SPM Chapter 10
_________________________ involves managing communications to satisfy the needs and expectations of project stakeholders and to resolve issues.
Managing stakeholder expectations
_________________________ keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives.
Performance reporting
Adding more people to a project that is falling behind schedule often causes more setbacks because of the increased complexity of communications.
True
By analyzing stakeholder communications needs, you can avoid wasting time or money on creating or disseminating unnecessary information.
True
Communicating badly exponentially increases the possibility of making fatal mistakes.
True
Consistent communication helps organizations improve project communications, especially for programs composed of multiple projects.
True
Do not have a meeting if there is a better way of achieving the objective at hand.
True
Many projects have each team member prepare a monthly or sometimes weekly progress report.
True
Many studies define project success as meeting project scope, time, and ____________________ goals.
cost
According to the guideline governing ____, many meetings are most effective with the minimum number of participants possible. a. determining if a meeting can be avoided b. determining who should attend the meeting c. defining the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting d. running the meeting professionally
determining who should attend the meeting
According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the only method that is "excellent" for encouraging creative thinking. a. phone call c. meeting b. e-mail d. Web Site
Understanding the stakeholders' ____________________ can help in managing issues.
expectations
Many users prefer ____ to learn how to use a new system. a. phone conversations c. e-mail conversations b. face-to-face meetings d. reading user guides
face-to-face meetings
When using the ____, project managers exert their viewpoint at the potential expense of another viewpoint. a. confrontation mode c. smoothing mode b. compromise mode d. forcing mode
forcing mode
Project team members may become stagnant or develop ____________________—conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group—if there are no conflicting viewpoints on various aspects of a project.
groupthink
Often, many non-technical professionals—from colleagues to managers—prefer to ____ about project information to try to find pertinent information. a. read detailed reports c. read Web pages b. read e-mails d. have a two-way conversation
have a two-way conversation
The outputs of the _________________________ process are performance reports, organizational process assets updates, and change requests.
reporting performance
Many people cite research that says in a face-to-face interaction, ____ percent of communication is through body language. a. 10 c. 58 b. 25 d. 85
58
____________________ e-mail that you do not need to save or respond to.
Delete
____ are a complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project. a. Project archives c. Project databases b. Project backups d. Project notes
Project archives COMPLETION
____ are often more effective particularly for sensitive information. a. Electronic communications c. Telephone conversations b. Short face-to-face meetings d. Long face-to-face meetings
Short face-to-face meetings
____ describe where the project stands at a specific point in time. a. Progress reports c. Forecasts b. Status reports d. Updates
Status reports
____ are a good way to highlight information provided in important project documents, empower people to be accountable for their work, and have face-to-face discussions about important project issues. a. Information retreats c. Information review meetings b. Status planning meetings d. Status review meetings
Status review meetings
____________________ can facilitate the process of distributing information, when used properly.
Technology
Status reports can take various formats depending on the stakeholders' needs.
True
Two people have ____ communications channel(s). a. zero c. two b. one d. three
one
E-mail is always an appropriate medium for all types of communications.
False
Instead of knowing the people working on their projects and developing a trusting relationship with them, many colleagues and managers should want to focus on getting information by reading technical documents.
False
It is common to find someone with a natural ability for both communication and technical skills.
False
It is not good practice to include time for informal meetings with customers to help develop relationships and provide staff to assist in relationship management.
False
Team members often create consolidated progress reports based on the information received from team leaders.
False
____ predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends. a. Progress reports c. Forecasts b. Status reports d. Updates
Forecasts
____ employees are also more likely to enroll voluntarily in classes on the latest technology than those on developing their soft skills. a. Individual c. Groups of b. Service d. Team
Individual
The communications management plan will vary with the needs of the project.
True
When using the confrontation mode, project managers directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach that allows affected parties to work through their disagreements.
True
It is important to put information in context, especially if it is ____________________ news.
bad
Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially information technology projects, is a failure to ____________________.
communicate
A(n) ______________________________ is a document that guides project communications.
communications management plan
With the ____, project managers use a give-and-take approach to resolving conflicts. a. confrontation mode c. smoothing mode b. compromise mode d. forcing mode
compromise mode
When the stakes are high, ____________________ is never far away.
conflict
Research indicates that project managers favor using ____ for conflict resolution over the other four modes. a. compromise c. confrontation b. smoothing d. forcing
confrontation
The ____ mode is also called the problem-solving mode. a. confrontation c. smoothing b. compromise d. forcing
confrontation
Many practitioners define project success as ____. a. meeting project scope goals c. satisfying the customer/sponsor b. meeting time goals d. meeting cost goals
satisfying the customer/sponsor
The ____________________ statement clearly defines mandatory requirements and optional requirements.
scope
Since information technology projects often require a lot of coordination, it is a good idea to have ____ meetings. a. long, frequent c. short, frequent b. short, infrequent d. long, infrequent
short, frequent
Four people have ____ communications channel(s). a. one c. six b. four d. eight
six
When using the ____, the project manager deemphasizes or avoids areas of differences and emphasizes areas of agreement. a. confrontation mode c. smoothing mode b. withdrawal mode d. forcing mode
smoothing mode
The ______________________________ analysis includes information such as the contact person for the information, when the information is due, and the preferred format for the information.
