MGNT - 4080 Special Topics: Project Management

A principal idea in agile is that the length of daily stand-up meetings should be ___________.

15 minutes or less

A principle idea in agile project management is that the length of daily stand-up meetings should be ___________.

15 minutes or less

Which of these statements is TRUE concerning Project Charters?

A background statement is often added to a project charter to help stakeholders better understand the rationale and purpose behind the scope overview and business case.

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning project stakeholders?

A communications management plan is a repository of information regarding all project stakeholders, and is often in the format of a matrix.

Which of these statement is FALSE concerning Project Management?

A project is a lasting endeavor undertaken to maintain a reliable product or service

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning project selection?

A project portfolio is a useful storage medium that enables the project manager to consolidate all project information in a single, convenient location.

The project life cycle where project teams plan in short bursts (generally of one to four weeks), often called sprints or iterations, is referred to as _________:

Adaptive, change-driven project life cycle

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning managing project teams?

All project teams progress consistently through five stages of team development.

Agile teams require motivated members with a higher level of commitment, and agile teams have all of the following desirable traits EXCEPT:

Argue about everything

Essential factors to be considered when creating a project communications plan include all of these, EXCEPT _____.

Budgetary restraints on communications

Once the project is underway, the project manager and team need to manage communications by doing all of the following activities EXCEPT _____.

Communicate thoroughly, copying all stakeholders on all e-mails and team status reports

Which of the following roles and attributes do NOT describe the core team members on a project?

Core team members join the project on a temporary basis to perform specific project activities as necessary.

The process of improving the competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance is known as _______.

Develop project team

All of the following factors should be assessed to determine an organization's ability to perform projects EXCEPT:

Do teams and individuals follow instructions well?

Which of these statement is FALSE concerning Project Management?

Generally, the pace of work and amount of money spent remains consistent from one life cycle stage to another.

Which of these statements is FALSE regarding organizational cultures?

Hallmarks of "personal cultures" are skill-based assignments, self-motivated workers, and more deference paid to knowledge than to formal authority.

Which of these statements if FALSE concerning functional organizations using the project model ("projectized")?

In a projectized organization the functional manager has complete, or very close to complete, power over the project team.

Which of the following is an advantage associated with the matrix organization?

Increased knowledge transfer between projects.

The process of the project team communicating and working with stakeholders to satisfy their needs (and additional desires, when possible), handle issues quickly and encourage active stakeholder participation throughout is known as _______.

Manage Stakeholder Engagement

Which of the following statements regarding project life cycles is most accurate?

Many different project life cycle models are used for different types of projects

Which of these statement is TRUE concerning Project Management?

Most companies with well-developed project management systems insist that a project must pass an approval of some kind to move from one life cycle stage to the next.

Team operating principles are sometimes included in a project charter to enhance team performance. Which of the following statements BEST describes the value of establishing team operating principles?

Operating principles increase team effectiveness and ensure that all parties are aware of what is expected

___________ are made up of ongoing, continuous, and repetitive processes.

Operations

Which of the following statements correctly describes a weakness associated with the financial project selection model?

Payback period models do not consider the profit to be realized after the costs are paid

The personal values of team members on high-performing teams can be enhanced through all of the following beneficial communication practices EXCEPT

Personal conflict is encouraged

A good way for project managers to build their team is to create and share a strong vision for the project, and lead by example. This approach to leadership is know as _______.

Personal leadership

All of the following statements concerning project portfolios are true EXCEPT:

Portfolios cannot include operations and programs

Which of the ten knowledge areas defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge includes the activities of purchasing or acquiring products, services or results from outside the project team?

Procurement management

From an agile project management perspective, which of these constraints are considered to be fixed?

Resources and schedule

Which of the following characteristics is NOT associated with a functional organization?

Resources are easily shared between departments and projects.

Which of the ten knowledge areas defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully?

Scope management

The ___________ is a senior manager serving in a formal role given authority and responsibility for successful completion of a project deemed strategic to an organization's success.

Sponsor

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning project stakeholder management?

