Fill in the blanks Midterm practice MGMT 4120

87) A ________ organizational culture is one where a set of core values and customs are shared throughout the organization.

"strong" or "thick"

252) When completing a forward pass you carry the early finish to the next activity where it becomes its early start, unless the next succeeding activity is a merge activity. In this case you select the largest early finish number of all its immediate predecessor activities. Why do you select the largest early finish number?

Acknowledging that the finish number represents the activities' early finish, the largest early finish number is selected because all preceding activities must be completed before an activity can begin. If anything less than the largest number is chosen, there will not be enough time for all preceding activities to finish.

82) Identify and briefly describe at least two advantages and two disadvantages of organizing project teams using the matrix management approach.

Advantages include high efficiency, strong project focus, easier post-project transition and flexibility. Disadvantages include dysfunctional conflict, infighting, high levels of stress, and longer project duration

233) In regard to a network of stakeholders there are three "rings" or "tiers." Describe each ring and give an example of a group of stakeholders found in each.

First, there is the core group of specialists assigned to complete the project or the project team. Second, there are the groups of people within the performing organization who are either directly or indirectly involved with the project. These include other project managers, functional managers, administrative support, top management and project sponsors. The third group is outside the organization such as contractors, government agencies and the customer.

265) ________ can never be negative and applies only to the last activity in a single chain of activities.

Free slack

288) ________ decision making should be used when strong commitment to a decision is needed and there is a low probability of acceptance if the decision were to be made by one person.

Group

164) Give two advantages gained when a project manager takes the time to map relationship dependencies.

Mapping dependencies helps lower the risk that the project will be derailed because project managers were blindsided by someone whose position or power they had not anticipated. You may begin to realize where potential problems lie-relationships in which you have a current debit and no convertible currency. Furthermore, acknowledging another's impact and view on the project will help you anticipate reactions and feelings about your decisions and actions.

84) Identify and briefly describe three of the 10 primary characteristics of organization culture.

Member identity, team emphasis, management focus, unit integration, unit integration, control, risk tolerance, reward criteria, conflict tolerance, means vs. end orientation and open system focus.

49) ________ change infrequently and may require revision only when the nature of the business changes or shifts.

Mission statements

290) Why do project managers prefer to use group awards over individual rewards? When would it be appropriate to use individual rewards?

Most project managers advocate the usage of group rewards. Because most project work is a collaborative effort, it makes sense that the reward system would encourage teamwork. Recognizing individuals with rewards regardless of their accomplishments can distract from team unity. Individual rewards typically should be used only when everyone in the team recognizes that a member is deserving of special recognition.

130) Estimates should be based on normal conditions, efficient methods, and a normal level of resources. Explain.

Normal conditions are sometimes difficult to discern, but it is necessary to have a consensus in the organization as to what normal conditions mean in this project. This establishes a certain level of accuracy.

36) ________ translate the organization's strategy into specific, concrete, and measurable terms.

Objectives

258) ________-related currencies enhance a colleague's sense of worth by sharing tasks that increase skills and abilities, delegating authority over work so that others experience ownership, and allowing individuals to feel comfortable stretching their abilities.

Personal

237) ________-related currencies stem from the project manager's ability to enhance others' positions within the organization.

Position

158) In the network computation process what is a forward pass and what three things does it determine?

Starting with the first activity, each path is traced forward through the network, adding times until the end of the project. This determines (1) how soon each activity can start, (2) how soon each activity can finish, and (3) how soon the entire project can be completed.

253) In the network computation process what is a backward pass and what four things does it determine?

Starting with the last activity, each path is traced backward through the network, subtracting times until the beginning of the project. This determines (1) how late each activity can start, (2) how late each activity can finish, (3) the critical path, and (4) how long each activity can be delayed without changing the completion date.

260) ________-related currencies come directly from the project manager's ability to contribute to others' accomplishing their work.

Task

58) The advantages of successful project portfolio management systems are becoming well recognized. Briefly describe three.

The following are all examples of acceptable answers: (1) Builds discipline into project selection process; (2) Links project selection to strategic metrics; (3) Prioritizes project proposals across a common set of criteria, rather than politics or emotion; (4) Allocates resources to projects that align with strategic direction; (5) Balances risk across all projects; (5) Justifies killing projects that do not support organization strategy; (6) Improves communication and supports agreement on project goals.

218) Describe the ideal approach for a project manager to develop optimal estimates for a project's time and costs.

The ideal approach is to allow enough time for both the top-down and bottom-up estimates to be worked out and included in the final plan.

231) How does the WBS differ from the project network? How are WBS and project networks linked?

The network is developed from the information collected from the WBS and is a graphic flow chart of the project job plan. Networks provide the project schedule by identifying dependencies, sequencing, and timing of activities the WBS is not designed to do.

207) What is an organization breakdown structure and how would you use it to plan a project?

The organization breakdown structure (OBS) is the process of defining which organization units are responsible for performing the work outlined in the individual work packages.

226) When completing the forward pass, the project duration is determined. A project duration of 90 days doesn't mean that if the project were to start today it would be complete in 90 days. Explain.

The project duration gives you an estimated number of working days necessary to complete the project. It doesn't consider weekends, holidays, overtime, etc.

228) ________ slack must be coordinated with all participants in the activities that follow in the chain.

