Project Management Test 3.10

Front 1

__________ uses data supplied by monitoring to bring actual performance into approximate congruence with planned performance.

Back 1

Controlling

Front 2

__________ is the process of making judgments about the quality and effectiveness of project performance.

Back 2

Evaluation

Front 3

The key factors that should appear in a monitoring system are __________.

Back 3

time, performance, and the cost of the company

Front 4

In earned value analysis, if the cost variance is -$5000 and scheduled variance is 0, __________.

Back 4

the cost variance is unfavorable

Front 5

EV / AC = __________.

OR

BCWP/ACWP=

Back 5

CPI

Front 6

Monitoring can be used for __________.

Back 6

all of the above

auditing, learning from past mistakes, and keeping senior management informed

Front 7

The __________ describes what is being done, when, and the planned level of resource usage for each task, work package, and work element in the project.

Back 7

work breakdown structure

Front 8

Most of the large amounts of data collected for projects come from all of the following sources, EXCEPT __________.

Back 8

intuitive beliefs

Front 9

Based on the advice from the authors, project managers can deal with most any kind of behavior, EXCEPT __________.

Back 9

dishonesty

Front 10

The formula for ETC is __________.

Back 10

(BAC-EV) / CPI

OR

(BAC-BCWP)/CPI

OR

(BAC-BCWP)/(CPI)(SPI)

Front 11

For each factor to be measured during monitoring, it will be necessary to establish performance criteria, __________, and data collection procedures.

Back 11

standards

Front 12

If SPI = 1.12, then the schedule variance is __________.

Back 12

favorable

Front 13

Indicators are used for data collection when some aspect of system __________ cannot be measured directly.

Back 13

performance

Front 14

An internal audit is used to ensure that the information gathered is __________.

Back 14

honest

Front 15

If EV = $900, AC = $950, PV = $875; SV = $ __________.

EV=BCWP

AC=ACWP

PV=BCWS

Back 15

$25

Front 16

According to the authors, in the planning - monitoring - controlling cycle, the directions of the flows indicate that information flows from the bottom to the top and that authority flows from the top to the bottom.

Back 16

True

Front 17

The first step in setting up a monitoring system is to use whatever information is available.

Back 17

False

Front 18

The most common mistake made when monitoring data is to gather information that is clearly related to project performance but has little or no probability of changing significantly between collection periods.

Back 18

True

Front 19

The project control process should be viewed as an open loop system with revised plans and schedules.

Back 19

False

Front 20

The 50-50 percent rule has the characteristic of the project always seeming to be running late, until the very end when it seems to suddenly catch up.

Back 20

False

Front 21

Monitoring, as an activity, should be kept distinct from ________, which uses data supplied by monitoring to bring actual performance into approximate congruence with planned performance.

Back 21

Controlling

Front 22

Monitoring, as an activity, should be kept distinct from ________, which is the process of making judgments about the quality and effectiveness of project performance.

Back 22

Evaluation

Front 23

Secondary uses for monitoring include ________.

Back 23

Auditing, learning from experience, and reporting progress and status

Front 24

According to the authors, the key items to be planned, monitored, and controlled are ________.

Back 24

Time, cost, and performance

Front 25

According to the authors, in the planning -- monitoring -- controlling cycle, the directions of the flows indicate that ________.

Back 25

Information flows from the bottom to the top and authority flows from the top to the bottom

Front 26

The first step in setting up a monitoring system is to ________.

Back 26

Identify the key factors to be controlled

Front 27

For each factor to be measured during monitoring; performance criteria, standards, and ________ must be established.

Back 27

Data collection procedures

Front 28

The criteria and data collection procedures used during monitoring are usually set up for the life of the project. But ________ may not be constant over the project's life because they can be changed by the parent organization, the client, or the community.

Back 28

Audit checks

Front 29

The most common mistake made when monitoring data is to gather information that is clearly related to project performance but ________.

Back 29

Has little or no probability of changing significantly between collection periods

Front 30

In monitoring systems, bias finding and correcting activities are worthwhile ________.

Back 30

Only if data with less or no bias are required

Front 31

In earned value analysis, the 50-50 estimate assumes that ________.

Back 31

50 percent is earned when the task begins and 50 percent is earned at completion

Front 32

In earned value analysis, the 0 - 100 percent rule allows ________.

Back 32

0 percent credit when work begins and 100 percent credit at completion of the activity

Front 33

In earned value analysis, if the cost variance is ($10,000), ________.

Back 33

The cost overrun is unfavorable

Front 34

If CPI = 1.05, then ________ is favorable.

Back 34

Cost variance

Front 35

STWP / ATWP = ________.

Back 35

TPI

Front 36

________ is collecting, recording, and reporting information concerning any and all aspects of project performance that the project manager or others in the organization wish to know.

