Project Management Chapter Assignment 1-8
In today's fast-paced environment where product life cycles are shrinking and global competition is the norm, an organization driven to launch a product quickly might be tempted to push a project team to work overtime over long stretches. Which of the twelve Agile principles directly addresses this tendency and offers a different approach?
Agile process is meant to create sustainable development
Which of these is NOT one of the three reasons that project managers and teams should look at risks when creating the project charter?
All possible types of uncertainty—risks, assumptions, and constraints—must be identified and resolved prior to completion of the project charter.
The Six Sigma approach to quality improvement uses the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) model. In which phase of the DMAIC model are root causes identified and statistically proven?
Analyze
A project charter is like an informal contract between the project team and the sponsor. However, there are some important differences between a charter and a contract. Which of these statements about project charters vs. contracts is NOT valid?
Both parties to a charter and a contract feel obligated to the spirit of the document
A project manager and team are working for an automotive manufacturer on a project to design a self-driving automobile. They have worked with the customer to identify all of the characteristics the automobile should have to satisfy the customer's stated needs. They have identified the deliverables that will need to be created to meet the requirements, and have developed a project schedule that the client has approved. Which of the answers below does NOT describe one of the project constraints that the team has addressed so far?
Budget
A tool called a scoring model helps to select and prioritize among potential projects. Which of these is NOT an advantage of using a scoring model for selecting projects?
By comparing expected project costs to expected benefits, scoring models can be used to make project investment decisions.
Which of these is NOT one of the four common ways of classifying projects?
Classify by Geographic Location
All projects go through predictable stages called a project life cycle, where the project moves through a series of phases from project initiation to project closure. During which of these phases are loose ends tied up?
Closing and realizing
The Standard for Project Management ANSI/PMI 99-001-2021 defines twelve project delivery principles that provide general guidance for behavior on projects. Which of the answers below does NOT reflect one of the twelve delivery principles?
Command and control the project team
All of these are causes of project failure EXCEPT
Complete, clear requirements
All but one of the projects described below would be best planned using an adaptive or change-driven life cycle. For which of these examples would adaptive or change-driven planning NOT be appropriate?
Construction of a new parking garage
Which of these is one of the associate project roles?
Core team member
All of the following factors should be assessed to determine an organization's ability to perform projects EXCEPT:
Do teams and individuals follow instructions well?
Which of these scenarios would NOT be considered a cause of project failure?
Project participants learn new skills
Which of these would be considered an adequate description of project success?
Project resulted in market share growth, new products launched, and new technology capabilities.
Which of the statements below DOES NOT accurately describe one of the four major purposes for a project charter?
Provides the detailed project scope, schedule, and budget to be completed by the team
Once projects have been selected, decision makers will go through a prioritization process where they decide which projects will receive resources and be scheduled to begin first. In a predictive project management approach, scoring models and resource assignment matrices are used to determine the starting order of projects. In Agile organizations, other techniques are used to prioritize projects. Which of these is an Agile technique for prioritizing projects?
Relative priority ranking
A project to build a new playground near an elementary school has been approved by the city council, and funds have been set aside for the project. The land for the playground was previously a vacant lot and has been donated to the city by its owner. This initiative will affect a number of stakeholders and stakeholder groups. Which of the individuals or groups listed below would NOT be a project stakeholder for the playground?
Retail stores in the city
This is defined as an incremental increase in the work of a project without corresponding adjustments to resources, budget, or schedule.
Scope creep
Which of the ten areas defined in the PMBOK Guide 6e includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully?
Scope management
This element of the project charter is the project in a nutshell: a high-level description of what needs to be accomplished and how it will be done. It defines the project boundaries, and states at a high level what is included and what is not.
Scope overview
Using the TriHealth Project Charter Decision Matrix example in Exhibit 3.2 as a guide, which of these would NOT be a reason to complete a full project charter?
Simple communication plan or unit-based education
Which of these would NOT be one of the things negotiated between a client company and a contractor company?
Source selection criteria
With whom may the project manager and team need to negotiate when creating the charter?
