Chapter 3 Project Management: A Case Study

In a weighted scoring model, the sum of the weights of all the criteria must total _____ percent.

100

Project portfolio management addresses ______ goals of an organization, while project management addresses _____ goals

A. Strategic B. Tactical

Which of the following is a planning process associated with project scope management?

Collecting requirements

_____ are an example of external stakeholders for an organization.

Competitors

In which of the following areas of management is payback analysis most likely to be used?

Cost Tools used in cost management include payback analysis, earned value management, project portfolio management, and cost estimates among others.

Which of the following activities is a part of the planning process of the Scrum?

Creating sprint backlog Creating product backlogs, sprint backlogs and release backlogs are all part of the planning process of the scrum.

Which of the following is not an attribute of a project? A. Projects are unique B. Projects are developed using progressive elaboration C. Projects have a primary customer or sponsor D. Projects involve little Uncertainty

D. Projects Involve little uncertainty

_____ involves reviewing the project charter, requirements documents, and organizational process assets to create a scope statement, adding more information as requirements are developed and change requests are approved.

Defining scope

_____ are an output of the executing process of project integration management.

Deliverables

A project manager's primary role is to provide the funding for a project.

False

The Rational Unified Process (RUP) framework is incompatible with the PMBOK process.

False

The format of the WBS dictionary is essentially the same for all projects.

False

To be a successful manager, the only skills an IT project manager needs to possess is excellent technical skills.

False

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

False A concern when creating a WBS is how to organize it to provide the basis for the project schedule. You should focus on what work needs to be done and how it will be done, not when it will be done. In other words, the tasks do not have to be developed as a sequential list of steps.

The importance of stakeholders' needs and expectations is limited to the beginning of a project.

False Stakeholders' needs and expectations are important in the beginning and throughout the life of a project. Successful project managers develop good relationships with project stakeholders to understand and meet their needs and expectations.

The output of the stakeholder management strategy results is a project charter.

False The output of the stakeholder management strategy results is a stakeholder register.

A difference between operations and projects is that operations end when their objectives have been reached, whereas projects do not.

False-- Projects are different from operations in that they end when their objectives have been reached or the project has been terminated.

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 of the following is true about the agile method?

It uses several iterations or deliveries of software instead of waiting until the end of the project to provide a product. An agile approach is often used for projects in which the business team cannot clearly express the scope early in the product life cycle, but the team does want to provide a potentially shippable product earlier rather than later

Which of the following is true of return on investment or ROI?

It's always a percentage. It can be positive or negative

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

Matrix A matrix organizational structure represents the middle ground between functional and project structures.

_____ refers to the degree to employees identify with the organization as a whole, rather than with their types of job or profession.

Member identity

_____ refers to the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment.

Open systems focus

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

Organizational culture

The _____ perspective on organizations assumes that organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups.

Political frame

Which of the following project management knowledge areas is an overarching function that affects and is affected by the different knowledge areas?

Project integration management

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 This life cycle model also requires heavy user involvement and helps produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality.

_____ is an iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members.

Rational Unified Process

Project _____ management involves defining and managing all the work required to complete the project successfully.

Scope

_____ refers to a problem-solving approach that 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 Systems analysis is a problem-solving approach that requires defining the scope of the system, dividing it into components, and then identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs.

Which of the following is true of low-end tools of the project management software?

They provide basic project management features.

Which of the following is true of program managers?

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

A project's stakeholders consist of its customers, users, and suppliers.

True

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

True

Details of kick-off meetings and the stakeholder details are usually recorded in a Word document.

True

Interface management involves identifying and managing the points of interaction between various elements of a project.

True

NPV analysis is a method for making equal comparisons between cash flows for multi-year projects.

True

Project managers and their teams must keep in mind 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

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

True

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

True

The executing process group generally requires the most resources.

True

The project scope statement should reference supporting documents, such as product specifications that will affect what products are produced or purchased, or corporate policies, which might affect how products or services are produced.

True

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

True

Using a systems approach is critical to successful project management.

True

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

True A project organizational structure is hierarchical, but instead of functional managers or vice presidents reporting to the CEO, program managers report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete the projects within their programs. An organization that uses this structure earns its revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract.

In the Scrum method, team members work as a self-directed group coached by the ScrumMaster.

True Because Scrum implies that team members work as a self-directed group, coached by the ScrumMaster, a team contract should not be necessary.

An IT company revises its process parameters in response to complaints from vendors that products were not ready on time. This would be an example of _____.

a corrective action

In the _____approach for constructing a WBS, you use a similar project's WBS as a starting point.

analogy

Generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products inside or outside the performing organization is known as _____.

benchmarking

Benefits minus costs is known as the _____.

cash flow

The _____ process involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services and bringing the project, or project phase, to an orderly end.

closing

_____ should result in improvements in project performance.

corrective actions

A critical path:

determines the earliest completion date of a project.

Project managers have the least amount of authority in a pure _____ organizational structure.

functional Project managers have the most authority in a pure project organizational structure and the least amount of authority in a pure functional organizational structure.

