ENGR 4220 - Project Management

In which stage of the project life cycle are project objectives established, teams formed, and major responsibilities assigned?

Defining

Although most risks are presented as something not desirable, there can also be desirable risks called Opportunities.

True

Crashing a more expensive activity may be wise if fewer inherent risks are involved.

True

Estimates are supposed to be based on normal conditions. While this is a good starting point, it rarely holds true in real life.

True

If a proposed project does not meet one of the designated "must" objectives it should be immediately removed from consideration.

True

Mapping ____________ helps identify those on whom the project depends for success.

dependencies

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

After reviewing the project scope statement, the owner specifies that costs MUST stay within $400,000. This criterion is classified as

constrained.

"To construct a high-quality, custom home within five months at costs not to exceed $150,000" is best classified as

an objective.

The event or point in time when a contingency plan will be implemented is called a(n) _________.

trigger

The indicator that tells you the planned time-phased value of the work that is scheduled is the _______________.

PV Note: The planned value (PV) is the budgeted cost of the work scheduled.

Culture is a concept that encompasses all of the following

-shared norms. -beliefs. -values. -customs.

The product life cycle must be understood as totally different from the project life cycle. In today's high-tech industries the product life cycle is averaging _________ to 3 years.

6 months

Consider the following table of activities A through G in which A is the start node and G is the stop node. Activity;Duration (days);Predecessor A10-- B20A C5A D3B, C E20B, C F4B, C G10D, E, F On a piece of scratch paper, draw the network associated with this table and determine the following. What is the late finish time for activity G?

60

What kind of plan goes into place should a risk event actually occur?

A contingency plan

Customs, values, and philosophies belong to which of the following major factor categories?

Cultural factors Note: Visiting project managers must respect the customs, values, philosophies, and social standards of their host country. All of these have to do with the host countries' culture.

Which of the following is not likely to result in an imposed deadline?

Design flaws.

The salary of the project manager would be an example of what type of cost found in a project?

Direct project overhead

Which of the following is not a benefit of Earned Value Management?

Enables the project manager to ascertain problem paths within the project network and when the critical path is underperforming. Note: EVM is not able to track individual paths much less the critical path in terms of either budget or schedule.

Which of the following responses best characterizes how to respond to a risk that has considerable upside, or opportunity?

Escalate risk

Consider the following table of activities that describes a project network. What is the first activity you would crash? Activity;Predecessors;Normalduration(days);Crashduration(days);Normal cost;Crash cost A-- 5;3;$1,000;$4,000 BA 8;5;$4,000;$7,000 CA 7;4;$2,000;$4,000 DB,C 6;3;$1,000;$2,000 EB,C 9;5;$5,000;$8,000 FB,C 10;6;$3,000;$5,000 GD,E,F 5;4;$2,000;$5,000

F

Which of the following is the BEST way to ensure that cohesion and cooperation are not undermined, and the parties involved will be satisfied when the project is complete?

Fair and incentive-laden contracts Note: The goal when negotiating contracts is to reach a fair deal for all involved. Managers recognize that cohesion and cooperation are undermined if one party feels he or she is being treated unfairly by others.

An activity can include only one work package.

False

The forward pass through a project network determines the critical path.

False

The information gap refers to the lack of understanding and consensus of organization strategy among top and middle-level managers.

False

The level of resources each activity will need to be completed in the given amount of time has been estimated; therefore, there are no resource constraints.

False

The project management structure chosen to manage the project will have little impact on the quality of estimates.

False

Unit integration is the cultural characteristic that refers to the degree to which units within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or independent manner.

False

When developing a response to a risk by scheduling outdoor work in the summer, investing in up-front safety training, or choosing high-quality materials, these are examples of retaining a risk.

False

Work package estimates should include allowances for contingencies.

False

When crashing a schedule, this may set in when a least-cost method is used.

Fatigue and resentment

Which of the following combinations represents the extremes of project organization?

Functional and projectized

Laila has just learned that she needs to reduce the duration of her project to meet an imposed deadline. She has calculated the crash cost per unit and knows the maximum units each activity can be reduced. What is the next step?

Identify the critical path

Which of the following would best represent direct project costs?

Labor, materials and equipment

Which of the following is not a consideration that needs to be factored into the process of recruiting team members for a project?

Integrity Note: While integrity is implicitly important, the assumption is that all candidates have integrity. Therefore, it is not an explicit consideration.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a projectized organization?

It is expensive

Scope creep is a big issue when managing projects. Which of the following is NOT true regarding scope creep?

It is when the project budget is exceeded.

Which of the following is not a major deliverable for project closure?

Lessons learned document Note: A lessons learned is not a major deliverable of project closure. Wrapping up the project, conducting a project audit, and initiating a performance evaluation are all major deliverables of project closure.

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

Mission statements

Which of the following is NOT typical of a project manager?

Overseeing existing operations

The ________ is an international society for project managers.

PMI

During which stage of team development is the team fully functional and accomplishing project goals?

Performing

Which of the following would be the best method for projects where the final product is not known and the uncertainty is very large?

Phase estimate

Which of the following is NOT one of the requirements for successful implementation of strategies through projects?

Quality management

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps in the risk management process?

Risk tracking

________ activities are to be completed immediately following a particular activity.

Successor

Technical constraints have been carefully considered when developing a project network. Which of the following is true at this point?

Technical dependencies between activities are known.

Bottom-up

This approach at the work package level can serve as a check on cost elements in the WBS by rolling up the work packages and associated cost accounts to major deliverables.

Consider the following table of activities A through E in which A is the start node and E is the stop node. Assume the project starts on Monday, May 4, 2020 and no work is done on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). All activities require the same resource. Assume no working-day holidays during the months of May and June—no Memorial Day holiday, for example. Activity;Duration(days);Predecessor A5-- B5A C10A D4A E5B, C, D On a piece of scratch paper, draw the early-start Gantt Chart associated with this table. Assume the project is resource-constrained but not time-constrained. Assume only one resource is available and that resource can only do one activity at a time. Given that the Month of May has 31 days, what would be the completion date for the project?

Thursday, June 11, 2020

In terms of project classification, ________ constrained means that project duration is fixed and resources are flexible.

Time

When considering the sequence and timing of activities, which of the following is NOT one of the types of project network constraints?

Time

A Control Chart can be used to estimate schedule trends.

True

One way to offset the influence of politics on project management within an organization is to have a well-defined project selection model.

True

Overcoming cultural difference can pose a challenge to geographically distributed teams.

True

Strategy formulation ends with cascading objectives or projects assigned to lower divisions, departments, or individuals.

True

The assessment of the external and internal environments is called the SWOT analysis.

True

The project manager should see the big picture while being willing to get their hands dirty.

True

In which of the following is the balance of authority strongly in favor of the functional managers?

Weak matrix

Which of the following questions does the organization's mission statement answer?

What do we want to become?

An expected output over the life of a project would be classified as

a deliverable.

The lowest element in the hierarchical breakdown of the WBS is

a work package.

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

acceptance criteria

The outer ring in the network of relationships for project managers includes all of the following EXCEPT

administrative support.

To help establish loyalty among team members, you should become an effective __________ for the project you are on.

advocate

When the project scope and/or technology are not fully known or stable, the best choice of method for such projects is

agile-driven project management

All of the following are ways the WBS helps in managing projects EXCEPT

allows the project manager to establish the overall objective of the project.

In order to hedge against unpredictability within a project, Agile Project Management uses

an adaptive and experimental approach. Note: Through discovery and failing quickly and often, workers within agile practices are able to solve problems more quickly.