Sponsor
The project manager is working with the project sponsor to create the project charter for a medium-sized project. In the Milestone Schedule with Acceptance Criteria section of the project charter, how many intermediate milestones should they include?
Three to eight
Financial models are useful in ensuring that selected projects make sense from both cost and return-on-investment perspectives. Nonetheless, we must understand the weaknesses of these models before they are used. Which of these is NOT a weakness or disadvantage of using a financial model for project evaluation and selection?
Use of financial models can ensure that selected projects make sense from both cost and return-on-investment perspectives.
Which of the answers below does NOT describe one of the four core values of Agile that were set forth in the Agile Manifesto?
Value negotiation more than customer collaboration
Which organization structure is often used for small projects that require most of their work from a single department?
a. Functional organization
Team operating principles are sometimes established to enhance team performance. Which of the following statements accurately describes the value of establishing team operating principles?
a. Operating principles increase team effectiveness and ensure that all parties are aware of what is expected of them.
For projects internal to the organization, which of these traditional project executive roles might participate in or be responsible for selection of the project manager and the core team?
a. Steering team
The project manager for a construction company is working on a project for an external client. Which reason below best explains why it is important for this project manager to understand the cultures of both organizations?
a. To facilitate effective project communications and decision making
Why should a project manager show courage to create an ethical project culture where others are encouraged to make the right decisions?
a. When a spirit of mutual trust prevails and people know how to act, they will produce better ideas and partner more effectively within the team and with other stakeholders.
During the chartering process, project managers and teams should look to work together to identify and assess any negative risks that could inhibit successful project completion. Major risks that are important enough to require a formal response plan are also assigned an owner. Major risks require an owner because:
a. it is the owner who is responsible for making sure that risk response plan(s) is enacted if/when necessary.
With a blank, new project open in MS Project, click File tab>>Options>>Schedule. In the "Scheduling options for this project" section, change the dropdown to "All New Projects." Then change the "New tasks created" option to __________ and click OK. This will cause the program to calculate the projects' running schedule based on task start and finish dates.
b. Auto Scheduled
Who is responsible for ensuring that the organization's steering team completes its tasks to identify, select, prioritize, resource, charter, and monitor & control the implementation of projects?
b. Chief projects officer (CPO)
Organizational values guide project managers and provide them with a moral compass. Values provide a frame of reference to set priorities and determine right and wrong. Which of the answers below is NOT an example of how values can guide a project manager's actions?
b. Determine how the organization likes to communicate internally and externally
One framework distinguishes four types of organizational culture according to what is the most powerful motivator. In which type of organizational culture is it more important to get the job done than to worry about who does the work or who gets credit?
b. Task culture
Project managers and teams should consider risks and include them in the project charter for all the following reasons EXCEPT:
b. all project risks should be eliminated before the project charter is signed.
In a matrix organization, the project manager or project lead shares responsibility and accountability for the project with functional managers. A strong project matrix is different from a weak matrix in that:
b. in a strong matrix the project manager is strong; they have more power than the functional manager.
Which of these is NOT an advantage of a projectized organization?
c. Clear career path for professionals
What are the four columns in a milestone schedule?
c. Milestone, completion date, stakeholder judge, acceptance criteria
Which of the following statements accurately describes the responsibilities typically associated with the development of the project charter?
d. more often than not, the project manager writes the draft project charter.
The addition of acceptance criteria factors to the milestone schedule in a project charter helps the team understand who will judge the quality of the deliverable associated with each milestone, and _____.
d. the criteria that will be used to assess it.
When the values and principles of Agile influence a leader's thoughts and beliefs, they are "being Agile"; when they use the tools and metrics that spawn from these values and principles, they are ____________:
doing Agile
All of these are characteristics of programs EXCEPT:
high-level component plans
Achieving project success is determined by all of the following EXCEPT:
involving only important key stakeholders
The benefit of performing a sensitivity analysis while using a scoring model to choose projects is that:
it allows management to examine what would happen to a decision if factors were to change.
