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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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A project manager has a problem with a team member's performance. What is BEST form ofcommunication for addressing this problem? A. Formal written communication B. Formal verbal communication C. Informal written communication D. Informal verbal communication |
Answer D Explanation The best choice is informal verbal communication. This does not mean you donot keep records of the problem, but it is best to start this discussion informally. If informalcommunication does not solve the problem, formal written communication is the next choice. |
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Extensive use of______ communication is most likely to aid in solving complex problems. A. Formal verbal B. Informal written C. Formal written D. Nonverbal |
Answer C Explanation Formal written communication allows your words to be documented, and they willgo to everyone in the same form. When there are complex problems, you want everyone to receivethe same information. |
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The MOST likely result of communication blockers is that: A. The project is delayed. B. The trust level is enhanced. C. Conflict occurs. D. Senior management is displeased. |
Answer C Explanation The major result of communication blockers and miscommunication as a whole isconflict. |
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Communications are often enhanced when the sender the ________ receiver. A. Speaks up to B. Uses gestures when speaking to C. Speaks slowly to D. Shows concern for the perspective of |
Answer D Explanation An understanding of the receiver's perspective allows the sender to direct thecommunication to meet the receiver's needs. |
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Formal written correspondence with the customer is required when: A. Defects are detected. B. The customer requests additional work not covered under contract. C. The project has a schedule slippage that includes changes to the critical path. D. The project has cost overruns. |
Answer B Explanation Everything we do is more formal in a procurement environment than in otherproject activities. Therefore, formal written communication is required when the customerrequests work not covered under the contract. |
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When a project manager is engaged in negotiations, nonverbal communication skills are of: A. Little importance. B. Major importance. C. Importance only when cost and schedule objective are involved. D. Importance to ensure he wins the negotiation. |
Answer B Explanation Nonverbal communication carries a significant portion of the message you send.With so much at stake, nonverbal communication is of major importance |
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A large, one-year telecommunications project is about halfway done when you take the place ofthe previous project manager. The project involves three different sellers and a project team of 30people. You would like to see the project's communications requirements and what technology isbeing used to aid in project communications. Where will you find this information? A. The stakeholder management plan B. The information distribution plan C. The bar chart D. The communications management plan |
Answer D Explanation This information is found in the communications management plan. |
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Changes to some project deliverables have been documented in the project managementplan. These changes, and other project information, have been distributed according to thecommunications management plan. One stakeholder expressed surprise to the project managerupon hearing of a documented change to a project deliverable. All stakeholders received thecommunication providing notification of the change. What should the project manager do? A. Determine why the stakeholder did not receive the information and let him know when it waspublished. B. Ask the functional manager why the stakeholder did not understand his responsibility. C. Review the communications management plan and make revisions if necessary. D. Address the situation in the next steering committee meeting so others do not miss publishedchanges. |
Answer C Explanation The question states that all stakeholders received the information, so the issue isnot that this stakeholder did not receive it. The problem presented here illustrates that there issomething missing in the communications management plan. The best answer is to review thecommunications management plan in order to prevent future problems and to find any instancesof similar problems. |
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Communication is key to the success of a project. As the project manager, you had threestakeholders with whom you needed to communicate. Therefore, you had six channels ofcommunication. A new stakeholder has been added with whom you also need to communicate.How many communication channels do you have now? A. 7 B. 10 C. 12 D. 16 |
Answer B Explanation Did you realize the project manager is part of the communication channels?Therefore, there are actually four stakeholders to begin with and six channels of communication.The question asking how many total channels of communication you have with a team of five people. The formula is [N x (N-1)]/2 or (5 x 4)/2 = 10. |
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Two people are arguing about what needs to be done to complete a work package. In addition tothe words being spoken, if the project manager wants to know what is going on, she should payMOST attention to: A. What is being said and when. B. What is being said, who is saying it, and the time of day. C. Physical mannerisms and when during the schedule this discussion is taking place. D. The pitch and tone of the voices, and physical mannerisms. |
Answer D Explanation Remember that nonverbal communication represent a major part of all communication. The choice including the paralingual communication (pitch and tone), as well as physical mannerism, is the best choice. |
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A project manager has a project team consisting of people in four countries. The project is very important to the company, and the project manager is concerned about its success. The length of project schedule is acceptable. What type of communication should be use? A. Informal verbal communication. B. Formal written communication. C. Formal verbal communication D. Informal written communication |
