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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Which entries should appear in the table of contents for a typical project plan? (Choose two.)
Business requirements Work schedules Methodology Costs Team members |
--Business requirements
--Team members A project plan's table of contents should be arranged so that its readers can easily find the information needed. It is a higher level outline including features such as team members and business requirements. A project plan's table of contents should not include sections for methodology, costs, or work schedules. Costs are not relevant to the actual project plan. However, methodologies and work schedules will be in the project plan, but they are subcomponents of the upper-level references in the table of contents. A project plan is an organized collection of all of the planning documents. It should include: * Table of Contents * Overview * Sponsors * Team Members * Requirements * Scheduled Tasks (WBS) * Expected Resources * Environmental Issues * Business Requirements * Implementation Plans * Support Plans * Training Plans Project Strategy Development and Preliminary Planning Sub-Objective: 2.26 Identify the components/documents of an adequate project plan and explain the function of each. Components include: Table of contents, Overview/Executive Summary, Sponsors, Team members, Requirements, Scheduled tasks (WBS), Expected resources, Environmental issues, Business and technical requirements, Implementation plans, Support plans, Training plans, Document (plan) location and revision control. |
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You have a large project that has 150 team members and a $50 million budget. The project is expected to take two years. Which requirements can you implement to ensure the quality of the deliverables?
Implement communication standards. Hire a consultant to verify your budget. Implement a bottom-up budget. Hire a consultant to verify your schedule. |
Implement communication standards.
When a project spans a long period of time and includes a large number of team members, there is a danger that miscommunications could occur. Therefore, you should implement communication standards. While it may be helpful to hire a consultant to verify your budget and schedule, it is not as important as helping to ensure good team communications, which a communications standards document does. Implementing a bottom-up budget may ensure a more accurate estimate, but it is not as important as a communications standards document since many projects just use top level budgeting and are successful. |
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You have just completed a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and need to identify the dependencies between tasks.
Which visual presentation best explains the dependencies? Milestone chart Gantt chart PERT chart Calendar |
PERT chart
A Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) chart is a diagram, or flowchart, that displays relationships by using blocks and arrows. The blocks contain various data, including start and stop dates. This type of presentation does not represent time well, but because it does show intricate task dependencies well, it is the best choice in this situation. There are three primary types of graphic displays used in project management: the calendar, the Gantt chart, and the PERT chart. WBS tasks can be spread across days and milestones can be indicated in a PERT chart. There is a close relationship between a Gantt chart and a PERT chart. A Gantt chart typically has dates across the top of the page. Bars represent WBS tasks and their start and stop dates. On the bar, resource assignments and percentages complete are indicated. Milestones are represented by a single symbol, such as a triangle. Simple task dependencies can also be indicated. The calendar provides a traditional, easy-to-use display of a schedule. A milestone chart is a textual chart of each milestone and its respective start and stop dates. Project Strategy Development and Preliminary Planning Sub-Objective: 2.10 Given a scenario involving tasks, resources (fixed or variable), and dependencies for a multiphase project, demonstrate knowledge of the standards for creating a workable WBS, by: recognizing and explaining the need to creatively visualize all deliverables (interim and finished), thoroughly decomposing the system into all potential hardware and software components. |
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There is a disagreement between a vendor and your project team. As the project manager, what is the first thing you should do to help resolve the disagreement?
Review the original contracts with the vendor to determine cost and specifications. Listen to the vendor's point of view. Focus on any misunderstanding that the vendor may have about delivery date, scope, and total cost for the services or equipment. Hold the vendor to his original quotation. The responsibility for the product is with the vendor. Have your company's legal department review the contracts and scope of work documents that were developed. You should then send a letter to the vendor outlining the legal department's interpretation of the contract. |
Listen to the vendor's point of view. Focus on any misunderstanding that the vendor may have about delivery date, scope, and total cost for the services or equipment.
When you try to resolve a disagreement between your project team and a vendor, your first line of defense is communication. As the project manager, you probably already understand the team's point of view. Listen to the vendor's point of view and try to correct any misunderstandings the vendor may have. You should do your best to minimize damaging your relationship with the vendor. Holding the vendor to his original quotation, contacting the legal department prematurely, and reviewing the contracts yourself will not resolve the disagreement and will interfere with future relationships. While these can be legally enforced, it is much better to diplomatically address the situation initially and at least understand where the vendor is coming from. |
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Which two elements are commonly required to complete an activity cost estimate? (Choose two.)
