Deck 1: Introduction: Why Project Management?

Question 1

Why is project management challenging?

Answer 1

Projects present challenges for a number of reasons; by their nature they are often dramatic departures from the routine process-oriented work that employees are accustomed to.Projects face budget,time,and resource constraints and these resources must often be marshaled from across the organization.

Question 2

The emergence of global markets has made project management skills more critical.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Since a business gains market share with day-to-day operations,senior managers value process management experience over project management experience.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Why is project management considered an excellent training ground for future senior executives in many organizations?

Question 5

Which of these is NOT characteristic of a project?

A) Projects are responsible for the newest and most improved products, services, and organizational processes.
B) Projects are ad hoc endeavors with a clear life cycle.
C) Projects provide a philosophy and strategy for the management of change.
D) Traditional process management functions of planning, organizing, and controlling do not apply to project management.

Question 6

There is no such thing as a project team:

A) With a deliverable.
B) With an ongoing, non-specific purpose.
C) With a goal.
D) With a project manager.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a project constraint?

A) The budget
B) The customer requirements
C) The schedule
D) The technical specifications

Question 8

Project members may be from:

A) Different departments.
B) Other organizational units.
C) One functional area.
D) All of the above.

Question 9

A project that results in "doing the wrong things well" has ignored the:

A) Budgetary goal.
B) Technical goal.
C) Customer satisfaction goal.
D) Scheduling goal.

Question 10

Low inflation is a trigger for improved project management skills because:

A) Rampant cost increases must be passed along to the consumer.
B) Internal process improvement is accomplished via project management.
C) Lower inflation means narrower product launch windows.
D) Global markets are a prerequisite for low inflation.

Question 11

A product is introduced into a market,gains the acceptance of a fickle public,and finally is supplanted by a new and improved offering.This phenomenon is known as the:

A) Product life cycle.
B) Rule of 80.
C) Mendoza line.
D) Beta.

Question 12

The Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide definition of a project indicates that a project is:

A) Multifunctional.
B) Permanent.
C) Designed to avoid using human resources.
D) Not limited by a budget.

Question 13

Projects,rather than repetitive tasks,are now the basis for most value-added in business.

Question 14

What roles do traditional process management duties of planning,organizing,and controlling play in project management,if any?

Question 15

The period of time that is ideal to achieve the success of a new product is the:

A) Moment.
B) Launch window.
C) Window of opportunity.
D) Momentito.

Question 16

A project typically has:

A) A defined start and end date.
B) A defined start date but no defined end date.
C) No defined start but a defined end date.
D) No defined start or end date.

Question 17

A typical project stays within functional and organizational boundaries.

Question 18

Which of these countries is NOT identified in the text as having a developing economy with a substantial market?

A) Russia
B) China
C) India
D) Europe

Question 19

Why are projects important?

Question 20

The acronym PMBoK stands for:

A) The Personal Management Before or Kernel.
B) The Project Movement Behind our Kernel.
C) The Project Management Body of Knowledge.
D) The Performance Measurement Body of Knowledge.

Question 21

Projects differ from classic organizational processes because projects are:

A) Discrete activities.
B) Part of line organization.
C) Well established systems in place to integrate efforts.
D) Multi-objective.

Question 22

One of the things that the technical side of project management emphasizes is:

A) Team building.
B) Conflict management.
C) Negotiation.
D) Budgeting.

Question 23

Product life cycles are longer now than twenty years ago.

Question 24

A project exists outside of the standard line organization.

Question 25

What are key differences between projects and processes?

Question 26

Projects are typically ongoing,day-to-day activities that have goods and services as outputs.

Question 27

Which of the following types of activities is more closely associated with projects rather than processes?

A) An activity that is ongoing
B) An activity that is day-to-day
C) An activity that uses existing systems
D) An activity that establishes its own work rules

Question 28

Most effective project maturity models chart both a set of standards that are currently accepted as state-of-the-art as well as a process for achieving significant movement towards these benchmarks.

Question 29

What changes in the business environment have necessitated a greater use of project management skills?

