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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Who is responsible for issuing a project charter?
CEO Project steering committee Subject matter expert An upper-level manager |
An upper-level manager
A project charter is the document that provides formal approval for the project to begin and authorizes the project manager to use company resources for the project. Therefore, the approval for a project charter comes from either an executive committee or an upper-level manager. A project charter consists of a project's goals and objectives, the product description, the project team, the business case, and the approval for the project. You should incorporate the business needs into the goals and objectives of the project. Additionally, a project charter outlines who will manage the project and what authority the manager has. The project steering committee guides the project along. It is not part of the project charter, but its members may be specified in the project charter. A subject matter expert usually is a consultant for a project and does not initiate the project. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is concerned with higher-level tasks and does not initiate a project. |
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You are managing a large IT project. The concept for the project has been in development by management for over a year. You have defined the project concept, completed the project charter, and obtained the funding. Management has not involved the rest of the stakeholders in this process. The firm has an operations manual that describes how you should handle communications. The manual covers memos, letters, and e-mail.
How should you communicate with the stakeholders? Ask upper management for permission to deviate from the operations manual. Work with the stakeholders to decide the best methods and policies for communication. Use the company's e-mail to send and receive items that the stakeholders need to review and approve. Use the system that is already in place. |
Work with the stakeholders to decide the best methods and policies for communication.
You should work with stakeholders to decide the best methods and policies for communication. Traditional communication policies, like those outlined in an operations manual, do not usually cover the unique communication needs of a project. After working with the stakeholders to decide the best methods and policies for communication, you should create a communication plan, which will become part of your complete project plan. When you create a communication plan, you must address "who," "what," "when," and "by whom." Who is the audience? What information does the audience need? How frequently does the audience need the information? Who will provide the information to the audience? You should use the system that is in place only if it meets the needs of the stakeholders. It is the responsibility of the project manager to decide on the communication methodology for a project. You should use e-mail for review and approval only if you and the stakeholders decide it is appropriate for your project. You should not ask management for permission to deviate from the procedures described in the operations manual. The best course of action is to work with the stakeholders to decide the best methods and policies for communication. |
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You are interviewing stakeholders to develop the scope definition for your current project. The primary customers agree that they need a stripped-down solution as quickly as possible, without any extras. The project sponsor mentioned a number of times that the project has tight budget constraints, but it is necessary to have something functioning soon.
What is most important to the stakeholders? Budget and Schedule Budget and Quality Schedule Quality and Schedule |
Budget and Schedule
During the project scope definition, it is important to determine which of the three criteria (budget, quality, and schedule) is most important to the stakeholders. Because both the primary customer and the sponsor mentioned the need to provide a solution quickly, time is important. The sponsor mentioned that cost is a concern, and the customer reaffirmed the cost concern by expressing the need for a "stripped down" solution, which is not a term used for a high-quality product. Therefore, budget and schedule are equally important and quality is the less important component of the project. |
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The project schedule sets aside a day for each of the following acceptance activities:
- Compatibility with Windows 9x, Windows 2000, and Windows XP operating systems - Secure Internet connectivity - Desired level of user functionality The project specifies that the customer must test and accept the deliverables before the project is closed. It also specifies that the customer has six days for testing. The contract must be completed in eight days, and you are penalized 10% for being even a day late. Your internal testing is not yet complete. What should you, as the project manager, do? Send the deliverables to the client tomorrow. Add testers to the project so the tasks can be completed in two days. Send the deliverables to the client immediately. Add testers to the project so the tasks can be completed in three days. |
Add testers to the project so the tasks can be completed in two days.
You should add testers to the project so the tasks can be completed in two days. This allows the client the remaining six days for testing. Additionally, if any errors are found, you still have six days to debug the project. Acceptance testing is a crucial part of closing a contract, especially when the contract specifies that it must be performed. Therefore, you must speed up the testing process, not ignore it by sending the project off immediately or the next day to be tested by the client. Completing the in-house testing in three days places the project in jeopardy of being penalized 10%. Six days added to three places the project over schedule. Therefore, you must complete the testing in two days, not three. |
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Which three items should you include in a project charter? (Choose three.)
Business case A manager external to the project Project's goals and objectives Product description The critical path for the project Work breakdown structure |
---Business case
---Project's goals and objectives ---Product description A project charter consists of a project's goals and objectives, the product description, the project team, the business case, and the approval for the project. You should incorporate the business needs into the goals and objectives of the project. Additionally, a project charter outlines who will manage the project and what authority the manager has. However, it does not include a manager that is external to the project except for maybe his signature to approve the project. The critical path of the project is outlined in the project schedule, not the project charter. A work breakdown structure (WBS) should not be included in a project charter. A WBS specifies the deliverables-oriented hierarchy. It defines all of the details of the work to be performed where each sub-layer is more specific and detailed regarding the deliverables. |
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In a major project, you need to manage many types of risk. Which risk can you not mitigate?