Total

155) An element in the project that consumes time is a(n) ________.

activity

180) When a project manager imposes a solution to the conflict after listening to each party, he or she is ________ the conflict.

arbitrating

71) Conflict tolerance, risk tolerance, reward criteria and unit integration are all examples of cultural ________.

characteristics

165) A popular metaphor for the role of a project manager is that of ________.

conductor

90) The cultural characteristic that refers to the degree to which employees are encouraged to air conflicts and criticisms openly is known as ________.

conflict tolerance

125) The top-down method of estimating when the pooled experience of senior and/or middle managers are used to estimate the total project duration and cost is the ________ method.

consensus

113) The intersection of work packages and the organizational unit creates a project control point called a(n) ________.

cost account

142) The longest path through a project network is called the ________.

critical path

157) The delaying of any activity on the ________ will delay the completion of the project by the same amount.

critical path

75) Organization ________ refers to a system of shared norms, beliefs, values, and assumptions which bind people together, thereby creating shared meanings.

culture

79) Research suggests that there is a strong connection between project management structure, organizational ________, and project success.

culture

21) The initial stage in the project life cycle is the ________ stage.

defining

179) Project managers should manage ________ conflict.

dysfunctional

114) Taking advantage of opportunities to reduce costs or accelerate the schedule are examples of project criteria classified as ________.

enhance

234) To provide greater clarity to business ________, many companies and professional groups publish a code of conduct.

ethics

255) The ________ lag is the most typical type of lag that is encountered in developing networks.

finish to start

171) Using properly established and well maintained professional relationships within a project, a project manager can be the ________ for information on the project.

focal point

264) During the ________ stage of group development, the members establish ground rules and try to find out what behaviors are acceptable to the team and individual team members.

forming

147) The ________ calculates the earliest times that activities can start or finish.

forward pass

225) A(n) ________ calculates project duration.

forward pass

222) The top-down method for estimating project time and cost that uses weighted variables based on major parameters and is frequently used in the development of software is known as the ________ method.

function point

282) Project managers should encourage ________ conflict.

functional

70) Two of the major disadvantages of the ________ organizational approach are that projects may lack focus and it can take longer to complete projects.

functional

77) When most of the project work can be done within a specified department and any coordination with other departments can be done easily through normal management channels, ________ organization is most appropriate.

functional

85) The approach to project management that uses the existing hierarchy of the organization to manage projects is ________ organization.

functional

284) Team meetings, co-location of team members, team names, and team rituals are common vehicles when establishing a team ________.

identity

46) How strategies will be realized, given available resources, is answered through ________.

implementation

42) The lack of understanding and consensus of organization strategy among top and middle-level managers is known as the ________.

implementation gap

221) The best way to ________ is to collect and archive data on past projects.

improve estimates

199) In a(n) ________ system, there are usually two chains of command, one along functional lines and the other along project lines.

matrix

69) The ________ structure is designed to optimally utilize resources by having individuals work on multiple projects as well as being capable of performing normal functional duties.

matrix

73) High levels of stress and dysfunctional conflict are disadvantages of a(n) ________ organization.

matrix

242) When a project manager intervenes and tries to negotiate a resolution by using reasoning and persuasion and suggesting alternatives, he or she is ________ the conflict.

mediating

150) An activity that has more than one predecessor is a ________ activity.

merge

95) The cultural characteristic that refers to the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment is known as ________.

open-systems focus

51) In classifying the kinds of projects an organization has in its portfolio, projects that are typically needed to support current operations are ________ projects.

operational

235) When project managers have a can-do attitude and when they are able to maintain a positive attitude during a dismal day and keep others' attention positive as well, they are demonstrating ________.

optimism

202) An indicator of project success within an organization is the strength of the ________ to support the project management structure.

organization culture

107) When specific work packages are assigned to a particular group or person within the organization, the result is called a(n) ________.

organizational breakdown structure

126) The estimating factor that considers the prevailing belief in some firms that detailed estimating takes too much time and is not worth the effort is an example of the ________ factor.

organizational culture

146) Activities that must occur immediately before a given activity are called ________ activities.

predecessor

141) A network has only one critical path and the slack for noncritical activities is high. This network would appear to have a ________ level of sensitivity.

low

230) In a project network, ________ indicate activity dependency and project flow.

arrows

40) In a SWOT analysis, strong competition, reduced product demand, and a maturing product life cycle are examples of external ________.

threats

275) Research consistently points out that project success is strongly affected by the degree to which a project has the support of ________.

top management

133) When someone uses experience and/or information from others to determine the project duration and total cost, ________ estimating is being used.

top-down

248) The preferred method for situations involving strategic decision making, projects with a high degree of uncertainty, and projects with an unstable scope is the ________ approach to estimating project time and costs.

top-down

283) The key to exercising influence is to build ________.

trust

119) In terms of project management, what is a deliverable? Give an example.

A deliverable is an expected output that occurs during the life of a project.

223) A(n) ________ is something that is a valuable but burdensome possession.

white elephant

96) A selective outline of the project that ensures the identification of all tasks and an understanding of what is to be done is called a(n) ________.

work breakdown structure

227) The activity time estimates used to build a project network are derived from ________.

work packages

83) Describe the difference between a "strong" or "thick" culture and a "thin" or "weak" culture.

"Strong" or "thick" are adjectives used to denote a culture in which the organization's core values and customs are widely shared within the entire organization. Conversely, a "thin" or "weak" culture is one that is not widely shared or practiced within a firm.

16) Identify the five major characteristics of a project.

(1) An established objective; (2) A defined life span with a beginning and end; (3) Usually the involvement of several departments and professionals; (4) Typically, doing something that has never been done before; (5) Specific time, cost and performance requirements.

66) Identify and briefly discuss the three classes of projects usually found in an organization's project portfolio.

(1) Compliance (must do); (2) Operational; (3) Strategic

32) Identify and briefly describe the six current drivers of project management.

(1) Compression of the product life cycle; (2) Knowledge explosion; (3). Triple bottom line; (4) Corporate downsizing; (5) Increased customer focus; (6) Small projects represent big problems.

56) High-ranking managers who endorse and lend political support for the completion of a specific project are known as project ________.

sponsors

245) Identify and briefly describe the three categories used to classify the priority of major project parameters.

