Intro to project management

What are the 7 key principles of Six Sigma?

1. Always focus on the customer. 2. Identify and understand how the work gets done. Understand how work really happens. 3. Make your processes flow smoothly. 4. Reduce waste and concentrate on value. 5. Stop defects by removing variation. 6. Involve and collaborate with your team. 7. Approach improvement activity in a systematic way.

What 4 things must a project manager do to successfully manage a cross-functional team?

1. Clarify goals 2. Get team members with the right skills 3. Measure progress 4. Recognize efforts

What are the 5 phases of Lean Six Sigma?

1. Define 2. Measure 3. Analyze 4. Improve 5. Control

What are 4 skills for successful project management?

1. Enabling decision making 2. Communicating and escalating 3. Flexibility 4. Strong organization skills

What main ways do project managers add value to projects and impact organizations?

1. Focusing on the customer. 2. Building a great team. 3. Fostering relationships and communication. 4. Managing the project. 5. Breaking down barriers.

What are some potential consequences of rushing through the initiation phase of a project?

1. Impact to the timeline 2. Impact to the budget 3. Impact to quality

What are the 5S pillars for good housekeeping?

1. Sort 2. Set in order 3. Shine 4. Standardize 5. Sustain

List 5 responsibilities of a project manager that utilizes interpersonal skills.

1. Teaching and mentoring 2. Building Relationships 3. Controlling Change 4. Empowering your Team 5. Communicating status and concerns

When would a project manager want to use the Waterfall approach?

1. When project changes are expensive to implement once project is started. 2. When there are tasks to complete before another can start. 3. When the phases of the project are clearly defined.

Which of the following is a way to define a project? Select all that apply.

A unique, temporary pursue that has a defined beginning and end. A series of tasks that needs to be completed to reach a desired outcome.

As someone moving to a new location, you have several tasks. You have to plan for the various expenses like boxes and movers. You also have to clearly label the boxes, and manage all of the tasks leading up to and during the move. Which project management skills does they remove require?

Budget preparation and monitoring. Organizational management. Strong planning and communication skills.

Suppose that as a project manager, you provide detailed plans and frequent project updates to both the team and stakeholders. What project management value does this represent?

Effective communication

Using tools such as a digital calendar and a spreadsheet to track team tasks is evidence of what project management skill?

Effective organizational skills

To be an effective project manager, what important actions/steps should you take?

Ensure team members understand the team's objectives and their individual tasks

What are the two types of "customers"

External and internal.

Which skill should a project manager use when dealing with change and ambiguity?

Flexibility

What does a project manager do in the project initiation phase of the project life cycle?

Get project approval, define project goals and determine resources, people, and project details.

Which of the following are benefits of an internship? Select all that apply.

Get short term, hands on industry experience. Network with people in your desired industry. Boost your résumé.

As a project manager, you choose the best project management methodology for your team and ensure they adhere to it throughout the project. What project management responsibility does this represent?

Help teammates adopt the right workflows and project management styles.

Phase two of the project life cycle (make a plan) includes which two of the following tasks?

Identify milestones and tasks

In which process of DMAIC does a project manager look for gaps and issues?

In the analyze phase

Why is the closing phase important?

In the closing phase, the team celebrates all of their hard work and evaluates how the project went. It is also an opportunity to let everyone who had interest in the project's goal know what the team accomplished.

What takes place during the execution phase?

In the execution phase, the project team completes project tasks while the project manager monitors progress and keeps the team motivated. The project manager also removes any obstacles that come up in order to execute the tasks well and on time.

What happens in the initiation phase of a project?

In the initiation phase, a project manager defines project goals and deliverables, identifies the budget, resources, and people they need, and confirms any other details that can impact the successful completion of the project.

What does the planning phase consist of?

In the planning phase, the project manager makes a plan for how to achieve the project goals. The plan should include a budget, a breakdown of all the project tasks, ways to communicate team roles and responsibilities, a schedule, and what to do in case their project encounters problems.

Imagine a project manager oversees their company's transition to a new financial management system. They determine that the project goal is to make the financial portal easier for employees to use. They also identify key stakeholders and outline project objectives. During which phase of the project life cycle do these activities take place?

Initiate the project

Identify the correct order of the project life cycle.

Initiate the project, make a plan, execute and complete tasks, close the project.

What are the main phases of the project life cycle?

Initiate the project, make a plan, execute and complete tasks, close the project.

What are Internal Customers?

Internal customers are stakeholders within your organization, such as management, project team members, resource managers, and other organizational departments.

Why is project management valuable to businesses?

It helps ensure that a project delivers the expected outcomes both on time and within budget.

What can a project manager do to recognize individuals' efforts on a team?

Learn what makes team members feel supported and provide positive feedback.

What is a responsibility that falls under the planning and organizing category?

Making use of productivity tools and creating processes.

Which responsibilities are common for a project manager?

Managing tasks, project planning and organizing and budgeting and controlling costs.

What is a cross-functional team?

Members who have different backgrounds, types of expertise, and job functions. Also known as "T shaped professionals"

Fill in the blank: _____ is when a project manager supports each individual on their team to meet expectations and exceed their own sense of personal potential.

Mentoring

What is the project manager's primary job in phase three (execute and complete tasks) of the project life cycle?

Monitor the project team as they complete task and break down any barriers.

Suppose that unless a teammate receives additional resources, they are going to complete an activity past a deadline. You know that the stakeholders are reluctant to provide additional resources. Which interpersonal skill can you use to strike a middle ground between both the teammate's and stakeholders' needs?