Project managers who understand the role that their project plays in accomplishing the organization's strategy will be inclined to do all of the following EXCEPT

be able to focus on problems or solutions if the project is a low priority strategically.

In order to shorten the duration of a project the project manager should limit the choices of activities to just those that are on the __________.

critical path

One way of reducing project costs is identifying tasks that _________ can do themselves.

customers

The second ring in the network of relationships for project managers includes all of the following EXCEPT

customers

Too often project members respond to customer inquiries with technical jargon. Project members should speak the language of the ________.

customers Note: Too often project members respond to customer inquiries with technical jargon that exceeds the customer's vocabulary. Project managers and members need to describe problems, trade-offs, and solutions in ways that the customer can understand.

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

enhanced

A project life cycle is characterized as made up of stages. A major part of the project work, both physical and mental, takes place in the ___________ stage of the project life cycle.

executing

Project selection criteria are typically classified as

financial and non-financial

In organizations where projects are managed within a ____________, the team member's area manager, not the project manager, is responsible for assessing performance.

functional organization Note: In organizations where projects are managed within a functional organization, the team member's area manager, not the project manager, is responsible for assessing performance.

In scheduling resource-constrained projects, _________ are typically used rather than optimum mathematical solutions.

heuristics

The first step in facilitating group decision making is to

identify the problem Note: The project manager needs to be careful not to state the problem in terms of choices (e.g., should we do X or Y?). Rather, the project manager should identify the underlying problem to which these alternatives and probably others are potential solutions. This allows group members to generate alternatives, not just choose among them.

The best way to __________________ is to collect and archive data on past projects.

improve estimate

It is common practice to rely on __________, often natives who are foreign educated, to bridge the gap between cultures.

intermediaries Note: It is common practice to rely on intermediaries, often natives who are foreign educated, to bridge the gap between cultures. Intermediaries can perform a variety of functions to help a project manager work within another culture.

When your initial enthusiasm is exhausted, and you begin to notice that differences are greater than you first imagined, you are in the __________ stage of culture shock.

irritability and hostility Note: You become frustrated by your inability to get things done as you are accustomed to. You begin to lose confidence in your ability to communicate and work effectively in the different culture in the irritability and hostility stage of culture shock.

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

knowledge

Learning curves are more likely to be applied in situations where most of the costs are

labor.

Which of the following is NOT a problem associated with the absence of a project portfolio system?

lack of funding

The second step in the project control process for measuring and evaluating project performance is to

measure progress and performance. Note: The project control steps for measuring and evaluating project performance are first to set a baseline plan, then to measure progress and performance, next to compare plan against actual and finally taking action.

In reviewing the project plan, a project professional sees that the first prototype must be completed by October 12. This would be best classified as a

milestone.

The ________ time for an activity represents low-cost, realistic, efficient methods for completing the activity under typical conditions.

normal

CPI = 1.00 & SPI = 0.99, indicates that project is

on budget but behind schedule Note: An index of 1 indicates progress as planned. An index greater than 1 shows progress is better than expected. An index less than 1 suggests progress is poorer than planned and deserves attention.

The integration of the lowest level of the WBS with the organizational units responsible for performing the work is known as

organization breakdown structure.

Given an EAC of $10,000 and a BAC of $9,000, the project is expected to be completed _________.

over budget Note: The BAC indicates the budgeted project cost at completion. The EAC indicates the new estimated cost at completion. The difference between BAC and EAC (BAC - EAC) gives the variance at completion (VAC). In this example the VAC = -$1,000. The project is estimated to be completed $1,000 over budget.

Sometimes very high __________ costs are recognized before a project begins and reducing these costs through shorter project durations becomes a high priority.

overhead

Which of the following is NOT one of the factors that need to be considered to improve quality of estimates for project times and costs?

profit

Outsourcing project work to a supplier with questionable labor practices can cause a situation called

political hot potato.

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

proactive Note: Good project managers are proactive. They spend most of their time working within their sphere of influence to solve problems and not dwelling on things they have little control over.

A key to being able to effectively persuade superiors is

proving loyalty.

Advantages of outsourcing project work may likely include all of the following EXCEPT

reduced conflict. Note: Dysfunctional conflict can be a result of outsourcing and is a disadvantage. Projects are more prone to interpersonal conflict since the different participants do not share the same values, priorities, and culture.

Co-locating staff for a project is a good strategy to

reduced team friction

The main source of conflict in the delivering stage of the project life cycle is __________.

schedules

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

Scrum relies on three key roles. A person who facilitates the Scrum process and resolves impediments at the team and organizational level is called a

scrum master Note: The Scrum master facilitates the scrum process and resolves impediments at the team and organizational level. The Scrum master is not the leader of the team but acts as a buffer between the team and outside interference. They have no formal authority. Instead, they are responsible for making sure that the Scrum process is adhered to.

The development team is a key role when considering the Scrum process. The team is __________ in the sense that they decide among themselves who should do what and what should be done.

self-organized Note: Self-organization—team members decide among themselves who should do what and what should be done. This is an agile project management principle that is common regardless of the agile project management method used.

Teams that are able to use identified individual talents to meet a projects' given needs is a common characteristic of

synergy

Project managers employ lots of useful tools, many supported by software. WBS, schedules, and budgets are tools taken from the _________ dimension of the project management process.

technical

The ability of a 911 emergency system to identify the caller's phone number and location is considered to be a

technical requirement.

The bottom-up approach for estimating times and costs that uses costs from past projects that were similar to the current project is known as

template method.

Traditional approaches to project management concentrate firmly on

thorough planning up front. Note: Traditional approaches to project management concentrate firmly on thorough planning up front. The rationale is that if you plan, execute your plan, and take corrective action on deviations from plan, you have a high probability of success.

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

threats

Most of the scheduling methods available today require the project manager to classify the project as either _______ constrained or ______ constrained

time, resource

The ________ project cost is the sum of the indirect and direct costs.

total

When reducing project duration, the duration for a project that is optimal is at the point where

total project costs are the lowest.

When using the partnering approach to manage contracted relationships, mutual ________ forms the basis for strong working relationships.

trust

A CPI or SPI value more than one indicates that the project is currently

under cost or ahead of schedule. Note: An index of 1 indicates progress as planned. An index greater than 1 shows progress is better than expected. An index less than 1 suggests progress is poorer than planned and deserves attention.

Project management is not limited to the __________ sector.

universal

Factors in identifying cultural characteristics include all the following

-Customs -Values -Norms

________ is simply the percent complete times the original budget.

EV Note: The earned value for a task is simply the percent complete times its original budget.

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

My: In terms of project management, a deliverable to something that needs to be completed in order to finish a project. An example of a deliverable can be a budget report since without it there would not be an estimate or cost that a project can begin with to eventually determine if the project is in the right track. Professor: A deliverable is an expected output that occurs during the life of a project. A deliverable could be a list of specifications, software code or a technical manual, even a prototype.

Identify and give an example of the three types of resource constraints.

My: The three types of resource constraints are materials, people and equipment. An example of material, resource constraint is wood for a house constructing project. An example of a people, resource constraint are construction workers for a highway construction project. An example of an equipment, resource constraint are bulldozers for a highway construction project.

Identify the five major characteristics of a project.

The five major characteristics of a project are: Time Frame, Defining the Problem, Planning and Design (project goals and monitoring), Project Activities, and Project Outcomes.

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

The four activities are: review and define the organizational mission, analyze and formulate strategy, set objectives to achieve strategies, and implement strategies through projects.

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

cost account

The arrangement that manages projects within the existing organizational structure is _______ organization.

functional

One of the primary jobs of a project manager is to manage the trade-offs associated with the project. Which of the following ARE the basic classifications of project priorities?