Inadequate funding Loss of management support Increased scope of work Failure to meet minimum requirements |
Failure to meet minimum requirements
The risk you cannot mitigate is failure to meet minimum requirements. Failure to meet the minimum requirements causes the entire project to fail, because it does not perform the functions it was developed to address. Therefore, you must meet these requirements, and you cannot mitigate the risk of failing to meet the these minimum requirements. You can mitigate funding risks with good planning and by ensuring that you have adequate surplus funds. You can mitigate poor scope of work by implementing review and change control processes. You can mitigate loss of management support by getting written approvals and sign-offs. 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. You control risks by mitigating (lessening), using appropriate strategies. Finally, you perform risk management regularly throughout the project. You can identify risks through either a top-down or bottom-up approach. When you identify risks from the top down, you look at project requirements and determine how you could fail to meet them. To identify risks from the bottom up, you should list risk drivers (such as customers, technology, resources, estimating, and organization) and look for ways that the project is vulnerable to those factors |
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Which types of change does NOT result in the initiation of a change control process?
Calendar changes Requirements changes Resource changes Configuration changes |
Calendar changes
You do not need to initiate a change control process when you have a change to the calendar (such as unscheduled vacation). It is a minor issue that more than likely does not affect the outcome of the project. A formal change control process benefits the project because it minimizes unnecessary scope creep and the risks associated with scope creep. Scope creep occurs when a project addresses issues such as functions and deliverables that are not within the scope of the project. Scope creep is the most significant reason large projects fail. Additionally, a formal change control process ensures that the changes are beneficial and helps maintain a feeling of project ownership. Finally, you can more easily coordinate changes across work teams if you use a formal change control process. You should initiate a change control process when you have changes in any of the following: * Resources * Configuration * Cost * Requirements * Infrastructure * Scope * Schedule (not a minor calendar issue) Change management is an important part of managing a project. When you initiate a change control process, you should: 1. Identify and evaluate the needed changes. 2. Evaluate the impact of the change on the scope, schedule, and budget. 3. Notify the stakeholders and sponsor of the changes and the resulting impact. 4. Document and implement changes that the stakeholders and sponsor have agreed to. 5. Reject and document any changes that the stakeholders and sponsor do not agree to. 6. Revise the scope, schedule, and budget. |
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Which tasks should you perform during a comprehensive project review?
Rely on the sponsor's analysis of the project and create a written report Identify weaknesses and create a written report Identify weaknesses and strengths Identify weaknesses, identify strengths, and create a written report |
Identify weaknesses, identify strengths, and create a written report
Project managers should use comprehensive project reviews to recognize the work a project team has accomplished, identify positive and negative aspects of the completed project, and provide closure to the project. Reviews are important to provide for a way to learn from the project's experience, provide the opportunity to repeat successes and prevent failures, and identify processes the company should modify. A project review meeting should evaluate all aspects of project planning and execution including the budgeting phase, project planning, and the change control process. All team members should attend the project review meeting. The project manager should compile significant information from the review meeting into a project report. The project report should contain a description of the project, a gauge of the success, lessons learned, and explanations for variances. A post-project review does not rely on the sponsor's analysis solely. It is the entire team coming together to evaluate the project on the criteria listed above. |
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A company wants to develop an e-commerce site. The project charter clearly outlines that the site must be scalable, reliable, and dynamic.
After developing a proposed scope definition, the project manager left the company, and you have been assigned to be the new project manager. You are reviewing the proposed scope definition to determine the viability of the project. The project currently has the following constraints: * Changes to the scope after sign-off will only occur per strict change control procedures. * The e-commerce site must be completed by July 1. * You must use software tools already owned by the company. * You have a strict budget. * Stakeholders must review and sign off on deliverables. Which option lists the predetermined constraints that have a positive impact on the project's viability? Changes to the scope after sign-off will only occur per strict change control procedures, and stakeholders must review and sign off on deliverables. Stakeholders must review and sign off on deliverables, you have a strict budget, and you must use software tools already owned by the company. Stakeholders must review and sign off on deliverables. The e-commerce site must be completed by July 1, you have a strict budget, and you must use software tools already owned by the company. |
Changes to the scope after sign-off will only occur per strict change control procedures, and stakeholders must review and sign off on deliverables.
Predetermined constraints can affect project viability, both in positive and negative ways. Some constraints, such as strict change control procedures and required reviews and sign-offs, improve the likelihood that the project will succeed. This has a positive impact on a project's viability. On the other hand, a clearly defined project end date with a strict budget and mandatory tools can negatively impact the project's viability. Therefore, the constraints that have a negative impact on the project's viability are that the e-commerce site must be completed by July 1, you have a strict budget, and you must use software tools already owned by the company. |
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You are working on the communication plan for a large IT project. Which three components should you consider in your communication plan? (Choose three.)
