Project Management Midterm

Corrective actions reduce the probability of negative consequences associated with project risks, while preventative actions should result in improvements in project performance. T/F

False

Effective program managers recognize that managing a project is much more complex than managing a program. T/F

False

In a network diagram, it is mandatory for every item on the WBS to be shown instead of only those activities with dependencies. T/F

False

Which is recommended for the creation of a good WBS? Any WBS item should be the responsibility of all the people working on it. A unit of work should appear at only one place in the WBS. Each WBS item should be created assuming that the requirements are inflexible. The work content of a WBS item is independent of the WBS items below it.

A unit of work should appear at only one place in the WBS.

Which of the following questions reflects the strategic goals of project portfolio management? Are projects on time and on budget? Are we investing in the right areas? Do stakeholders know what they should be doing? Are we carrying out projects well?

Are we investing in the right areas?

Which process involves generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products inside or outside the performing organization? Variance Decomposition Benchmarking Prototyping

Benchmarking

Which section of the project management plan provides the planned cost of deliverables? Objectives Risk Technical Budget

Budget

In an AOA network diagram, what occurs when two or more activities follow a single node? Combination Buffers Mergers Bursts

Bursts

Which stage of information technology planning outlines business processes that are central to achieving strategic goals and helps determine which ones could most benefit from information technology? Project planning Information technology strategy planning Business area analysis Resource allocation

Business area analysis

What process involves identifying and controlling the functional and physical design characteristics of products and their support documentation, and ensures that the description of the project's products are correct and complete? Project time management NPV analysis Configuration management Project management information systems

Configuration management

Which technique involves network diagramming and is used primarily to predict total project duration? Arrow diagramming method Critical path analysis Gantt chart Resource breakdown structure

Critical path analysis

In project schedule management, which process generates the main outputs of an activity list, activity attributes, and a milestone list? Resource estimating activities Sequencing activities Defining activities Estimating activity durations

Defining activities

Which term refers to a product or service, such as a technical report, a training session, a piece of hardware, or a segment of software code, produced or provided as part of a project? Resource System Input Deliverable

Deliverable

Which are outputs of the executing process of project integration management? Issue logs Deliverables Enterprise environmental factor updates Resource calendars

Deliverables

In project schedule management, what is the next step after defining project activities? Planning schedule management Estimating activity duration Controlling the schedule Determining their dependencies

Determining their dependencies

Which process involves working with stakeholders to create the document that formally authorizes a project? Developing the project management plan. Developing the project charter. Developing the organizational process assets updates. Developing the preliminary project scope statement.

Developing the project management plan.

Which processes include acquiring and developing the project team, performing quality assurance, distributing information, managing stakeholder expectations and conducting procurements? Executing Planning Monitoring and controlling Imitating

Executing

A disadvantage of using Gantt charts is that they do not provide a standard format for displaying planned project schedule information. T/F

False

A merge occurs when one node precedes multiple nodes. T/F

False

A milestone list is an output associated with the Project Scope Management knowledge area. T/F

False

After defining project activities, the next step in project schedule management is developing the schedule. T/F

False

Initiating processes are not required to end a project. T/F

False

Interface management involves identifying and managing the points of interactions between various elements of a project. T/F

False

It is mandatory for project managers working on large information technology projects to be experts in the field of information technology. T/F

False

Leadership style has no impact on the success of virtual teams. T/F

False

Project scope statements must include the project boundaries, constraints and assumptions. T/F

False

Projects that address broad organizational needs are likely to fail. T/F

False

Responsibility assignment matrices and project organizational charts are examples of tools used in procurement management. T/F

False

The best way to sustain a project is to withhold the required money, Human Resources, and visibility for the project. T/F

False

The tasks in a WBS must be developed as a sequential list of steps. T/F

False

How does critical chain scheduling protect tasks on the critical chain from being delayed? Fast tracking Dummy activities Feeding buffers Critical paths

Feeding buffers

The symbolic perspective of an organization Focuses on providing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of people. Focuses on different groups' roles and responsibilities to meet the goals and policies set by top management. Views the organization as coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Focuses on the meanings of the culture, language, traditions, and image of the organization.

Focuses on the meanings of the culture, language, traditions, and image of the organization.