-Cost -Time -Performance

Which of the following is NOT included in a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis?

-Detection -Probability -Risk value -Impact -All of these are included

Which of the following IS a disadvantage of organizing projects within a matrix arrangement?

-Dysfunctional conflict between functional managers and project managers. -Stressful -Infighting

Which of the following is true of multi-weighted scoring models?

-Each criterion is assigned a weight. -Projects with higher scores are considered more desirable. -Will include qualitative criteria. -Will include quantitative criteria.

Scope creep is a big issue when managing projects. Which of the following IS true regarding scope creep?

-It is the tendency for the project scope to expand over time. -It most likely caused by a scope statement that is too broad. -It can lead to added costs and possible project delays. -It can have both positive and negative impacts on a project.

Which of the following is typically the responsibility of a project manager?

-Meeting budget requirements -Meeting schedule requirements -Coordinating the actions of the team members -Meeting performance specifications

How does someone learn more about an organization's culture?

-Observe how people interact within the organization -Study the physical characteristics of the organization -Interpret stories about the organization -Read about the organization

Which of the following ARE the steps in the risk management process?

-Risk response development -Risk response control -Risk identification -Risk assessment

At the project level, which of the following is a factor that should influence the choice of project management structure?

-The size of the project -The strategic importance of the project -Budget and time constraints -The novelty of the project

Organization structures have a connection to projects. Which of the following IS true of project management structures?

-They appropriately balance the needs of both the parent organization and the project. -They provide a framework for launching and implementing projects. -They help determine who has most authority regarding managing the project.

In order to formulate strategies that align with the mission, some of the activities the organization will need to perform are (Select all that are appropriate)

-analyze competitors. -examine the external environment. -assess internal strengths and weaknesses. -know their core competencies.

High performing teams can

-create breakthrough products. -exceed customer expectations. -complete projects ahead of schedule and under budget. -provide exceptional services. -All of these alternatives are correct. Note: High performing teams can accomplish all of these or some of these. The leading indicator is that they are successful in completing what they set out to do and the members have a sense of ownership and pride in their work.

Project managers who understand the role that their project plays in accomplishing the organization's strategy will be inclined to do all of the following

-demonstrate to senior management how their project contributes to the firm's mission -explain to stakeholders why certain project objectives and priorities are critical -explain to team members why certain project objectives and priorities are critical -be able to respond appropriately to delays and/or questions about product design

When it comes to project prioritization, senior management is responsible for

-determining the priority of each project. -setting the course for the organization. -directing the organization to a strong future position. -developing a culture where everyone contributes to the goals of the organization.

You are able to join Project Management Institute (PMI) if you are working in the ________ industry.

-health care -aerospace -engineering -construction

Most changes on a project are related to

-implementing contingency plans. -scope changes. -improvement changes. -customer-driven changes to requirements. -All of these alternatives are correct.

Which are the key environmental forces that have changed the way projects are managed?

-increase pace of change -global competition -time to market -focus on sustainability -knowledge growth

Typical kinds of costs found in a project include all of the following EXCEPT

-labor -general & administrative cost -project overhead cost -direct cost -Correct answer: All of these are examples of costs found in a project.

Which of the following ARE factors that need to be considered to improve quality of estimates for project times and costs?

-project structure -padding estimates -people -planning horizon

As the number of small projects increase within an organization's portfolio, what is a challenge an organization faces?

-sharing resources -prioritizing projects -managing risk -measuring efficiency

Evaluation of project team performance tends to be based on achieving project objectives according to______

-specifications. -time. -cost. -customer/end user satisfaction. -All of these alternatives are correct. Note: Evaluation of project team performance tends to be based on achieving project objectives according to time, cost and specifications (scope). It has become more common to add customer/end user satisfaction to the assessment.

Having a strong communication plan can go a long way toward mitigating project problems. A communication plan should address all of the following:

-when the information will be communicated. -which methods will be used to gather and store information. -how information should be communicated and to whom. -what information needs to be collected and are there limits as to who has access to it.

All of the following ARE ways the WBS helps in managing projects

-with cost and time estimates the WBS makes it possible to plan, schedule and budget the project. -as it is developed, organizational units and individuals can be assigned responsibility of work packages. -it provides management with information appropriate to each level.

All of the following are usually included in a work package:

-work to be done. -all the costs for the work package. -the time needed to complete the work. -a single person who is responsible for its completion.

The ________ rule assumes credit is earned for having performed the work once it is completed. This rule is usually used for work packages having very short durations.

0/100 Note: The 0/100 rule assumes credit is earned for having performed the work once it is completed. Hence, 100 percent of the budget is earned when the work package is completed.

A project manager receives the following information on his project: PV = 4,500, AC =4,000, EV = 4,000. How well is the project doing in terms of budget?

1000 over budget Note: To find out how well this project is doing in terms of budget, the CV will need to be calculated by subtracting AC from EV. The result is a negative 500, which indicates that this project has spent $500 more than it has earned (and planned to earn) on actual work completed.

An activity has a duration of 10 days. Its early start is 5 and its late start is 8. This activity has _____ days of total slack.

3

What is the difference between a project and a program?

A project is singular and program is a group of projects. In project, their is more certainty than that of a program.

Consider the following table of activities A through G in which A is the start node and G is the stop node. Activity;Duration (days);Predecessor A5-- B8A C7A D6A E9B, C, D F10B, C, D G5E, F On a piece of scratch paper, draw the network associated with this table and determine the following. What is the critical path?

A-B-F-G

This response is used when an identified opportunity is not actively pursued.

Accept

Consider the following table of activities A through E in which A is the start node and E is the stop node. Assume all activities require the same resource. Activity;Duration(days);Predecessor A5-- B15A C10A D5A E5B, C, D On a piece of scratch paper, draw the early-start Gantt Chart associated with this table and determine the following. Assume the project is resource-constrained but not time-constrained. Assume only one resource is available and that resource can only do one activity at a time. Activities B, C and D all have the same early start date (time). Since there is only one resource, only one of the activities B, C, D can be started on the early start date. Which should be started first?

Activity B Notes: Based on the heuristic, the activity with the least slack (minimum slack) should be started first. That would be critical activity B which has zero slack. Activity C has five days of slack and activity D has ten days of slack.

Consider the following table of activities A through E in which A is the start node and E is the stop node. Assume all activities require the same resource. Activity;Duration(days);Predecessor A5-- B5A C10A D4A E5B, C, D On a piece of scratch paper, draw the early-start Gantt Chart associated with this table and determine the following. Assume the project is resource-constrained but not time-constrained. Assume only one resource is available and that resource can only do one activity at a time. Activities B, C and D all have the same early start date (time). Since there is only one resource, only one of the activities B, C, D can be started on the early start date. Which should be started first?

Activity C Notes: Based on the heuristic, the activity with the least slack (minimum slack) should be started first. That would be critical activity C which has zero slack. Activity B has five days of slack and activity D has six days of slack.

After your team has successfully identified potential risks that could affect the project, what is the next step?

Assess identified risks

Factors in identifying cultural characteristics include all the following EXCEPT

Attitude

What is the relationship between organizational culture and estimating?

Cultural norms affect the accuracy of estimates.

The cost variance for a project is calculated by

EV - AC. Note: The cost variance is the difference between the planned value of work completed (EV) and the actual cost of work completed (AC). The cost variance for a project is calculated by EV − AC.

Inflation belongs to which of the following major factor categories?

Economic factors Note: Inflation is an economic factor that can significantly reduce the profit possibilities of a project conducted in a foreign country where inflation is rampant.

