Chapter 3 Project Management

Project office

A centralized unit within an organization or department that oversees and improves the management of projects.

Weak matrix

A matrix structure in which functional managers have primary control over project activities and the project manager coordinates project work.

Balanced matrix

A matrix structure in which the project manager and functional managers share roughly equal authority over the project. The project manager decides what needs to be done; functional managers are concerned with how it will be accomplished.

Strong matrix

A matrix structure in which the project manager has primary control over project activities and functional managers support project work.

Projectized organization

A multi-project organization in which project managers have full authority to assign priorities and direct the work of persons assigned to their project.

Projectitis

A social phenomenon in which project members exhibit inappropriately intense loyalty to the project.

Organizational culture

A system of shared norms, beliefs, values, and assumptions held by an organization's members.

Factors in identifying cultural characteristics include all the following except A. Norms. B. Customs C. Values D. Both B and C are correct E. A, B, and C are all correct

A, B, and C are all correct

Which of the following is a disadvantage of functional project management organization? A. Lack of motivation of project team members B. Longer project duration C. Lack of focus on the project D. Both b and c are correct E. A, B, and C are all correct

A, B, and C are all correct

Dedicated project team

An organizational structure in which all of the resources needed to accomplish a project are assigned full time to the project.

Matrix

Any organizational structure in which the project manager shares responsibility with the functional managers for assigning priorities and for directing the work of individuals assigned to the project.

Organizations have difficulty in creating a system for managing projects because A. Contrary to typical operations, projects are one-time efforts B. Projects are multidisciplinary while organizations are usually departmentalized by discipline C. Projects are not focused on profits D. Both a and b are correct E. A, B, and C are all correct

Both a and b are correct

Which of the following is not one of the typical forms of a project management office? A. Command center B. Control tower C. Resource pool D. Weather station E. All of these are typical forms of a project management office

Command center

A good project management system provides for defining the interface between the project team and the organization in all the following areas except A. Authority B. Allocation of resources C. Development of project team members D. Integration of the project into the organization E. All of these are provided

Development of project team members

The project structure that is ranked as least effective is _______ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

Functional

The structure that manages projects within the existing organizational structure is __________ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

Functional

Which of the following combinations represents the extremes of project organization? A. Strong matrix and balanced matrix organizations B. Functional and project organizations C. Project and balanced matrix organizations D. Project and strong matrix organizations E. Strong matrix and functional organizations

Functional and project organizations

Which of the following is an advantage of a functional project management organization? A. Maximum flexibility in the use of staff B. Good integration across functional units C. Shorter project duration D. Strong motivation of project team members E. All of these are advantages

Maximum flexibility in the use of staff

Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which management focuses on outcomes rather than on techniques and processes used to achieve those results? A. Risk tolerance B. Reward criteria C. Conflict tolerance D. Means versus end orientation E. Open-systems focus

Means versus end orientation

Organizational culture is best explained as organizational A. Personality B. Hierarchy C. Reporting relationships D. Background E. Management style

Personality

Computers R Us is concerned about keeping project costs low and wants to be sure that all pools of expertise are used. Additionally they want to minimize duplication of efforts across projects. Their best choice for project management structure is the _______ organization structure. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

Project

The project structure that is ranked as most effective for developing new products is ______ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

Project

Which of the following structures is referred to in popular literature as a projectized form of organizations? A. Functional organization B. Balanced matrix organization C. Weak matrix organization D. Strong matrix organization E. Project organization

Project organization

Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which work activities are organized around groups rather than individuals? A. Member identity B. Team emphasis C. Managerial focus D. Unit integration E. Control

Team emphasis

Who is responsible for determining how tasks will be done in a matrix project management structure? A. The functional manager B. The project manager C. Both are responsible D. This is no pattern of who takes responsibility E. None of these are true

The functional manager

Who is responsible for determining what tasks have to be done in a matrix project management structure? A. The functional manager B. The project manager C. Both are responsible D. This is no pattern of who takes responsibility E. None of these are true

The project manager

Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which groups within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or independent manner? A. Member identity B. Team emphasis C. Managerial focus D. Unit integration E. Control

Unit integration

Matrix management violates the management principle of A. Span of control B. Unity of command C. Parity principle D. Empowerment E. All of these management principles

Unity of command

The project manager has the responsibility to answer which of the following questions? A. What task has to be done? B. Who will do the task? C. How will the task be done? D. How well has the functional input been integrated? E. Why will the task be done?

What task has to be done?

The Organizational Culture Diagnosis Worksheet classifies cultural characteristics into all of the following except: A. Physical characteristics B. Public documents C. Behavior D. Folklore E. Ethics

ethics

Bill is working on a project involving the upgrading of a management information system. The project is being managed by the information systems department with coordination with other departments occurring through normal channels. He is working in a _________ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

functional

Kim is reviewing a proposed project. The scope of the project is narrow with a lot of in-depth expertise required and it will take a short period of time to complete. The best choice for organizing the project is ________ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

functional

From the list below, which is not a primary characteristic of organization culture? A. Control B. Team emphasis C. History D. Conflict tolerance E. Risk tolerance

history

_________ organization is a hybrid form in which a horizontal project management structure is overlaid in the normal functional hierarchy. A. Functional B. Matrix C. Project D. Balanced E. A, B, and C are all correct

matrix

Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their type of job or field of professional expertise? A. Member identity B. Team emphasis C. Managerial focus D. Unit integration E. Control

member identity

A project team that operates with a full-time project manager as a separate unit from the rest of the organization is structured as a ________ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

Elizabeth is considering how to structure a project team that will not directly disrupt ongoing operations. The project needs to be done quickly and a high level of motivation will be needed in order to do that. For this situation, the ______ organization would be the best choice. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

MegaComputers, Inc. has assigned a project manager for each of the five new-product teams. The managers as well as the project team members work on the projects on a full-time basis. The structure being used is ________ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

Projectitis is most likely to occur in the _______ organization structure. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

The Macintosh development team at Apple is a good example of what kind of project structure? A. Project B. Balanced Matrix C. Project Matrix D. Functional Matrix E. Functional

project

The project organization structure that is least likely to have team members who are also members of another team is the ______ organization. A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

Which of the following is considered to be the simplest, fastest, most expensive way to manage projects? A. Functional B. Balanced matrix C. Weak matrix D. Strong matrix E. Project

project

In which of the following is the balance of authority strongly in favor of the functional managers? A. Weak B. Balanced matrix C. Strong matrix D. Strong E. Both C and D are correct

weak