeholders in the project.

Question 6

Harold is the project manager for a large construction project his company is completing for a client. This project has internal and external stakeholders, including members of the community who are opposed to the project, although it has been approved by the city. Harold is preparing to create a stakeholder engagement plan and he’s gathering several inputs for the plan’s creation. Which one of the following inputs will most help Harold create a strategy for stakeholder management and engagement?

A) Project Management Plan
B) Stakeholder Register
C) Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)
D) Communications Management Plan

Answer 6

B) Stakeholder Register

Harold needs the stakeholder register to create a strategy for stakeholder management and engagement. The stakeholder register defines the role, interests, contact information, and attitudes of the stakeholders toward the project objectives.

Question 7

You are the project manager of a large software deployment project for your organization. This project will replace the operating systems on the computers of all employees. Many of the employees are in favor of this change in operating systems while others are not. As part of your plan, you complete an analysis of the stakeholders. In this analysis, you and the project team have discovered that some of the project stakeholders didn’t know about the change in the company’s approved computer operating system. How would you classify these stakeholders?

A) Unaware
B) Uninformed
C) Lacking
D) Target for positive

Answer 7

A) Unaware

Stakeholders who don’t know about your project are classified as unaware. Unaware stakeholders have been overlooked in the planning of the project and they may be offended, have requirements that the project must add, or become resistant to the project’s existence because they have not been consulted and included in the project planning.

Question 8

You are the project manager of a large software deployment project for your organization. This project will replace the operating systems on the computers of all employees. Many of the employees are in favor of this change in operating systems while others are not. As part of your plan you complete an analysis of the stakeholders. In this analysis, you and the project team have also learned that the functional managers are not in favor of the change of the operating system for their employees’ laptops. How would you classify these stakeholders?

A) Neutral
B) Resistant
C) Leading
D) Hesitant

Answer 8

B) Resistant

These negative stakeholders can be accurately classified as resistant to the project goals. These functional managers and employees are resistant to the goals of the project, and it’s part of stakeholder management to determine the stakeholder objections and then create a strategy to overcome the resistance to change.

Question 9

What is the purpose of the stakeholder engagement plan?

A) To convert all stakeholders to positive, supportive stakeholders
B) To identify the stakeholders who are opposed to the project
C) To manage the stakeholders’ attitudes toward the project
D) To communicate with the stakeholders about the project status

Answer 9

C) To manage the stakeholders’ attitudes toward the project

Stakeholder identification, a process, identifies all stakeholders, positive or negative, and records their information in the stakeholder register.

Question 10

Morgan is the project manager of a web site creation project for a client. Some employees at the client’s site are excited about the change and they are helpful with Morgan’s plan for the new web site design. In the stakeholder engagement plan, Morgan has identified the tactics for managing the stakeholders, and she has identified the positive stakeholders with which categorization?

A) Happy
B) Leading
C) Supportive
D) Informed

Answer 10

C) Supportive

Supportive stakeholders, as in this example, are aware of the project and the changes the project will bring, and are supportive of the project

Question 11

You are project manager for your company and you’ve just created the project’s stakeholder engagement plan. This plan is based on organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors that you’re required to use in the project. The stakeholder engagement plan includes all the following components except for which one?

A) The relationships among the stakeholders
B) The relationships among the project team
C) The schedule of stakeholder information distribution
D) Communication requirements for stakeholders

Answer 11

B) The relationships among the project team

The stakeholder engagement plan doesn’t address the relationships among the project team. The staffing management plan, part of human resources planning, may address team development and how the team interacts.

Question 12

Sam is the project manager of the GHQ Project for his company, and he’s recently discovered a scheduling conflict with two of the vendors on the project. Sam knows that the conflict will likely cause a two-week delay in the completion of the project. What should Sam do?

A) Report the problem to management
B) Report the problem to the stakeholders
C) Say nothing unless the delay becomes greater than 2 weeks
D) Propose a solution to management

Answer 12

D) Propose a solution to management

Problems will happen throughout a project, but the project manager should always present the bad news to the appropriate stakeholders and be prepared with a possible solution.

Question 13

You are the project manager of a large project in your company. Your project has been in motion for three months and you’re about to move into the first phase of project execution. Your sponsor calls to report that you’ve apparently overlooked some stakeholders during the project’s planning phase. What should you do now?

