Pmp Exam Practice Test - 1G Project Communications Management

Front 1

As project manager, you plan to conduct a “kickoff” meeting at which you will discuss all the following EXCEPT—

a. Establishing working relationships and standard formats for global communication
b. Reviewing project plans
c. Establishing individual and group responsibilities and accountabilities
d. Discussing specific legal issues regarding the contract

Back 1

d. Discussing specific legal issues regarding the contract

Conducted after contract award or approval of the project, the kickoff meeting provides an opportunity for project participants to get to know each other and review information about the project. It is not a forum to discuss detailed project issues. [Planning]
Meredith and Mantel, 2012, 224–225
Kerzner, 200, 421–423

Front 2

One purpose of the communications management plan is to provide information about the—

a. Methods that will be used to convey information
b. Methods that will be used for releasing team members from the project when they are no longer needed
c. Project organization and stakeholder responsibility relationships
d. Experience and skill levels of each team member

Back 2

a. Methods that will be used to convey information

These methods or technologies can include memos, e-mails, and/or press conferences. They are one of several items to include in this plan. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 296

Front 3

Project managers for international projects should recognize key issues in cross-cultural settings and place special emphasis on—

a. Establishing a performance reporting system
b. Using good communication planning
c. Establishing and following a production schedule for information distribution to avoid responding to requests for information between scheduled communications
d. Using translation services for formal, written project reports

Back 3

b. Using good communications planning

An effective way to manage cultural diversity on projects is for the project manager to get to know the team members and to use good communication planning. It is necessary to consider time zones and language barriers as well as cultural differences and to include a glossary of common terminology in the communications management plan. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 290, 296, and 516

Front 4

You are managing a project with team members located at customer sites on three different continents. As you plan communications with your stakeholders, you should review—

a. Stakeholder management plan
b. Stakeholder register
c. Communications model
d. Communications channels

Back 4

b. Stakeholder register

The stakeholder register is an input to the plan communications management process. It contains the identified stakeholders including their name, position, location, and role; their main requirements, expectations, and potential influence; and whether or not they are supporters, neutral, or resistors of the project. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 291, 398

Front 5

Having worked previously on projects as a team member, you are pleased to now be the project manager to develop a new process to ensure that software projects in your IT Department are considered a success and are not late or over budget. However, many of your team members are new to the organization. As you work to establish a high-performing team, you realize the importance of—

a. Mentoring
b. Coaching
c. Moving quickly through the forming and storming stages
d. Safeguarding information

Back 5

b. Coaching

Many communications skills are common to both general management and project management. Coaching is one example. It is especially useful to develop the team to higher levels of competency and performance and helping people recognize their potential through empowerment and development. It is used to aid team members to develop or enhance their skills required to achieve project success. [Planning and Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 288, 519

Front 6

As a project manager, you try to use empathic listening skills to help understand another person’s frame of reference. In following this approach, you should—

a. Mimic the content of the message
b. Probe, then evaluate the content
c. Evaluate the content, then advise
d. Rephrase the content and reflect the feeling

Back 6

d. Rephrase the content and reflect the feeling

Empathic listening requires seeing the world the way the other person sees it, with the goal of understanding that person’s views and feelings. Unlike sympathetic listening, empathic listening contains no element of value judgment. It is essential to listen actively and effectively and to question and probe ideas to help ensure better understanding. [Executing]
Covey 2004, 239–243
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 288, 515

Front 7

Statements of organizational policies and philosophies, position descriptions, and constraints are examples of—

a. Formal communication
b. Lateral communication
c. External communication
d. Horizontal communication

Back 7

a. Formal communication

Formal communication provides direction and control for project team members and other employees. They also contain reports, minutes, and briefings and are examples of organizational process assets used in manage communications and in control communications. [Executing and Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 287, 300, 306

Front 8

You have decided to organize a study group of other project managers in your organization to help prepare for the PMP® exam. What type of communication activity are you employing in your efforts to organize this group?

