Project Management 2

Task H has duration of 5 days, an early start of 25 days, an early finish of 30 days, a late start of 20 days, and a late finish of 30 days. There are ________ days of slack for task H.

0 days Response: Refer to section 8.2, slack. The slack = (late finish - early finish) = (late start -early start).

Given project task E and estimates of 10 days for the optimistic time, 20 days for the pessimistic time, and 12 days for the most likely time, the standard deviation for time using the beta statistical distribution is ________ days.

1.67 Response: Refer to section 8.2, calculating activity times. 1.67 days = (20 days -10 days) / 6.

9. The calculation of the standard deviation for the beta distribution is based on the assumption that ________. a) The range is divided by a count of the values used to compute the mean b) The range is approximately equal to six standard deviations c) The standard deviation is 50 percent of the mean d) The standard deviation is a square of the statistical variance Ans: b

10. Task F has duration of 10 days and an early start date of 20 days. Based on the given data, determine the early finish date for task F. a) 10 days b) 20 days c) 30 days d) 5 days Ans: c

9. During project build-up, if a weak matrix organizational form is used, the project manager seeks a commitment of ________ from the functional departments. a) Work b) Materials c) People d) Budgets Ans: a

10. The need to manage technical interfaces and to correct incompatibilities is likely to create technical conflicts during the ________ phase of the project lifecycle. a) Project formation b) Project buildup c) Main program d) Project phase out Ans: c

9. Identify the statement that does not describe one of the three major objectives for systems integration. a) Performance will be acceptable to the client b) The desired performance will be achieved in an optimal manner c) Cost is a design parameter that can be minimized through value engineering d) The dimension of project efficiency is of paramount concern Ans: d

10. To achieve the objective of effectiveness for systems integration, three guidelines are offered. Identify the statement that is not one of the three guidelines. a) Require no component performance specifications unless necessary to meet one or more systems requirements b) Design components to optimize subsystem performance so that total system performance will be optimized c) Every component requirement should be traceable to one or more systems requirements d) Design components to optimize system performance, not the performance of subsystems Ans: b

11. ________ problems are comparatively rare during project phaseout because most have been solved or bypassed earlier. a) Resource b) Schedule c) Authority d) Technical Ans: d

12. Personality conflicts during project phaseout are often caused by ________. a) Pressure to complete the project b) Anxiety about leaving the project c) Pressure to complete the project and anxiety about leaving the project d) Distribution of expenses charged to the project Ans: c

11. One of the challenges during the even planning process is to ensure that managers do not mix ________. a) Outcomes (events) with the specific tasks (activities) needed to produce them b) Milestones with completion dates c) Requirements with expectations d) Control limits with specifications Ans: a

12. The process of coordinating the work and timing of the different groups working on multidisciplinary teams is called ________. a) Procurement management b) Integration management c) Vertical management d) Matrix management Ans: b

11. The shortest time in which the entire network can be completed is referred to as ________. a) The critical time of the network b) The critical path c) The elapsed time of the network d) The slack time of the network Ans: a

12. While performing a forward pass calculation to determine the critical path of a network, when multiple paths converge into a successor activity, the value carried forward to the early start of the successor activity is ________. a) The smallest early finish of the successor's immediate predecessors b) The smallest late finish of the successor's immediate predecessors c) The largest late finish of the successor's immediate predecessors d) The largest early finish of the successor's immediate predecessors Ans: d

Given project task E and estimates of 10 days for the optimistic time, 20 days for the pessimistic time, and 12 days for the most likely time, the expected time using the beta statistical distribution is ________ days.

13 (Response: Refer to section 8.2, calculating activity times. 13 days = (10 days + [4 * 12 days] + 20 days) / 6. )

13. Identify the category of conflict that is not included in the categories used by Thamhain and Wilemon in their study of project conflict. a) Differences about goal/expectations b) Uncertainty about authority c) Interpersonal problems d) discipline/problem-orientation differences Ans: d

14. According to the authors, the nature of negotiation as it applies to project management is the realization that few of the conflicts arising in projects have to do with ________. a) Whether or not the task will be done b) The precise design of the deliverable c) How the design will be achieved d) Who will do the work, when, and at what cost. Ans: a

13. In a control chart, this centerline represents the value computed as ________. a) The mode b) The median c) The arithmetic mean d) The standard deviation Ans: c

