GMU IT 343 Midterm Chpt 1-8 review quizzes

When creating audience handouts for a presentation, what information must be included in the handouts?

An executive summary

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

An intranet project page should be created for all project managers.

You are helping to create the project charter. One of the elements you need to include is the high-level risks in your project. Which one of the following is the best definition of a risk?

An uncertain event or condition that can have a negative or positive effect on the project

You are the project manager for your organization. Your current project is similar to a project you finished recently for your organization. You decide to base the current project cost estimate on the previous project. What type of cost estimating are you using in this instance?

Analogous

You are the project manager of the NYQ Project. You suspect that some project team members aren't interested in the project. What is the best path to make others develop a passion for the project?

Become passionate about the project yourself.

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?

Benchmarking

How often should a project manager meet with the entire project team?

At least monthly

You are the project manager for your organization. Management has asked that you create a detailed cost estimate for a new solution they'd like you to implement. What type of project estimating must account for every expense within a project before the work begins?

Bottom-up estimating

You are the project manager for your organization and are trying to determine if you should buy or build a solution. You've determined that your project team could build the solution for $23,500 and the monthly maintenance on the solution will be $1,200. A vendor reports that they can build the solution for $17,000 but the monthly maintenance fee with the vendor will be $1,800. Should you buy or build this solution?

Buy the solution if you'll keep it less than 11 months.

How is camaraderie created on a team?

By the experiences of the team as a whole

You are the project manager of a project to install 8,500 workstations in an organization. You have estimated that the optimistic cost of the labor for each workstation will be $99, the most likely cost will be $149, and the worst-case cost for each workstation will be $225. What cost will you record for your cost estimate per workstation?

$158

Frank is proposing a project to management. His project will require $300,000 to be initiated and will last for two years. Considering that the current rate of return is six percent, what must Frank's project be worth in two years as a minimum for management to consider this project?

$337,080

What is the present value of $575,000 four years from today if the rate of return is six percent?

$455,453

What is the primary difference between a project and operations?

1. Projects are temporary 2. Operations are ongoing

You are working with management to evaluate and understand their goals for a new technical project you'll be leading. You want to use the SMART approach in your assessment of the project goals. What does SMART mean?

1. Specific 2. Measurable 3. Achievable 4. Relevant 5. Time-bound

You are the project manager for your organization. Management has asked that you use PERT for estimating the time it takes to complete the project. Using PERT, what time would you record for an activity that has an optimistic time of 25 hours, a most likely time of 44 hours, and a pessimistic time of 76 hours?

46 hours

When a project manager sends a vendor an RFP, what is he asking for?

A Request for Proposal so that a decision can be made based on the proposed solution for the SOW

You are the project manager for a project that will develop in-house software used to monitor computer parts inventory. Your project sponsor asks that you begin working on the WBS. What is a WBS?

A decomposition of the project scope

What should signify the end of each phase?

A definite deliverable result

You are working with your project team to decompose the project scope down the work packages. Some of the project team members are concerned that you'll want to subdivide the deliverables to a very granular level rather than trust the project team to do their work. You assure them that this won't happen, as you're using the 8/80 Rule. What is the 8/80 Rule?

A heuristic that says a task should not last more than 80 hours or less than 8 hours

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 plan based on the project research

Which one of the following is not needed when creating a WBS?

A preferred sequence of project activities

Of the following, which decision-making process is reflective of the consultative decision?

A project manager who makes a decision based on team members' counsel and advice

Of the following, which decision-making process is reflective of the directive decision?

A project manager who makes the decision with no team input

Management has asked that you hire a moderator for a new focus group. What is a focus group?

A sampling of users affected by the proposed technology

You are the project manager for your organization. Management has approved the project scope, and they've asked you and your project team to begin creating a project network diagram. What is a project network diagram?

A sequential mapping of the project work

You are the project manager for your organization and will manage 23 people as part of your project team. Management has encouraged you to create subteams for this implementation project. What is a subteam?

A specialized team that is assigned to one area of a large project or to a geographical area

Of the following, which is a good team-building exercise?

A team event outside of the office

Marci is a project manager in her organization and she is collecting requirements for a new project. She is working with Frances, an end user, to see how Frances is using the current software that Marci's project deliverable will replace. Marci asks Frances questions as she works, stops Frances to explore the purpose behind the software activities, and quizzes Frances on each step of the software activity. What is Marci doing in this instance?

