CIT_263 Chapter 2: The Project Management and Information Technology Context

Leadership style has no impact on the success of virtual teams. a. True b. False

False Feedback: The project manager's leadership style affects all teams, especially virtual ones

The last phase of the traditional project life cycle is the implementation phase. a. True b. False

False Feedback: The last phase of the traditional project life cycle is the close-out phase.In it, all of the work is completed, and customers should accept the entire project.

Project managers should lead projects in isolation in order to truly serve the needs of the organization. a. True b. False

False Feedback: Even though projects are temporary and intended to provide a unique product or service, you cannot run projects in isolation. If project managers lead projects in isolation, it is unlikely that they will ever truly serve the needs of the organization.

Internal stakeholders include groups affected by the project such as government officials or concerned citizens. a. True b. False

False Feedback: External project stakeholders include the project's customers (if they are external to the organization), competitors, suppliers, and other external groups potentially involved in the project or affected by it, such as government officials or concerned citizens

The same organization can have different subcultures. a. True b. False

True Feedback: It is also important to note that the same organization can have different subcultures. The IT department may have a different organizational culture than the finance department, for example.

Most colleges and universities have very strong functional organizations. a. True b. False

true

The best way to sustain a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility for the project. a. True b. False

False Feedback: The best way to kill a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility

The nature of hardware development projects is more diverse than software-oriented projects. a. True b. False

False feedback: The nature of software development projects is even more diverse than hardwareoriented projects. A software development project might include creating a simple, standalone Microsoft Excel or Access application, or a sophisticated, global e-commerce system that uses state-of-the-art programming languages and runs on multiple platforms

Using a systems approach is critical to successful project management. a. True b. False

true

It is much more expensive to make major changes to a project during the earlier phases. a. True b. False

False Feedback: In early phases of a project life cycle, resource needs are usually lowest and the level of uncertainty is highest. It is much more expensive to make major changes to a project during latter phases.

The Project Management and Information Technology Context Cengage Learning Testing, Powered by Cognero Page 2 system or organization instead of focusing on the immediate concerns of the project. a. True b. False

True Feedback: Although it is easier to focus on the immediate and sometimes narrow concerns of a particular project, project managers and other staff must keep in mind the effects of any project on the interests and needs of the entire system or organization.

Project work is most successful in an organizational culture where activities are organized around individuals. a. True b. False

False Feedback: Project work is most successful in organizations in which work activities are organized around groups or teams, rather than individuals. An organizational culture that emphasizes group work is best for managing projects.

Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization. a. True b. False

True Feedback: Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization. If certain functional managers are not responding to project managers' requests for necessary information, top management must step in to encourage the functional managers to cooperate.

The Adaptive Software Development (ASD) life cycle model assumes that software development follows an adaptive approach because the requirements cannot be clearly expressed early in the life cycle. a. True b. False

True Feedback: The adaptive software development (ASD) life cycle model assumes that software development follows an adaptive approach because the requirements cannot be clearly expressed early in the life cycle

The team members of a virtual team are all of the same nationality. a. True b. False

False Feedback: A virtual team is a group of people who work together despite time and space boundaries using communication technologies. Team members might all work for the same company in the same country, or they might include employees as well as independent consultants, suppliers, or even volunteers providing their expertise from around the globe. POINTS

An organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager's job more difficult a. True b. False

False Feedback: Most project managers strive for strong unit integration to deliver a successful product, service, or result. An organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager's job easier.

Systems analysis addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system. a. True b. False

False Feedback: Systems management addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining,and modifying a system.

An organization usually commits more money as a project continues, therefore a management review should occur after each phase to evaluate progress, potential success, and continued compatibility with organizational goals. a. True b. False

True Feedback: Because the organization usually commits more money as a project continues, a management review should occur after each phase to evaluate progress, potential success, and continued compatibility with organizational goals.

Project managers must take adequate time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders. a. True b. False

True Feedback: Because the purpose of project management is to meet project requirements and satisfy stakeholders, it is critical that project managers take adequate time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders.

Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects. a. True b. False

True Feedback: Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects.

Most people believe that the underlying causes of many companies' problems can be traced to its organizational structure. a. True b. False

False Feedback: Organizational culture is very powerful, and many people believe the underlying causes of many companies' problems are not in the organizational structure or staff; they are in the culture.

The project organizational structure is the most efficient choice for most IT projects. a. True b. Fals

false Feedback: The project organizational structure is often inefficient for the company as a whole. Assigning full-time staff to a project often creates under-utilization and misallocation of staff resources.

According to the symbolic frame, the most important aspect of any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means. a. True b. False

True Feedback: The symbolic frame focuses on symbols and meanings. In this frame, the most important aspect of any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means

Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment, and project managers need to consider projects within the greater organizational context. _____ describes this holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization. a. Linear analysis b. Systems thinking c. Reductionism d. The silo approach ANSWER

b Feedback: To handle complex situations effectively, project managers need to take a holistic view of a project and understand how it relates to the larger organization. Systems thinking describes this holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization.

When you separate business and organizational issues from project management planning, you do a better job of ensuring project success. a. True b. False

False Feedback: When you integrate business and organizational issues into project management planning and look at projects as a series of interrelated phases, you do a better job of ensuring project success.

An organization that uses a project organizational structure earns their revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract. a. True b. False

True Feedback: A project organizational structure is hierarchical, but instead of functional managers or vice presidents reporting to the CEO, program managers report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete the projects within their programs. An organization that uses this structure earns its revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract.

Standards and guidelines to follow when performing project management must be devised by top management. a. True b. False

True Feedback: The content of a project management plan and instructions for providing status information might seem like common sense to senior managers, but many new IT project managers have never created plans or created a nontechnical status report. Top management must support the development of these standards and guidelines, and encourage or even enforce their use.