14. In a control chart, the lines depicting the extreme values for a distribution of data are usually located at ________. a) The 25th and 75th percentiles b) Plus or minus 3 standard deviations from the mean c) Plus or minus 3 standard deviations from the median d) Plus or minus one standard deviation from the mean Ans: b

13. While performing a backward pass calculation for a network, when multiple paths converge into a predecessor activity, the value carried backward to the late finish of the predecessor activity is a) The smallest late start of the predecessor's immediate successors b) The largest late start of the predecessor's immediate successors c) The largest early start of the predecessor's immediate successors d) The smallest early start of the predecessor's immediate successors Ans: a

14. In a statistical distribution, when an observation's value moves closer to the distribution's mean, the z-score value will ________. a) Increase b) Remain the same c) Decrease d) More data is needed Ans: c

15. Significant events in the project lifecycle that have zero duration and that do not consume resources are called ________. a) Deliverables b) Tasks c) Components d) Milestones Ans: d

15. The acronym BATNA stands for ________ a) Bad alternative to never accept b) Best alternative to negotiated agreement c) Best answer to new alternatives d) Best action that needs action Ans: b

During initial project planning, activities are identified and sorted. In completing this process, each level in the hierarchy should limit the number of activities to a range between ________.

2 to 20 activities

1. The authors recommend preparing a schedule for each ________. a) Work package in the WBS b) Task in the WBS c) Major task level in the WBS d) Project that has a WBS Ans: c

2. In application, PERT has primarily been used for ________ projects. a) Construction b) Manufacturing c) Industrial d) Research and development Ans: d

1. A party to a conflict will usually be satisfied when the level of frustration has been ________. a) Totally eliminated by dominating the other party b) Lowered to the point where no action against the other party is contemplated c) Lowered because the party realizes the hopelessness of continuing the conflict d) Eliminated because the party has surrendered to the other party Ans: b

2. Most of the conflicts that involve the organization and outsiders have to do with ________. a) Interpersonal differences b) Cultural differences c) Contractual obligations d) Property rights and contractual obligations Ans: d

1. The project plan must be designed in such a way that the project outcome meets ________. a) The criteria used to justify its selection b) Unauthorized requests for change in the project outcome c) The requirements associated with scope creep d) Only the expressed warranties identified in the contract Ans: a

2. The ________ is a portion of the project plan detailing the activities, their schedules, and resources, including personnel. a) Risk management plan b) Quality management plan c) Action plan d) Procurement plan Ans: c

3. The critical activities in real-world projects typically constitute no more than ________% of the total activities in the project. a) 5 percent b) 10 percent c) 20 percent d) 50 percent Ans: b

4. In a network, an activity can be shown in one of three conditions. Identify the statement that does not correctly describe one of the three possible conditions. a) The activity may have a successor but no predecessor b) The activity may have a predecessor but no successor c) The activity may have a predecessor and a successor d) The activity may have neither a predecessor nor a successor Ans: d

3. The ________ is a specialized view of the action plan that focuses on who has what responsibility for each project task. a) Resource histogram b) Linear responsibility chart c) Project team directory d) Scope management plan Ans: b

4. The success of the project launch meeting is dependent on the existence of ________. a) A project charter b) The project's scope statement c) A well-defined set of objectives for the project d) Project planning templates Ans: c

3. Conflicts within the organization typically differ from conflicts with outsiders in one important way. As far as the organization is concerned, these conflicts are ________. a) Conflicts between opponents b) Conflicts between allies c) Trivial conflicts d) Conflicts that should be suppressed Ans: b

4. Which one of the following choices was not identified by the authors as one of the reasons why organizations enter into partnership arrangements with each other? a) Avoidance of litigation b) Diversification of technical risk c) Reducing internal conflict d) Avoidance of capital investment Ans: c

Assume that task J has a most likely duration of 20 days, an optimistic duration of 13 days, and a pessimistic duration of 30 days. If the optimistic and pessimistic durations are 95 percent estimates, the standard deviation for task J is ________ days.