(1) Constrain (the parameter is fixed); (2) Enhance (the parameter should be optimized); (3) Accept (lower results are acceptable).

104) Identify and briefly describe the five steps in defining a project.

(1) Defining the project scope; (2) Establishing project priorities; (3) Creating the work breakdown structure; (4) Integrating the WBS with the organization; (5) Coding the WBS.

124) Identify the three major categories of project costs and give an example of each.

(1) Direct costs (labor, materials, equipment, other); (2) Project overhead costs (salaries of project managers, rent on space to house the project, etc.); (3) General and administrative overhead costs (advertising, accounting, and senior management of the organization).

273) Identify and briefly describe the four types of lags giving an example for each type.

(1) Finish-to-Start; (2) Start-to-Start; (3) Finish-to-Finish; (4) Start-to-Finish.

240) Identify and briefly describe each stage in 11.2. Distinguish the different stages of team development.

(1) Forming: members get acquainted, ground rules are established; (2) Storming: high degree of internal conflict, members resist the constraints that the project and group place on their individuality; (3) Norming: development of group cohesion; (4) Performing: team is fully functional and accepted; (5) Adjourning: team prepares for its own disbandment.

287) Identify the six contradictions that an effective project manager must face.

(1) Innovate and maintain stability; (2) See the big picture while getting your hands dirty; (3) Encourage individuals but stress the team; (4) Hands-on/hands-off; (5) Flexible but firm; (6) Team versus organizational loyalties.

122) List and describe two reasons why estimates may need to be refined.

(1) Interaction costs are hidden in estimates; (2) Normal conditions do not apply; (3) Things go wrong on projects; (4) Changes occur in project scope and plans.

177) Identify and briefly describe the five strategies to manage dysfunctional conflict.

(1) Mediate the conflict: The project manager intervenes and tries to negotiate a resolution by using reasoning and persuasion. (2) Arbitrate the conflict: The project manager imposes a solution to the conflict after listening to each party. (3) Control the conflict: The project manager reduces the intensity of the conflict by smoothing over differences or interjecting humor. (4) Accept the conflict: When the conflict will outlive the project and the project manager has to live with it. (5) Eliminate the conflict: When there is a clear villain then only he or she should be removed.

137) Identify and briefly describe three out of the six factors that should be considered to improve the quality of estimates for project times and costs.

(1) Planning horizon; (2) Project duration; (3) People; (4) Project structure and organization; (5) Padding estimates; (6) Organization culture.

212) Identify the six elements on the recommended project scope checklist.

(1) Project objectives; (2) Deliverables; (3) Milestones; (4) Technical requirements; (5) Limits and exclusions; (6) Reviews with customers.

39) The typical Strategic Management Process includes four activities. Identify and briefly describe each of those four activities.

(1) Review and define the organizational mission; (2) Analyze and formulate strategies that align with mission; (3) Set objectives to achieve the strategy; (4) Implement strategies through projects.

65) Identify and briefly describe the five characteristics of effective objectives.

(1) Specific; (2) Measurable; (3) Assignable; (4) Realistic; (5) Time related

74) Briefly describe two ways to diagnose the culture of an organization and give an example of each.

(1) Study the physical characteristics of an organization; (2) Read about the organization; (3) Observe how people interact within the organization; (4) Interpret stories and folklore surrounding the organization.

173) Identify and briefly describe four of the eight traits associated with being a successful project manager.

(1) Systems thinker; (2) Personal integrity; (3) Proactive; (4) Emotional intelligence; (5) General business perspective; (6) Effective time management; (7) Skillful politician; (8) Optimist.

175) Identify and briefly describe the five commonly traded organizational currencies.

(1) Task-related-the ability to contribute to others accomplishing their work; (2) Position-related-the ability to enhance others' positions within their organization; (3) Inspiration-related-the ability to enhance people's desire to make a difference and add meaning to their lives; (4) Relationship-related-the ability to form relationships that transcend normal professional boundaries and extend into friendship; (5) Personal-related-the extent to which one can help others feel a sense of importance and personal worth.

129) Identify and briefly describe the two major classifications of estimating project time and costs.

(1) Top-down estimates are made for the project as a whole and typically made by top management; (2) Bottom-up estimates are made at the work package level and by those responsible for completing the work packages.

81) Identify the three forms of organizing projects using the matrix management approach.

(1) Weak matrix; (2) Balanced matrix; (3) Strong matrix.

148) An activity has a duration of 10 days. Its early start is 4 and its late start is 6. This activity has ________ days of total slack.

2

19) In today's high-tech industries the product life cycle is averaging ________ to 3 years.

6 months

267) What is a hammock activity and give an example?

A hammock activity identifies the use of a resource over a segment of the project. Thus its duration is determined by the duration of other activities. The example used in the text was for a color copier during specific phases of a project.

149) What is a lag and give an example of when you would need to use one?

A lag is the minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end. Lags occur during laddering and avoid delays and they are also used to constraint the start and finish of an activity.

53) Why is it important that organizations develop a process to align selected projects with strategic goals?

A result of not having a process that aligns selected projects with strategic goals is poor utilization of resources. Companies that have developed this process have more cooperation across the organization, perform better on projects and have fewer projects.

186) What is a virtual project team and what are two challenges in managing such a team?

A virtual project team is one in which the team members are geographically situated so that they may seldom, if ever, meet face-to-face as a team. Electronic communications such as the Internet, e-mail, and teleconferencing are the primary means of communication. Two biggest challenges involve establishing trust and effective lines of communication.

97) What is meant by a work breakdown structure and how does it help manage projects?

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is the logical subdividing of major activities into smaller elements. It is useful to ensure complete planning of a project as well as a basis for monitoring progress.

20) A professional organization for project management specialists is the ________.

Project Management Institute (PMI)

205) What is a work package and what information does it contain?