The report's audience The time required for the communication plan The frequency of reports The cost of the communication plan The person or department responsible for the reports The report style |
---The report's audience
---The frequency of reports ---The person or department responsible for the reports When you create a communication plan, you must address who, what, when, and by whom. Who is the audience? What information does the audience need? How frequently does the audience need the information? Who will provide the information to the audience? You do not need to address the report style in your communication plan. The time required for the communication plan is not specified in the communication plan. It is specified in the project's schedule. The cost of the communication plan is not specified in the communication plan. It is specified in the project's budget. |
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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 cost performance index (CPI) of this project? 1.1 1.2 .83 .91 |
.91
The formula for the CPI is BCWP/ACWP. Therefore, to calculate the CPI, you divide 1,000,000 by 1,100,000 (1,000,000/1,100,000) and find the CPI is .91. The formula for the schedule performance index (SPI) is BCWP/BCWS. The formula for the cost variance is BCWP - ACWP. The formula for schedule variance is BCWP - BCWS. |
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Which statement about planning the establishment of the product support structure for an IT project is most accurate?
During the project planning phase, the project manager should plan how product support will be established. The support manager should plan to establish product support before delivery of the product. During the final product test phase, the project manager should plan how product support will be established. The support manager should plan to establish product support after delivery of the product. |
During the project planning phase, the project manager should plan how product support will be established.
The project manager should plan to establish product support during project planning. IT projects do not end when development ends. After the development effort, system documentation, user training, help file development, and establishment of product support remain. The project manager should plan these phases during project planning, not during final product testing. The project manager may work with the support manager to establish product support, but it is not the support manager's responsibility to plan for establishment of the product support structure. |
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You are documenting the preliminary concept for a project to which you have been assigned. Which topic should you NOT include in the document?
Preliminary Risk Analysis System Impact Existing Organizational Needs Overview of Proposed Project Deficiencies of the Current System Project Deliverables Business Needs |
Project Deliverables
The preliminary project concept should not include project deliverables. The project deliverables are included in the project scope document. The deliverables are the features/tools a client expects to have upon project completion. You use the preliminary project concept to describe the desired results of a project, to clarify the desired functionality, and to provide a focus for project planning. The preliminary project concept document should include analyses of existing systems and business needs, the proposed project, risks, and potential impacts on existing systems and resources. To develop a preliminary project concept, you should answer the following questions: * What are the existing needs of the organization? * What are the deficiencies of the current system? * What business needs will the results of the project satisfy? * What business factors are critical for the project to be successful? * Are there other ways to accomplish the goal? |
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Why is the project scope necessary to complete a project cost estimate?
It specifies the projected budget It identifies the completion criteria. It defines the project manager's role. It sets the target completion date. |
It specifies the projected budget
The project scope defines the parameters for a project as far as which functionality it addresses and which functionality it does not address. You must know the scope to be able to create a projected cost estimate. Otherwise, you are just arbitrarily selecting numbers. 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. 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, resource expenses, and the projected budget as stated in the project scope. A completion criterion defines what must be accomplished for a project or deliverable to be complete. A target completion date is an estimated completion data and is not required to complete a project cost estimate. A cost estimate has nothing to do with the role of the project manager. |
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You have a project that has the following dependencies for tasks A through G:
A must be completed before B can begin. C must be complete before A can begin. G must be complete before E can begin. D must be complete before E can begin. Your project is expected to complete in two weeks. You outsourced task D to a vendor, and it is due in a week. You called this vendor to check on the deliverable's status and he tells you that one of his vendors cannot get a crucial part to him for two weeks. Therefore, he tells you that he needs two extra weeks to complete the deliverable. What is the impact of this on the project's completion date if it takes a week to complete task E and task G is already complete? A and B are delayed by at least two weeks. D and G are delayed by at least a week. The project is delayed by at least two weeks. A and B are delayed by at least a week. |
The project is delayed by at least two weeks.
The scenario states that C must be complete before A can begin, A must be complete before B can begin, and D and G must be complete before E can begin. The project is expected to complete in two weeks. However, you were expecting to receive the deliverable that allows you to begin work on tasks E, task D in a week. Since D is delayed by two weeks and its expected completion date is in a week, E cannot begin until D is complete, three weeks from now. Once D is complete, it takes a week to complete task E. Therefore, the soonest the project can be completed is in four weeks (three weeks for D and a week for E). Since the project is due in two weeks, the project is delayed by at least two week |
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All work has been completed for a project that you are managing, and you are ready to move to the closure phase.