Typically, a steering or leadership team is responsible for:
selecting, prioritizing and resourcing projects
All of the following may be negotiated between a client company and a contractor EXCEPT:
selection criteria for scoring models
An adaptive, change-driven life cycle approach works well when:
there is significant uncertainty at the start of the project and many changes are likely
Which of the following actions will likely cause a project to fail?
unclear or unrealistic stakeholder expectations
The project charter should help the project team and the project sponsor to develop a common understanding of what the project is all about. All of the following items are additional benefits EXCEPT:
understanding of the detailed project schedule and budget
Portfolio management is the centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic objectives. The first part of setting the organization's strategic direction is to perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. Next is the creation of a one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term, desired change or direction resulting from an organization or program's work. This statement is called a __________.
vision statement
In the SWOT analysis example in Exhibit 2.2, we learned that ForwardVu is an organization with reputable brand and strong financials. However, they must address several weaknesses to leverage external opportunities. In the ForwardVu SWOT analysis, topics including marketing and business development, technology, diversification, and skills were all placed in the __________ category.
weaknesses
Contractor companies might perform a quick SWOT analysis prior to bidding on a potential project, to compare their strengths and weaknesses to those of their competitors. Before bidding on the project, they might also consider all of these other factors EXCEPT:
weighted score for the project.
The project charter serves all of the following purposes EXCEPT:
d. describes skill sets needed for the project
What is the definition of a project charter?
A short document that grants the project manager the right to continue working on the more detailed planning phase of a project
All of the following factors influence the opportunities and threats an organization must consider when performing a strategic analysis EXCEPT:
Employees
Who should be involved in identifying potential projects?
Employees at all levels
The majority of the "hands-on" tasks are typically completed at which stage of the project life cycle?
Executing
The majority of the "hands-on" tasks are typically completed during what stage of a project life cycle?
Executing
Which of the four values in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is modeled by the behavior described as "make decisions and act impartially?"
Fairness
Which of these is NOT one of the project executive-level roles?
Functional manager
Which of these is NOT one of the four ways to classify projects that help people understand the unique needs of each?
Geographic location
The signing of the project charter marks the transition between which two phases of the project life cycle?
Initiating and planning
The PMBOK Guide 7e describes eight project performance domains, groups of critical, related, and overlapping activities that are needed on all projects. In which performance domain would the desired outcomes include: a reliable understanding of project status, actionable data for decision making, actions to keep performance on track, and achieving targets?
Measurement Performance Domain
All but one of these is a type of resource that might be included in the Resources Needed section of the charter. Which type of resource would typically NOT be included in this section?
Office supplies
Source selection criteria for selecting a contractor might include: production capacity, business size and type, past performance, and references. These are all examples of typical criteria within which category?
Operational
What does the "Talent Triangle" refer to?
PMI's research findings that to be a successful project manager, one must develop knowledge and skills in technical areas, leadership, and strategic business management
Which of the following statements correctly describes a weakness associated with the financial project selection model?
Payback period models do not consider the profit to be realized after the costs are paid.
If several projects have close scores as the result of a scoring model, what can be done to break the virtual tie?
Perform a sensitivity analysis to examine what would happen to the decision if factors changed.
Which of the characteristics below does NOT describe a project?
Permanent
All of the following statements concerning project portfolios are true EXCEPT:
Portfolios cannot include operations.
The executive leadership of a Fortune 100 organization approved a major initiative to build a new corporate headquarters in the upcoming fiscal year. During the selection and initiating stage of the construction project, the project manager worked with the Project Sponsor on a Project Charter. The sponsor signed the charter, authorizing the project manager to commit company resources to the project. The PM and team used this high-level information as a basis for preparing detailed project plans, including a detailed schedule and project end date, a time-phased budget, and other plans for all of the 10 PMBOK® 6e Knowledge Areas. Before starting project execution, the project manager obtained final sign-off on the baselines for scope, schedule, and cost and for the other plan documents. What life cycle was being used by the project manager and the team?
