TPV1 Chapter 2 Review

Gary is the business analyst for his organization, and he's created a proposed solution for the company to implement. Management has asked you to create a feasibility study based on Gary's findings. What is a feasibility study?

A. A plan for researching the project B. A plan based on the project research C. A plan that recommends the proposed technology D. A plan that does not recommend the proposed technology Answer: B. A feasibility study is a plan based on the project research. It contains a summary of the information you've discovered in an organized, factual document to determine if the project is feasible to complete.

Of the following, which is the best solution two project managers can take to resolve conflicting projects?

A. Ask the project sponsors from both projects to take the project to upper management. B. Ask the project sponsor from both projects to meet and determine how, and if, the projects can work together. C. The project managers from both projects should meet and determine if a solution can be reached between them. D. The project managers from both projects should meet. The project manager with the most seniority will determine how the projects may continue. Answer: C. When two projects clash, the initial reaction between the project managers should be to meet and discuss the situation. The two project managers should attempt to find a resolution and move forward with as little disruption as possible. If no resolution can be met, then the project sponsors should get involved to find a solution. Job seniority, despite popular opinion, does not make someone right.

Jane is the project manager for her organization. She is preparing the business case and identifying the business goals and objectives for an identified problem that a project may solve. Jane is comparing two different applications for performance, cost, scalability, and the expected time for the end users to learn the software applications. What tool is Jane using as part of her creation and documentation of the business goals and project objectives?

A. Benchmarking B. Brainstorming C. Business rules analysis D. Functional decomposition Answer: A. Jane is using the benchmarking approach to compare the costs and benefits of one solution to another. Brainstorming is usually a group activity that encourages the participants to come up with as many ideas as possible for a solution. Business rules analysis examines the rules and policies that an organization and project must abide by. Functional decomposition is the breakdown of a problem into smaller, manageable components.

Mark is the project manager of the BGH Project. This project doesn't have much time for planning, as the project customer is urgent for a solution to be implemented. Mark has a limited amount of time to complete the research for the solution. When time is of the essence, what can a project manager do to increase research productivity?

A. Delegate the research topics among team members. B. Use only one or two research outlets. C. Limit the time spent doing the research. D. Hire a vendor to do the implementation. Answer: A. Many hands lighten the load. Whenever possible, a project manager should delegate the planning among team members. The project manager rarely completes planning alone. It may be tempting to hire a vendor to complete the implementation of the project, but the focus of the question is on the research of the project.

Of the following, which topic is not usually included in a feasibility study?

A. Executive summary B. Market research C. Defined business problem D. Assumptions used in the study Answer: B. Market research is not included in a feasibility study. Feasibility studies include eight sections: executive summaries, defined business problem or opportunity, requirements and purpose of the study, descriptions of the options assessed, assumptions used, audience impacted, financial obligations, and recommended actions.

Why should a project manager demonstrate return on investment (ROI) in the financial obligation portion of a feasibility study?

A. He should not; it will be determined by the project sponsor. B. He should include ROI to demonstrate the validity of the project. C. He should include ROI to demonstrate the initial cash outlay for the technology. D. He should include ROI to make certain his project is approved. Answer: B. To implement the technology, an organization will have an initial cash outlay. The ROI will show how the technology can earn back the initial expense and more by increasing productivity. If the ROI is too little, the project may be scrapped.

You are the IT project manager for your organization. Several projects being initiated in your organization have large financial requirements, entail extensive usage of human resources, and require access to network facilities. You suggest that project priority be established. What is project priority?

A. It is the ability of a project manager to determine which project is the most valuable to an organization. B. It is the ability of a project sponsor to determine which projects should be implemented and which should be discarded. C. It is a process project managers and project sponsors must go through when conflicting projects arise within an organization. D. It is a process project sponsors use to determine which project is of greater importance when two projects conflict. Answer: A. A project manager may have multiple projects to manage. Project priority is the ability to determine which project takes precedence, as it is most important to the success of an organization.

What is project portfolio management?

A. It is the risk the project manager is taking when implementing a project. B. It is the pool of available project managers. C. It is the management and selection of which projects will be engaged, allowed to continue, or stopped based on conditions within the organization or project. D. It is the relationship between the project manager and a third party that will implement the proposed technology. Answer: C. Project portfolio management is a process that management uses to determine which projects should be engaged and which should not be. Project portfolio management is also used to determine if projects should be halted because of a shift in priorities, conditions within a project, or conditions within an organization.