Task requirements Resource expense Resource skill levels Time estimate Project requirements |
--Task requirements
--Resource expense During the planning phase of a project, you need to estimate effort, time, and cost. Project costs consist of labor, equipment and material, and facilities. You should charge some costs directly to the project, but you may be able to charge others to an overhead account. For instance, copies created on a department copy machine are overhead. However, the lease of a copy machine for a project is likely a direct charge (fixed cost). You can use the project cost estimate to establish the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS). BCWS is a baseline measurement of the amount of money budgeted, based on the cost of the work scheduled. To complete a project cost estimate, you need a list of task requirements and resource expenses as stated in the project scope. The project requirements and resource skill levels are not necessary to a project cost estimate. A time estimate attributes a set amount of time to each deliverable and is not required for a project cost estimate. |
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A project is 95% complete and 5% behind schedule. You notice the evening before a scheduled team meeting that most of the team members are standing around doing nothing when the project should be complete in less than a week.
How should you address this in the team meeting the next day? You should make an example out of one of the team members explaining what you saw and how you had better never see him or her sitting around again. You should list specific tasks and clearly define what is needed to conclude the project and assign the specific tasks to the team members. You should address each team member individually after the meeting and express your concerns. You should issue a stern warning to the team about staying busy and completing the project on time. |
You should list specific tasks and clearly define what is needed to conclude the project and assign the specific tasks to the team members.
You should list specific tasks and clearly define what is needed to conclude the project and assign the specific tasks to the team members in the team meeting the next day. This gives clear direction to each team member and clarity of what is expected of them. Addressing the team members individually after the meeting takes up a lot of time. Since this is a team-wide issue, it is fine to address the problem in the team meeting. Issuing a stern warning to the team to stay busy means that they will appear busy. They may be duplicating tasks or doing tasks that do not apply to the project. Therefore, it is best to provide clear direction to the team members. Any time you need to address a specific person's performance issues, you should do it in private and not embarrass the person in front of the team. |
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You are a project manager of a large technology project with many phases and activities. The project includes everything from delivering a Web site to delivering the entire back-end support infrastructure for the Web site such as the database, e-commerce solution, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. Additionally, you must develop a proprietary application for the company that works on stand-alone computers or can integrate with the Web applications.
What should you use to determine if the project is on time and within budget? (Each correct answer presents part of the soution. Choose three.) Measurable targets Resource calendars Variance analysis Risk analysis Actual time and costs |
--Measurable targets
--Variance analysis --Actual time and costs To determine if a project is on time and within budget, you start by establishing measurable targets at the beginning of the project. As the project moves forward, you then track the actual time and costs of project tasks. The comparison between the actual and the target will tell you if a project is on time and within budget. To determine why the budget or schedule is not meeting expectations, you should perform a variance analysis. A variance analysis does not explain if a project is on time and on budget unless you have measurable targets. A variance analysis is dependent on the existence of measurable targets, because the variance is the difference between the target and the actual time or cost. You use resource calendars to show when and how to use resources. You do not use a resource calendar to determine budget and schedule status. Risk analysis is analyzing the factors that most affect a project's success. |
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You have the following figures:
Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) = $1,000,000.00 Actual cost of work performed (ACWP) = $1,100,000.00 Budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS) = $1,200,000.00 What is the schedule performance index (SPI) of this project? 1.1 .91 1.2 .83 |
.83
The formula for the SPI is BCWP/BCWS. Therefore, to calculate the SPI, you divide $1,000,000 by $1,200,000 (1,000,000/1,200,000) and find the SPI is .83. The formula for the cost variance is BCWP - ACWP. The formula for the cost performance index (CPI) is BCWP/ACWP. The formula for schedule variance is BCWP - BCWS. 3.1 Identify the following as tasks that should be accomplished on a weekly basis in the course of tracking an "up and running" project. Explain the rationale for performing these tasks and explain how to adapt these tasks to different situations: Check the project's scope status to determine "in scope" versus "out of scope" status of project elements, Check the evolution and status of project deliverables, Check the project schedule, Analyze variances (deviations from plan) by comparing "estimated" to "actual" resource time expenditures, dollar expenditures, milestones and elapsed duration of activities, Handle scope changes, if needed, List, track, and try to resolve open issues, Report project status, Look for opportunities to and "push" for close out of activities and sign-off of deliverables, Decide whether it is appropriate to continue the project. Discontinue the project if appropriate. |