5.15

5. If a resource conflict arises between two high-priority projects, precedence is typically given to the project with the ________. a) Earliest due date b) Fastest completion time c) Biggest revenue stream d) Lowest cost to complete Ans: a

6. During project formation, the organizational structure selected will have a major impact on the ways in which conflicts are handled. Lack of clarity about the relative power/influence/authority of the PM and the functional managers is a major component of all conflicts involving ________. a) Technical decisions b) Resource allocation c) Technical decisions and scheduling d) Technical decisions, resource allocation, and scheduling Ans: d

5. In an AON diagram, when there are multiple activities without predecessors and there are multiple activities having no successors, ________ are used to eliminate the potential for hanging tasks in the network. a) Start and stop nodes b) Dummy activities c) Lags and leads d) Loopbacks Ans: a

6. In the AOA network, circles depict ________. a) Activities b) Events c) Logical dependencies d) Dummy activities Ans: b

5. This project plan element provides a short summary of the objectives and scope of the project. It is directed to top management. a) Overview b) Objectives c) General approach d) Contractual aspects Ans: a

6. This project plan element should include profit and competitive goals as well as technical goals. a) Overview b) Objectives c) General approach d) Contractual aspects Ans: b

7. During project build-up, the project should move from a general concept to ________. a) Implementation of plans b) A highly detailed set of plans c) A project charter d) A project contract Ans: b

8. During project build-up, if a strong matrix organizational form is used, the project manager seeks a commitment of ________ from the functional departments. a) Work b) Materials c) People d) Budgets Ans: c

7. Most commercially available project management software applications use the ________ type of network. a) GERT b) PERT c) AOA d) AON Ans: d

8. The Gantt chart is intended to monitor the detailed progress of work, whereas the master schedule contains only major tasks and is oriented toward ________. a) Monitoring detailed progress of work b) Overall project management rather than precise control of detailed work c) Overall project management, including precise control of detailed work d) Detailed resource management Ans: b

7. This project plan element outlines the various schedules and lists all milestone events. It identifies the estimated time for each task and is used to construct the master project schedule. a) Budget b) Schedule c) Personnel plan d) Evaluation methods Ans: b

8. This element of the project plan contains a brief description of the procedure to be followed in monitoring, collecting, storing, and evaluating the history of the project. a) Schedules b) Resources c) Personnel d) Evaluation methods Ans: d

Explain why it is important to evaluate noncritical paths that possess large variances and/or path times that are close to critical in duration.

Ans: Assuming that the project is stable and under control, random uncertainty present in the network will exhibit cumulative interactions reflecting the inherent randomness of independent activities within the network. Therefore, an activity having only a relatively small amount of slack could potentially exceed the critical time calculated from the expected critical path. Moreover, as statistical variances rise in relation to expected duration, the range of uncertainty in near critical paths will exhibit wider dispersion. When interdependencies are present in the network, simulation is an effective technique for modeling the random interactions on critical and near critical paths.

Describe the process for determining the critical path in a network.

Ans: Draw the network and determine the logical relationships between the activities in it. Determine the duration for each activity. Perform the forward pass calculation to determine the critical time for the network. Perform the backward pass calculation to establish the slack for each activity in the network. If an activity has 0 slack, then it is a critical activity. The critical path is composed of the critical activities identified in this manner. It is possible to have more than one critical path in a network.

Identify the three fundamental categories of conflict that occur during a project's lifecycle.

Ans: Groups working on the project may have different goals and expectations. There is considerable uncertainty about who has the authority to make decisions. There are interpersonal conflicts between people who are parties-at-interest in the project.

Describe the differences between GERT and PERT/CPM network models.

Ans: In GERT, branching from a node is probabilistic whereas in PERT/CPM branching from a node is deterministic. GERT provides flexibility in node realization while the PERT/CPM method does not. GERT allows loopback to earlier events but PERT/CPM does not. The arrows in GERT can represent time, costs, reliability, and other relevant variables. In PERT/CPM, the arrows can only represent time. PERT/CPM is comparatively easy to use as a control tool during execution of a project. GERT is difficult to use as a control tool during project execution.

Describe the multistep process for building partnered projects.

Ans: Initially, the parent firm must make a commitment to partnering, select subcontractors who will also make such a commitment, engage in joint team building exercises, and develop a charter for the project. Next, both parties must implement the partnering process with a four-part agreement on a joint evaluation of the project's progress; a method for resolving any problems or disagreements; acceptance of a goal for continuous improvement for the joint project; and continuous support for the process of partnering from the senior management of both parties. Finally, the parties commit to a joint review of project execution once the project has been completed.

Describe the four points of principled negotiation described by Fisher and Ury.

Ans: Separate the people from the problem. Focus on interests, not positions. Before trying to reach agreement, invent options for mutual gain. Insist on using objective criteria.

Explain the meaning of slack in a network.

Ans: Slack is synonymous with float. Slack is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying completion of the project. In order to have slack, the activity will not be located on the critical path of the network. An activity with slack can be classified as a near critical activity because the amount of slack is small in relation to the time required to complete the path it is in. Should it become necessary to crash a project, it may be possible to borrow resources from activities that have slack.