a. Horizontal
b. Vertical
c. Official
d. External

Back 8

a. Horizontal

Communication activities have many potential dimensions to consider in exchanging information between the sender and the receiver. Horizontal communication occurs between or among peers, that is, across, rather than up and down, the organization. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 287

Front 9

Your company CEO just sent you an e-mail asking you to make a presentation on your project, which has been in progress for 18 months, to over 50 identified internal and external stakeholders. You have been conducting such presentations and holding meetings regularly on this important project. You should begin by—

a. Defining the audience
b. Determining the objective
c. Deciding on the general form of the presentation
d. Circulating issues to be discussed

Back 9

d. Circulating issues to be discussed

Meetings are held regularly on projects to update and communicate project information and to respond to requests from stakeholders for the information. Most meetings consist of stakeholders coming together to resolve problems or make decisions. Typical meetings begin with a defined list of issues to be discussed, which are distributed in advance with minutes and other key information relative to the meeting. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 295

Front 10

You are responsible for a project in your organization that has multiple internal customers. Because many people in your organization are interested in this project, you realize the importance of—

a. Conducting a stakeholder analysis to assess information needs
b. Performing communications planning early
c. Determining the communications requirements of the customers
d. Having an expert on communications management an customer relationship management on your team

Back 10

b. Performing communications planning early

On most projects, communications planning should be performed very early such as when the project management plan is prepared. This approach then allows appropriate resources, such as time and budget, to be allocated to communications activities. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 290

Front 11

Project managers spend a great deal of time communicating with the team, the stakeholders, the client, and the sponsor. One can easily see the challenges involved, especially if one team member must communicate a technical concept to another team member in a different country. The first step in this process is to—

a. Encode the message
b. Decode the message
c. Determine the feedback loops
d. Determine the medium

Back 11

a. Encode the message

As the first step in the basic communication model, it is essential to translate thoughts or ideas into a language that is understood by others. Then, the message is sent using various technologies, and the receiver decodes it or translates it back into meaningful thoughts or ideas. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 293–294

Front 12

On your project, scope changes, constraints, assumptions, integration and interface requirements, and overlapping roles and responsibilities pose communications challenges. The presence of communication barriers is most likely to lead to—

a. Reduced productivity
b. Increased hostility
c. Low morale
d. Increased conflict

Back 12

d. Increased conflict

Barriers to communication lead to a poor flow of information. Accordingly, messages are misinterpreted by recipients, thereby creating different perceptions, understanding, and frames of reference. Left unchecked, poor communication increases conflict among project stakeholders, which causes the other problems listed to arise. Then, the project manager must work actively to resolve conflicts so disruptive impacts are prevented [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 288
Verma 1997, 24–25

Front 13

The most common communication problem that occurs during negotiation is that—

a. Each side may misinterpret what the other side has said
b. Each side may give up on the other side
c. One side may try to confuse the other side
d. One side may be too busy thinking about what to say next to hear what is being said

Back 13

a. Each side may misinterpret what the other side has said

Effective communication is the key to successful negotiation. Misunderstanding is the most common communication problem. A project manager should listen actively, acknowledge what is being said, and speak for a purpose. It is essential to listen attentively ad communicate articulately. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 517
Fisher et al. 1991, 32–34
Verma 1996, 165

Front 14

You finally have been appointed project manager for a major company project. One of your first activities as project manager will be to create the communications management plan. As you match the stakeholder with the appropriate communication methods for that stakeholder, you could use any one of the following methods EXCEPT—

a. Interactive communications
b. Passive communications
c. Pull communications
d. Push communications

Back 14

b. Passive communications

You can use several different methods to share information. Interactive communications are multidirectional in nature, such as conferences and meetings. Pull communications are those methods where the recipient finds the information at their leisure and gets the information that they want at their discretion. Push communications is targeted information sent to a select group but does not certify that the recipient actually has received the information, such as e-mail. Passive communications is more of a style of delivering the content or receiving the content. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 295