A work package is the lowest element in the WBS. It is the basic unit used for planning, scheduling and controlling the project. Work packages consist of what, how long, cost, resources, who is responsible, and identify monitoring points for measuring progress.

68) Identify and briefly describe at least two advantages and two disadvantages of organizing projects within the functional organization.

Advantages include no alteration in the design or operation of the parent organization, flexibility in use of staff, in-depth expertise, and easy post-project transition. Disadvantages include lack of focus, poor integration, longer project duration and lack of motivation and ownership.

78) Identify and briefly describe at least two advantages and two disadvantages of organizing project teams as dedicated project teams.

Advantages include simplicity, shorter project duration, strong cohesiveness of project team members and cross-functional integration. Disadvantages include high cost, internal strife, limited technological expertise and difficult post-project transition.

176) A vision refers to an image a project team holds in common about how the project will look upon completion, how they will work together, and/or how customers will accept the project. Although they should be similar, everyone's vision will not be the same. Why not? How might having only similar visions support the project?

After establishing the scope and major deliverables and after it is known what the project is supposed to accomplish once it is complete, each member of the project team will have a vision of what this project will look like and how they will accomplish it. Although similar, the fact that there are still differences in vision supports having a pool of ideas to pull from and negotiating the best solutions for the project.

163) "Strong leadership is not always necessary to successfully complete a project." Agree or disagree, and support your conclusion.

Agree. Well-defined projects that encounter no significant surprises require little leadership.

151) What is a Gantt chart and what advantages does it have over project networks?

Gantt charts are bar charts where activities are displayed as bars on a horizontal time-scale. They are easy-to-read and provide a clear overview of the project schedule and progress against that schedule.

185) What is the difference between functional conflict and dysfunctional conflict on a project? Provide real examples of each.

As long as disagreements further the objectives of the project, then conflict is functional. It should be encouraged because honest professional differences of opinion often will lead to the best solutions. The challenge is to keep it from becoming dysfunctional. Dysfunctional conflict inhibits project performance and should be managed.

10) What are the major differences between managing a process and managing a project?

At first glance project managers perform the same functions as other managers. That is, they plan, schedule, and control. However, what makes them unique is that they manage temporary, non-repetitive activities to complete a fixed life project.

101) A robust ________ can go a long way to reducing project problems over the life of the project.

Communication Plan

261) A project involving a compelling objective is an example of a condition that supports the development of high-performing teams. List four more conditions and briefly explain how they support the development of a high-performing team.

Conditions that support high-performing team development are when there are 10 or fewer members per team, when members volunteer to serve on the project team, when members serve on the project from beginning to end, when members are assigned the project full time, when members are part of an organization culture that fosters cooperation and trust, when members report solely to the project manager, when all relevant functional areas are represented, when the project involves a compelling objective and when members are located within conversational distance of each other.

200) Culture performs several important functions in organizations. Clarifying and reinforcing standards of behavior is one of these. Explain and provide an example.

Culture defines what is permissible and what inappropriate behavior is. These standards span a wide range of behavior from dress code and working hours to challenging the judgment of superiors.

281) ________ define the scope of the project, and ultimate project success rests in their satisfaction.

Customers

76) ________ project teams should be used for urgent projects in which the nature of the work requires people working steadily from beginning to end.

Dedicated

22) Identify and briefly describe the four stages of the Project Life Cycle.

Defining stage: goals, specifications and objectives established; Planning stage: schedules, budgets, risks management and resource assignment; Executing stage: majority of physical and mental work, status reports, changes and forecasts; Closing stage: train customer, transfer documents, release resources, and lessons learned.

108) A priority matrix helps project managers manage trade-offs among time, cost and performance or scope. This helps to identify which criterion is constrained, which should be enhanced and which can be accepted. Some argue that all of these criteria are always constrained. Agree or disagree? Explain why.

Disagree. If everything goes well on the project and no major problems arise then this argument might be valid; however, this situation is rare. Project managers are often forced to make tough decisions that benefit one criterion while compromising the other two.

279) "Managing a project and leading a project is essentially the same thing." Agree or disagree, and support your conclusion.

Disagree; they are very different. Managing is associated with the structure of the project (planning, organizing, controlling, and corrective action) whereas leading is needed when the objectives of the project require changing to meet outside demands.

208) In project management terms, what is meant by "managing the trade-offs"?

During project execution decisions will be needed to balance the three success criteria: costs, schedule, and performance. Typically one will be degraded in order to maintain or improve another. Thus the criteria are traded off.

131) List and briefly describe four reasons why estimating time and cost are important to project management.

Estimating time and cost are important to project management because they are needed to support good decisions, to schedule work, to determine how long the project should take and its cost, to determine whether the project is worth doing, to develop cash flow needs, to determine how well the project is progressing and to develop a time-phased budget.

29) Even if you never aspire to be a "project manager," why is it important to know how to manage projects effectively? Explain your answer and use an example to support your answer.

Even if you have no desire to be a project manager you may be a part of a project team where you will have a better understanding of the processes involved. In addition, there are many project management skills that can be applied to other professions and industries.

238) ________-related currencies derive from people's burning desire to make a difference and add meaning to their lives.

Inspiration

239) What is meant by the term groupthink and what are two symptoms?

Groupthink refers to the tendency of members in highly cohesive groups to lose their critical evaluative capabilities resulting in quick decision making with little consideration of alternatives. Symptoms include the illusion of invulnerability, the whitewash of critical thinking, negative stereotypes of outsiders, and direct pressure.

249) Identify the drawbacks to an excessive LO 5-3 Describe the methods, uses, and advantages and disadvantages of top-down and bottom-up estimating methods. in estimating project times and costs.

If the estimate reflects excessive detail, there is a tendency to break the work effort into department assignments. This tendency can become a barrier to success, since the emphasis will be on departmental outcomes rather than on deliverable outcomes. Excessive detail also means more unproductive paperwork.