Back 36

monitoring

Front 37

he project control process should be viewed as a ________, with revised plans and schedules (if warranted) following corrective actions. The project control process should run continuously until the project is completed.

Back 37

closed loop system

Front 38

A ________ is a simple tally of the occurrence of an event. This type of measure is easy to collect and is often reported as events per unit of time or reported as events as a percent of a standard number.

Back 38

frequency count

Front 39

When collecting raw project data, it is important to make sure that all data are collected from sources that operate on the same ________ and with the same rules for data collection.

Back 39

time intervals

Front 40

Ordinal rankings of performance are an example of a ________ type of measure.

Back 40

subjective numeric rating

Front 41

An ________ type of measure is used when some aspect of system performance cannot be measured directly.

Back 41

indicator

Front 42

A ________ is a statistical quality control technique that can often give the project manager an early warning of potential problems in a project.

Back 42

time series analysis

Front 43

An ________ is used to deal with issues of honesty related to the monitoring system.

Back 43

internal audit

Front 44

The earned value rule that divides planned (for actual) time-to-date by total scheduled time (for budgeted (for actual) cost-to-date by total budgeted cost) to calculate percent complete is called the ________ rule.

Back 44

proportionality

Front 45

In earned value analysis, EAC refers to the ________.

Back 45

estimated cost at completion

Front 46

In earned value analysis, BAC refers to the ________.

Back 46

budget at completion

Front 47

In earned value analysis, the ________ is computed as the earned value minus the actual cost of work performed.

Back 47

cost variance

Front 48

BCWP – BCWS = ________.

Back 48

SV or the schedule variance

Front 49

If BCWP = $500, ACWP = $450, BCWS = $475; SV = $________.

Back 49

$25

Front 50

If BCWP = $500, ACWP = $450, BCWS = $475; CPI = ________.

Back 50

1.11

Front 51

In earned value analysis, (CPI) / (SPI) = ________.

Back 51

CSI or the cost-schedule index

Front 52

If CSI is less than 1, it is indicative of a ________.

Back 52

problem

Front 53

Conceptually, EAC represents the amount spent to date plus ________.

Back 53

ETC or the estimated cost to complete

Front 54

(BAC – BCWP) / CPI = ________.

Back 54

ETC or estimated cost to complete

Front 55

Excessive computer involvement with computer activity replacing project management; loss of touch with the project and its realities, is referred to as ________.

Back 55

computer paralysis

Front 56

Identify some of the benefits when timely reports are delivered to the proper people by the project management information system.

Back 56

Benefits of timely reporting to the proper people include: mutual understanding of project goals, awareness of progress and problems associated with coordinating activities, understanding of relationships between tasks in the overall project, early warning signals of potential problems and delays in the project, reduced confusion associated with changes in the project because the effects of the changes have been promptly communicated, quicker responsiveness to unacceptable or inappropriate work, higher visibility for the project and its results, managing stakeholder perceptions and expectations related to project results.

Front 57

Identify the main complaints associated with meetings.

Back 57

The main complaints are that meetings are interminably long, come to no conclusions, and waste everyone's time.

Front 58

Suggest some practical measures that can be used to improve the perception about the benefits of meetings.

Back 58

The following rules can help remove most of the onus associated with project meetings. Use meetings for making group decisions or getting input for important problems. Avoid show-and-tell meetings that function as status and review meetings. Have a written agenda with preset starting and stopping times. Make sure that attendees have done their homework prior to the meeting. If you chair the meeting, take your own minutes. Distribute the minutes as soon as possible after the meeting. Avoid attributing remarks or viewpoints to individuals in the minutes. Do not report votes on controversial matters. Avoid overly formal rules of procedure. If a serious problem or crisis arises, call a meeting for the purpose of dealing with that issue only.

Front 59

Describe the three common difficulties in the design of project reports.

Back 59

First, there is usually too much detail, both in the reports themselves and in the input being solicited from workers. Unnecessary detail usually results in the report not being read. It also makes it difficult to find needed information quickly. Moreover, the demand for large quantities of highly detailed input information often results in careless preparation of the data, thereby casting doubt on the validity of reports based on such data. Second, there may be a poor interface between the project information system and the parent firm’s information system. In many respects, the project manager will be expected to report costs and resource usage in a manner compatible with the parent firm's information system. Third, there may be poor correspondence between the planning and the monitoring systems. If the monitoring system is not tracking information directly related to the project’s plans, control is meaningless.

Front 60

When using earned value analysis, identify the three conditions that can exist with respect to the completion of activity in a project.

Back 60

At a specified point in the project lifecycle, some work units have been finished and are 100 percent complete. At the same point in time, some work units have yet to be started and are 0 percent complete. The remaining work units have been started but are not complete. For this group of work units, it is possible to estimate a percent completion.