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You are developing a comprehensive project plan and have identified the following tasks:
1. obtaining stakeholder concurrence 2. writing the project plan 3. creating the table of contents 4. obtaining formal approval of comprehensive project plan In which order should these tasks be performed? 3, 1, 2, 4 4, 2, 3, 1 2, 1, 4, 3 1, 3, 2, 4 |
3, 1, 2, 4
The proper sequence of events is to create a table of contents (outline) for the project, obtain stakeholder concurrence, write the project plan, and obtain formal approval of the comprehensive project plan. There should also be a few steps in between writing the plan and obtaining formal approval such as conducting a formal review of the plan with the stakeholders, getting their feedback, and implementing their feedback. Project Strategy Development and Preliminary Planning Sub-Objective: 2.27 Identify the steps involved in organizing a comprehensive project plan and using it to close out the planning phase of a project, including: Assembling all project planning elements (estimates of deliverables, time, costs, etc.), Creating an outline or table of contents for the comprehensive project plan, Reviewing the outline of the comprehensive project plan with sponsor and key stakeholders, Obtaining feedback and concurrence, and revising as needed, Writing the comprehensive project plan by integrating all planning elements according to the outline and creating a full document with transitions, introductions, graphics, exhibits, appendices, etc., as appropriate, Circulating the comprehensive project plan to all stakeholders, Obtaining top management support of the comprehensive project plan by making certain it reflects their concerns and that they have had an opportunity to provide input, Conducting a formal review of the comprehensive project plan in which stakeholders have an opportunity to provide feedback, Adjusting the comprehensive project plan based on stakeholder feedback, Obtaining formal approval (sign-off) of the comprehensive project plan by sponsor(s). |
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You are four weeks into a nine-month project. It is clear that prior personnel disagreements have made it difficult for your team to function cohesively.
Which strategy will help your team work together better? Place the entire team in a "war room" and schedule a kick-off meeting to review the vision of the project. Schedule a kick-off meeting to review the vision of the project and reward those team members who are making an effort to work together. Place the entire team in a "war room" and give appropriate team members the responsibility for reporting in status meetings. Schedule a kick-off meeting to review the vision of the project and give appropriate team members the responsibility for reporting in status meetings. |
Place the entire team in a "war room" and give appropriate team members the responsibility for reporting in status meetings.
To promote a more cohesive team, you should place the entire team in a "war room." This allows the team members to work closely together and forces resolution of prior personnel disagreements. You can also give team members responsibility for reporting in status meetings. This fosters feelings of project ownership. Another option is to meet with the disagreeing parties to help them resolve their differences. Kick-off meetings do help develop team cohesiveness, but will not help team members resolve past differences. You should give rewards for good performance, not an ability to cooperate. Project Execution, Control and Coordination Sub-Objective: 3.40 Demonstrate an understanding of methods to develop and maintain an effective working relationship during projects between the organization and the client/business organization: Frequent communications, Team building, Managing by fact, Issue management and problem solving, Timely decision making, Importance of written communication, Gaining consensus, Managing expectations. References: |
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You have the following project scope definition:
Project 334 is designed to create a user interface for XML Web components, install and configure Web servers, design the layout of an e-commerce solution, and host the solution. The client is going to create the database in an open database connectivity (ODBC) format for which we are not responsible since it directly calls the database. The client requires a two-month time to address the marketability of the e-commerce solution. The Stakeholders are Jim Jones, John Stone, and Jill Smith. The project sponsor is Ted smith. What should also be included in this scope definition to make it more complete? What the project does not include Who is responsible for all ODBC documentation The client's billing address The project's budget |
The project's budget
Including the project's budget in a high-level statement such as, "The project will be complete with a budget of +/- 5% deviation of $50,000.00" further clarifies and outlines the project's scope. The scope statement already implies what is not included in the project by stating that the company is responsible for the database configuration and maintenance and it is not part of the project. It is more appropriate to include the team's responsibilities in the work breakdown structure (WBS). The client's billing address is not included in the scope document. |
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As a project manager, you are responsible for managing a diverse group of managers, programmers, executives, and end users. Your team is developing an application for a large corporation that has a well-defined formal corporate culture. The firm has set up specific procedures for communicating with the staff.