Stakeholders include those affected by the result of the project, but not those affected by the process of performing the project.

Which of the following executive roles is responsible for overall priority setting, project selection and prioritization, general guidance and encouragement?

Steering Team

The ___________ is often made up of the CEO and senior level managers and is responsible for selecting, prioritizing, and resourcing projects in accordance with the organization's strategic planning.

Steering or Leadership Team

Which two project team success factors have shown the strongest correlation to successful project performance as perceived by senior managers?

Stimulating work environment and opportunity for team and individual recognition

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning strategic analysis?

Strategic analysis is often called SWOT - Start With Objective Teamwork (SWOT).

Which of the following is a disadvantage associated with managing projects in a projectized organization?

Team members assigned to a project are often underutilized and have idle time.

The personal values of team members on high-performing teams can be enhanced through which of the following team behavior methods?

Team members demonstrate a constant focus on improvement

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning team management?

The "relationship" topics within team ground rules, such as "discuss openly and protect confidentiality" and "avoid misunderstandings," should eliminate the need for the team to address how to handle conflict.

Which of these statements is TRUE concerning team leadership?

The adoption of specific ground rules that specify acceptable behaviors by project team members can improve working relationships, effectiveness, and communication

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning strategic objectives?

The organization's leadership should establish the flow-down objectives to set the stage for establishing the guiding principles such as the vision and mission.

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning project communication?

The primary output of the "Identify Stakeholders" process is the project communications plan

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning Project Charters?

The project charter serves as a formal legal contract between the project team and the project sponsor.

Which of these statements is FALSE concerning Project Charters?

The signing of the project portfolio statement signals the transition from the high-level project initiating stage into the more detailed project planning stage.

All of the following represent common methods for making decisions on contemporary project teams EXCEPT:

The steering team reviews the project data and makes the decision

Subject matter experts often perform specific project activities when necessary. Which of the following statements regarding subject matter experts is accurate?

The subject matter experts may not relate strongly to a project due to the temporary nature of their involvement.

Which of the following statements best describes the contemporary use of financial models and scoring models for project selection?

These methods are often used together to ensure financial and non-financial factors are both considered.

Which of the following are among the challenges faced by project managers?

They must effectively deal with networks of people both within and outside the parent company.

Which of the following is an advantage associated with managing projects in a functional organization?

Unity of command, where all workers understand clearly what they need to do because only one "boss" is giving them instructions.

Which of these is NOT one of the three methods of communication that will be documented in a communication plan?

Virtual methods

The stakeholder register information can be used to evaluate the interests of different stakeholder groups by performing a _______ analysis to identify where there may be common areas of interest between the groups.

WIIFT (what's-in-it-for-them)

In the Plus-Delta method of evaluating project meetings, the "delta" column is used for team members to offer their opinion about one aspect of the meeting that ______.

Was poor and could be avoided (changed) in future meetings

In the project communications matrix, all of the following "who" items are typically included EXCEPT __________

Who take the minutes at the next status meeting?

A project communications matrix includes all of the following information EXCEPT __________

Why

All of the following are advantages associated with managing projects in a projectized organization EXCEPT:

Workers know they will still have a job when they finish work on a project.

Which of the following statements accurately describes a communications management plan?

a "living" document that considers stakeholders' information desires and guides the project communications.

In agile projects, overall planning is at a high level, and only the near-term work is planned in detail. The project work is conducted in iterations (sprints) that are normally:

a fixed length of two or four weeks

High-performing teams include members who typically hold which of the following values?

a high need for achievement

Portfolios deal with all of an organization's projects, while programs deal with:

a specific group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities

Reward power relies upon persuading others based upon giving them some form of reward. It is most appropriately used when ___________.

a team member performs well.

Project failure can result from all of the following causes EXCEPT

adequate support from executive management

Project managers and teams should consider risks and include them in the project charter for all the following reasons EXCEPT:

all project risks should be eliminated before the project charter is signed.