Predictive
This Agile term used in project selection and prioritization represents a wish-list of things that may be created by the project team.
Product backlog
Why could it be helpful to add a background section to a project charter?
The background statement provides more detail to understand the rationale and purpose behind the Scope Overview and the Business Case statements
In a departmental staff meeting, the compliance officer of a U.S. medical records company announced a new project to expand the online records database by converting several years of hard copy archives to digital information. They assigned a project manager, and initial time and cost estimates were created. The project was quickly underway. The PM soon realized that a key stakeholder had not been consulted during planning, and several critical requirements for the conversion had been overlooked. Senior Management, belatedly made aware of the project, also questioned its importance and reassigned one of the key team members to a high profile project that satisfied important strategic goals for the organization. Which of these statements about the project's success or failure is not true?
The project is a success because it addresses the compliance officer's departmental goals.
Which of the following statements best describes the contemporary use of financial models and scoring models for project selection?
These approaches are often used together to ensure both financial and non-financial factors are considered when selecting projects
All projects go through a predictable pattern of activity, referred to as a project life cycle. The major types of project life cycle models have some things in common. Which of these is a characteristic that all project life cycles have in common?
c. They all involve a series of phases that need to be completed and approved before proceeding to the next phase.
Agile is a form of adaptive or change-driven project management that largely reacts to what has happened in the early or previous stages of a project rather than planning everything in detail from the start. All of these are characteristics of an Agile life cycle model that distinguish it from other life cycle methodologies EXCEPT:
c. a plan-driven model with phases including: selecting and initiating, planning, executing, and closing and realizing benefits.
An organizational technique in which project team members are moved to alternate locations to allow them to better work with one another, and on the project in general, is called __________.
c. co-location
A project sponsor is wise not to sign a project charter authorizing work until the project manager and team show that they have ____:
c. demonstrated their knowledge about past lessons from recently completed projects.
The milestone schedule in the project charter:
c. is a high-level plan that indicates a few significant accomplishments anticipated over the life of the project.
On Agile projects the first iteration is planned as a milestone with acceptance criteria. However, subsequent milestones and acceptance criteria are determined on a ___:
c. just in time (JIT) basis
During iteration planning in an Agile project, agreement is reached regarding:
c. the "definition of done."
When the project sponsor and manager are determining how to create the project culture, ethics should be an important consideration. The project manager and sponsor need to act in the best interest of all of these constituencies EXCEPT:
c. the project management office (PMO).
Which of these activities is NOT the responsibility of the steering team?
d. Select and mentor project manager, charter project
Project management is best described as including administrative and technical/managerial tasks for planning, documenting, and controlling work, as well as __________.
leadership tasks for visioning, motivating, and promoting work associates
All of these are measures of success on Agile projects EXCEPT:
meeting agreements
________ between a client company and a contractor company should aim for a win-win solution, and the outcome must benefit both the parties involved in the negotiation.
negotiations
The most widely accepted financial model for selecting projects is __________.
net present value (NPV)
The length of a typical project charter is generally __________.
one to four pages
All of these would typically be included in a mission statement EXCEPT:
organization's operational procedures.
Which of the following is NOT a typical source selection criterion that an organization would use to evaluate potential contractors?
personalities
Which of the following examples is NOT a typical or appropriate situation to employ project management?
processing deposits and withdrawals in a bank
Assessing an organization's strengths and weaknesses is an essential part of aligning projects with the organization. A project may be difficult to complete successfully if it supports the organization's goals, but the organization does not have the right capabilities. All of these are factors that could cause the project to be unsuccessful EXCEPT:
project management processes are clearly defined and understood.
The rough draft of the project charter is typically written by the __________.
project manager
Projects are different from ongoing operations, in that:
projects are unique, temporary efforts that have a definite beginning and a definite ending
A clear and inspirational vision statement will have all the following characteristics EXCEPT:
provide a detailed roadmap for managing a project
In a project scoring model, the leadership team agrees on a list of important criteria. After identifying any mandatory criteria, the leadership team determines the __________ of each decision criterion.
relative importance or weight