Question 30

Studies of IT projects reveal that:

A) Initial cost estimates are overrun by an average of 15%.
B) Over 66% of IT projects were delivered to customers but not used.
C) About 25% of all IT projects become runaways by overshooting budgets and timetables.
D) Up to 75% of software projects are cancelled.

Question 31

The special nature of projects relieves project managers from their routine of planning,organizing,motivating,directing,and controlling.

Question 32

Project management is a useful training ground for:

A) Interns.
B) Recent graduates
C) Employees of recently acquired companies.
D) Senior executives.

Question 33

The use of benchmarking allows companies that are relatively immature at project management to achieve quantum leaps of improvement.

Question 34

Provide an example from the past year that demonstrates the criticality of achieving a narrow launch window by demonstrating two similar projects/products being launched in short succession or a product or service launch that was well or poorly timed to market conditions.

Question 35

Process management features ________ with respect to project management.

A) greater team member heterogeneity
B) greater certainty of performance
C) fewer numbers of goals and objectives
D) lower adherence to established practices

Question 36

The behavioral side of project management emphasizes:

A) Scheduling.
B) Leadership.
C) Planning.
D) Project selection.

Question 37

A business reality that makes effective project management critical is the fact that:

A) Products are becoming increasingly simple.
B) Inflation is rampant.
C) Product life cycles are compressing.
D) Product launch windows are widening.

Question 38

What is a project?

Question 39

One unique feature of projects is that they blend both:

A) Financial and behavioral challenges.
B) Technical and temporal challenges.
C) Technical and behavioral challenges.
D) Financial and temporal challenges.

Question 40

Which of the following is accomplished through project management?

A) A cellular phone company activates a new customer's service.
B) An automotive manufacturer produces a day's quota of vehicles.
C) A software developer creates a new crash-proof operating system.
D) A retailer restocks the shelves after a day of brisk sales.

Question 41

A company's culture has little impact on whether projects are successfully implemented.

Question 42

The man-hours requirement is typically at a peak during the ________ phase of the project life cycle.

A) planning
B) conceptualization
C) execution
D) termination

Question 43

Keith Monroe nails hundreds of pieces of culled lumber in the blazing July sun to form a parquet deck for his barn roof.He and his assistant are clearly in:

A) The termination stage of the project life cycle.
B) The planning stage of the project life cycle.
C) The execution stage of the project life cycle.
D) Way over their heads.

Question 44

Which of these factors are highly similar from an intensity perspective across the project life cycle?

A) Client Interest and Creativity
B) Creativity and Resources
C) Resources and Project Stake
D) Project Stake and Uncertainty

Question 45

The technical challenges that the project has to face are typically at their lowest during the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 46

The amount of corporate investment is typically at its highest in the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 47

The degree of innovation and creativity is typically at its highest during the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 48

Pick any organization in the recent business news and provide examples of both project and process work that this company is well known for.

Question 49

The commitment of financial,human,and technical resources is highest during the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 50

The general contractor handed Antoni Gaudi the keys to his dream home during the ________ phase of the project life cycle.

A) planning
B) conceptualization
C) execution
D) termination

Question 51

Client interest is typically at its lowest during the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 52

Which of these factors are essentially complete opposites from an intensity perspective across the project life cycle?

A) Client Interest and Uncertainty
B) Creativity and Resources
C) Uncertainty and Project Stake
D) Project Stake and Client Interest

Question 53

Individual activities and their durations are developed during the ________ phase of the project life cycle.

A) planning
B) conceptualization
C) execution
D) termination

Question 54

Which of these factors are essentially complete opposites from an intensity perspective across the project life cycle?

A) Client Interest and Creativity
B) Creativity and Resources
C) Resources and Project Stake
D) Project Stake and Client Interest

Question 55

The degree of risk associated with the project is typically at its highest during the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 56

The amount of corporate investment is typically at its lowest in the:

A) Conceptualization phase.
B) Planning phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 57

Geoffco's project manager names three individuals and requests a project budget of $3,000,000 for the new 8-Pod,a backpack-sized personal music player for 8-track tapes capable of holding up to 100 songs from the '60s and '70s.This important step takes place during ________ of the project life cycle.