Identify three basic causes for change in projects.

Ans: Some changes result because planners erred in their initial assessment about how to achieve a given end or erred in the choice of the proper goal for the project. Technological uncertainty is the fundamental causal factor for either error. Other changes result because the client/user or project team learns more about the nature of the project deliverable or about the setting in which it is to be used. In these circumstances, an increase in knowledge or sophistication is the primary factor leading to the change. A third source of change is the mandate. This is a change caused by a change in the environment in which the project is being conducted.

Describe the general steps recommended by the authors for designing and using the WBS.

Ans: Step 1: Using information from the action plan, list the task breakdown in excessively finer levels of detail. Continue until all meaningful tasks for work packages have been identified. Each task should be at a level of detail such that it can be individually planned, budgeted, scheduled, monitored, and controlled. Step 2: For each work package, identify the data relevant to the WBS. It is helpful to construct a linear responsibility chart to show who is responsible for what. The LRC will help the PM keep track of who must approve what and who must report to whom. Step 3: All work package information should be reviewed with the individuals or organizations responsible for doing or supporting the work. This review should verify the WBS's accuracy. Step 4: The project budget should consist of four elements. They are: direct budgets from each task, an indirect costs budget for the project, a project contingency for unexpected emergencies, and any residual, which includes a profit derived from the project. Step 5: Schedule information and milestones should be integrated into a project master schedule. Step 6: During project execution, the project manager will compare actual resource usage by work element, work package, task and so on against the planned amounts for those items. This will enable the project manager to refine estimates and initiate appropriate corrective actions as necessary. Step 7: The schedule will be analyzed in the same manner as the budget.

Describe the benefits of forming a network of activity and event relationships that graphically portrays sequential relations between tasks in a project.

Ans: The benefits of such a network include: the interdependence of all tasks, work package, and network elements is documented, it can be used to determine the expected project completion date, it identifies the critical activities that if delayed will delay the project completion time, it identifies activities with slack that can be used should schedule compression become necessary on the critical path, and it can be used to schedule resources.

Describe the type of relations that generally exist between the organization carrying out the project and a subcontractor working on the project.

Ans: The relationships are best characterized as adversarial because the parent organization's objectives are to get the deliverable at the lowest possible cost, as soon as possible. On the other hand, the subcontractor's objectives are to produce the deliverable at the highest possible profit with the least effort. These conflicting interests tend to lead both parties to work in an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and antagonism.

Identify two objections commonly raised by marketing organizations against the early participation by engineering and manufacturing in the selling process to external customers. Explain how you would counter these objections.

Ans: The sales arm of the organization is trained to sell. It is expected to be fully conversant with all technical aspects of the firm's products and services. In addition, salespeople are expected to be knowledgeable about design and manufacturing lead times and schedules. On the other hand, it is widely assumed by marketing that manufacturing and design engineers do not understand sales techniques. Moreover, there may be legitimate concerns about the appropriateness and effectiveness of interpersonal communications due to the lack of formal training in selling processes. And finally, it is expensive to invest high-priced technical talent for proposals with a relatively low probability of success. Using cost of quality concepts, Philip Crosby and others have shown that is usually cheaper, faster, and easier to do things right first time than to redo them later.

Identify four important outcomes associated with the project launch meeting.

Ans: The technical scope should be established. Participants should accept the basic areas for performance responsibility. Tentative schedules and budgets are spelled out for the overall project. A group to manage risk has been created.

15. When using the beta distribution, the denominator of the formula for standard deviation should ________. a) Always equal 6 b) Be adjusted by converting the range into the correct statistical variance c) Be adjusted by converting the range into the correct z-score value d) Be adjusted by converting the range into 50 percent of the mean

Ans: c

Using precedence diagramming methods, activity B must not start until after activity A has been completed. Moreover, the outcome of activity A cannot be used until 3 days after its completion. The type of relationship that exists between activities A and B is correctly labeled as ________.

FS + 3d or FS + 3ed Response: Refer to section 8.4, precedence diagramming. The amount of lag could be indicated as +3d to reference work periods or as +3ed to reference calendar time that includes both work periods and nonwork periods.

The ________ chart shows planned and actual progress for a number of tasks displayed against a horizontal timescale.

Gantt

The ________ chart is a tree diagram used to represent a hierarchical plan.

Gozinto

Described the strategic factors identified by Pinto and Slevin that should be associated with success in the implementation of projects.