Consider the following table of activities A through E in which A is the start node and E is the stop node. The project is time-constrained and the project manager wishes to minimize the number of resources required at any given time. Each activity requires a single resource. Activity;Duration(days);Predecessor A5-- B5A C10A D4A E5B, C, D On a piece of scratch paper, draw the early-start Gantt Chart associated with this table and determine which activity should be delayed?

Either activity B or activity D Notes: Any activity with positive slack could be delayed. That would be activities B or D. Activity B has five days of slack and activity D has six days of slack.

One of the following five choices is NOT involved in risk control. Which choice is it?

Establishing contingency funds

Which of the following is NOT a wrap-up closure activity that might be found on a checklist?

Evaluation of team performance Note: A major wrap-up task is to ensure the project is approved and accepted by the customer. Other wrap-up activities include closing accounts, paying bills, reassigning equipment and personnel, finding new opportunities for project staff, closing facilities, and creating the final report.

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of organizing projects within a matrix arrangement?

Expensive

As long as everyone in a project adds a little padding to reduce risk, the project duration and cost estimates will be more accurate.

False

As specified in a project life cycle, the first stage in the life cycle of a project is the concept stage.

False

Enhancing a risk is a tactic that seeks to eliminate the uncertainty associated with an opportunity to ensure that it definitely happens.

False

Estimating the total cost of a house by multiplying the total square feet by cost per square foot is an example of the apportion method of estimating costs.

False

If a project needs one earth mover six months from now in order to complete one activity, and the organization has four such machines, there is no equipment resource constraint.

False

If, during risk response development, you successfully identify how you will respond to a risk, contingency planning is unnecessary.

False

Many organizations have three different kinds of projects in their portfolio: compliance, operational, and sacred cows.

False

Multi-weighted scoring models include only quantitative criteria, not qualitative.

False

Objectives should be specific, marketable, assignable, realistic, and time related.

False

Project estimates should be broken down into as much detail, and with as much accuracy, as possible.

False

Project management skills are not needed in small projects within large organizations.

False

Project management software is important because it will manage the project for the project manager.

False

Project managers should not engage in organizational politics.

False

Responses to all identifiable risks should be a top priority for the project manager.

False

When conducting performance reviews of individuals, begin the process by informing him or her what the team has noticed/observed about his performance.

False Note: Always begin the process by asking the individual to evaluate his contributions to the project.

Ethics are an absolute - what is ethical for your organization will be ethical for all others.

False Note: In practice, this is relatively true for US based firms, but there are numerous firms and cultures who conduct business differently enough that accepted practice may go against ethical norms for your organization.

In project negotiation each negotiator is out to win as much as he or she can for his or her side.

False Note: Many people approach negotiating as if it is a competitive contest. Each negotiator is out to win as much as he or she can for his or her side. Success is measured by how much is gained compared with the other party. While this may be applicable when negotiating the sale of a house, it is not true for project management. Project management is not a contest.

The PV, AC and CV are all not required to assess the current status of the project.

False Note: PV, EV and AC are all required to assess the current status of the project. From these values project variances and efficiency ratios can be calculated.

It is impractical for a subordinate to "manage" a superior.

False Note: While it may seem counterintuitive for a subordinate to "manage" a superior, smart project managers devote considerable time and attention to influencing and garnering the support of top management.

When performing a retrospective for a project, whoever is performing the retrospective needs not to be perceived as being independent and unbiased.

False Note: Without the objective viewpoint, the retrospective can take on a punitive or effusive tone and would be hindered in uncovering both good and bad practices.

A Process Breakdown Structure is a replacement for the Work Breakdown Structure for projects with tangible outcomes.

False Note: Process Breakdown Structures are best suited for efforts that are more process oriented without specific, tangle outcomes e.g. building an information system).

The requirement for a freshly poured foundation to cure before beginning construction is an example of which of the following type of lag?

Finish to Start

While agile project management does not consist of one set method, most methods are based on similar principles. Which of the following agile project management principles would be described when employing business-driven prioritizations of requirements and features to satisfy customer needs?

Focus on customer value Note: Focus on customer value is when agile project management principles would be described when employing business-driven prioritizations of requirements and features to satisfy customer needs.

Consider the following table of activities that describes a project network. After all the crashing you can do is done (assuming you can crash only one activity at a time), how many paths are critical? Which activities remain noncritical? Would you characterize this network as sensitive or insensitive? Activity;Predecessors;Normalduration(days);Crashduration(days);Normal cost;Crash cost A-- 5 3 $1,000 $4,000 BA 8 5 $4,000 $7,000 CA 7 4 $2,000 $4,000 DB, C 6 3 $1,000 $2,000 EB, C 9 5 $5,000 $8,000 FB, C 10 6 $3,000 $5,000 GD, E, F 5 4 $2,000 $5,000

Four critical paths, only D is noncritical, sensitive Note: Initially, the critical activities are A, B, F, and G and the critical path is A-B-F-G. F has the smallest slope so we crash it first. We can only crash it one day; to crash it further would be wasting money as it would take the length of path A-B-F-G to the point where it is no longer critical and path A-B-E-F would become critical with a critical path length of 27. So, we stop after only crashing F one day. Now, two paths are critical—A-B-F-G and A-B-E-G, both of length 27. Next, we look for an activity that is common to both critical paths A-B-F-G and A-B-E-G and crash the one with the smallest slope. There are three critical activities common to both A-B-F-G and A-B-E-G. They are A, B and G. The one with the smallest slope is B. We crash B next. Again, we can only crash B one day. To crash B more than one day is to take the paths A-B-F-G and A-B-E-G beyond the point where they are no longer critical. The path lengths of A-B-F-G and A-B-E-G are now 27, along with paths A-C-F-G and A-C-E-G, which now become critical. There are only two activities common to all four of these critical paths—A and G: We have not crashed these yet, so we do so next. In fact, A and G are common to all of the paths. Based on the normal duration and the crash duration of these two activities, we can only crash A two days and G one day. Doing so, gives us a total project duration of 23 days—five days shorter than the normal crash duration.The only paths that are noncritical are paths A-D-E-G and A-D-E-G. Only D is common to both of these; the other activities in these two paths are all critical. E is our only remaining noncritical activity.We now have four critical paths and only one noncritical activity. This is a very highly sensitive project and the slightest slip in any critical activity could cause the entire project to slip. Schedule risk has increased as a result of the crashing. Before crashing we had only one critical path; after crashing, we have four critical paths. If any one of those four critical paths should slip, the entire project could potentially slip.

Extreme weather conditions belong to which of the following major factor categories?

Geography factors Note: The weather is considered to be a part of the local geography of the destination country.

Organization structures have a connection to projects. Which of the following is NOT true of project management structures?

In selecting a management structure, the culture of the organization is not a huge consideration.

Which of the following correctly calculates the late start for an activity?

LF - DUR

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

MBWA Note: The management style employees at Hewlett-Packard referred to as "management by wandering around" (MBWA) to reflect that managers spend most of their time outside their offices is somewhat of a misnomer in that there is a purpose/pattern behind the "wandering." Through face-to-face interactions, project managers are able to stay in touch with what is really going on in the project and build cooperation essential to project success.

Consider the following table of activities A through E in which A is the start node and E is the stop node. Assume the project starts on Monday, May 4, 2020 and no work is done on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Activity;Duration(days);Predecessor A5-- B5A C10A D4A E5B, C, D On a piece of scratch paper, draw the Gantt Chart for the table above. What is the late start date for activity E?