Front 15

As an output of plan communications, it may be necessary to update the project documents, which include the—

a. Stakeholder register
b. Corporate policies, procedures, and processes
c. Knowledge management system
d. Stakeholder management plan

Back 15

a. Stakeholder register

In the plan communications management process the two documents that may be updated are the project schedule and the stakeholder register. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 297

Front 16

Sample attributes of a communications management plan include which one of the following?

a. Roles
b. Responsibilities
c. Ethics
d. Authority

Back 16

b. Responsibilities

The communications management plan should identify the person responsible for communicating the information and the person responsible for authorizing release of any confidential information. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 296

Front 17

The process of conferring with others to come to terms or reach an agreement is called—

a. Win-win
b. Negotiation
c. Getting to “yes”
d. Confrontation

Back 17

b. Negotiation

Negotiation if done well increases the probability of project success and involves conferring with others of shared or opposed interests with a view toward compromise. Negotiating is required to achieve mutually acceptable agreements between parties. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 288, 517

Front 18

The key benefit of the control communications process is to—

a. Sharing best practices with other project teams in the organization with lessons learned
b. Ensuring the information needs of stakeholders are met
c. Ensuring an optimal information flow among communication participants
d. Providing stakeholders with information about resolved issues, approved status, and project status

Back 18

b. Ensuring optimal information flow among all communication participants

While control communications as a process monitors and controls communications throughout the project to ensure the communication needs of project stakeholders are met, the key benefit is to ensure an optimal information flow among all communication participants at any moment in time. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 303

Front 19

The issue log is useful in control communications because it—

a. Provides what has happened and is a platform for subsequent communications
b. Includes the project’s risk register
c. Organizes and summarizes information gathered
d. Serves as an information management system for communications management

Back 19

a. Provides what has happened and is a platform for subsequent communications

The issue log is an input to control communications and is used to document and monitor issue resolution. It can facilitate communications and ensure a common understanding of issues. In this process its information provides a repository of what already has happened in the project and serves as a platform for subsequent communications to be delivered. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 305

Front 20

As head of the PMO, you will receive performance reports for all major projects. You decided to set a guideline for project managers as performance reporting should—

a. Collect work performance information on the status of deliverables
b. Provide earned value data for project forecasting
c. Provide information at an appropriate level for each audience
d. Focus on cost and schedule variances rather than scope, resources, quality, and risks

Back 20

c. Provide information at an appropriate level for each audience

Performance reporting is a tool and technique in manage communications. Performance reports range from simple status reports to more elaborate reports. The emphasis is to ensure performance reporting provides the needed information for each audience level. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 301

Front 21

A simple performance report provides information on—

a. Percent complete
b. Customer satisfaction
c. Unacceptable variances
d. Scope creep

Back 21

a. Percent complete

A simple status report may show performance information such as percent complete or status information for each area (scope, schedule, cost, and quality). [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 301

Front 22

Communication is important when setting and managing expectations with the stakeholders. Which one of the following statements is NOT true regarding the importance of communications within a project?

a. Communications is one of the single biggest contributors to project success or failure.
b. Project resources should be spent primarily on communicating information that leads to project success.
c. Effective communications includes awareness of communication styles, cultural issues, relationships, personalities, and the context of the situation
d. Listening is part of communicating and is a way to gain insight into problem areas, managing conflicts, and making decisions.