Enterprise project management softwares are also known as _____ tools of project management software.

high-end

In the _____ phase, the project team creates a definitive or very accurate cost estimate, delivers the required work, and provides performance reports to stakeholders

implementation

What are the three constraints of project management?

meeting scope goals meeting time goals meeting cost goals

The _____ technique 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

The project scope management knowledge area maps to the _____ process group through the activities of scope validation and scope control.

monitoring and controlling

Creating the WBS is a subprocess associated with the _____ process in project scope management.

planning

The project cost management knowledge area maps to the _____ process group through the activities of estimating costs and budget determination.

planning

A(n) ____ is a task at the lowest level of the WBS.

work package

A project charter typically does not authorize the project manager to use organizational resources to complete the project.

False A project charter is a document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides direction on the project's objectives and management. It authorizes the project manager to use organizational resources to complete the project.

Several application development projects done for the same functional group might best be managed as part of a ________

Program

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

False External project stakeholders include the project 's customers (if they are external to the organization), competitors, suppliers, and other external groups potentially involved in the project or affected by it, such as government officials or concerned citizens.

Opportunities and directives are essentially the same thing

False Opportunities are chances to improve the organization. Directives are new requirements imposed by management, government, or some external influence.

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

False Organizational culture is very powerful, and many people believe the underlying causes of many companies ' problems are not in the organizational structure or staff; they are in the culture.

Project integration management must occur just within the context of a particular project.

False Project integration management must occur within the context of the entire organization, not just within a particular project. The project manager must integrate the work of the project with the ongoing operations of the organization.

The primary role of project stakeholder management is to ensure that the project will satisfy the stated needs for which it was undertaken.

False Project management knowledge areas describe the key competencies that project managers must develop. Project stakeholder management includes identifying and analyzing stakeholder needs while managing and controlling their engagement throughout the life of the product.

Projects that address broad organizational needs are likely to fail.

False Projects that address broad organizational needs are much more likely to be successful because they will be important to the organization.

Which of the following provides certification as a Project Management Professional?

PMI PMI or the Project Management Institute provides certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP). A Project Management Professional (PMP) is someone who has documented sufficient project experience and education, agreed to follow the PMI code of professional conduct, and demonstrated knowledge of project management by passing a comprehensive examination.

A _______ is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Project

________ is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements

Project Management

Which of the following is a disadvantage of virtual teams as compared to traditional teams?

Reduced opportunities for informal transfer of information

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

True Even when the project scope is fairly well defined, many IT projects suffer from scope creep—the tendency for project scope to keep getting bigger and bigger. Many IT projects fail due to scope creep.

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

True The charter describes the high-level scope, time, and cost goals for the project objectives and success criteria, a general approach to accomplishing the project's goals, and the main roles and responsibilities of important project stakeholders.

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 The symbolic frame focuses on symbols and meanings

A common _____ process is reporting performance, where project stakeholders can identify any necessary changes that may be required to keep the project on track.

monitoring and controlling Monitoring and controlling processes include regularly measuring and monitoring progress to ensure that the project team meets the project objectives

Which of the following project management knowledge areas primarily involve generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information?

project communications management

The _____ section of the project management plan describes how to monitor project progress and handle changes.

project controls

A _____ is a document used to coordinate all project planning documents and help guide a project's execution and control. Correct!

project management plan

Developing a _____ is a planning process that occurs in the Project Integration Management knowledge area.

project management plan

In the _____ stage of selecting information technology projects, organizations define project scope, benefits, and constraints.

project planning

The _____ section of the project management plan describes specific methodologies a project might use and explains how to document information.

technical processes

Payback occurs when:

the net cumulative benefits equal the net cumulative costs

The business case includes information on _____.

the project objective, high-level requirements, and time and cost goals

_____ refers to the difference between planned and actual performance.

variance

A work package represents one component of the product that the project aims to deliver.

False A work package is a task at the lowest level of the WBS. It represents the level of work that the project manager monitors and controls.

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

False An organization should always complete high-priority projects first, even if a low- or medium-priority project could be finished in less time.

An organization's information technology project selection process should guide the strategic plan.

False

One of the main outputs of the initiation process is _____.

Developing the project charter Main outputs of the initiation process are project charter and stakeholder register

Deliverables are only product-related, such as a piece of hardware or software.

False Deliverables can be product-related, such as a piece of hardware or software, or process-related, such as a planning document or meeting minutes.

Project initiation involves taking the actions necessary to ensure that activities in the project plan are completed.

False EXECUTING THE PROJECT involves taking the actions necessary to ensure that activities in the project plan are completed. It also includes work required to introduce any new hardware, software, and procedures into normal operations.

Key outcomes of the executing process group are formal acceptance of the work and creation of closing documents.

False Key outcomes of the CLOSING process group are formal acceptance of the work and creation of closing documents, such as a final project report and lessons-learned report.

Managing the triple constraint primarily involves making trade-offs between resources and quality.

False Managing the triple constraint involves making trade-offs between scope, time, and cost goals for a project. Experienced project managers know that one must decide which aspect of the triple constraint is most important.

Scope creep refers to:

the tendency for project scope to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Scope refers to:

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

The first step in the planning process is _____.

to tie the information technology strategic plan to the organization's overall strategic plan

The _____ approach for constructing a WBS starts with the largest items of the project and breaks them into subordinate items.

top-down

A(n) _____ is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that defines the total scope of the project.

work breakdown structure