Monday, May 25, 2020

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

My: A "strong" or "thick" culture would describe the environment within an organization where there is a variety of cultures where the people or employees within the organization are of different ethnicities, races and genders. A "thin" or "weak" culture would be the complete opposite of that of a "strong" or "thick" culture where within an organization's workplace there aren't different people of ethnicities, races or genders. Professor: "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.

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

My: A work package is a building block within the work breakdown structure that includes information such as cost, deadlines, risks, tasks that will be worked on within the project and determines the resources such as technology or materials that will be used. Professor: 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.

****Note to get credit for this question, solve it on paper and upload the photo of your solution as your answer**** Consider the following table of activities A through G in which A is the start node and G is the stop node. Activity;Duration (days);Predecessor A5-- B8A C7A D6A E9B, C, D F10B, C, D G5E, F Draw the network above to determine the following. What is the duration of the critical path?

My: Critical path is ABFG and the duration is 28 days. Professor: Answer should be 28...A path is a sequence of activities that takes you from the start node (activity) through the stop node (activity). All paths through the network have to be completed. There are six paths through this network. The one that takes the longest to complete is the one that determines the duration of the project. The longest path is, by definition, the critical path. All activities on the critical path are called 'critical activities.' All critical activities have zero slack. The duration of the critical path is also the early finish time and late finish time of the stop node.

Two to five years prior to actual execution of a project, companies need rough-cut estimates as to total duration and cost of each of the projects they are considering from a strategic perspective. For these projects they have prior experience doing similar projects in the past. Which method will they use—top down or bottom up and why? Explain.

My: Due to the fact that there were prior experience doing similar projects in the past, top down approach would be used in this case. However, later on a bottom up approach should be used as well in order to have a more precise estimation of project time and costs. Professor: Based on Table 5.1 in the text, top-down estimates are best used for strategic decision making because they are less expensive than bottom-up methods. It's also better to use top-down estimates when there is high uncertainty and unstable scope and the project is small. It's best to use bottom-up estimates when the opposite is true, when cost and time details are important to the customer and when a fixed-price contract is used.

Thinking holistically, suppose a never-before-done project is being estimated in which there is unstable scope. There is high uncertainty in the duration and cost of each work package. What impact will this have on the project schedule and budget? A bottom-up detailed estimate of total project duration, project schedule, project budget and cost is needed immediately prior to execution of the project. What method will you use, assuming a rough-cut top-down estimate of duration and cost already has been determined (perhaps months, years ago) for the entire project?

My: Due to the high uncertainty in the duration and cost of each work package, the project schedule and budget will definitely be limited to make sure not too much or little money is spent on the project. Assuming a rough-cut top-down estimate of duration and cost already has been determined (perhaps month, years ago), a range estimating method can be used for the entire project since we have a past estimate and a bottom-up detailed estimate that we can use to find a range estimate. Professor: The estimates derived from a work package bottom-up calculation of project schedule and budget may be so inaccurate as to not be useful. There are several methods discussed in the chapter that could be applied. However, this seems to be a perfect fit for a hybrid phase estimating method.

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

My: Even if the same project management structure is being used, there are often considerable differences in how projects are managed within certain firms. This is because there can be many factors that can influence a project and how they can be managed. Some of these factors include time, cost and change in decision from clients. These factors can influence how a firm handles a project since it can push for the project to become longer or shorter than expected. Professor: Many researchers attribute these differences to the organizational culture. The organizational culture reflects the personality of the organization.

If your project has spent $75,000 versus a budget of $70,000 and it is a week ahead of schedule, is it a certainty that your project is doing well? Explain why or why not.

My: No, it is not a certainty that the project is doing well because even if it a week ahead of schedule any task that is still needed to complete or even start can end up delaying the project and its duration, The activities that are still needed to complete or start can still increase the cost of the project spent which can result in a greater difference between the project cost and budget that was estimated. Professor: Not necessarily. You need more information to draw that conclusion. You do not know what work has been accomplished for the money spent.

****Note to get credit for this question, solve it on paper and upload the photo of your solution as your answer**** Draw an early-start Gantt Chart for the following table. What does a Gantt Chart tell you that a network chart does not? Activity;Predecessor;Duration (days) A--100 BA60 CA150 DA20 ED30 FB200 GF50 HF, C150 IF60 JG, I, H120 KE30 LH10 MK5 NJ, L, M30

My: Something a Gantt chart can tell you that a network chart does not is how to time manage as well as show you which activities are now to be focused on. Also, unlike the network chart, the Gantt Chart can tell and show you which activities have been completed based on duration (time) and well as the progress of those to be completed. Professor: The Gantt Chart, because its horizontal axis is always a timeline, shows when (what day) each activity will start and end.

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

My: The bottom-up approach would be the best choice to estimating project times and costs under the conditions that cost and time are important, there is a fixed price contract and the customer wants details. Professor: 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, as per Table 5.1 in the text.

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

My: The five steps in defining a project are: define a project scope, establishing project priorities, create the work breakdown structure, code the WBS for the information system, and develop activities, cost and schedule. Define a project scope refers to determining what the mission of the project would be. Establishing project priorities refers to determining how the project will be managed in terms of budget, schedule and performance. The creation of a work breakdown structure will help evaluate the cost, time and performance and who will be responsible for what within the project. Code the WBS for the information system refers to the unique coding that will describe each part of a WBS. Develop activities, cost and schedule refers to the tasks from the work packages in a WBS which will help identify how long it will take, resources needed, etc. Professor: (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.

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

My: The key to exercising influence within an organization is building trust. Trust would be based upon functions of character and competence since employees within an organization gain trust from someone (project manager) that shows positive attitudes towards employees and organization and demonstrates constant effort and completeness in work. Professor: 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.

****Note to get credit for this question, solve it on paper and upload the photo of your solution as your answer**** Consider the following table of activities A through G in which A is the start node and G is the stop node. ActivityDuration (days)PredecessorA5--B8AC7AD6AE9B, C, DF10B, C, DG5E, F Draw the network associated with this table and determine the following. What is the late start time for activity E (how late can activity E start?)?

My: The late start time for activity E (how late can activity E start) is 19 days. Professor: Answer should be 14...The backward pass determines late finish and late start times for all activities. A backward pass starts with the late finish time (which, by convention, is always equal to the early finish time) of the stop node and works backward. The late finish time for activity E is 23. We subtract the duration of activity E from 23 to arrive at the late start time for activity E, which is 14.

What are the major causes of scope creep? What can the project manager do to minimize scope creep within each of these causes?

My: The major causes of scope creep are poor requirement analysis, not involving users early enough, underestimating project complexity, lack of change control, and gold plating. In order to minimize scope creep within each of these causes the project manager is to have a written contract from the very beginning of the contract to show the client what will be done, and communicating often with the client whenever given the chance to give any updates will be helpful as well. Professor: The major causes of scope creep are poor requirements analysis, not involving the users early enough, underestimating project complexity, lack of change control, and gold plating. For each of these there is an obvious remedy that the project manager must apply.

How is the optimum cost-time point determined? What are the conditions that must exist for one to be present at a project duration other than the duration originally created under normal conditions?

My: The optimum cost-time point is where the total costs are the least. The savings from indirect costs must be larger than the increase in direct costs for an optimum cost-time point to be present as a project duration other than the duration originally created under normal conditions. Professor: The optimum cost-time point is the point in the project when total costs (direct costs + indirect costs) are the least. As a project duration is reduced, direct costs increase and indirect costs will decrease each time unit. The savings from indirect costs must be larger than the increase in direct costs in order for an optimum cost-point to be present at a duration other than the duration originally created under normal conditions.

What is the purpose of using tools such as a risk assessment form and a risk severity matrix?