All of the following are among the activities a project manager should undertake to develop a highly effective team EXCEPT:

assess sponsor capability

Which of the following roles is typically associated with the project manager?

assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives

Which of these is NOT one of the primary types of information captured in a project meeting?

assumptions and constraints

According to PMI's "Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct", project managers should exhibit all of the following behaviors EXCEPT:

authority - exert economic and political power

All of the following are among ground rules that have proven widely useful to project teams EXCEPT _________.

avoid conflict at all costs

This document summarizes why the project is important by describing the benefits of a selected component, and is used as a basis for authorizing further project management activities:

business case

Which of the following charter elements defines the project purpose and justifies the necessity of the project?

business case

Which of the these statements BEST identifies the typical contents of the project charter?

business case, milestone schedule, resource estimates and team operating principles

The Chief Projects Officer responsibilities include ensuring that the steering team does all of the following EXCEPT:

captures lessons learned from completed projects

During project execution, the project sponsor's responsibilities include all of these EXCEPT:

charter the project

Which of the following styles of handling conflict is most appropriate whenever there is enough time, trust can be established, the issue is important to both sides and buy-in is needed?

collaborating / problem solving

A project communications plan generally includes all of the following information EXCEPT _______.

communication cost

The project charter grants the project team the right to:

create a detailed project plan

The project charter serves all of the following purposes EXCEPT

describes skill sets needed for the project

Project charters typically include all of the following elements EXCEPT:

detailed resource requirements

By identifying stakeholders and their needs, project managers can be more effective in all the following ways EXCEPT e _________.

develop the final budget

All of the following are advantages associated with assigning both core team members and subject matter experts ("SME") to the project as soon as possible EXCEPT:

early assignment of SMEs to the project saves lots of money

In an adaptive or change - driven project life cycle:

early results lead into planning later work

Through shared values, organizational cultures can informally do all the following EXCEPT

eliminate politics in the workplace

All of the following factors influence the opportunities and threats an organization must consider when performing a strategic analysis EXCEPT:

employees

It is suggested that project teams progress through five stages of team development. Which of the following sequences best represents this progression?

forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

Project planning teams use project life cycle models because various types of projects have differing demands. Which of the following sequences of stages is most appropriate for a life cycle model for research and development (R & D) projects?

idea generation - idea screening - concept development - validation - transition

Within the project charter, the scope overview accomplishes all of the following EXCEPT:

identifies the major schedule milestones for the project

When applied to project management, the resource management knowledge area typically involves which of the following processes?

identifying, acquiring, and managing resources needed to successfully complete the project

Project stakeholders can be prioritized based upon their level of power, legitimacy and urgency plus a number of additional criteria that might include _________.

impact

Which of these is NOT one of the capabilities that will help project team members develop team synergy?

insensitivity towards others

All of the following criteria serve as a valid basis for identifying potential projects in most organizations EXCEPT:

internal politics

Achieving project success is determined by all of the following EXCEPT

involving only important or key stakeholders

The milestone schedule in the project charter:

is a high-level plan that indicates a few significant accomplishments anticipated over the life of the project.

A situation that requires a decision to be made, but one that the team that cannot make now, usually due to needing more information or time, is called a(n) _____.

issue

Some organizational culture characteristics make project success more likely. These characteristics include all of the following EXCEPT:

lack of appreciation for project management

All of the following represent appropriate sources to identify new potential projects EXCEPT:

lessons learned from previous projects

Project teams often adopt ground rules to address which of the following process topics?

manage meetings

Portfolio management helps an organization achieve its strategic goals in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

managing ongoing projects

Which of the following organizational structures is designed to achieve a balance of task focus and technical capability?

matrix organization

Many writers have stated that for strategic objectives to be effective, they should be:

measurable - to track progress

Which of the following statements BEST describes the responsibilities typically associated with the development of the project charter?

more often than not, the project manager writes the draft project charter

________ between a client company and a contractor company should aim at a win-win solution, and the outcome must benefit both the parties involved.

negotiations

The "act" part of the PDCA cycle for project meetings is ______.