stakeholder communications
The ____ serves as a good starting point for information distribution. a. stakeholder communications analysis c. communications management plan b. WBS d. status report
stakeholder communications analysis
An important technique for performance reporting is the ____________________ review meeting.
status
Many information technology professionals work on ____________________ projects where they never meet their project sponsors, other team members, or other project stakeholders.
virtual
Information regarding the content of essential project communications comes from the ____. a. organizational chart c. work breakdown structure (WBS) b. communications management plan d. expectations management matrix
work breakdown structure (WBS)
____ involves making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner. a. Reporting performance c. Managing stakeholder expectations b. Distributing information d. Planning communications
Distributing information
Getting project information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format is not as important as developing the information in the first place.
False
The communications management plan should not address frequency of communication.
False
____ involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders. a. Reporting performance c. Managing stakeholder expectations b. Distributing information d. Planning communications
Planning communications
Some professionals refuse to attend meetings if they do not have a(n) ____________________ ahead of time.
agenda
It takes ____ to help improve communication. a. timing c. leadership b. highly skilled employees d. outside consultants
leadership
The ____________________ approach is the least desirable conflict-handling mode.
withdrawal
When using the ____, project managers retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement. a. confrontation mode c. smoothing mode b. withdrawal mode d. forcing mode
withdrawal mode
It is not important to document any changes in technical specifications that might affect product performance.
False
People have a tendency to want to report bad information.
False
Project managers must realize that all conflict is bad.
False
Project team members rarely need to see all project documentation.
False
____ issues cause the most conflicts over the project life cycle. a. Project priority c. Cost b. Staffing d. Schedule
Schedule
All meetings should have a(n) ____________________ and intended outcome.
purpose
The information technology field is relatively stable and unchanging.
False
Communication skills training usually includes ____________________ activities in which participants learn concepts such as building rapport.
role-playing - role playing
The gap between users and developers decreases as technology advances.
False
You can assume that a task originally scheduled to take two months of one person's time can be done in one month by two people.
False
You can separate technical skills and soft skills when working on information technology projects.
False
____ describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period. a. Progress reports c. Forecasts b. Status reports d. Updates
Progress reports
____ involves collecting and disseminating performance information, including status reports, progress measurement, and forecasting. a. Reporting performance c. Managing stakeholder expectations b. Distributing information d. Planning communications
Reporting performance
Emotional conflict, which stems from personality clashes and misunderstandings, often depresses team performance.
True
Many WBSs include a section for project communications to ensure that reporting key information is a project deliverable.
True
Most educational systems for information technology graduates promote strong technical skills over strong communication and social skills.
True
Not understanding how to communicate effectively with other cultures and people of diverse backgrounds hurts projects and businesses.
True
Project managers should lead their teams in developing norms for dealing with various types of conflicts that might arise on their projects.
True
Rarely does the receiver interpret a message exactly as the sender intended.
True
According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the only inappropriate method for expressing support/appreciation. a. phone call c. meeting b. e-mail d. Web site
Web site
The communications management plan can be part of the team ____. a. WBS c. plan b. contract d. guidelines
contract
Project sponsors can usually rank scope, time, and cost goals in order of importance in a(n) ____. a. expectations management matrix c. issue log b. responsibility assignment matrix d. priority matrix
expectations management matrix
The ______________________________ includes a list of measures of success as well as priorities, expectations, and guidelines related to each measure.
expectations management matrix
There are ____ main processes in project communications management. a. two c. four b. three d. five
four
As the number of people involved in a project ____, the complexity of communications ____. a. increases, decreases c. increases, stays constant b. decreases, increases d. increases, increases
increases, increases
A(n) _________________________ is a reflective statement documenting important things they have learned from working on the project.
lessons-learned report
Some items discussed in a(n) ____ include reflections on whether project goals were met, whether the project was successful or not, the causes of variances on the project, the reasoning behind corrective actions chosen, the use of different project management tools and techniques, and personal words of wisdom based on team members' experiences. a. final project report c. audit report b. design document d. lessons-learned report
lessons-learned report
Project managers should try to ____________________ the size of teams or sub teams to avoid making communications too complex.
limit
Many experts believe that the difference between good project managers and excellent project managers is their ability to nurture relationships and use empathic ____________________ skills.
listening
According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the most appropriate method for giving complex instructions. a. phone call c. meeting b. e-mail d. Web Site
meeting
The output of the ____ process is a communications management plan. a. reporting performance c. managing stakeholder expectations b. distributing information d. planning communications
planning communications
Team leaders often create consolidated ____________________ based on the information received from team members.
progress reports
According to the guideline governing ____, designate someone to take minutes and send the minutes out soon after the meeting. a. running the meeting professionally b. providing an agenda to participants before the meeting c. determining who should attend the meeting d. building relationships
running the meeting professionally
Having ____ review and approve all stakeholder communications analysis will ensure that the information is correct and useful. a. stakeholders c. top management b. project team members d. customers
stakeholders
The ____ line for any e-mail messages you write should clearly state the intention of the e-mail. a. to c. subject b. from d. cc
subject