It is important to clearly define and agree upon the objectives in the project plan. Top management should support the project at its outset and make clear to all personnel involved that management supports successful completion. The project needs an action plan that spells out in detail the steps required to implement the project, including all resource requirements.

The general objective of a ________ solution to conflict is to find a solution such that no party can be made better off without making another party worse off by the same amount or more.

Pareto-optimal

________ law suggests that work expands to fill the allotted time.

Parkinson's

The major tool that a project manager uses during the planning phase is called the ________.

WBS

The authors, when discussing networks, describe ________ as a specific task or set of tasks that are required by the project, use up resources, and take time to complete.

activity

What is the key to finding a negotiator's interests and concerns when he or she states a position? You should ________ the interest or concern is important.

ask why

The set of physical elements required to build a project is called the ________.

bill of materials

________ is the process which begins when one party perceives that the other has frustrated, or is about to frustrate, some concern of his.

conflict

The ________ is a graph showing how a statistic is changing over time compared to its average and extreme values.

control chart

In CPM, an activity can be conducted at a normal pace or an expedited pace, known as ________, at a greater cost.

crashing

An activity or event that, if delayed, will delay project completion is ________.

critical

In a network, if the delay of an activity will delay completion of the project, the activity is called ________.

critical

The physical items to be delivered from a project are called ________.

deliverables

In AOA networks, an activity of zero duration is called a ________.

dummy activity

________ is a measure of project progress that has been made against baseline plans during execution of the project.

earned value

The authors, when discussing networks, describe an ________ as the result of completing one or more activities. It is an identifiable end state occurring at a particular time. It does not use resources.

event

________ planning is an approach that breaks the planning task down into the activities that must be done in each managerial level of the organization. Typically, objectives are cascaded when this approach is used.

hierarchical planning

The boundaries between departments or functions represent ________.

interfaces

_______ refers to communications across lines of equivalent authority.

lateral relations

The final form of a plan that has received approval from all parties involved in the plan is called the ________.

master plan

Any time two or more paths of a network come together, the probability of both paths being on time is the product of the probabilities for the individual paths. This scenario is referred to as ________.

merge bias

A clearly identifiable point in a project or set of activities that commonly denotes a reporting requirement or completion of a large or important set of activities is called a ________.

milestone

According to the authors, the favored technique for resolving conflict is ________.

negotiation

The process through which two or more parties seek an acceptable rate of exchange for items they own or control is called ________.

negotiation

A ________ is a combination of interrelated activities and events depicted with arcs and nodes.

network

The arrangement of all activities (and, in some cases, events) in a project arrayed in their logical sequence and represented by arcs and nodes, is called a ________.

network

A ________ is an intersection of two or more lines or arrows, commonly used for depicting an event or activity.

node

The ________ of the project should be defined prior to developing the WBS.

objectives

In a network, a ________ is a series of connected activities (or intermediate events) between any two events in a network.

path

_______ is the name given to what a system does. Its attributes include reliability, quality, and maintainability.

performance

The ________ approach to negotiation states immediate wants on the assumption that the environment is static.

positional

The ________ approach to negotiation aims to achieve a win-win result.

principled

During the early program phases of the project lifecycle, Thamhain and Wilemon said that conflict intensity was the greatest with respect to ________.

priorities

The total level of conflict in the project lifecycle is highest during the ________ stage.

project build-up

A ________ is simply a written agreement between the PM, senior management, and the functional managers who are committing resources and/or people to the project.

project charter

________ is a method of transforming contractual relationships into a cohesive, cooperative project team with a single set of goals and established procedures for resolving disputes in a timely and effective manner.

project partnering

A ________ is the conversion of the project action plan into an operating timetable.

schedule

During the main program phases of the project lifecycle, Thamhain and Wilemon said that conflict intensity was the greatest with respect to ________.

schedules

Toward the end of the project lifecycle, Thamhain and Wilemon said that conflict intensity was the greatest with respect to ________.

schedules

The approach that examines each element of a product for a system to determine if there is a better or cheaper way of achieving the same function is called ________.

value engineering

_______ is an approach used in systems integration when the relevant cost trade-offs can be estimated. It represents the simple and consistent use of cost-effectiveness analysis to achieve the cost objectives for system integration

value engineering

Negotiating to a ________ solution is the key to conflict resolution in project management.

win-win

The ________ provides a description of a task that defines all the work required to accomplish it, including inputs and desired outputs.

work statement