My: The purpose of using tools such as a risk assessment form and a risk severity matrix is that these tools can helps not only evaluate the severity and probability of risks but they also help determine when these risks might happen and detect the difficulty or how much warning before being able to take action towards this risk. Professor: These tools are used to assess risk. After risk identification there are many risks that are trivial and can be ignored. The risk assessment form and risk severity matrix help assess the probability of the event occurring and the impact of the event on the project. After assessment, responses are developed only for risks that pose serious threats to the welfare of the project.

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

My: Three of the 10 primary characteristics of organization culture are: conflict tolerance, member identity and team emphasis. Conflict tolerance refers to pushing organization's employees to work out differences and conflicts openly to help create a better working environment. Member identity refers to how employee's within an organization see themselves as part as a collective in an organization apart from their profession. Team emphasis refers to how an organization focuses on making projects more of a group or team effort rather a just individual pushing for a better organization culture. Professor: 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.

How would you calculate an activity's slope and what does it represent?

My: To calculate an activity's slope I would subtract the crash cost with the normal cost and divide this by the normal time minus the crash time. The activity's slope would represent the rise over run (rise/run). Project managers can use the slope to be able to determine which critical activities to shorten. The critical activity with the smallest slope would be the best choice to crash before others. Professor: An activity's slope is the cost per unit of time to reduce its duration. It is calculated by dividing the rise by the run.

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

My: Two ways a project manager can manage upward relationships is by focusing on the success of the projects to gain support from upwards relationships (upper management) and by motivating the team members who are around and help the project manager. Project managers would be able to focus on the success of the projects given by determining the appropriate budgets, focusing on their unexpected needs and focusing on the importance of the organization. To motivate the team, protect managers would cancel unreasonable demands from upper management, as well as provide the additional resources, and recognize the accomplishments of team members. Professor: 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.

Identify and briefly describe two ways to classify projects with scheduling problems.

My: Two ways to classify projects with scheduling problems are time-constrained and resource-constrained projects. Time-constrained projects must be completed by an imposed date, and time or project duration is fixed and resources are flexible. Resource-constrained projects assume the level of resources available cannot be exceeded, and resources are fixed and time is flexible. In resource-constrained projects, if resources are inadequate, delaying the project is acceptable. Professor: (1) Time-constrained-the end date is fixed and needed resources are available; (2) Resource-constrained-the resources are fixed and the end date is flexible.

When do you know you have crashed project activities enough? In other words, when you are crashing a project, how do you know you are finished?

My: When I am crashing a project, I know when I am finished when the total cost begins to decrease after having increased when crashing began. Also, another sign that you have crashed the project activities enough is when there are no more critical activities to crash when there are no more crash duration days to crash or when the crashing of an activity would no longer affect the duration (positively). Professor: When crashing, you will crash on all critical paths until all activities on at least one critical path have reached its crash point.

When considering risk management, what is an opportunity? List and briefly describe 5 different responses to an opportunity

My: When considering risk management, an opportunity is an event with positive impact on project objectives. Opportunities can also be known as desirable risks. The 5 different responses to an opportunity are: escalate, enhance, share, accept, and exploit. Escalate response are used for risks that opportunities are found outside the scope. The enhance response increases the potential effect of an opportunity. The share response allocates some or all the responsibility of realizing the identified opportunity for the project. Accept responses are used when an identified opportunity is not actively pursued. Exploit responses are used to remove any uncertainty associated with an identified opportunity to ensure it happening. Professor: An opportunity is an event that can have a positive impact on project objectives. One can exploit an opportunity or seek to eliminate the uncertainty associated with it, share an opportunity or allocate some ownership of an opportunity to another party who is best capable of capturing it, enhance the opportunity or increase the probability and/or positive impact of an opportunity, escalate the opportunity by notifying the appropriate people within the organization, or accept the opportunity by taking advantage of it if it occurs, but not pursue it.

What is the difference between contingency reserves and management reserves?

My: While contingency reserves are set up to cover identified risks and are allocated to specific segments or deliverables of the project, management reserves are set up to cover unidentified risks and are allocated to risks associated with the total project. Professor: Contingency reserves are controlled by team participants and have been identified for known risks that have a low chance of occurring and are directly associated with specific work packages. Management reserves are controlled by the project manager and the project "owner" and cover items which were unforeseen usually at the total project level.

Which of the following is a good example of a Process Breakdown Structure?

New software program

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.

Non-financial

A high school basketball coach has noticed that some close relationships have formed as well as feelings of camaraderie and shared responsibilities for the team's success. Which stage of development is the team in?

Norming Note: The norming stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. Feelings of camaraderie and shared responsibility for the project are heightened. The norming phase is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group establishes a common set of expectations about how members should work together.

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

Objectives

The _________ index measures the project percent complete in relation to the resources that were budgeted.

PCIB Note: The PCIB indicates what percentage of work has been completed to date based on planned budget. It is a good indicator of how much of the project has been completed.

A project engineer has been scheduled to run the product system test at the same time as building a marketing prototype. This is an example of what type of resource constraint?

People

One of the primary jobs of a project manager is to manage the trade-offs associated with the project. Which of the following is NOT one of the basic classifications of project priorities?

Profit

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

Profitability alone is not an adequate measure of a project's value to an organization because a project is also dependent on many other factors that doesn't revolve around how much money it makes to see its value. A project can be dependent on every changing technology, ideas, social norms, environment, politics, etc. Because a project is not just reliant on profits, profits should not be the only factor that should represent the value of it to an organization.

Consider the following table of activities A through G in which A is the start node and G is the stop node. Activity;Duration (days);Predecessor A5-- B8A C7A D6A E9B, C, D F10B, C, D G5E, F On a piece of scratch paper, draw the network associated with this table and determine the following. Suppose activity D were to slip by two days, taking its duration from six to eight days. What would be the effect on overall project duration?

Project duration would remain the same.

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

Relationship

If a project is small and does not require an elaborate system to assign tasks, which of the following is a good choice?

Responsibility matrix

Which of the following is not a major activity associated with project closure?

Returning project players to an 'on the beach' status. Note: Instead of returning project players to an 'on the beach' status, project team members are reassigned.

A project manager notices that $5,560 worth of work that was scheduled to be completed at this time has not been accomplished. She knows this by looking at the

SV Note: An SV of -5,560 would indicate that $5,560 worth of work that was scheduled to be completed at this time has not been accomplished.

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

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT is a planning model that helps organizations know in what ways they can improve and do better from an internal and external prospective.

This response allocates some or all of the responsibility of realizing the identified opportunity for the project.

Share

Why do project managers need to understand their organization's mission and strategy?

So they can make appropriate decisions and adjustments and be effective project advocates

Scrum uses a series of coordinated meetings to manage the development process. Which of the following is held at the start of each sprint? During this meeting the product owner and development team negotiate which product backlog items the team will attempt during the next sprint.

Sprint planning meeting Note: The sprint planning meeting is held at the start of each sprint. The product owner is responsible for identifying which features are most important, and the team is responsible for determining what is possible within the sprint.

The organization and project team views are part of what step within the audit process?

Step 2: Data Collection and Analysis Note: The organization and project team views are part of Step 2: Data Collection and Analysis.

Which of the following is part of the traditional approach to managing contracted relationships?

Structured communications Note: Suspicion and distrust, independent project teams, structured communications, single project contracting, limited objectivity, limited access to other organization's resources, involvement is limited to project-level personnel, and risk is transferred to the other party all characterize the traditional approach to managing contracted relationships.