Which choice reflects the correct order in which the tasks for the closure phase should be performed? Customer Acceptance Meeting, Project Report, Project Review Meeting Project Report, Project Review Meeting, Customer Acceptance Meeting Customer Acceptance Meeting, Project Review Meeting, Project Report Project Review Meeting, Customer Acceptance Meeting, Project Report |
Customer Acceptance Meeting, Project Review Meeting, Project Report
The Closure phase of a project should include the following tasks in this order: 1 - A customer acceptance meeting to get customer sign-off and verify that the acceptance criteria have been met 2 - A project review meeting to learn from and improve the process of performing a project 3 - A project report to summarize the history of the project as well as the results from the post-project meeting |
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You have a project with the following scope:
Design an application that runs all aspects of a toner manufacturing business. The application must be tied in with vendors for automatic order placement for items when inventory of the item reaches 20% of the specified level. The application should include accounting features and check writing features so all accounting is tracked throughout the year and taxes can be completed by simply printing an annual report and handing it to the accountant. To facilitate this, all invoices must be scanned into the program. The company needs this project completed within eight months before the beginning of the next fiscal year. They have budgeted a maximum of $5,000 to the design and implementation of the application, and they require all bugs to be identified and addressed before they sign-off on the project. Which restraint is the largest hindrance to making this project feasible? Project quality Project schedule Project resources Project budget |
Project budget
Delivering this project with a budget of $5,000.00 is the biggest hindrance to the completion of this project. This is a large project essentially tying in all the vendors for inventory control and managing all the finances of the business. Five thousand dollars is not enough money to complete this project. Eight months is sufficient time to complete the project, even though they must work all the bugs out of the program before the customer signs off on it. The scenario does not mention any project resources except for the budget, which is way too low to ensure the project's completion |
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A project manager was just fired after the initiation phase of a project. You are hired and must create a management plan. You complete the evaluation of the approved project charter, schedule, budget, and high-level scope documents. The project involves building a machine that can take a computer design built in proprietary design software and carve a wooden prototype of the design from a block of wood. You have the following team members/leaders that are involved in the project:
Jim Jones- Machinist (member of logistics team) Sam Stone- IT Director (leads all technical design) Jack Smith- Accountant (budget dispenser) James Johnson- Engineer (head of engineering team) Which member is it most important for you to consult before creating the management plan? Jim Jones James Johnson Jack Smith Sam Stone |
James Johnson
The head of the engineering team, James Johnson, is the most important person to obtain any additional input from. Since this project involves building a prototype from a computer design, the engineering department is the most important department for you to understand. Without it, the project will not be successful. Therefore, it is crucial that you discuss this project with the head of the engineering department before creating the management plan. The IT director and logistical team member may offer some valuable input. However, since the IT design is already built, the engineering department offers the most important input. At the high level design phase, it is best to talk to managers, not each individual employee. Therefore, you would not talk to Jim Jones. If you need input from a member of the logistics team, you would talk to the manager of the logistics team. The accounting department is just in charge of distributing the money and staying on budget. Therefore, their input is not as important at this time. |
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Which formula is used to calculate the Cost Performance Index (CPI)?
Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP)/actual cost of work performed (ACWP) Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) - budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS) Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP)/budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS) Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) - actual cost of work performed (ACWP) |
Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP)/actual cost of work performed (ACWP)
The formula for the cost performance index (CPI) is BCWP/ACWP. The CPI is the ratio of the project's budgeted and actual costs. The formula for the schedule variance is BCWP - BCWS. The formula for cost variance is BCWP - ACWP. The formula for the schedule performance index is BCWP/BCWS. |
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Which purposes best illustrate the value of a comprehensive project review?
A comprehensive project review identifies lessons learned, provides the basis for future estimates, and documents the fact that you used appropriate project management techniques. A comprehensive project review identifies lessons learned, provides the basis for future estimates, and provides a point of closure for the project team and stakeholders. A comprehensive project review identifies lessons learned and provides the basis for future estimates. A comprehensive project review provides the basis for future estimates and documents the fact that you used appropriate project management techniques. |
A comprehensive project review identifies lessons learned, provides the basis for future estimates, and provides a point of closure for the project team and stakeholders.
Project managers should use comprehensive project reviews to recognize the work a project team has accomplished, identify positive and negative aspects of completed projects, and provide closure to the project. Reviews are important because they help you to identify processes the company should modify and because they help the project team members learn from the project's experience, which makes it more likely that they will repeat successes and prevent failures. The project manager should compile significant information from the review meeting into a project report. The project report should contain a description of the project, a gauge of the success, a list of lessons learned, and explanations for variances. This helps provide a basis for future estimates. A comprehensive project review does not document the use of appropriate project management techniques. It documents the project management techniques that were used so that the successful ones can be reused in later projects. A comprehensive project review meeting should evaluate all aspects of project planning and execution, including the budgeting phase, project planning, and the change control process. All team members should attend the project review meeting. |