Active observation

You are the project manager for your organization, and you're working with your project team to create the WBS. You and the project team are examining each deliverable of the project and are subdividing the deliverables into smaller elements. Once you've created the WBS, what document can you create next in your project planning?

Activity list

One of your primary concerns with the project scope is that the stakeholders may add requirements once the project is in motion. Why should the project scope be guarded against even simple additions?

Additions, even simple ones, can greatly impact the success of a project.

What is the purpose of the project charter?

To authorize a project

Why should a project manager conduct interviews for prospective team members?

To determine if a person should be on the team or not

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?

To determine the downtime caused by the product

Why must you interview the project decision makers before starting the project?

To determine the project results

What is the purpose of conducting interviews of existing team members?

To determine the tasks each team member should be responsible for

Why must the project manager have authority over a project?

To ensure the actions required to complete the project will be enforced

You are implementing a small network and would like to create a WBS. Todd, your assistant, does not want to create a WBS for such a small project. Why should you create a WBS for every project?

To ensure the project is complete and whole at finish

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?

To increase profits through the project led by the assigned project manager

You are the project manager for your organization. Your current project is a database upgrade project, and your project team has completed the first phase of the project. Before your project can move forward, management must review the first phase and determine if the project is allowed to transition to phase two. What is this review process called?

Tollgate approval

You are the project manager of the NHQ Project and are working with your team to create risk responses. One risk, managing an electrical component in your project work, is deemed too dangerous to handle internally, so you and the project team elect to hire a vendor to manage this portion of your project. What type of risk response is this?

Transference

You are working with Sarah on developing a project charter for a new project, you shouldn't include the "Company mission statement" element in the project charter. True or False?

True, you shouldn't include the "Company mission statement" in the project charter for a new project.

Of the following, which is the best choice for conducting meetings when the project team is dispersed geographically?

Use video conference software to link to all of the different teams to discuss the project.

Marty is the project manager for his company, and he believes that he'll need to train the project team. Management is concerned about the cost of the training. Marty tells management that this training isn't really an expense for the project. When is training considered an expense?

When the training experience does not increase the ability of the team to implement the technology

The project team is in disagreement over which OS to use on a new server. The project manager tables the issues and says the decision can wait until next week. This is an example of which project management negotiating technique?

Withdrawal

You are the IT project manager for a project to install a new mail server. Which of the following best describes the best approach to creating the WBS?

Work with the project team and the key stakeholders to create the WBS.

Phil is the project manager of a network upgrade. All of the client workstations are to be replaced, and this task has been assigned to Steve, Harry, and Beth. Once the physical workstations are in place, Sam will release an automated script to deploy an operating system to each of the new workstations. What type of relationship best describes these two tasks?

fs

The ability to manage a temporary endeavor to create a unique product or service—on time and within budget

project management

You are the project manager of a web server and website upgrade. You have assigned Mark the task of creating the webpages and Janice the task of developing the webpages. Mark and Janice can begin work on their assigned tasks at the same time. What type of relationship do these tasks have?

ss

What is the name of the numbering sequence a project manager can use to identify the components of a WBS?

Code of accounts

What is the key to working with multiple subteams?

Communication between team leaders and the project manager

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?

Delegate the research topics among team members.

What should a project manager do to an IT implementation to accurately predict the total cost of the project?

Divide the project into phases and assign a dollar amount to each phase.

Of the following, which two are attributes of a successful project manager?

Experience working with technology, Experience as a traditional manager

You and the project team have identified the critical path and are now reviewing the available float in your project network diagram. All of the following statements about float are incorrect except for which one?

Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without causing the project to be late.

Marty is the project manager, though her manager calls her the project coordinator, for her organization. Her manager, Tom, meets with Marty and the project team weekly to assign project work and to review the project work completed so far in the project. The project team members have regular operational work to do in addition to the completion of the project work. What type of an organizational structure is Marty likely a project manager for?

Functional

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

Functional decomposition

Ronald is the project manager for his organization and is completing a project for a customer. Ronald and his project team have completed the project scope, and they could turn the project deliverables over to the customer and close the project, but they still have $12,500 in the project budget. Ronald decides to add some features to the software that would make the software better and to consume the remaining budget. This scenario is an example of which term?

Gold plating

Complete the following sentence: Standards are _______________ while regulations are _______________.

Guidelines, requirements

Of the following, which is not a method you should employ when working with "evaders" during a team discussion?

Have the evader listen to all of the comments and then make his decision.

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

He should include ROI to demonstrate the validity of the project.

What management theory suggests that people will perform better when they are offered a reward that motivates them?