12) Describe how corporate downsizing is a driver for project management.

In flatter and leaner organizations, project management is replacing middle management as a way of ensuring that things get done. In addition, when organizations outsource work, project managers can help manage not only their own project team, but individuals tied to the project outside of the organization.

251) Under what conditions would the top-down approach to estimating project times and costs be the best choice?

In the early stages of a project to help develop the initial plan, in making strategic decisions, in projects of high uncertainty, in small internal projects, or in projects with an unstable scope.

271) ________ rewards typically should be used only when everyone on the team recognizes that a member is deserving of special recognition.

Individual

192) What is a SWOT analysis and how does it relate to the Strategic Management Process?

It is an assessment of the internal and external environments and is the link between reviewing the current mission statement and the development of goals and objectives that support organization strategy.

254) Briefly describe looping and conditional statements and explain why they are not allowed when developing project networks.

Looping is the attempt by the network designer to return to an earlier activity. If looping were allowed paths would continuously repeat themselves. Conditional statements are "if/then" statements. If conditional statements were allowed, the network would make little sense and would not be able to accomplish many of its objectives.

232) What is "management by wandering around" and why would it be useful to project managers?

Management by wandering around (MBWA) is the spending of time outside the office and making contact with key players to keep abreast of developments, anticipate potential problems, provide encouragement, and reinforce the objectives and vision of the project.

278) The text states that when managers are recruiting project team members, they should be wary of people who know too much about a specific technology. Why is this? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.

Managers should be wary of people who know too much about a specific technology because they may be technology buffs who like to study but have a hard time settling down and doing the work.

62) ________ the portfolio system involves monitoring and adjusting selection criteria to reflect the strategic focus of the organization.

Managing

14) Describe what project governance means to project management. Why is it important to organizational strategy?

Project governance means applying a set of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a collection of projects in order to move the organization toward its strategic goals.

5) "Project managers perform the same functions as other managers." Agree or disagree, and support your decision.

Many of the same basic management functions are performed by project managers; however, there are aspects of the project manager's job that make it unique. For example, they manage temporary, non-repetitive activities to complete a fixed life project.

193) There are often considerable differences in how projects are managed within certain firms, even if the same project management structure is being used. Explain.

Many researchers attribute these differences to the organizational culture. The organizational culture reflects the personality of the organization.

292) ________ occurs when the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

Negative synergy

18) A professional organization for project managers that has grown from 93,000 in 2002 to more than 520,000 currently is the ________.

Project Management Institute (PMI)

162) ________ naturally compete with each other for resources and support from top management.

Project managers

161) Identify two ways a project manager can manage "upward relationships."

Project managers have to accept profound differences in perspective and become skilled at the art of persuading superiors. They can do this most effectively after they have proved their loyalty. Project managers must show that they consistently follow through on requests and adhere to parameters established by top management. They have to cultivate strong ties with project sponsors and pick optimum times to appeal to top management.

24) Describe what it means that a project manager must work with a diverse group of characters?

Project managers manage the tension between customer expectations and what is feasible and reasonable. They provide direction, coordination, and integration to the project team. They often must work with a diverse group of outsiders-vendors, suppliers, subcontractors-who do not necessarily share their project allegiance.

57) Why do project managers need to understand strategy?

Project managers need to understand strategy so they can make appropriate decisions and adjustments and so they can be effective project advocates.

170) ________ champion the project and use their influence to gain approval of the project.

Project sponsors

60) "Politics and project management should not mix." Agree or disagree and support your position.

Projects and politics invariably mix and effective project managers recognize that any significant project has political ramifications. A good project selection process will minimize the impact of internal politics.

43) In some cases organizations will use a(n) ________ to solicit ideas for projects when the knowledge requirements for the project are not available in the organization.

RFP (Request for Proposal)

174) ________-related currencies have more to do with strengthening the relationship with someone than directly accomplishing the project tasks.

Relationship

61) The assessment of the internal and external environments is known as a(n) ________.

SWOT analysis

100) Define scope creep. When is it good? When is it bad? Provide real-life examples of both cases.

Scope creep is the gradual expansion of project deliverables to the point that overall project constraints (costs and schedule) can no longer be met. It is good when the customer is happy and the project has been improved. It is bad when project duration is increased and costs become higher without creating any more value to the customer.

45) Management of a portfolio system requires two major inputs from senior management. What are they?

Senior management must provide guidance in establishing selection criteria that strongly align with the current organization strategies and they must decide how they wish to balance the available organizational resources among different types of projects.

274) ________ reflects the likelihood the original critical path(s) will change once the project is initiated.

Sensitivity

168) "All the eight traits of being a good project manager can be taught and learned." Agree or disagree? Support your conclusion.

Some traits of being a good project manager can be trained or acquired but qualities such as being an optimist, personal integrity, and being proactive are not easily developed unless there is a predisposition to display them.

257) Experienced project managers recognize the need to build relationships before they need them. Why is this important?

Successful project managers initiate contact with key stakeholders at times when there are no outstanding issues or problems to avoid anxieties and suspicions. This also establishes credit in those relationships, which will allow them to deal with more serious issues down the road.

38) What are the two major shortcomings of using the Checklist approach to select projects?

The Checklist approach fails to determine the relative importance of the project to the firm and fails to compare projects to other potential projects.

35) Compare and contrast the Product Life Cycle and the Project Life Cycle.

The Product Life Cycle deals with the time it takes to develop a product and the time it remains in the marketplace. The Project Life Cycle is the stages that a new product goes through while being developed.

153) What is the Concurrent Engineering Approach and why should project managers be aware of it?

The chainlike sequence of finish-to-start relationships is replaced by a series of start-to-start lag relationships as soon as meaningful work can be initiated for the next phase. The resulting overlap of tasks slightly increases risk but results in a much shorter schedule.