A developer in your group has a difficult time working within this formal environment. How should you handle communication issues with this developer? Insist that the developer work within the established framework. Talk to the developer's supervisor and help the supervisor work through the problem. Deal with the developer individually to get conformance. Employ a different plan of communication for all team members. |
Deal with the developer individually to get conformance.
When you manage an employee with an individual issue, you should first try to identify the source of the issue and deal with the issue in private by having coaching sessions with the individual. You can work with the person to define expectations and then provide feedback on a regular basis. Insisting the developer work within the established framework does not show sensitivity to the developer. Communication needs to be consistent for all team members. You should not employ a different plan for each team member. As the project manager, you are responsible for managing project issues with this person. You should not talk to the developer's supervisor. |
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The project charter specifies the following requirements:
The system should run in a client/server environment. The system should be able to communicate with the legacy system. The primary protocol used should be TCP/IP. Users need to generate reports based on sales per week. Which of these requirements should the project manager classify as a functional requirement(s)? Users need to input customer name, customer address, and order information. Users need to generate reports based on sales per week, the system should be able to communicate with the legacy systems, and the system should run in a client/server environment and use the TCP/IP protocol. The system should be able to communicate with the legacy system and users need to input customer name, customer address, and order information. Users need to generate reports based on sales per week. The system should run in a client/server environment and the primary protocol used should be TCP/IP. |
Users need to generate reports based on sales per week.
The functional requirement of this project is that users need to generate reports based on sales per week. Functional requirements describe the capabilities of the finished project. The technical requirements are that the system should be able to communicate with the legacy systems, and the system should run in a client/server environment using the TCP/IP protocol. Technical requirements describe the tools needed so that the functional requirements can be met adequately. |
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You have added several small functional enhancements to your project. Individually, you considered the impact of each enhancement to be insignificant. However, the cumulative effect of the additions has caused significant deviation from the original schedule and the project is in jeopardy.
Which factors do you report to the project sponsor regarding the deviation from the schedule? The cost of the deviation, the proposed corrective action, the possible alternative solutions, the impact on the project budget, and the impact on functionality of the deliverable The cost of the deviation, the proposed corrective action, the possible alternative solutions, the impact on the project budget, the impact on the project duration, and the impact on functionality of the deliverable The names of the individual(s) responsible for the deviation, the proposed corrective action, the possible alternative solutions, the impact on the project budget, the impact on the project duration, and the impact on functionality of the deliverable Impact on project team assignments, the cost of the deviation, the proposed corrective action, the possible alternative solutions, the impact on the project budget, the impact on the project duration, and the impact on functionality of the deliverable |
The cost of the deviation, the proposed corrective action, the possible alternative solutions, the impact on the project budget, the impact on the project duration, and the impact on functionality of the deliverable
You should handle schedule slippage in a similar fashion to a budget overrun. After you identify the reason for the slippage (in this case, scope creep), you need to understand the impact on the project. The cost of the deviation can be in terms of money and/or time. After you understand the cause, you should look for options to correct the schedule slippage and alternative solutions. After you have identified options, you should notify the sponsor of the cost of the deviation, the effect on the schedule, the effect on functionality, your proposed corrective action, and possible alternative solutions. The sponsor does not need to know who is responsible because the ultimate responsibility rests with the project manager. |
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When is it appropriate to have a project requirements review with the customer?
At the end of every phase At the end of the project When the customer wants one At the beginning of the project |
At the end of every phase
Reviewing project requirements should be an iterative process. The end of every phase is an appropriate time to review the program requirements. During a project requirements review, you should review the budget requirements and project's performance to see if you need to adjust the project plan. You should not review the project requirements at the beginning of the project. You should establish the project requirements at that point. However, the client should review and sign off on them. The end of the project is too late to review the program's requirements because it is already delivered and completed. You do not need to review the project's requirements whenever the customer desires. However, you must maintain a good working relationship with the customer and explain to the customer that you are so many days from a phase completion, and you can have a much more meaningful discussion at that time. |
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You noticed a rift developing between two team members in the late stages of the last project. In the early stages of this project, they are constantly bickering with each other, and it has caused a 1% delay in the very early stages of the project. How should you resolve this situation?
Call a meeting with the two employees and mediate their attempts to work the issue out. Issue a written reprimand to both parties. Fire one of the employees. Rearrange the teams so the employees do not have to work together. |
Call a meeting with the two employees and mediate their attempts to work the issue out.