Herzberg's Theory of Motivation

You are the project manager for an organization that is a balanced matrix. Your project team members come from many different areas of the organization. Which one of the following is likely a negative component of working in a balanced structure?

Higher communication requirements

You are a project manager for an application development project. You have eight team members who are all adding opinions about the web connectivity feature of the application. Of the following statements, which one most likely came from a team member with the aggressive personality type?

I've done this before so I know it works

You are the project manager for your organization and are about to begin the procurement process. You have decided that you want the vendor to provide a fixed price for the materials your project will need. You create the SOW for the work. What other document should you send to the vendors?

IFB

Sally is the project manager for the NAA Project in her organization. She is about to create the WBS based on the approved project scope for her project. She would like to include several key stakeholders in the creation of the WBS. What is the primary benefit of including the stakeholders in the WBS creation process?

Including stakeholders helps to promote shared ownership of the project.

Jane is the project manager for her organization, and management has instructed her to create some team development exercises. Of the following, which one is not an example of team development?

Industry certifications

You are the project manager for your organization and are working with your project team to create the project scope statement. Part of the scope statement is to define the constraints and assumptions that you must work with in the project. Which one of the following is an example of a project assumption?

Interoperability of the software and existing hardware

You are the project manager for your organization, and you'll need to procure servers and workstations from the vendor. You'd also like the vendor to install the operating system on each of the workstations based on an image you've created. In your procurement process, you've specified that the vendor must provide a fixed quote for the work. What is a primary advantage of an IT project manager requiring a vendor to deliver a fixed quote?

It allows the project manager to incorporate the quote into a proposed budget.

Why should project team meetings have minutes recorded?

It allows the project manager to maintain a record of what was discussed.

When creating a project team, why must the project manager know the skills of each of the prospective team members?

It helps the project manager assign tasks.

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?

It is the ability of a project manager to determine which project is the most valuable to an organization.

What is the budget at completion (BAC)?

It is the amount of the total project before the project is done.

John is the project manager for his organization, and he's creating the project management plan. He is reviewing the project scope baseline with his project team so that they'll understand the requirements and direction of the project. Which of the following is the correct definition of the project scope baseline?

It is the combination of the project scope statement, the WBS, and the WBS dictionary.

What is project portfolio management?

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.

What is a fully burdened workload?

It is the prediction of the number of hours required by staff to complete each phase of the project.

Why is disagreeing considered to be an effective part of team discussions?

It shows that the project team is thinking and considering alternate solutions.

Why is the WIIFM principle a good theory to implement with project management?

It shows the team how the success of the project will impact each team member personally.

You are the project manager of the GHR Project for your organization. This project has just recently been initiated, and the requirements of the project have been agreed upon. Your sponsor would now like you to host a meeting that will review the agreement of the project objectives and establish the direction of the project. What type of a meeting does management want you to host?

Kickoff meeting

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?

Lack of communication

Why must lag times be scheduled between tasks in a project network diagram?

Lag times allow other events to be completed before successor tasks can begin

Which topic is not usually included in a feasibility study?

Market research

Harold is the project manager for his organization. He believes that project teams can be self-led and want to accomplish the project as long as they understand the work they are to complete. Harold believes in challenging the project team and pressing their abilities to learn and do more. What management theory does Harold most likely believe in?

McGregor's Theory of X and Y

You are the project manager for your organization, and you and the project team are creating your WBS for a software development project. You are mapping the WBS to phases within your project. Of the following, which one is the end result of a phase that can help in the WBS creation?

Milestones

You are the project manager for the NHQ Organization. You and several project managers have been invited to present your potential projects to a management committee to determine the worthiness, return on investment, and potential risks. What is the name of this committee that may select your project to be initiated?

Murder board

Management is considering a new project for your organization. This project will likely last for three years with the realization of benefits each quarter the project is in existence. Knowing that the benefits will be available to the company at each quarter, management would you like to examine the value of the project to determine its true worth for the required investment. What type of benefits measurement approach does management want you to complete?

Net present value analysis

Is "Implementing" part of the project management process group?

No

Of the following, which are two skills that a project manager must have to be successful?

Organizational skills , Passion for the project

What is the difference between a three-point estimate and a PERT estimate?

PERT uses a weighted average of the most likely, whereas the three-point estimate is really just an average of all three estimates.

You are the project manager of the JHN Project. You have estimated the project will cost $129 for each unit installed. There are 1,200 units on this project. What type of estimate is this?

Parametric estimating

What law states that work will expand to fill the amount of time allotted to it?