92) What is more important for project success, the formal project management structure or the culture of the parent organization?

The culture of the parent organization is more important than the formal project management structure. The project management structure should derive from the culture of the organization. The culture should reveal what types of projects the organization will do and in turn will be reflected by the project management structure.

209) During the course of a project, project priorities may change impacting the project priority matrix. Give an example.

The customer may suddenly need the project completed one month sooner or new directives from top management may emphasize cost saving initiatives.

189) What is positive and negative synergy? Give an example of each in regard to project management.

The essence of positive synergy can be found in the phrase, "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts." Negative synergy occurs when the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

293) When conducting project meetings, why is the first meeting so important?

The first meeting is critical to the early functioning of the team. If it is disorganized, or becomes bogged down with little sense of closure, then this can often become a self-fulfilling prophecy for subsequent group work. On the other hand, if it is crisply run, focusing on real issues and concerns in an honest and straightforward manner, members come away excited about being part of the project team, then it is an effective meeting.

48) What is the implementation gap and how does it impact project management? How can it be prevented?

The implementation gap refers to the lack of understanding and consensus of organization strategy among top and middle-level managers. If managers lack a common understanding of the priority for a given set of projects, then the achievement of long-range goals will be impossible. A project portfolio system can go a long way to reduce or even eliminate this problem.

99) What is a responsibility matrix and how would it be used in project management?

The responsibility matrix (RM) summarizes the tasks to be accomplished and who is responsible for what on a project. It is used to ensure that all participants understand and agree on their assignments.

88) Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantage of a weak project management structure and a strong project management structure.

The strong matrix is likely to enhance project integration, diminish internal power struggles and improve control. However, technical quality may suffer. The weak matrix is likely to improve technical quality and provide better conflict management; however, there may be poor project integration.

31) Identify and briefly discuss the two key dimensions of managing actual projects. Explain why both are important to successfully manage a project. Use an example to support your answer.

The technical includes schedules and status reports. The sociocultural dimension includes leadership, problem solving and negotiation.

7) What is the difference between a project and a program?

The terms are often used interchangeably in business; however, a program is considered to be a series of coordinated, related, and multiple projects that continue over an extended time intended to achieve a goal.

277) Project managers play a key role in developing high-performance teams. One example of this is recruiting team members. Identify and describe four other ways project managers can impact the development of high-performing teams.

They recruit members, conduct meetings, establish a team identity, create a common sense of purpose or a shared vision, manage a reward system that encourages teamwork, orchestrate decision making, resolve conflicts that emerge within the team, and rejuvenate the team when energy wanes.

217) Describe phase estimating. When should it be used and how is it different from all other top-down and bottom-up methods of estimating?

This approach starts with a top-down estimate and then estimates are refined after each phase of the project. Some projects cannot be clearly defined because of their uncertainty. Phase estimating uses a two-estimate system over the life of the project. A detailed estimate is developed for the immediate phase and a macro estimate is made for the remaining phases of the project.

55) Why is profitability alone not an adequate measure of a project's value to an organization?

Today management is interested in identifying the potential mix of projects that will yield the best use of human and capital resources to maximize return on investment in the long run. Factors such as researching new technology, public image, ethical position, protection of the environment, core competencies, and strategic fit might be important criteria for selecting projects.

143) What is the difference between free slack and total slack?

Total slack tells us the amount of time an activity can be delayed and not delay the project. Use of total slack must be coordinated with all participants in the activities that follow in the chain. Free slack is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any immediately following activity. It requires no coordination with other managers.

169) Identify the key to exercising influence within an organization. Describe the two functions it is based upon.

Trust is the key to exercising influence. Trust is an elusive concept and may be seen as a function of character (doing the right thing) and competence (knowing the right things to do and being able to do them). Both are needed and take time to build.

216) Under what conditions would the bottom-up approach to estimating project times and costs be the best choice?

When low-cost, efficient estimates are needed, when time and cost are important, when working on a fixed price contract, or when the customer wants details.

211) In making project trade-offs, a criterion that is allowed not to meet the original target, for example, allowing the schedule to slip, is classified as ________.

accept

184) During the ________ stage of group development, the team prepares for its own disbandment. High performance is no longer a top priority. Instead attention is devoted to wrapping up the project.

adjourning

285) Being an effective ________ for the project you are on will help establish loyalty among team members.

advocate

247) Rose is working on estimates for a project that is very similar to a previous project, in that it has many of the same features and those features have similar costs. Each feature or deliverable will represent the same percentage of the total cost as it did for the previous project. Rose is using the ________ method of top-down estimating.

apportion

145) The ________ calculates the critical path and determines how long an activity can be delayed without delaying the project.

backward pass

229) A(n) ________ calculates how late an activity can start and finish.

backward pass

72) The ________ matrix form of project organization can achieve better equilibrium between technical and project requirements, but it is a very delicate system to create and manage.

balanced

9) Increased competition has placed a premium on customer satisfaction and the development of ________ products and services.

customized

139) When work package estimates are made by individuals most knowledgeable about the work being performed and these estimates are then "rolled up" to find estimated costs for major deliverables and the project itself, ________ estimating is being used.

bottom-up

220) The preferred method for situations where the cost and time estimates are important, in a fixed contract situation, and when the customer wants a lot of detail is the ________ approach to estimating project time and costs.

bottom-up

286) A project team gets things done without having to go through normal protocols of the parent organization. This is an example of ________.

bureaucratic bypass syndrome

266) A(n) ________ activity has more than one successor activity.

burst

11) The final stage in the project life cycle is the ________ stage.

closing

8) Training the customer, releasing staff and resources occurs in the ________ stage of the project life cycle.

closing

204) The final step in defining a project is ________ the WBS for the information system.