In what type of organizational structure do project managers have the least amount of authority? Project Circular Matrix Functional

Functional

Jose is a project manager in an IT company and has over the years, gained substantial knowledge in his area of work. However, while managing his team, he often loses his temper. In addition, he fails to be an active listener when his team members approach him with work related challenges. In which of the following areas does Joe need to develop his skills in? Human relations skills Standards and regulations Application area knowledge Project environment knowledge

Human relations skills

Which of the following is true of a matrix organizational structure? Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from only a single functional area working on their projects. In a strong matrix organizational structure, the project manager controls the project budget and has moderate to high authority. A matrix organizational structure is hierarchical, but instead of cantonal managers reporting to the CEO, program managers reports to the CEO. In a matrix organizational structure, employees are organized into departments according to their skills, and there is little interaction between employees from different departments

In a strong matrix organizational structure, the project manager controls the project budget and has moderate to high authority.

What process group does the project integration management knowledge area map to through the activities of developing project charters? Planning Monitoring and controlling Initiating Executing

Initiating

Which type of tool is usually recommended for small projects and single users? Midrange Low-end High-end Upper range

Low-end

Which is an example of an organizational process asset? Government standards Marketplace conditions The organization's infrastructure Management systems

Management systems

Which technique is used for creating a WBS uses branches radiating from a core idea to structure thoughts and ideas instead of writing down tasks in a list or immediately trying to create a structure for tasks? Mind mapping Bottom-up Top-down Analogy

Mind mapping

Which organization provides certification as a Project Management Professional? PMC. PMS. PMI. PMP.

PMI

Which characteristic of organizational culture describes the degree to which management's decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on people within the organization? Unit integration People focus Member identity Group emphasis

People focus

Which process is undertaken to reduce the probability of negative consequences associated with project risks? Preventative actions Performance reports Defect repairs Corrective actions

Preventative actions

What process provides enterprise environmental factors as an output? Project human resource management Project integration management Project quality management Project procurement management

Project human resource management

Which information is included in a business case? Policies, procedures, guidelines, and systems that influence a project's success. Relevant government or industry standards. Business need for the project. Project objective, high-level requirements, and time and cost goals.

Project objective, high-level requirements, and time and cost goals.

Which project would be compatible with the use of the agile approach? Projects with clear-up front requirements. Projects with inexperienced and dispersed teams. Projects that have more flexible scheduling. Projects that have a fairly rigid completion date.

Projects that have more flexible scheduling.

Which process involves developing a working replica of the system or some aspect of the system? Use case modeling Variance Decomposition Prototyping

Prototyping

In which systems development life cycle do model developers use a model to generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously? RAD life cycle Prototyping life cycle Waterfall life cycle Spiral life cycle

Prototyping life cycle

Which of the following is true of program managers? They are responsible solely for the delivery of project results. They provide leadership and direction for project managers heading the projects within a program. They report to project managers who represent the next level in the hierarchy. They recognize that managing a program is simpler than managing a project.

They provide leadership and direction for project managers heading the projects within a program.

A Tracking Gantt chart is based on the percentage of work completed for project tasks or the actual start and finish dates. T/F

True

A dependency pertains to the sequence of project activities or tasks. T/F

True

An annual discount factor is a multiplier for each year based on the discount rate and year. T/F

True

Information from the project charter provides a basis for further defining the project scope. T/F

True

Information systems can help an organization support a strategy of being a low-cost producer. T/F

True

Initiating processes take place during each phase of a project. T/F

True

Project managers must take adequate time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders. T/F

True

Project managers work with the project sponsors to define success for particular projects. T/F

True

Projects should be developed in increments. T/F

True

Projects that arise as a result of problems and directives must be resolved quickly to avoid hurting an organization's business. T/F

True

The main purpose of the WBS is to define all of the work required to complete a project. T/F

True

The same organization culture can have different subcultures. T/F

True

The scope management plan can be informal and broad or formal and detailed, based on the needs of the project. T/F

True

The technique of fast tracking can result in lengthening the project schedule. T/F

True

What tool provides a basis for creating the project schedule and performing earned value management for measuring and forecasting project performance? Cost management plan Work breakdown structure Project charter Scope statement

Work breakdown structure

Earned value management is a tool primarily used in resource management. T/F

False

The nature of hardware development projects is more diverse than software-oriented projects. T/F

False

The only responsibility of a project manager is to meet the specific scope, time and cost goals of a project. T/F