A) Immediately contact the stakeholders, apologize, and analyze the stakeholders
B) Begin the project execution but contact the stakeholders for a meeting
C) Determine whether the oversight has damaged the project objectives
D) Schedule a meeting with the stakeholders to catch them up on the project

Answer 13

A) Immediately contact the stakeholders, apologize, and analyze the stakeholders

Although it’s imperative to identify all the project stakeholders as early in the project as possible, it’s not uncommon for a project manager to overlook some of the stakeholders. When this happens, the project manager should immediately deal with the problem and look for a solution. In this case, contacting the stakeholders, apologizing for the oversight, and then analyzing the stakeholders’ attitudes toward the project will be most helpful.

Question 14

Steve is the project manager of a new project that will affect 4534 people in his organization. Some of the stakeholders are not happy about the project, but they understand the need for the project work. How should Steve manage these unhappy but compliant stakeholders?

A) Ignore their complaints
B) Explain the benefits of the project
C) Categorize them as resistant
D) Some stakeholders may just be unhappy

Answer 14

B) Explain the benefits of the project

Steve should explain the benefits of the project and how the project will help the organization and the individuals affected by the project.

Question 15

Marvin is the project manager of a new project for his company. He’s been working with the project team and the project sponsor to keep the stakeholders engaged. As part of this process, Marvin will need four inputs to stakeholder engagement. Which one of the following is not one of the inputs for stakeholder engagement?

A) Change Log
B) Organizational process assets
C) Communication management plan
D) Quality management plan

Answer 15

D) Quality management plan

The quality management plan is not an input to stakeholder engagement.

Question 16

You are the project manager of a large project that will affect how your organization accepts and processes orders from customers. Many of the stakeholders have strong opinions about the project and how it should proceed. Thomas, the manufacturing manager, and Jane, the sales manager, have been in conflict with one another over some of the project’s requirements. You’ve met with these two stakeholders to resolve the conflict, negotiate the difference, and come to an agreement about the requirements in the project. What stakeholder engagement tool and technique have you used effectively in this scenario? Choose the best answer.

A) Active listening
B) Stakeholder resolution
C) Management skills
D) Interpersonal skills

Answer 16

D) Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills include building trust, resolving conflict, active listening, and overcoming resistance to change.

Question 17

One of the tools you’ll have to use as a project manager in the stakeholder management knowledge area is management skill. Management skills help you organize stakeholder concerns and keep the project moving forward. All the following are examples of management skills except for which one?

A) Presenting project information
B) Negotiating with stakeholders
C) Public speaking
D) Analyzing work performance information

Answer 17

D) Analyzing work performance information

Analyzing work performance information is not a management skill, but it is a facet of data analysis and preparing for stakeholder engagement.

Question 18

You are the project manager of the JNH Project for your company. This project is scheduled to last 18 months and will affect 435 stakeholders in your organization. The project has sensitive information that only certain stakeholders should have access to, so you’ve created a plan for communicating the information to the correct parties throughout the project through special e-mail bulletins. What type of communication is secured e-mail considered to be?

A) Push
B) Interactive
C) Sensitive
D) Passive

Answer 18

A) Push

Push, Pull or Interactive
Push communication describes information that is sent out to an audience or stakeholders via e-mail, memos, letters, or reports.

Question 19

You are the project manager for your organization, and you’ve contracted two organizations to complete parts of the project. The project requires that these two different companies work together on parts of the project. One of the vendors will need to install network cables throughout a building, while the other company is responsible for connecting the networking cables to a central patch panel and to the individual networking receptacles. The vendors disagree about how the work should take place. What’s the best approach to manage this scenario?

A) The vendors are not stakeholders and must live up to the terms of their contract
B) The vendors are stakeholders, and you should determine who’ll do what activities in the project
C) The vendors are not stakeholders, but you should use conflict resolution to find the best solution for the contracted work
D) The vendors are project stakeholders and you should utilize conflict resolution to find the best solution for the project.

Answer 19

D) The vendors are project stakeholders and you should utilize conflict resolution to find the best solution for the project.

Vendors are stakeholders in the project, and the project manager must utilize conflict resolution to find the best solution for the project. Although the project contracts may already define the order of the work and the terms of the agreement, the project manager should meet with the vendors to come to an agreeable approach for all parties to work together and for the project to move forward smoothly.