How would you mark Time, Performance and Cost on a Project Priority Matrix if your software product had to be done for the trade show, should include as much functionality as possible without much concern for cost. Fill out the Project Priority Matrix below:

The correct answer is the following: _____________________Time__________Performance___________Cost__________ Constrain XXX Enhance XXX Accept XXX Time has to be constrained—there is no flexibility in terms of completion time—the product has to be ready by the trade show date. You want as much functionality as possible so you would endeavor to enhance performance. You will accept whatever cost consequences accrue as you work on the other two dimensions.

How would you mark Time, Performance and Cost on a Project Priority Matrix if you wanted to be first to market with your product to garner market share. You are willing to defer original scope requirements to later versions in order to get to the market first. Going over budget is acceptable but not desirable. Fill out the Project Priority Matrix below by marking (X):

The correct answer is the following: ______________________Time________Performance________Cost________ Constrain XXX Enhance XXX Accept XXX Time has to be enhanced—in this case reduced at all costs. Performance has to be constrained in order to enhance (reduce) time. You will accept whatever cost consequences accrue as you work on the other two dimensions.

Describe the four phases of the traditional project life cycle. Which phase do you think would be the most difficult one to complete?

The four phases of the traditional project life cycle are: defining, planning, executing, and closing. Defining is determining the organization's mission. Planning is formulating a strategy. Executing is where the strategies made are implemented and taken into action. Closing is where the project has been checked for completion and made sure it is well executed. I think the most difficult phase to complete would be executing because there would be many ways that might come up that were unforeseen that can completely negatively affect how the project is working out.

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

The major differences between managing a process and managing a project are that project managing involves definite duration, they are scheduled, they are unique, and has a closure while a process has continous and even driven.

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

The product life cycle involves the steps used by a company or organizations to introduce a product effectively into the market. The product life cycle includes: development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The product's life cycle must involve and revolve around the company/organizations project's life cycle. By this it means that both the life cycle of a product and project must have a similar mission where the company produces the product since it is aligned with the mission and scope and they will plan the product's life cycle in its introduction and development based on their own planning strategies. The project life cycle, however, has the following phases: defining, planning, executing and closing.

The PM receives the following information on a project: PV = 10,000, EV = 10,000, AC = 8,000, BAC = 20,000, EAC = 13,333. How is the project doing in terms of schedule?

The same amount of work has been done than planned Note: To find out how well this project is doing in terms of schedule, the SV will need to be calculated by subtracting PV from EV. The result is a 0, which indicates that same amount of work has been done as planned

When looking at the critical path for a delayed project and the project manager sees that adding resources will reduce or remove the delay, the project manager knows that the project is:

Time-Constrained.

A risk is an uncertain event that, if it occurs, can have a positive or negative effect on project objectives.

True

A risk profile is a list of questions that have been developed and refined from previous, similar projects.

True

If indirect costs are a significant percentage of total project costs, reductions in project time can represent very real savings.

True

Securing the cooperation of customers to devote the necessary time to support agile project management is a common source of frustration in the field.

True Note: Agile requires active customer involvement. Soliciting the active participation of external customers can be problematic. Even though there is consistent evidence that customer participation enhances project success, not all customers want to be that actively involved. Many are simply too busy. Others believe that they hired the project team so they would not have to be involved.

Co-location of team members, team names, and team rituals are common vehicles for establishing a team identity.

True Note: Effective use of meetings, co-location of team members, a creation of a team name, having the team work together before the project begins and team rituals are all ways a project manager can help establish a team identity.

Team members can be upset and dissatisfied with conflict, but as long as the disagreement furthers the objectives of the project, then the conflict is functional.

True Note: Members can be upset and dissatisfied with the interchange, but as long as the disagreement furthers the objectives of the project, then the conflict is functional. Project managers should recognize that conflict is an inevitable and even a desirable part of project work; the key is to encourage functional conflict and manage dysfunctional conflict.

A successful project manager must build a cooperative, mutually beneficial network generally governed by the law of reciprocity.

True Note: Networks are mutually beneficial alliances that are generally governed by the law of reciprocity. The primary way to gain cooperation is to provide resources and services for others in exchange for future resources and services. This is the age-old maxim: "Quid pro quo (something for something)." Or in today's vernacular: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Conflict is inevitable and can be a desirable part of project work.

True Note: Project managers should recognize that conflict is inevitable and even a desirable part of project work; the key is to encourage functional conflict and manage dysfunctional conflict.

Relationship-related currencies have more to do with strengthening the relationship with someone than directly accomplishing the project tasks

True Note: Relationship-related currencies have more to do with strengthening the relationship with someone than directly accomplishing the project tasks. The essence of this form of influence is forming a relationship that transcends normal professional boundaries and extends into the realm of friendship.

The third phase of the Scrum development process is to build the feature so that it is functional.

True Note: Specific features are created according to four distinct phases: analysis, design, build, and test. The first phase is analysis and review of functional requirements that will be needed to complete the feature. The second phase is the development of a design that meets the requirements of the feature. The third phase is to build the feature so that it is functional. Finally, the feature is tested and documented.

A partnering charter states the common goals for the project as well as the procedures that will be used to achieve these goals.

True Note: The team-building sessions often culminate with the creation of a partnering charter signed by all of the participants. This charter states their common goals for the project as well as the procedures that will be used to achieve these goals.

Progress and performance can be measured quantitatively as well as qualitatively.

True Note: Time and budgets are quantitative measures of performance that readily fit into the integrated information system. Qualitative measures such as meeting customer technical specifications and product function are most frequently determined by on-site inspection or actual use.

The project manager must quickly establish operational ground rules for how the team will work together. These include planning, tracking, managing change, and relationship decisions. Which of the following is an example of a planning decision?

What are the specific roles and responsibilities of all the participants? Note: The specific roles and responsibilities of all the participants would be considered a planning decision: what departments will the team need to interact with during the project would be considered a relationship decision; who will generate and distribute reports and how progress will be assessed would both be considered tracking decisions; how changes will be documented and evaluated would be considered a managing change decisions.

Which of the following would be an appropriate situation to require facilitating group decision making?

When strong group commitment is needed to decide methods to reduce project scope. Note: Most decisions on a project do not require a formal meeting to discuss alternatives and determine solutions. Instead decisions are made in real time as part of the daily interaction between project managers, stakeholders, and team members. Group decision making should be used when it will improve the quality of important decisions. This is often the case with complex problems that require the input of a variety of different specialists. Group decision making should also be used when strong commitment to the decision is needed and there is a low probability of acceptance if only one person makes the decision.

****Note to get credit for this question, solve it on paper and upload the photo of your solution as your answer**** Determine the critical path, total slacks for each activity and project duration for the network represented by the following table. Discuss the degree of sensitivity embodied by the network. Activity;Predecessor;Duration (days) A--1 BA30 CA60 DA30 ED20 FB45 GC,F95 HG50 IE50 JI90 KH,J,L75 LC155 MK120 NM20

Your Answer: The critical path is ABFGHKMN. The project duration is 436 days. Based on the network, there shows a lot of sensitivity since there are many activities further down the project network that relies heavily on a much earlier activity within the project. Due to this, any lag within the project can change the critical path and project duration.

One of the ways to allow others to build trust in you is to

behave in a consistent manner. Note: Consistent behavior is a distinguishing trait of character.

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

A CPI index of 1.18 indicates that the project is currently ________ schedule.

can not be determined Note: A CPI of 1.18 means that $1.18 of value has been earned for every $1 that has been spent at that point in the project. The project would be under budget, but there is no way to determine where the project is relative to schedule with this information.

Which of the following is not a type of project closure?

cancelled project Note: The five types of project closure are Normal, Premature, Perpetual, Failed Project and Changed Priority closure.