coding

109) The type of information that will need to be collected during a project and who will receive this information can be found in the project ________ plan.

communication

191) In classifying the kinds of projects an organization has in its portfolio, projects that are typically those needed to meet regulatory conditions required to operate in a region are ________ projects.

compliance (must do)

115) In regard to project priorities, if a project parameter such as the completion date or the cost of a project is fixed and must be met it is considered ________.

constrained

187) When a project manager attempts to reduce the intensity of the conflict by smoothing over differences or interjecting humor, he or she is ________ the conflict.

controlling

1) The advent of many small projects has created the need for an organization that can support ________ management.

multiproject

123) A way to improve estimates on future projects is to collect and archive data on past project estimates and actuals. Creating a ________ for estimating is a way to achieve this goal.

database

213) The first step in planning any project is to ________.

define the project scope

3) The establishment of project goals, specifications, and responsibilities usually occurs in the ________ stage of the project life cycle.

defining

236) Mapping ________ helps identify those on whom the project depends for success.

dependencies

128) Project costs such as labor and materials are typically classified as ________ costs.

direct

214) The salary of the project manager and temporary rental space for the project team would be classified as ________ costs.

direct overhead

269) The ability or skill to perceive, assess and manage the emotions of one's self and others is called ________ intelligence.

emotional

17) A major part of the project work, both physical and mental, takes place in the ________ stage of the project life cycle.

executing

244) Research indicates that high-performance project teams are much more likely to develop under certain conditions. One of these conditions is that members are assigned to the project ________ time.

full

86) No radical alteration in the design or operation of the parent organization is a major advantage of ________ organization.

functional

250) Costs that are not directly related to a specific project, such as advertising, accounting, and senior management's salary, are classified as ________ costs.

general and administrative overhead

26) Applying a set of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a collection of projects in order to move the organization toward its strategic goals is known as project ________.

governance

289) Because most project work is a collaborative effort, most project managers advocate the use of ________ rewards.

group

144) A(n) ________ activity is frequently used to identify the use of fixed resources or costs over a segment of the project.

hammock

41) Starting and stopping work on one task to go and work on another project, and then returning to work on the original task is known as ________.

multitasking

140) Costs that are associated with time devoted to the coordination in meetings and briefings as well as time necessary to resolve disconnects between tasks are known as ________ costs.

interaction

2) An increase in the complexity of projects, because projects typically include the latest advances, can be the result of a growth in new ________.

knowledge

224) When an activity with a long duration is broken into smaller segments so that the following activities can begin sooner it is called ________.

laddering

152) A(n) ________ is the minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end.

lag

160) Management is about coping with complexity; ________ is about coping with change.

leadership

268) A highly visible, interactive management style is when the project manager's behavior symbolizes how other people should work on the project. This is called ________ by example.

leading

120) The top-down method of estimating project time and costs that is useful for projects requiring the same task, group of tasks, or product repeated several times, especially if it is labor intensive, is the ________.

learning curve

203) The agreement that training will be the responsibility of the customer and not the team is an example of a project ________.

limit and exclusion

154) In a project network, recycling through a set of activities or ________ is not permitted.

looping

166) Once project managers have proven their ________ to upper management, senior management is much more receptive to their challenges and requests.

loyalty

276) Managers spend the majority of their time outside their offices in the ________ style of management.

management by wandering around (MBWA)

181) The first ________ is critical to the early functioning of the project team. It sets the tone for how the team will work together.

meeting

105) Significant events in a project that occur at a specific point in time, are natural control points, and are easily recognized by project participants are known as ________.

milestones

50) What the organization wants to become and the scope of the firm in terms of its product or service would be identified in the organization's ________.

mission statement

178) The use of 6:30 A.M. meetings to get a project back on schedule is an example of ________ reinforcement to motivate project performance.

negative

67) The financial model that measures the current value of all cash inflows and outflows using management's minimum desired rate of return is known as the ________ model.

net present value (npv)

54) When considering criteria used to select projects, capturing a larger market share or reducing the dependency on unreliable suppliers would both be examples of ________ criteria.

nonfinancial

132) Estimates should be made based on ________ conditions, efficient methods, and a normal level of resources.

normal

272) During the ________ stage of group development, close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness.

norming

30) One of the defining characteristics of a project is that it has a singular purpose, i.e., an established ________.

objective

194) The personality of an organization is a simple explanation of ________.

organizational culture

259) When project managers take action before it is needed to prevent small concerns from escalating into major problems they are being ________.

proactive

138) The estimating factor that considers the tendency to overestimate project time and cost in order to improve the likelihood of meeting the estimates is known as the ________ factor.

padding estimates

159) Activities that can take place at the same time if the manager wishes them to are called ________ activities.

parallel

156) Activities that can occur while an activity is taking place are called ________ activities.

parallel or concurrent

47) The financial model that measures the time it will take to recover the project investment is the ________ model.

payback

134) The estimating factor that considers the skill level of participants doing the estimating is known as the ________ factor.

people

33) Project managers are expected to ensure that appropriate trade-offs are made between the time, cost, and ________ requirements of the project.

performance

182) During the ________ stage of group development, the team is fully functional and working together to accomplish the project goals.

performing

121) The estimating approach that is best to use on projects where there is an unusual amount of uncertainty surrounding the project and when it is impractical to estimate times and costs for the entire project is known as ________.

phase estimating

135) The approach to estimating project time and cost that begins with an overall estimate for the project and then refines estimates for various stages of the project as it is implemented is known as ________.

phase estimating

6) The project's schedule and budget will be determined in the ________ stage of the project life cycle.

planning

219) The estimating factor that considers the decreasing accuracy of estimates as one forecasts activities that are further into the future is known as ________.