perform in-between meeting tasks

Which of the following is NOT a typical source selection criterion that an organization would use to evaluate potential contractors?

personalities

Which of these is NOT among the common task-related sources of project conflict?

personalities

Project planning teams use project life cycle models because various types of projects have differing demands. Which of the following sequences of stages is most appropriate for a life cycle model for construction projects?

pre-planning - design - procurement - construction - start up

There are several tasks that a project customer can do to enhance the probability of success. Which of the following are generally performed independent of the project manager?

prioritize project

Which of the following examples is NOT a typical or appropriate situation to employ project management?

processing deposits and withdrawals in a bank

Which of the following documents serves as an informal contract between the project team and the project sponsor?

project charter

In the PMBOK, the logical groupings of the five project management processes to achieve specific project objectives are called the:

project management process groups

Project teams often adopt ground rules to address which of the following relationship topics?

protect confidentiality

A clear and compelling vision will have all the following characteristics EXCEPT:

provides detailed roadmap for managing a project

Once selected projects have been prioritized, it is time to assign resources to each. Resources could include all of the following EXCEPT:

quality metrics

Frequently, project managers lack legitimate power based upon position and instead resort to persuading others based upon personal relationships. This type of power is known as ___________.

referent power

The stakeholder register information can be used to evaluate the interests of different stakeholder groups by performing a _______ analysis to identify where there may be common areas of interest between the groups.

retrospective

A project sponsor is wise not to sign a project charter authorizing work until the project manager and team show that they have _________.

reviewed lessons learned from recently completed projects in order to avoid similar mistakes

A project manager in agile projects who serves and leads in a collaborative, facilitating manner is called a:

scrum master

In agile projects, the individual who leads in a collaborative manner by guiding teams and removing obstacles to their progress is called the _____________.

scrum master

All of the following may be negotiated between a client company and a contractor EXCEPT

selection criteria for scoring models

Which section of the project charter publicly acknowledges the commitment of the sponsor, managers and team members to the project?

signatures and commitment

The process of gathering and evaluating information to determine whose interests should be emphasized throughout the project is called: _______.

stakeholder analysis

Typically, a steering team or leadership team is responsible for all of the following project related roles EXCEPT:

standardizing project-related governance processes to facilitate sharing of methodologies, tools & techniques

During which stage of team development do team members attempt to jockey for power, ask many questions and establish dubious goals?

storming

Which of the following responses most accurately depicts the correct sequence of activities in the strategic planning process?

strategic analysis - guiding principles - strategic objectives - flow-down objectives

When trying to understand a corporate culture, it is helpful to understand the types of power that are used. In "power cultures":

supervisors exert a great deal of economic and political power

Responsibilities of the Chief Projects Officer (CPO) for each individual serving on a project team include all of the following EXCEPT:

that they follow the detailed project plan that the CPO has created.

In order to plan for a project meeting, project managers should develop an agenda. Which of the statements below is NOT accurate with respect to a project meeting agenda?

the agenda should only be shared with senior management

Which of these charter elements should persuade decision makers to support the project and inspire team members and key stakeholders to work hard toward successful completion of the project?

the business case

During iteration planning in an agile project, agreement is reached regarding:

the definition of done

All of the following factors have influenced the increased reliance upon project management in recent years EXCEPT:

the steady demands of ongoing operational work

Stakeholders include all of the following people EXCEPT _______.

those who will not be impacted by the project

Communications to stakeholders are necessary for which of the following reasons?

to help them take ownership of the project and make timely decisions

The project charter should help the project team and the project sponsor to develop a common understanding of what the project is all about. All of the following items are elements of that common understanding EXCEPT:

understanding the detailed project schedule

All of the following are among the steps of the negotiation process EXCEPT:

use "good cop / bad cop" technique

All of the following are among the methods project managers can use to develop individual and team capabilities EXCEPT:

utilize coercive powers

The addition of acceptance criteria factors to the milestone schedule in a project charter helps the team understand who will judge the quality of the deliverable associated with each milestone, and _____.

what criteria will be used for that determination