Answer B Explanation Because of the differences in culture and the distance between team members,formal written communication is needed. |
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The project team meeting is not going well. Many attendees are talking at the same time, there are people who are not participating, and many topics are being discussed at random. Which of thefollowing rules for effective meetings is NOT being adhered to? A. Demonstrate courtesy and consideration of each other, and control who is allowed to speak. B. Schedule meetings in advance. C. Have a purpose for the meeting, with the right people in attendance. D. Create and publish an agenda and a set of rules for controlling the meeting. |
Answer D Explanation Courtesy and consideration is not a "rule" for effective meetings. Since there isno indication that the meeting was not scheduled in advance or that there isn't a purpose, thesecannot be the best answers. "Discussed at random" implies no agenda. If an agenda is issuedbeforehand, people will follow the outline and should not need random discussions. |
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You have just been assigned as project manager for a large manufacturing project. This one-yearproject is about halfway done. It involves 5 different sellers and 20 members of your companyon the project team. You want to quickly review where the project now stands. Which of thefollowing reports would be the MOST helpful in finding such information? A. Work status B. Progress C. Forecast D. Communications |
Answer B Explanation The key word is quickly. The status report is too detailed for a quick look. Theforecast report only looks into the future. The progress report summarizes project status, andwould be the most helpful for a quick review. |
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A team member is visiting the manufacturing plant of one of the suppliers. Which of the followingis the MOST important thing to be done in any telephone calls the project manager might make tothe team member? A. Ask the team member to repeat back what the project manager says. B. Review the list of contact information for all stakeholders. C. Ask the team member to look for change requests. D. Review the upcoming meeting schedule. |
Answer A Explanation Questions like this drive people crazy. There are many choices that are reasonablycorrect. Look for the most immediate need. Here, the team member is in a manufacturingenvironment. That means communications will most likely be blocked by noise. It is best for theproject manager to ask the team member to repeat back what he says, to ensure the team membercorrectly heard what the project manager communicated. |
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A project manager overhears a conversation between two stakeholders who are discussing howunhappy they are with the impacts of the project on their own departments. Stakeholder A asksif the project is on time, and stakeholder B replies that the SPI is 1.05. Stakeholder A asks if theproject manager for the project knows of stakeholder B's concern. Stakeholder B responds that heis not sure. What is the BEST thing for the project manager to do? A. Make sure the stakeholders see that the project manager overheard. Then ask them to directany questions to the project manager in writing. B. Make a presentation to all the stakeholders regarding the status of the project. C. Send both stakeholders a copy of the issue log and ask for additional comments. D. Arrange a meeting with both stakeholders to allow them to voice any concerns they may have. |
Answer D Explanation This is another question with more than one right answer. Would asking forsomething in writing be the best way to communicate? In this particular situation, asking for theconcern to be in writing might alienate the stakeholders. The issue log is where the issue should belisted, but the situation does not say if the project manager knows what the stakeholders' concernis. Therefore, using the issue log cannot be the best choice. Why not make a presentation to all thestakeholders regarding the status of the project? The project manager already knows stakeholdersA and B have the concern, not all the stakeholders. This problem would likely require informalverbal communication to discover the real problem. Arranging a meeting with the concernedstakeholders is therefore the best choice. |
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During the middle of the project, things have been going well. The work authorization systemhas allowed peopie to know when to start work, and the issue log has helped keep track ofstakeholders' concerns. The sponsor has expressed his appreciation for the team members efforts by hosting a milestone party. The project manager gets a call from the team member saying the result from the completion of her activity's predecessor are two days late. Which of the following reason would BEST describe why this occurred? A. The project manager was focusing on the sponsor's need. B. Functional management was not included in the communication management plan C. The successor activities should have been watched, not the predecessor. D. The right people were not invited to the milestone party. |
Answer B Explanation Since there is no information about the sponsor or his needs in this situation, focusingon his needs cannot be best. The statement that successor activities should have been watched,rather than the predecessors, is not a correct statement. A project manager should watch bothpredecessor and successor activities. Attendance at the party and the issue at hand (the late results)are not related. Often forgotten in communications management plans are the bosses of teammembers (functional management in a matrix organization). Including the bosses of team membersin communications planning, requirements gathering, risk management, and other areasmanagement helps make the project better. In addition, it help the functional manager manage their resources effectively. If the functional manager of the team member assign to the predecessor activity have been included in the project planning process, he would have know when the team member was needed to work for the project and the impact, if any, of delay. The communications management plan should also have included a method to communicate potential delay. |
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A project manager has just been assigned a team that comes from many countries including Brazil, Japan, the United States, and Britain. What is her BEST tool for success? A. The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) B. The teleconference C. Team communication with the WBS D. Communication and well-developed people skills |