Question 20

You are the project manager for your company. Your project sponsor has asked you to include interactive communications as part of your stakeholder engagement plan. Which one of the following examples best describes the concept of interactive communications in stakeholder management?

A) Sending e-mail messages to select project stakeholders
B) Creating a report on the project status
C) Hosting a project status meeting
D) Creating a secured project repository that only allowed stakeholders can access

Answer 20

C) Hosting a project status meeting = Interactive communications means that the stakeholders can communicate with one another. Meetings, video conferences, and teleconferences are good examples of interactive communications.

B, creating a report, doesn’t actually communicate with the stakeholders.
D is an example of a pull communication as a central repository, such as a reporting system, which requires the stakeholders to query the central site to pull information from it.

Question 21

You are the project manager for your organization and you’re serving as a coach for several junior project managers. You’re currently reviewing the inputs for Monitoring stakeholder engagement with your project team. The team members are confused about some of the inputs needed for controlling stakeholder engagement. One of the inputs to Monitoring stakeholder engagement is the issue log. How does the issue log help you prepare to control stakeholder engagement?

A) This is false; this issue log is not an input to control stakeholder engagement
B) This issue log will help you determine which stakeholders are causing the project issues
C) The issue log is needed only when issues are defined by stakeholders
D) The issue log will help you track and respond to issues and communicate issue status

Answer 21

D) The issue log will help you track and respond to issues and communicate issue status = Issues are risks that have come into fruition. Once the issue exists, you’ll need to document it in the issue log and then work to resolve the issues. Because issues will always affect stakeholders, you’ll use the issue log as part of your stakeholder engagement to resolve conflicts, issues, and communicate with the stakeholders.

The issue log is an input to stakeholder engagement, but it’s not necessarily used to identify stakeholders that are causing issues.

Issues could happen by no fault of the stakeholders—consider a tornado or hurricane and how it may affect a project and the stakeholders. Stakeholders won’t prompt for the issue log (C); it is the project manager’s responsibility to bring the issue log into stakeholder engagement and issue resolution.

Question 22

Your project sponsor has requested that you find a software package to serve as a central repository for all project information. They’d like for the software to capture, store, and provide data analysis on key performance metrics. The software should be able to help complete reports, analyze data, and track overall project performance. What is the project sponsor requesting?

A) Reporting system
B) Earned Value Management System
C) Project Management Information System
D) Integrated Change Control System

Answer 22

C) Project Management Information System

Management is asking for a project management information system. A PMIS is a software tool that helps the project manager manage the project, including information storage, KPI metrics, and create reports.

Question 23

As a project manager, you must use multiple types of communication with stakeholders to keep them engaged with the project work. All the following are types of communications that are related to stakeholder engagement except for which one?

A) Pull communications
B) Push communications
C) Interactive communications
D) Ad hoc communications

Answer 23

D) Ad hoc communications

Ad hoc communications is the best answer because it’s not a structured stakeholder management communication type. You will, as a project manager, use ad hoc communications to facilitate quick, informal communications, but it’s not a structured, planned approach to managing communication to and from the project stakeholders.

Question 24

Stakeholder engagement is key to a successful project, so you and the project team have created a stakeholder engagement plan that includes many different methods for engaging stakeholders. As part of your plan, you should also reference what other project management plan component?

A) Project communications management plan
B) Project procurement contracts
C) Project scope statement
D) Milestone charts for the project schedule

Answer 24

A) Project communications management plan

Stakeholder management and project communications are tightly linked together. You’ll need the project’s communication management plan to help you communicate properly with the correct stakeholders, at the correct time, with the correct message, and in the expected communication format.

Question 25

You are the project manager of a new software development project in your company. Your company operates in a matrix environment and utilizes a project management office to structure projects. This current project has 78 stakeholders and will last for 18 months. Sam, one of the project stakeholders, informs you that two of his employees will be leaving the organization and will no longer be available as resources on your project. In addition to the project staffing management plan, what other document should you update?

A) Stakeholder register
B) Risk register
C) Change log
D) Project schedule

Answer 25

A) Stakeholder register

The stakeholder register is the best answer because it contains information about the stakeholders that are currently involved in the project. When a stakeholder leaves the project, you should update the stakeholder register so that you don’t include non-stakeholders in project communications and engagement.