planning horizon

116) One of the primary jobs of a project manager is to manage the trade-offs among time, cost, and performance. To do so, the project manager must define and understand the ________ of the project.

priorities

106) Once the ________ has been established, it is the basis for making trade-off decisions later in the project.

priority matrix

117) A technique that clearly establishes priorities with customers and top management so as to create shared expectations and avoid misunderstandings is developing a(n) ________.

priority matrix

4) Project management is not limited to the ________ sector.

private

110) The WBS is best suited for design and construction projects that have tangible outcomes. When the final outcome of the project is less tangible or it is result of a series of steps or phases, some project managers choose to utilize a(n) ________.

process breakdown structure (PBS)

28) A(n) ________ is a series of coordinated, related multiple projects that continue over an extended time intended to achieve a goal.

program

27) A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result is a(n) ________.

project

103) A document that is issued by upper management and provides the project manager with written authority to use organizational resources for project activities is called a(n) ________.

project charter

15) Because projects have a defined beginning and end, the ________ is frequently used to manage the transitions of a project from start to completion.

project life cycle

25) The ________ typically passes sequentially through four stages.

project life cycle

243) Research indicates that high-performance project teams are much more likely to develop under certain conditions. One of these conditions is that members report solely to the ________.

project manager

59) A list of potential projects, several criteria, weights for those criteria, and criteria scores for those projects are all typically included on a(n) ________ matrix.

project screening

190) A weighted scoring model typically uses several weighted selection criteria to evaluate project proposals. An example of this would be a(n) ________.

project screening matrix

196) High project costs and difficult post-project transition are two evident weaknesses of a(n) ________ organization.

projectized

197) Firms where projects are the dominant form of business and the entire organization is designed to support project teams are usually structured as a(n) ________ organization.

projectized

94) A high level of motivation and the tendency for projects to get done more quickly are benefits of using the ________ organizational approach to project management.

projectized

63) Strategy is implemented through ________.

projects

136) Jose is forecasting project time and cost for constructing a new building by multiplying the total square footage by a given dollar amount. He is using the ________ method of top-down estimating.

ratio

167) Networks among stakeholders are mutually beneficial alliances that are generally governed by the law of ________.

reciprocity

270) Experienced project managers recognize the need to build ________ before they need them.

relationships

102) One tool that is used by project managers of small projects to summarize the tasks to be accomplished and who is responsible for what on a project is called a(n) ________.

responsibility matrix

246) The last element of a project scope statement or checklist ensures an understanding and agreement of expectations. This is known as ________.

reviews with customer

201) The cultural characteristic that refers to the degree to which rewards such as promotion and salary increases are allocated according to employee performance rather than seniority, favoritism, or other nonperformance factors is known as ________.

reward criteria

195) The cultural characteristic that refers to the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk seeking is known as ________.

risk tolerance

280) Symbolic actions at the project level that can contribute to a unique team subculture are called team ________.

rituals

44) A project that a powerful, high-ranking official is advocating is often termed a(n) ________.

sacred cow

263) The main source of conflict in the delivering stage of the project life cycle is ________.

schedules

111) Scope creep can be reduced by carefully writing a(n) ________ statement.

scope

112) The definition of the end result or mission of your project, or what you expect to deliver to your customer when the project is complete is the project ________.

scope

118) The gradual expansion of project requirements, specifications and priorities during the execution of project is known as ________.

scope creep

241) Project managers and team members have to recognize the ________ they are operating under in order to do the best that they can.

situational constraints

13) Leadership, teamwork, and negotiation are examples of the ________ dimension of the project management process.

sociocultural

172) People and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the project, are known as ________.

stakeholders

183) During the ________ stage of group development, there is conflict over who will control the group and how decisions will be made.

storming

64) In classifying the kinds of projects an organization has in its portfolio, projects that directly support the organization's long-term mission are ________ projects.

strategic

52) The process of assessing "what we are" and deciding and implementing "what we intend to be and how we are going to get there" is

strategic management

34) In some organizations, selection and management of projects often fail to support the overall ________ of the organization.

strategic plan

37) In a SWOT analysis, good product quality, low debt, and an established supplier network are examples of internal ________.

strengths

80) A matrix in which the balance of authority is strongly on the side of the project manager is described as ________.

strong

91) The more autonomy and authority the project manager and project team need to be successful, the more appropriate a dedicated project team or a(n) ________ matrix structure is to manage the project.

strong

93) The ________ matrix form of project organization is likely to enhance project integration, diminish internal power struggles, and ultimately improve control of project activities and costs.

strong

256) Activities that must immediately follow a given activity are called ________ activities.

successor

23) WBS, schedules, and budgets are examples of the ________ dimension of the project management process.

technical

210) The need for a functioning computer in countries having different electrical systems is an example of a ________.

technical requirement

127) The bottom-up method of estimating where work package time and costs for past projects are used as a starting point for a new project and adjustments are made based on differences in the new project is known as the ________ method.

template

188) Members who are geographically situated so that they may never be able to meet face-to-face would be a characteristic of a ________ project team.

virtual

262) An image a project team holds in common about how the project will look upon completion, how they will work together, and/or how customers will accept the project is known as a ________. It is a less tangible aspect of project performance.

vision

291) Experienced project managers understand the value of having team members ________ for the project as opposed to appointing team members.

volunteer

198) The ________ matrix form of project organization is likely to improve technical quality as well as provide a better system for managing conflict across projects because the functional manager assigns personnel to different projects.

weak

89) A matrix in which the balance of authority is strongly on the side of the functional manager is described as ________.

weak

98) The result of subdividing the work of a project into smaller and smaller work elements is called a(n) ________.

work breakdown structure

206) The most detailed element in the hierarchical breakdown of the project work to be accomplished is known as the ________.

work package

215) The information necessary to conduct a bottom-up estimate of project time and costs starts with the ________.

work-package