Parkinson's Law

You are working with your project team and management to determine how long the project will take. One of your team members suggests padding all of the activities by 10-20 hours to ensure there's enough time in case there are problems with the work. You disagree with this idea. Why?

Parkinson's Law

If you subscribe to Herzberg's Theory of Motivation, which one of the following must exist as a hygiene agent before you may offer motivating agents to your project team?

Paycheck

You are a project manager in your organization and would like to present a project to management. What organizational component is most likely to review your project to determine if it is worthy of investment?

Portfolio review board

You are the project manager for your organization and you're creating the project team. Of the following, which two are methods the project manager can use to assess internal skills?

Prior projects, Recommendation of management

All of the following components are part of the scope baseline except for which one?

Project charter

You are the project manager for your organization and have been assigned a new project team. Many of the project team members haven't worked with each other before, so you elect to do some team building exercises to help the team learn and trust one another. What project management plan defines this process of team development?

Project human resource plan

You are the project manager for your organization, and you're creating with your project team the project management plan. Which project management plan defines how the project deliverables will be inspected by the project team?

Quality management plan

You are the project manager for your organization, and management has presented a new project to you. This project requires that you adhere to several government regulations for the project deliverable. In this instance, what are the government regulations considered?

Requirements

You are the project manager for your organization and are reviewing the requirements for your new project. The business analyst has completed the requirements and is consulting with you on what each requirement is and why it's important to the project stakeholders. You would like to create a table that maps each requirement, its characteristics, when the requirements will be created, and other information. What type of a table would you like to create?

Requirements traceability matrix

McClelland's Theory of Needs suggests that people are driven by one of three needs. Which one of the following is not one of the three needs in McClelland's theory?

Reward

When requesting an internal résumé to recruit team members, why must the project manager use extreme caution?

Résumés have the connotation of getting, or keeping, a job.

Which project management plan defines integrated change control?

Scope management plan

Management is considering several projects that they would like to implement. To determine which projects are the best for the organization, management has created six categories to measure each project: profitability, risk exposure, schedule, marketplace conditions, competency required, experience, and efficiency gained. Each project will receive points in each category, and the project with the most points will be selected. What type of benefits measurement approach is being completed in this organization?

Scoring model

As a project manager, you need to manage your project team, but you also need to lead your project team to finish the project. You need reliable, dedicated workers on your project team. What is the best way to create reliable, hard-working teams?

Set an example by being reliable and hard working.

What role does management play in project management?

Support

Complete this sentence: A successful relationship between the team members and the project manager should be _____________.

Symbiotic

Why should a project manager avoid assigning specific dates to tasks when at all possible during the creation of the network diagram?

Tasks assigned to dates do not consider both successor and predecessor tasks.

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?

The Concept Definition Statement

A project manager would like to use an anonymous tool to gain a consensus on the needs of the project. Which tool is the project manager likely to use?

The Delphi Technique

You are the project manager for your organization and are creating the project schedule. You know that a project schedule is composed of all the following components except for which one?

The budget for the project

Gary is the project manager of a small project for his organization. You are serving as a project management consultant to this project. Gary tells you that because his project is so small, he doesn't feel the need to create a WBS. You tell Gary that it's in the project's best interest for him to follow through and create the WBS. Why must Gary and the project team create a WBS?

The creation of the WBS ensures that all of the project deliverables are fully identified and decomposed so that the necessary resources may be obtained and assigned to the work.

You are the project manager for your organization, and you are preparing a presentation for management. This project will help your organization become more efficient and it will help your career as a project manager in your organization. Your audience will include the CEO, customers, and end users. Considering this information, what is the most important thing in your presentation?

The message

Why should an IT project manager use most likely, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios when calculating the time required for a task?

The most likely, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios allow an IT project manager to predict the average time expense required to complete a task.

Why can a focus group be counterproductive?

The participants may focus on the problems of the old technology rather than the goals of the project.

Harry is the project manager for his organization. Elizabeth, his manager, has asked that Harry create a bottom-up cost estimate for a new project. What is a bottom-up cost estimate?

The process of creating a detailed estimate for each work package in a WBS

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

The project managers from both projects should meet and determine if a solution can be reached between them.

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

The requirements the project must satisfy

You are the project manager for the NQQ Project. You have been working with the project team to create the WBS and have now decomposed the project down to work packages. What is a work package?

The smallest decomposed object in the WBS

Which one of the following is an example of an estimate using a parametric model?

There are 7,100 network drops, and each drop will cost $175.