Back 22

b. Project resources should be spent primarily on communicating information that leads to project success

Communications is considered one of the single most powerful indicators of project success or failure. Effective communications includes an awareness of all types of filters that may be impeding or straining communications. Listening is vital to good communications. Resources also should be spent on determining where a lack of communications can lead to failure. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 289–291

Front 23

In person-to-person communication, messages are sent on verbal levels and nonverbal levels simultaneously. As a general rule, what percentage of the message actually is sent through nonverbal cues?

a. 5 percent to 15 percent
b. 20 percent to 30 percent
c. 40 percent to 50 percent
d. Greater than 50 percent

Back 23

d. Greater than 50 percent

Nonverbal cues can be divided into four categories: physical, aesthetic, signs, and symbols. Many studies have demonstrated that most messages are conveyed through such nonverbal cues as facial expression, touch, and body motion, rather than through the words spoken. [Executing]
Verma 1996, 19

Front 24

As an output from control communications, it may be necessary to update the—

a. Project schedule
b. Forecasts
c. Corporate policies, procedures, and processes
d. Knowledge management system

Back 24

b. Forecasts

Communications control often entails the need to update project documents, including forecasts, performance reports, and the issue log. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 308

Front 25

In project communications, the first step in a written communication is to—

a. Analyze the facts and assumptions that have a bearing on the purpose of the message
b. Gather thoughts or ideas
c. Develop a logical sequence of the topics to be addressed
d. Establish the basic purpose of the message

Back 25

b. Gather thoughts or ideas

For any type of communication, the first step in the basic communication model is to encode, which means the sender translates thoughts or ideas into language [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 293

Front 26

A communications management plan includes which one of the following sample contents?

a. Issues
b. Escalation processes, including time frames and the management chains
c. Dimensions
d. Project assumptions and constraints

Back 26

b. Escalation processes, including time frames and the management chains

Numerous items, including escalation processes, are part of the communications management plan. Business issues may arise that cannot be resolved at a lower staff level. During such a time, an escalation process is required to show time frames and the names of people in the management chain who will work to resolve these issues. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 296

Front 27

Your organization has decided to use project management for all of its endeavors. It has established a Center of Excellence for Project Management to support the movement into management by projects and has appointed you as its director. Since you work in a matrix environment, which of the following types of communications is the most essential for success?

a. Upward
b. Horizontal
c. Downward
d. Diagonal

Back 27

b. Horizontal

Horizontal communication is between the project manager and his or her peers and will be where most of the communications will occur. Accordingly, it is essential for success in a highly competitive environment and requires diplomacy, experience, and mutual respect. [Executing]
Verma 1997, 136
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 287

Front 28

You have heard recently that the client calls your progress reports the “Code of Hammurabi” because they seem to be written in hieroglyphics and are completely indecipherable to all but an antiquities scholar. This situation could have been avoided by—

a. Informing the client at the start of the project about the types of reports they will receive
b. Using risk management techniques to identify client issues
c. Hiring an expert report writer to prepare standard reports
d. Engaging in communications planning

Back 28

d. Engaging in communications planning

The communications management plan is prepared during plan communications management. The plan should include a description of the information to be distributed such as format, content, level of detail, as well as conventions and definitions to be used. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 296

Front 29

Assume on your project you have identified 250 stakeholders located in three continents and of these 250, you have determined that 200 of them will be actively involved and interested in your project. Therefore, as you determine an appropriate communication method, your best approach is—

a. Elaborate status reports
b. Simple status reports
c. Knowledge repositories
d. E-mails

Back 29

c. Knowledge repositories

Knowledge repositories along with Intranet sites, e-learning, and lessons learned data bases are examplesof methods of pull communications. They are used for large volumes of information or for large audiences and require recipients to access communication content at their own discretion. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 295

Front 30

You want to ensure that the information you collect showing project progress and status is meaningful to stakeholders. You want to combine the type and format of the stakeholder’s information needs with an analysis of the value of the information. You will document this information in the—

a. Communications register
b. Stakeholder register
c. Stakeholder management plan
d. Communications management plan

Back 30

d. Communications management plan

The project team must conduct an analysis of stakeholder communications requirements to ensure that stakeholders are receiving the information required to participate in the project. For example, stakeholders typically require performance reports for information purposes. Such information requirements should be included in the communications management plan. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 291 and 296

Front 31

Work performance information is an output of which process?

a. Manage risks
b. Manage communications
c. Control communications
d. Report performance