A) planning
B) conceptualization
C) execution
D) termination

Question 58

Acme uses no recognizable project management processes and has entertaining project meetings because each member has a unique way of reporting progress or lack thereof.Acme is most likely at the moderate level in the generic project management maturity model.

Question 59

Any organization,no matter how initially unskilled in project management,can begin to chart a course toward the type of project organization they wish to become.

Question 60

The MBA redesign committee presents the results of their five-year project to their bemused Dean.They hope it is not just wishful thinking that they are in the:

A) Planning phase.
B) Conceptualization phase.
C) Execution phase.
D) Termination phase.

Question 61

The initial goal and technical specifications of the project are developed during the planning stage.

Question 62

Where in the project life cycle are the intensity level of resources and client interest at their highest? Why is this the case?

Question 63

In the Atkinson model of project success,a project's impact to the surrounding community would be classified as:

A) An element of the iron triangle.
B) A stakeholder benefit.
C) An organizational benefit.
D) A strategic goal.

Question 64

Which of these effects exhibits an intensity level that is a nearly perfect sinusoid?

A) Client interest
B) Uncertainty
C) Creativity
D) Resources

Question 65

The Atkinson model considers which of these benefits is being accrued by the organization if a project is successful?

A) Information quality
B) Validity
C) Satisfied users
D) Increased profits

Question 66

All groups that are affected by a project are known by this name:

A) Ombudsmen.
B) Team members.
C) Minions.
D) Stakeholders.

Question 67

The dimension of project success that is realized last (chronologically)is:

A) Future potential.
B) Business success.
C) Impact on the customer.
D) Efficiency.

Question 68

Describe the activities that occur at each stage of a project.

Question 69

In the Atkinson model of project success,stakeholder benefits NOT accrued by the organization might include:

A) Improved effectiveness.
B) Improved efficiency.
C) Social and environmental impact.
D) Increased profits.

Question 70

A design project is completed on time,under budget,to the customer's satisfaction,and in adherence to the technical specifications agreed.The new product takes the market by storm and everyone associated with the project receives a coveted gold star.Under the four dimensions of project success model,the project still needs to show:

A) Future potential.
B) Business success.
C) Impact on the customer.
D) Efficiency.

Question 71

A project has achieved success.Which of the following statements is another way of expressing the same outcome?

A) The project achieved the dual constraint plus the two external conditions.
B) The project achieved the triple constraint plus the one internal condition.
C) The project achieved the triple constraint plus the one external condition.
D) The project achieved the dual constraint plus the two internal conditions.

Question 72

The project success criteria that functions as a quality check is:

A) Time.
B) Cost.
C) Performance.
D) Client acceptance.

Question 73

The most recent addition to the four criteria of project success is:

A) Time.
B) Cost.
C) Performance.
D) Client acceptance.

Question 74

Which of the following statements about project success criteria is BEST?

A) Project cost is an external performance measure.
B) Completion time is an internal performance measure.
C) Client acceptance is an internal performance measure.
D) Client acceptance is often referred to as conducting a "quality" check.

Question 75

The only component that does NOT exhibit a wave throughout the project life cycle is the:

A) Client interest.
B) Resources.
C) Creativity.
D) Uncertainty.

Question 76

Some argue that the quadruple constraint is insufficient for determining the success of a project.Instead,the quadruple constraint must be considered along with:

A) The project's potential for generating future opportunities.
B) The project's ability to harm competitors.
C) The project's risk in relation to its reward.
D) The project's efficiency as it approaches 100%.

Question 77

The dimension of project success that is measured by both an internal and external criterion is:

A) Future potential.
B) Business success.
C) Impact on the customer.
D) Efficiency.

Question 78

Client interest in a project is highest during the termination and conceptual phases.

Question 79

Use the project life cycle and intensity level graph to describe your journey in your current degree program.Provide the number of credit hours you have earned and the number remaining in your program and briefly describe key events that show peaks or valleys in the five components.

Question 80

The dimension of project success that is realized first (chronologically)is:

A) Future potential.
B) Business success.
C) Impact on the customer.
D) Efficiency.