Answer D Explanation Working with people from different cultures with different cultural values and beliefsnecessitates an understanding of both basic definitions and areas of cultural impact. As projectmanagers, we need to have good communication skills and a willingness to adapt to other cultures. |
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The project has 13 team members and affects more than 15 departments in the organization.Because the project is 20 percent complete to date and the team has had successful performancereports from five of the affected departments, the project manager holds a party to celebrate. Theproject manager invites key stakeholders from all of the departments to the party, in order togive those providing good reviews an informal opportunity to communicate good things to thosedepartments that have not yet been affected by the project. At the party, the project manager walksaround to try to discover any relevant information that would help her make the project evenmore successful. She happens to hear a manager of one of the departments talking about settingup more regular meetings on the project. The BEST thing for the project manager to do would be to FIRST: A. Record the effectiveness of the party in the project lessons learned. B. Review the effectiveness of the project's communications management plan. C. Hold a meeting of all the stakeholders to discuss their concerns. D. Make sure the manager has a copy of the communications management plan so he is remindedthat such concerns should be sent to the project manager. |
Answer B Explanation Many of these choices could be done, but ask yourself, "What is the most effectivething to do?" The party may well generate lessons learned, and recording them would certainlybe a good idea, but the question asked what to do first. There is a more immediate issue - themanager. Meeting with all the stakeholders could be useful, but there is only one stakeholder,the manager, who definitely has an issue. Besides, a good project manager would be holdingregular meetings with the stakeholders already. Making sure the manager has a copy of thecommunications management plan might be a good idea, as the manager apparently is notcommunicating with the project manager. However, this would not be enough to ensure themanager does communicate. The manager is, in effect, saying he is not getting the information he needs. His lack of neededinformation is causing him to suggest more meetings. However, too many meetings are a problemon projects. A great project manager does not just add meetings, but solves the real problem in thebest way. A goal of communications management is to get information to those who need it. The projectmanager may decide to adjust her communications management process by changing the formatof a report, or sending existing reports to the manager with the issue, rather than adding meetings.Therefore, the correct choice is to review the methods of providing project information to thestakeholders. |
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The requirements of many stakeholders were not approved for inclusion in your project.Therefore, you had a difficult time gaining formal approval of the project management plan.The stakeholders argued and held up the project while they held meeting after meeting abouttheir requirements. The project was finally approved and work began six months ago. All of thefollowing would be good preventive actions to implement EXCEPT: A. Keep a file of what requirements were not included in the project. B. Make sure the change control process is not used as a vehicle to add the requirements backinto the project. C. Maintain an issue log. D. Hold meetings with the stakeholders to go over the work that will not be added to the project. |
Answer D Explanation This issue should be over, but since there were so many meetings and argumentsabout the requirements being removed, it is unlikely the issue will be dropped by the stakeholders.However, as it has not come up again and the project was started six months ago, spending timein a meeting is excessive. The other choices are easier, have less impact on the project, and aretherefore things that could be done. |
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The project manager is expecting a deliverable to be submitted by e-mail from a team membertoday. At the end of the day, the project manager contacts the team member to notify him that ithas not been received. The team member apologizes and explains that he was not able to e-mailthe deliverable, and it was sent through mail instead. The team member goes on to remind the project manager that he had inform the project manager, during a phone conversation that this would occur. "Was that the conversation we had when I told you I could not hear you well due to poor cell phone coverage?" ask the project manager. "Yes" replies the team member. What could have been done to avoid this problem? A. Paralingual communication. B. Adding to the issue log after the phone call. C. Better attention to determine better communications requirements. D. Feedback during the communication. |
Answer D Explanation The pitch and tone of voice (paralingual communication) is not relevant here, as theproject manager could not even hear all that was being said. There were no issues recognized afterthe conversation, so none could be added to the issue log. This issue is not related to communicationsrequirements, so that choice cannot be best. Saying, "I am not sure I properly heard what you said;'during the conversation or repeating the message back to the team member would have preventedthis problem. Giving and requesting feedback during the communication is the best option. |
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If a project manager wants to report on the actual project results versus planned results, sheshould use a: A. Trend report. B. Forecasting report. C. Status report. D. Variance report. |
Answer D Explanation This situation describes the need to "compare." A trend report shows performance over time. A forecasting report look only to the future. A status report is generally static (relating to a moment in time). The only choice that compares project result is a variable analysis. |
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Which of the following aspects ofleadership is MOST important for a project manager? A. Communication B. Team building C. Technical expertise D. Project control |
Answer A Explanation As project managers can spend 90 percent of their time communicating, the correct choice must be communication. |