Back 31

c. Control communications

Work performance information, an output of control communications, organizes and summaries performance data such as status and progress information on the project at the level required by stakeholders. This information next is communicated to the appropriate stakeholders. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 307

Front 32

Assume you want to optimize the work performance reports you will use to manage communications. You should do so by—

a. Determining the most appropriate choice of communications media
b. Setting different communications techniques for different stakeholder groups
c. Ensuring the information is consistent with regulations and standards
d. Ensuring comprehensiveness, accuracy, and availability

Back 32

d. Ensuring comprehensiveness, accuracy, and availability

Work performance reports are an input to manage communications. They are a collection of project performance and status information used to facilitate discussion and create communications. They should be comprehensive, accurate, and available in a timely way. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 299

Front 33

Information received from stakeholders concerning project operations can be distributed and used to modify or improve future performance of the project. This modification or improvement is done as an update to organizational process assets during which following process?

a. Plan communications management
b. Distribute information
c. Manage communications
d. Report performance

Back 33

c. Manage communications

Feedback from stakeholders is an example of an organizational process asset to update as a result of the manage communications process. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 303

Front 34

General management skills relevant to the manage communications process include—

a. Operational planning
b. Organizational behavior
c. Setting and managing expectations
d. Influencing the organization

Back 34

c. Setting and managing expectations

Communications skills are part of general management skills, and setting and managing expectations are an example in manage communications. This helps create, collect, distribute, store, retrieve, and ultimately dispose of project information according to the communications management plan. [Executing]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 287–288, 297

Front 35

Changes in the report formats and lessons learned documents process should trigger changes to the—

a. Project management plan and performance reporting system
b. Integrated change control system and the communications management plan
c. Monitor and control project process and the project management plan
d. Organizational process assets updates

Back 35

d. Organizational process assets updates

Any changes in report formats or lessons learned documentation are organizational process asset updates as an output of control communications. The documentation may become part of the historical data base for both the project and the organization. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 308

Front 36

One way to determine how to best update and communicate project performance and respond to stakeholder information requests is to—

a. Review the effectiveness of the communications management plan
b. Set up a portal
c. Hold meetings
d. Distribute performance reports

Back 36

c. Hold meetings

Meetings are a tool and technique in control communications. They can be face to face or online and in different locations and may include not only the project team but also suppliers, vendors, and other stakeholders. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 307

Front 37

The purpose of work performance data in control communications is to present results of comparative analysis to the—

a. Performance measurement baseline
b. Communications management plan
c. Stakeholder management plan
d. Deliverable status

Back 37

a. Performance measurement baseline

Wok performance data are an input in control communications. These data organize and summarize information gathered and present the results of comparative analysis to the performance measurement baseline. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 305

Front 38

Because communications planning often is linked tightly with enterprise environmental factors, which one of the following statements is true?

a. The project’s organizational structure has a major effect on the project’s communications requirements.
b. Standardized guidelines, work instructions, and performance measurement criteria are key items to consider.
c. Procedures for approving and issuing work authorizations should be taken into consideration.
d. Criteria and guidelines to tailor standard processes to the specific needs of the project should be stated explicitly.

Back 38

a. The project’s organizational structure has a major effect on the project’s communications requirements.

Enterprise environmental factors undoubtedly will influence the project’s success and must be considered because communication must be adapted to the project environment. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 29, 291

Front 39

You are working on a project with 15 stakeholders. The number of communication channels on this project is—

a. 15
b. 105
c. 210
d. 225

Back 39

b. 105

The formula for determining the number of communication channels is n(n – 1)/2, where n = the number of stakeholders: 15(15 – 1)/2 = (15)(14)/2 = 105. It is important to note that project managers must plan the project’s communications requirements carefully, limiting who will communicate with whom given the potential for confusion when multiple communications channels can exist. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 292

Front 40

Which of the following formulas calculates the number of communication channels in a project?

Back 40