Quiz, Ch. 10

What are some suggestions for improving project communications?

- learning how to run more effective meetings - how to use email, IM, texting, kanban boards, and collab s/w more effectively - how to use templates for project communications

What should be created for all projects to help ensure good communications?

A communications management plan - contents will vary based on the needs of the project

What are project archives?

A complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project

What is a communications management plan?

A document that guides project communications

What is a lessons-learned report?

A reflective statement that documents important information they have learned from working on the project

What is a wiki?

A website that enables anyone who accesses it to contribute to or modify its content

What is a SharePoint portal?

Allows users to create custom websites to access documents and applications stored on shared devices

What is Google Docs?

Allows users to create, share, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online

What does reporting performance involve?

Collecting and disseminating information about how well a project is moving toward meeting its goals

What is the 'oil' that keeps a project running smoothly?

Communication

What does management communication include?

Creating and distributing project information

What can project teams use to communicate and assess project performance?

Earned value charts and other forms of progress information

Project managers and their teams should consider using what to provide assistance?

Facilitators and other experts

What is the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially IT projects?

Failure to communicate

What are the various methods for distributing project information?

Formal, informal, written, and verbal

What is the importance of status review meetings?

Important part of communicating, monitoring, and controlling projects

What are blogs?

Journals on the web that allow users to write entries, respond to another poster's comments, create links, upload pictures, and post comments to journal entries

Summarize the processes of project communications management.

Planning: - plan communications management ~~~ outputs: communications management plan, proj. documents updates Executing: - manage communications ~~~ outputs: project communications, proj. doc updates, proj. management plan updates, and org. process assets updates Monitoring and controlling: - control communications ~~~ outputs: work performance info, change requests, project docs updates, and organizational process assets updates

Approximately how much time do project managers spend communicating?

Project managers can spend as much as 90% of their time on communicating

What does enterprise PM software do?

Provides many features to enhance communications across the organization

As more people work remotely, what is important to make sure of?

That they have the necessary tools to be productive

As the number of people that need to communicate increases, what also increases?

The number of communication channels

What are progress reports?

They describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period

What are status reports?

They describe where the project stands in terms of the triple constraint, meeting scope, time, and cost goals

What are forecasts?

They predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends

What is the main goal of controlling communications?

To ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life cycle

It is important to determine the most appropriate means for distributing different types of project information. T/F?

True

New hardware and software continue to become available to help improve communications. T/F?

True

6. A(n) ______________________ report describes where a project stands at a specific point in time. a. status b. performance c. forecast d. earned value

a. status

9. Which of the following is not a guideline to help improve time spent at meetings? a. Determine if a meeting can be avoided. b. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly. c. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting. d. Build relationships.

b. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly.

1. What do many experts agree is the greatest threat to the success of any project? a. lack of proper funding b. a failure to communicate c. poor listening skills d. inadequate staffing

b. a failure to communicate

10. A ______________________ report is a reflective statement that documents important information learned from working on the project. a. kanban b. lessons-learned c. project archive d. progress

b. lessons-learned

7. What term describes information that is sent to recipients at their request via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means? a. push communications b. pull communications c. interactive communications d. customer communications

b. pull communications

Project managers and their teams should focus on the importance of what as they communicate project information?

building relationships

8. Which of the following is not a recommendation for improving project communications? a. You cannot overcommunicate. b. Project managers and their teams should take time to develop their communications skills. c. Do not use facilitators or experts outside of the project team to communicate important information. d. Use templates to help prepare project documents.

c. Do not use facilitators or experts outside of the project team to communicate important information.

2. In face-to-face interactions, how is most information conveyed? a. by the tone of voice b. by the words spoken c. by body language d. by the location

c. by body language

5. If you add three more people to a project team of five, how many more communication channels will you add? a. 2 b. 12 c. 15 d. 18

d. 18

4. What strategy can a project manager use to deliver bad news? a. Tell a joke first. b. Tell senior management as soon as possible so they can develop alternatives and recommendations. c. Ask the project champion to deliver the news. d. Set the stage by putting the news into context, emphasizing the impact on the bottom line.

d. Set the stage by putting the news into context, emphasizing the impact on the bottom line.

3. Which of the following is not a process in project communications management? a. planning communications management b. controlling communications c. managing communications d. managing stakeholders

d. managing stakeholders

List the several keys to good communications.

include: - focusing on individual and group communication needs - using formal and informal methods for communicating - providing important information in an effective and timely manner - settings the stage for communicating bad news - understanding communication channels

What is the formula for determining number of communication channels?

n(n - 1) / 2