Managing a project and leading a project are two different things. Project leadership is about coping with

change. Note: Project managers often have to deviate from what was planned and introduce significant changes in the project scope and schedule to respond to unforeseen threats or opportunities.

The final step in defining a project is __________ the WBS for the information system.

coding the WBS

The most common circumstance for project closure is simply a ________ project.

completed Note: The most common circumstance for project closure is simply a completed project.

Scope creep results in changes to requirements, specifications, and priorities and these in turn result in _____ and _____.

cost overruns; delays

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

defining

Culture is a concept that encompasses all of the following EXCEPT

economic level. Note: Culture is defined as a system of shared norms, beliefs, values, and customs that bind people together, creating shared meaning and a unique identity.

Whether a client is dissatisfied or delighted with a project is not based on hard facts and objective data but on perceptions and _________.

expectations Note: Whether a client is dissatisfied or delighted with a project is not based on hard facts and objective data but on perceptions and expectations. Project managers must be skilled at managing customer expectations and perceptions.

A guide who leads the project team through an analysis of project activities that went well and of what needs improvement and development of a follow-up action plan with goals and accountability is known as a project ____________.

facilitator Note: The retrospective methodology uses an independent facilitator to collect and implement lessons learned to improve management of current and future projects. A project facilitator is a guide who leads the project team through an analysis of project activities that went well and of what needs improvement and development of a follow-up action plan with goals and accountability.

A __________ is defined as a piece of a product that delivers some useful functionality to a customer.

feature Note: In place of a product WBS, Scrum uses product features as deliverables. A feature is defined as a piece of a product that delivers some useful functionality to a customer.

A very good way to overcome culture shock is to __________.

find a stress management technique that works for you. Note: Stress management is important as you will have change within your entire life, not just the job change.

A young professional man is working on a project involving the upgrading of a management information system. The project is being managed by the information systems department with the coordination of other departments occurring through normal channels. This professional is working in a _________ organization.

functional

A project that depends upon a high ratio of vendor suppliers, good roads, and other transportation modes, such as air and seaports is an example of the __________ environmental factor.

infrastructure Note: If the project depends on a high ratio of vendor suppliers, good roads, and other transportation modes such as air and seaports, a good infrastructure will be imperative.

In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, being involved in a task that has a large significance and having a chance to do something important and do it well are examples of ______-related currencies.

inspiration

Typically, a project sponsor is

instrumental in approving a project and key to support a project to its' completion.

For large projects, scaling can be used in which several teams work on sprints concurrently. The chief challenge with scaling is _________.

integration Note: The chief challenge of scaling is integration—making sure that the different features being created work in harmony with each other.

The minimum amount of time a dependent activity must be delayed to begin or end is referred to as

lag.

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

The pattern of improvement identified from a worker having performed a task multiple times is known as a

learning curve.

In selecting the best activity to crash you would first select the activity with the

least steep slope.

The project scope statement indicates that the client is responsible for training the people who will be using the equipment and that the project team will train the client's trainers. This is an example of

limits and exclusions.

The relationship between the normal point and the crash point is assumed to be

linear

The use of meetings outside of accepted work hours to get a project back on schedule is an example of ______ reinforcement to motivate project performance.

negative Note: Project managers do not have direct authority over many key people, especially the contractors from the other companies. They do, however, have the freedom to convene meetings at their convenience. A project manager instituted daily "coordination meetings," which were required of all the principals involved, at 6:30 A.M. The meetings continued for about two weeks until the project got back on schedule. At that time the project manager announced that the next meeting was canceled, and no further sunrise meetings were ever scheduled.

Given that the AC = 500, PV = 400 and EV = 300, this project is currently _________ budget and ______ schedule.

over, behind Note: The cost variance is determined by subtracting the AC from the EV. This results in a negative $200. Thus, more has been spent than has been accomplished. The schedule variance is determined by subtracting the PV from the EV. This results in a negative $100. Thus, the project has not accomplished what was planned to have been accomplished at this point in time.

Customer satisfaction can be quantified by

perceived performance divided by expected performance. Note: The Met-Expectations Model of customer satisfaction shows that customer satisfaction can be calculated by dividing perceived performance by expected performance. A number below one indicates the customer was dissatisfied or the way they perceived your performance didn't meet their expectations. A value above one indicates a happy customer or the way they perceived your performance was more than what they expected.

The __________ is the customer's prioritized list of key features desired when the project is completed.

product backlog Note: The product backlog is the customer's prioritized list of key features desired when the project is completed. The product owner controls the product backlog.

The purpose of all maturity models is to enable organizations to assess their _____ in implementing the best practices in their industry and move to _______.

progress, improvement Note: Maturity models enable organizations to assess their progress in implementing the best practices in their industry and move to improvement.

A technology firm has assigned a project manager for each of the five new-product teams. The managers, as well as the project team members, work on the projects on a full-time basis. The structure being used is ________ organization.

projectized

Cost __________ is a major advantage of outsourcing project work because companies can secure competitive prices for contracted services, especially if the work can be outsourced offshore.

reduction Note: Cost reduction is where companies can secure competitive prices for contracted services, especially if the work can be outsourced offshore. Furthermore, overhead costs are dramatically cut since the company no longer has to internally maintain the contracted services.

In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, providing friendship, giving emotional backing, and listening to others' concerns and issues are examples of _______-related currencies.

relationship Note: These currencies have more to do with strengthening the relationship with someone than directly accomplishing the project tasks.

When only one person is responsible for performing several activities, all due at the same time, this is an example of a(n) ________ constraint.

resource

If resources are not adequate to meet peak demands, the resulting reschedule is termed

resource-constrained scheduling.

When considering risk response development, assuming the risk because the chance of such an event is slim is known as _________ the risk.

retaining

One approach for the project manager to digest, clarify and understand the factors leading to the selection of a specific international project is to use a __________ matrix.

risk Note: As the project manager studies the factors contributing to site selection, he will see that inherent in all of these factors is the risk level senior management and directors are willing to accept for the potential rewards of a successful international project. One approach for the project manager to digest, clarify and understand the factors leading to the selection of a specific international project is to use a risk matrix.

When using the partnering approach to manage contracted relationships, ________ is shared jointly among the partners, which encourages innovation and continuous improvement.

risk Note: In the partnering approach, risk is shared jointly among the partners, which encourages innovation and continuous improvement. In the traditional approach, risk is transferred to the other party.

Organizations use __________ in conjunction with work breakdown structures to help management teams identify and eventually analyze risk.

risk breakdown structures

A list of questions that address traditional areas of uncertainty on a project is termed a

risk profile.

The risk management tool that is divided into three color-coded zones representing major, moderate, and minor risks is the risk

severity matrix.

In the traditional approach to managing contracted relationships, _________ project contracting is normal.

single

When project managers know an activity's ________, they are able to compare which critical activities to shorten.

slope or crash cost per unit

Which dimension of project management centers on creating a temporary social system within a larger organizational environment that combines the talents of a divergent set of professionals working to complete the project?

sociocultural

When considering risk response development, passing risk to another party instead of changing it is known as ____________ the risk.

transferring

While some conflict can be beneficial, the absence of conflict can mask

useful information.

A "Dissemination Mode" is

what defines how project communication is to occur.

Ultimate success of the project is determined by

whether the customer is happy. Note: Ultimate success is not determined by whether the project was completed on time, within budget, or according to specifications, but whether the customer is satisfied with what has been accomplished.

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

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

work breakdown structure

Information to develop a project network is collected from the

work breakdown structure.

Direct costs are assignable directly to a particular ________.

work package and activity

When creating a project network, your primary input source will be the

work package.