Percy is the project manager of a large project that spans three countries. The project team is operating as a virtual team. There have recently been some arguments among the project team members over the technical implementation of the project. What causes internal conflicting IT projects?

A. Lack of communication B. Lack of planning C. Technology that develops too quickly D. Conflicting technology Answer: A. Lack of communication causes conflicting IT projects. When a project manager is managing a virtual team as Percy is in this instance, it's important to take extra steps to communicate among the project team members. If departments, teams, project managers, and project sponsors would effectively share plans, research, and needs among the organization, there would be fewer conflicts and more successful IT implementation.

Which solution would allow project managers to disseminate information among projects quickly and easily?

A. Monthly meetings should be conducted among all project managers. B. Weekly meetings should be conducted among all project managers. C. A newsletter should be created on proposed projects and dispersed to all project managers. D. An intranet project page should be created for all project managers. Answer: D. Use technology to discuss technology. Meetings are often counterproductive, a waste of time, and hard to schedule. A newsletter, while admirable, is not quickly created or updated. An intranet site can be quickly created and updated, is searchable, and is very cost effective.

What research technique breaks down large problems into smaller, manageable components?

A. Root cause analysis B. Functional decomposition C. Focus groups D. Brainstorming Answer: B. Functional decomposition breaks down a large problem into smaller, manageable components. Root cause analysis examines the causal factors that are contributing to an effect that's being experienced. Focus groups are groups of project stakeholders that discuss a problem, a solution, or other objectives of a project. Brainstorming is usually a group activity that encourages the participants to come up with as many ideas as possible for a solution.

Complete this sentence: In order to complete successful planning, the project manager must know ______________________?

A. The mission statement of the organization B. How much the project budget is C. The cause of the problem the project is to solve D. The requirements the project must satisfy Answer: D. In order for a project to be successful, the project manager must know the requirements the project must satisfy. Meetings and interviews with the project stakeholders will help the project manager and the project team ascertain what exactly the project must create. Note that not all projects solve problems; some projects seize opportunities.

You are an IT project manager for the UYQ Organization and are working on a new project to create new software for manufacturers. You are just starting to work on the intent of the project, the high-level goals, and the opportunity for the organization to formulate a document that links the project objectives to the business needs. What type of document are you creating?

A. The project scope statement B. The Concept Definition Statement C. The key performance indicators D. The project charter Answer: B. You are creating the Concept Definition Statement. This document defines the high-level goals and proposed solution for the project. It links the project objectives to the business needs. The project scope statement comes much later in the project; it defines all of the required work needed to satisfy the project objectives. The key performance indicators are the factors that are important to the project stakeholders and must be measured in order for the project to be determined successful. The project charter authorizes the project and names the project manager.

You are the project manager for the JHW Organization. Management has come to you with a proposed solution to standardize all workstations and laptops in your organization. They would like you to first complete a feasibility study for the solution with a focus on the total cost of the project implementation. You agree but insist that you should also address the users of the project that will be affected by the change the project will create. Why must a project manager address the users impacted by the technology in a feasibility study?

A. To determine their willingness to use the product B. To determine how many users will use the product C. To determine the downtime caused by the product D. To determine the validity of changing or adding technology Answer: C. A project manager must evaluate any downtime caused by the product implementation. Downtime for users, whether through a learning curve or lack of productivity, is an expense for the company. Too high of a learning curve or long periods of inactivity due to lack of planning is unacceptable when there's a primary concern about the initial cost of the technical project implementation.

A new project has been launched by Shelly Dere, the project sponsor. Shelly insists that the project manager have total autonomy over the project decisions, but Shelly will retain the control of the project budget. What is the goal of a project sponsor?

A. To manage the project manager B. To delegate duties to the project manager C. To increase profits through the project led by the assigned project manager D. To increase productivity through technical implementations Answer: C. The goal of a project sponsor is to increase profits through the proposed project. A project manager will carry out the implementation of the project. A project sponsor may manage a project manager, but it should not be her goal to do so. It's not unusual for the functional management to retain control over the project budget while allowing the IT project manager control over project decisions. All of the other answers in the question are not valid choices, so the only logical choice is that the project sponsor should support the project and help it generate profits for the organizations. Remember, all projects aim to either cut costs or increase revenue.