False

The organization should complete low-priority projects before high-priority ones, if the low-priority ones take less time. T/F

False

____ refers to a set of shared assumption, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization. Organizational structure Chain of command Line of control Organizational culture

Organizational culture

What process involves formal acceptance of the completed project scope by the stakeholders? Scope baseline Scope validation Scope control Scope planning

Scope validation

An organization that uses a project organizational structure earns their revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract. T/F

True

An organization usually commits more money as a project continues, therefore a management review should occur after each phase to evaluate progress, potential success, and continued compatibility with organizational goals. T/F

True

As projects progress, the organization must reevaluate the need, funding, and will for each project to determine if the project should be continued, redefined or terminated. T/F

True

Many information technology projects also require detailed functional and design specifications for developing software, which also should be referenced in the detailed scope statement. T/F

True

Organizational process asset updates are an important output of the closing process of a project. T/F

True

Agile methods are used when deliverables have a low degree of change. T/F

False

An organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager's job more difficult. T/F

False

The executing tasks of the WBS remain constant from project to project. T/F

False

The final process in project schedule management is developing the schedule. T/F

False

The kick-off meeting is always held before the business case and project charter are completed. T/F

False

Which tool is most likely to be used in project schedule management? Gantt charts. Payback analysis. Impact matrices. Fishbone diagrams.

Gantt charts

What is the main purpose of project plans? Define project scope Guide project execution Estimate activity resources Schedule management plans

Guide project execution

What statement is true regarding a return on investment (ROI)? It is always a percentage It is always a positive number The lower it is, the better It is the result of adding the project costs to the profits

It is always a percentage

What is the latest possible time an activity might begin without delaying the project finish date? Early start date Late start date Early finish date Late finish date

Late start date

What is a difference between low-end and midrange tools of the project management software? Low-end tools provide robust capabilities to handle dispersed workgroups whereas midrange tools do not. Midrange tools are designed to handle larger projects than low-end tools. Midrange tools provide basic project management features whereas low-end tools offer enterprise and portfolio management functions. Low-end tools are designed to handle primarily multiple users whereas midrange tools are created to handle single users.

Midrange tools are designed to handle larger projects than low-end tools

The project schedule management knowledge area maps to which process group through the activity of schedule control? Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and controlling

Monitoring and controlling

Which framework is an iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members? Rational Unified Process. Agile Unified Process. Six Sigma. Dynamic Systems Development Model.

Rational Unified Process

Which document should list and describe all of the deliverables required for the project? WBS Gantt chart Project charter Scope statement

Scope statement

In the Scrum method, during which meeting is the improvement of the product and process discussed? Sprint review Kick-off Daily Scrum Sprint retrospective

Sprint retrospective

Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment, and project managers need to consider projects within the greater organizational context. Which approach describes the holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization? The silo approach Linear analysis Systems thinking Reductionism

Systems thinking

Which section of the project management plan describes specific methodologies a project might use and explains how to document information? Management objectives Risk management Technical processes Project controls

Technical processes

What term is used for the amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date? Backward pass Free float Forward pass Total slack

Total slack

A sprint review is a meeting in which the team demonstrates to the product owner what it has completed during the sprint. T/F

True

Scope creep if not managed well can lead to the failure of information technology projects. T/F

True

The introduction of new software makes basic tools, such as Gantt charts and network diagrams, inexpensive and easy to create. T/F

True

Good project managers assume that their definition of success is the same as the sponsors. T/F

False

The role of a ____ is to provide direction and funding for a project. Project team. Project sponsor. Support staff member. Project manager.

Project sponsor.

Which statement best describes scope? Each level of work that is outlined in a work breakdown structure. Work involved in creating the products and the processes used to create them. Tasks that are decomposed into smaller tasks in a work breakdown structure. End product created as part of a project that is delivered to the client.

Work involved in creating the products and the processes used to create them.

Which action involves defining and documenting the features and functions of the products produced during the project as well as the processes used for creating them? Collecting requirements Validating scope Controlling scope Defining scope

Collecting requirements

What is one of the main outputs of the initiation process? Identifying the project sponsor. Creating the work breakdown structure. Developing the project charter. Selecting the project manager.

Developing the project charter.

Which document contains a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project? Project charter Project scope statement Business case Work breakdown structure

Work breakdown structure