Since the project is already underway, the best thing to do is to call a meeting with the two employees and mediate their attempts to work out the issue. This makes them aware that you know about the situation and the fact that it has caused a slight delay in the project and places them in a position where they must work things out before the problem escalates. Because the project is underway and the teams are set, it is not best to rearrange the teams to prevent the employees from working together. Additionally, there is probably a reason they are both needed on a team since you were already aware that there was an issue between them. At this point, firing the employees or issuing a written reprimand is not the best course of action. However, if they cannot resolve the issue and work together after the meeting, a written reprimand is appropriate. |
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You are the project manager working on a major IT project for the military. You have the approved project requirements and input from the stakeholders.
Into which two subcategories should you divide the requirements? Business and functional Budget and functional Business and budget Budget and technical |
Business and functional
When you perform a systems requirement analysis, you need to translate business needs into business and functional requirements. A project manager uses business requirements to maintain focus on the goal of the project. Functional requirements define the technical elements of the project and the functions the system must perform to meet the business requirements. A project manager should not break down project requirements into technical and budgetary requirements. Technical requirements define what the system does to meet the business and functional requirements. Budgetary requirement are a subset of business requirements. |
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You are managing a large project that has been in process for over four months. The project is three weeks behind schedule, but is still under budget. Management support for the project has been good, but recently your managers have indicated that they are rethinking the need for the application.
Which two actions can you employ to rebuild their support? (Choose two.) Reaffirm the need for the application. Tell management you can bring the project in ahead of schedule. Locate the source of doubts. Remind management that they signed-off on the project. Tell management you can bring the project in under budget. |
--Reaffirm the need for the application.
--Locate the source of doubts. To rebuild management support for your project, you should try to identify why management has doubts and reaffirm the need for the application. As you reaffirm the need for the application, focus on eliminating management's doubts. You should not remind management that they signed-off on the project. If you are an at-will employee, they can kill the project and fire you. Management still has the right to cancel the project. A sign-off is not a guarantee. You should not volunteer to bring the project in early and under budget, especially considering you are three weeks behind schedule already. If anything, more time is needed for the completion of the project since there is a three week gap in the actual and expected progress on the project. |
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You have a project that hinges on being able to secure staffing commitments for a programmer that knows Visual Basic, Visual C++, and PERL. Your IT department has a single employee who knows these three platforms.
What should you do to help your chances of getting him on your project? Assign the programmer to the team. Go to the programmer and explain why he is needed in detail. Go to the programmer's functional manager and provide details why he is needed. Go to the programmer and request his cooperation. |
Go to the programmer's functional manager and provide details why he is needed.
As a project manager, you should request your most important resources first. Since this particular project hinges on programmer expertise, you should go to the programmer's functional manager with a detailed explanation of why you need that specific programmer. You should not assign him to the team because you do not know his availability or have his manager's approval. You should not go directly to the programmer. Unless you are also a direct superior to the employee you need, you should not go directly to the employee. He may not know what his upcoming projects and schedules are, so it is best to follow the proper channels. |
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You and your team have been working on a large reporting and tracking system for the Department of Defense. You are one year into the project, which is 60% complete. You are about a month behind schedule and 4% over budget.
One of the lead programmers has been expressing a great deal of frustration with his job and the amount of overtime that the team is working. You are afraid that he may leave the company. What is one way to mitigate this risk? Reduce the amount of overtime the programmer needs to work. Make sure that another programmer has been cross-trained in that area. Hire another programmer to act as a backup. Give the programmer a bonus for his hard work. |
Make sure that another programmer has been cross-trained in that area.
You control risks by mitigating (lessening) it using appropriate strategies. You can mitigate the risk that the programmer might leave by making sure that another programmer has been cross-trained in that area. Since the project is behind schedule, and the entire team is working overtime, you cannot reduce the amount of overtime for one individual. There is no indication in the scenario that the programmer deserves a bonus. Because you are already over budget, adding a bonus would make that situation even worse. You are over budget already and cannot afford to hire another programmer to mitigate the risk. Risk management is the process of identifying, measuring, and lessening risk factors in a project. The first step in managing risks is to identify possible internal and external risks. You can measure risks by identifying how likely they are to happen and the severity of the impact if they do. |
