Ch 2: The Project IT Context

Which of the following best describes a kill point in the project life cycle?

A review of the status of a project at each phase of development to determine if it should be continued, redirected, or terminated

Select an example of external stakeholders for an organization.

Competitors

An organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager's job more difficult.

False

Internal stakeholders include groups affected by the project such as government officials or concerned citizens.

False

It is much more expensive to make major changes to a project during the earlier phases.

False

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

False

The last phase of the traditional project life cycle is the implementation phase.

False

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

False

The project organizational structure is the most efficient choice for most IT projects.

False

The team members of a virtual team are all of the same nationality.

False

When you separate business and organizational issues from project management planning, you do a better job of ensuring project success.

False

In Rizzati Corp, vice presidents in departments such as engineering, manufacturing, IT, and human resources report directly to the chief executive officer and undertake their tasks independently of each other. The staffs of these departments have specialized skills in their respective disciplines. Which type of organizational structure does Rizatti Corp have?

Functional

In what type of organizational structure do project managers have the least amount of authority?

Functional

The _____ model uses an approach in which developers work with an evolving prototype, using tools such as computer-aided software engineering, joint requirements planning, and joint application design to facilitate rapid prototyping and code generation.

RAD life cycle

Which perspective of an organization focuses on different groups' roles and responsibilities in order to meet the goals and policies set by top management?

Structural frame

In organizational culture, what does means-end orientation refer to?

The degree to which management focuses on outcomes rather than on techniques and processes used to achieve results

In organizational culture, what does people focus refer to?

The degree to which management's decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on employees within the organization

In organizational culture, what does control refer to?

The degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to oversee employee behavior

According to the symbolic frame, the most important aspect of any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means.

True

Most colleges and universities have very strong functional organizations.

True

Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization.

True

Standards and guidelines to follow when performing project management must be devised by top management.

True

The same organization can have different subcultures.

True

Using a systems approach is critical to successful project management.

True

The symbolic perspective of an organization:

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

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?

People focus

Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects.

True

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

True

In a _____ organizational structure, personnel often report to both a functional manager and one or more project managers.

matrix

In a _____organizational structure, program managers, rather than functional managers or vice presidents, report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete all required tasks within their programs.

project

Which statement best describes outsourcing?

An organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source

Most people believe that the underlying causes of many companies' problems can be traced to its organizational structure.

False

Which approach to product development is currently used by many organizations so a predictive set of steps is used as an overall means to coordinate more detailed steps that are adaptively managed?

Hybrid

Which systems development life cycle model assumes that requirements will remain stable after they are defined?

Waterfall life cycle

Which characteristic of organizational culture refers to the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole, rather than with their types of job or profession?

Member identity

Which characteristic of organizational culture refers to the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment?

Open-systems focus

In what type of organizational structure do project managers have the most authority?

Project

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

Prototyping life cycle

Which is a disadvantage for virtual teams compared to traditional teams?

Reduced opportunities for informal transfer of information

Which observation is true of the agile approach to software development?

In the agile method, requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration.

Which of the following is true of the project life cycle?

In the early phases of a project life cycle, resource needs are usually lowest.

Which characteristic is true of virtual teams?

It is important to select team members carefully.

_____ refers to a set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization.

Organizational culture

Which perspective on organizations assumes that organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups?

Political frame

In which product life cycle the scope, schedule, and cost are determined early, and changes to scope are carefully managed?

Predictive

Which problem-solving approach requires defining the scope of a system, dividing it into its components, and then identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs?

Systems analysis

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?

Systems thinking

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?

Deliverable

Project work is most successful in an organizational culture where activities are organized around individuals.

False

Systems analysis addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system.

False

The best way to sustain a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility for the project.

False

Which of the following is true of a matrix organizational structure?

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

Project managers and their teams must recognize the effects of any project on the interests and needs of the entire system or organization instead of focusing on the immediate concerns of the project.

True

Which characteristic of organizational culture refers to the degree to which departments within an organization are encouraged to coordinate with each other?

Unit integration

The _____ frame of an organization focuses on providing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of people.

human resources

Grey's Infotech sells customized hardware and software solutions for businesses. The salespeople for Grey's have a strict dress code when meeting clients. They are required to wear dark business suits, in order to convey the company's dedication to quality. The meaning conveyed to the clients' through the salespeople's clothing is part of the _____ frame of the organization.

symbolic

In which development life cycle do stakeholders define and approve the detailed scope before the start on an iteration?

Adaptive

Project managers should lead projects in isolation in order to truly serve the needs of the organization.

False

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

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.

True