Negotiation

Project managers need to meet projects requirements and achieve the desired outcome. To do this, should project managers use the same tools, techniques, and methodologies every day on their projects?

No. Project managers should use varying tools, techniques, and methodologies throughout a project——this is key to supporting and adapting to a project team.

Fill in the blank: working for companies _____________ means you'll work on a project by project basis, but not as a full-time employee.

On a contract.

Who are stakeholders?

People who are interested in and affected by the project's completion and success.

As a project manager, you create plans, timelines, schedules, and other forms of documentation to track project completion. Which project management responsibility does this represent?

Planning and organizing

Which day-to-day responsibility of a project manager includes maintaining timelines and schedules to track project completion?

Planning and organizing.

What are they key ways project managers bring value to their teams?

Prioritization, Delegation and Effective Communication. Project managers add value to their teams and organizations through effective prioritization of tasks required to complete a project.

Who should project managers communicate with to deliver value?

Project managers deliver value through effective communication, both with their team and with key stakeholders.

What is true of successful project managers?

Project managers gain relevant experience in the real world since skills like budgeting and time management are transferable.

What is the definition of a project manager?

Project managers shepard projects from start to finish and serve as guides for their team, using their impeccable organizational and interpersonal skills every step of the way.

You're a project manager on a team that is improving a product. How can you enable your teammates to make decisions?

Provide data and feedback about how customers interact with the product.

As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to break down barriers to help your team succeed. Which of the following would a project manager do to break down barriers?

Provide support for the team as they try new approaches to find solutions.

Influencing without authority

Refers to a project manager's ability to guide teammates to complete their assigned work without acting as their direct managers

As a project manager, you learn that the stakeholders are changing the nature of the project and the team's deliverables will change as a result. You aren't sure how this will affect the team's tasks. How will you handle this ambiguity and deliver the news to the team?

Tell them you care about the challenges they are facing and are there to support them

Fill in the blank: according to a 2017 project management Institute study, industries like manufacturing, construction, information technology, publishing, finance, and oil and gas are experiencing __________ with project management jobs.

The most amount of growth compared to other industries.

How do project manager's use prioritization to add value to their teams?

They determine which tasks are the most critical for the success of the project.

Why is the DMAIC strategy method used in project management?

To improve a process, when trying to figure out problems in a current process and fix them so everything runs smoothly.

What are transferable skills?

Transferable skills are abilities that can be used in many different jobs and career paths.

Which interpersonal skill helps a project manager get to know their teammates and figure out what pushes them to do their best work?

Understanding motivations

Fill in the blank: a project is a temporary pursuit, and usually includes a set of _____________.

Unique deliverables.

When would a project manager use "Lean"?

When you want to use limited resources, reduce waste, and streamline processes to gain maximum benefits.

In project management, what does the word "customer" refer to?

a person or organization that defines the requirements of the project and sets important guidelines, such as budget and deadlines.

Fill in the blank: _____ is how a project manager keeps track of the team's workload, ensures that things are getting done within a set period of time, and demonstrates progress to people outside the immediate team, like stakeholders.

a. Budgeting and controlling costs b. Removing unforeseen barriers c. Planning and organizing d. Managing tasks Correct answer: d. Managing tasks

Which of the following responsibilities involves gathering project requirements and creating a project plan?

a. Communicating project milestones. b. Planning and organizing. c. Forecasting the budget. d. Managing tasks. The correct answer is b. Planning and organizing.

Fill in the blank: _____ is how a project manager oversees the financial components of a project and mitigates project issues and risks as they come up.

a. Managing tasks b. Removing unforeseen barriers c. Planning and organizing d. Budgeting and controlling costs Correct answer: d. Budgeting and controlling costs

Fill in the blank:___________is how a project manager makes use of productivity tools and creates processes. The project manager may need to use certain tools and processes to do tasks like create a schedule and share information.

a. Removing unforeseen barriers b. Budgeting and controlling costs c. Planning and organizing d. Managing tasks Correct answer: c. Planning and organizing

Fill in the blank: In project management, a _____ is a person or an organization that defines the project requirements. They also may set important guidelines, such as the budget and deadlines.

customer

What are External Customers?

customers outside your organization, such as clients, contractors, suppliers, and consumers.

What are interpersonal skills?

the behaviors you use to interact with others, such as communication, active listening, and leadership.

What is a project management methodology?

A project management methodology is a set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project through its life cycle. It can be linear (with one task completed before the next can begin) or iterative (with some tasks happening at the same time).

How does delegation add value to a project managers team?

Delegation adds value by matching tasks to individuals who can best complete the work.

What is a project task?

An activity that needs to be accomplished within a set period of time by you, your team or your stakeholders.

Imagine that a project manager has just begun working on a project for a trucking logistics company. The customer wants to see a proposal as soon as possible, but it is taking the project manager longer than expected because he needs more input from stakeholders and the project team. What should the project manager do to turn the project into a success?

Ask the customer for more time to consult with stakeholders and the project team to deliver an accurate cost and timeline proposal.

Which of the following flexible planning strategies can help a project manager during times of unpredictability?

Assess external constraints and plan for risks and challenges.

During which phase of the project life cycle does a project manager hand off all remaining deliverables?

Close the project

What are some key interpersonal skills?

Communication Negotiation Conflict mediation Understanding motivations

Which of the following are important project management responsibilities? Select all that apply.

Controlling costs, managing tasks, planning and organizing.

Fill in the blank: A cross-functional project team is a team that has _____.

Diverse skill sets and works toward a common goal.