Project Management

What differentiates a project from a task?

Projects are often performed by a team, while tasks are often performed individually.

Which choice is a legitimate reason to close a project prematurely?

When project managers recognize that operational stakeholders are never going to agree on or commit to a clear requirements statement.

What is another name for an executive summary?

Project charter.

What does a CPI of 0.22 calculated mid-way through your project indicate?

$0.22 is earned for every dollar spent. (This is determined by dividing BCWP by ACWP.)

Which of the following is the best action to take when a project team member displays a lack of commitment?

A project manager should determine the root cause for the lack of commitment.

Which of the following statements best defines a work package?

A self-contained shell that describes what is to be done, who is to do it and when it needs to be done.

What is a common approach to deal with conflict?

Avoidance

Which of the following is a recommended action regarding project celebrations?

Base the celebration on what was accomplished and also on the duration and difficulty of your project.

Why has risk management emerged as a growing field within project management?

Because of excessive project failures.

Why is control considered more critical than planning for project management?

Because of the possibility that many things will turn out differently than expected.

Why is a below budget AC misleading as related to a desirable condition regarding earned value?

Because the EV may be below plan.

What is true regarding breakthrough thinking?

Breakthrough thinking is desired because it generates novel and creative solutions.

How are project teams usually assembled?

By Management

How can the concept of prevention help improve the quality of your project?

By identifying and reducing/eliminating the root cause of a problem.

How can control be used as a motivating force?

By setting targets that are challenging yet achievable.

When should team building for a project occur?

Continuously.

Which of the following factors are the most important for a successful project?

Existence of a project plan and schedule.

What is the primary relationship between planning and control?

Control is activated once your project is in progress.

Which of the following is the first step of an audit?

Define the objectives.

How does empowerment of a project team differ from delegation?

Delegation is typically done on a case-by-case basis while empowerment is performed on a larger scale.

What is the most important requirement for a project to successfully continue?

Deliverables must be acceptable.

What aspect of the project closure phase assists with future projects?

Determine lessons learned.

What is the intent of project closure?

Determine what was done well and identify opportunities for improvement for future projects.

What is the number-one rule of brainstorming that is most frequently violated?

Discussion of ideas.

Which of the following conditions are desirable when using earned value?

EV above plan, AC below plan.

Which of the following statements represents the best way to use performance measurements to control your project?

Establish performance thresholds that when exceeded, trigger you to respond.

How do ethics relate to politics?

Ethics influence political behavior.

Which type of control is known as Preliminary Control?

Feedforward control.

What is an effective way to make sure that your project is a strategic fit?

Focus on return on investment.

What is the most fundamental purpose of brainstorming?

Generate ideas.

What is the first step to take to make ethical decisions?

Identify and understand the facts.

What statement is true regarding organizational politics?

If you are a top performer, you play a minimal amount of politics.

What is the best way to ensure that project closure takes place as desired?

Include the project closure phase in your project plan and make sure that the project does not end until closure takes place.

What is best way to manage customers during the early stages of a project?

Involve customers in your project plan's development, review, and approval.

What is the significance of Communities of Practice offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI)?

It is a specific member focus area by industry or topic.

What is the nature of the first team-building session?

It is designed to get the team to open up and learn about one another.

What makes a project unique?

It is done only once

What does the principle of the limiting factor refer to?

It is the greatest constraint for a project.

Which of the following activities is the most difficult part of communication?

Listening

Which activity produces better plans through a collaborative effort between employees and management?

Management by objectives.

Which of the following activities should a project manager delegate to a project team?

Monitoring and Control.

Which of the following statements is true regarding negotiation and project management?

Most people do not negotiate well.

Which of the following statements is true regarding project planning?

Planning produces standards or milestones used for control purposes.

Which of the following choices is the best way to manage conflict?

Problem solving.

When using the project planning hierarchy, which activity represents first level planning?

Project Definition

Which method is an excellent way of making sure that customer requirements are clearly communicated throughout an organization?

Quality Function Deployment.

Which of the following choices is the most important element to properly disband a project team?

Recognize and reassign team members so they want to work on future projects.

Which of the following conditions are essential for a well-developed project strategy?

Risk minimization.

Which project management variable encompasses key boundaries?

Scope.

Which of the following activities occurs earliest in the control process?

Setting a standard.

Which of the following activities takes place during the conceptualization and definition phase?

Setting preliminary objectives.

What is the best way to obtain outside resources for your project?

Solicit support from your company's procurement department.

What is the best definition for the means to reach desired project outcomes?

Strategy

Which condition presents the greatest challenge in project management?

The appearance of stakeholders that were not identified during the beginning of a project.

Which statement is true regarding the sequencing of project activities?

The order of the tasks depends on how they relate to the project due dates.

Which of the following is an example of engineered control standards?

Time studies performed by a project team at your organization.

When you manage project trade-offs, what variables do you consider?

Time, performance, and cost.

Regarding project goals, what is the result of having many stakeholders to satisfy?

Unclear project goals.

Which question is the most fundamental in developing a strategic plan?

Who are our customers?

Which of the following choices effectively plan and use human resources for a project?

Work Breakdown Structure and resource profile.