Deck 10: Project Communications Management

Question 1

 In a project, communicating badly exponentially increases the possibility of making mistakes.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Communicating badly exponentially increases the possibility of making fatal mistakes. A large-scale project has a lot of moving parts, which makes it that much easier to break down. Communication is the oil that keeps everything working properly.

Question 2

 Geographic location and cultural background have no impact on communications.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Geographic location and cultural background affect the complexity of project communications. If project stakeholders are in different countries, it is often difficult or impossible to schedule times for two-way communication during normal working hours.

Question 3

 A facilitator can help the team solve any communication problems.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: It is often beneficial to have a facilitator from outside the project team assess how well communications are working. A facilitator can also help the team solve any communication problems.

Question 4

 Adding more people to a project that is falling behind schedule often causes more setbacks because of the increased complexity of communications.

Question 5

 Good information technology project managers must have strong technical and communication skills.

Question 6

 Status reports should be written in a consistent format, regardless of the stakeholders' needs.

Question 7

 Project managers must assess the needs of the organization, the project, and individuals in determining which communication medium to use, and when.

Question 8

 E-mail is the most appropriate medium for all types of communications.

Question 9

 Minutes must be a comprehensive report of the meeting that was scheduled.

Question 10

 Project members should either have strong technical skills or soft skills.

Question 11

 Do not have a meeting if there is a better way of achieving the objective at hand.

Question 12

 It is extremely important to document any changes in technical specifications that might affect product performance.

Question 13

 People have different personality traits that often affect their communication preferences.

Question 14

 Rarely does the receiver interpret a message exactly as the sender intended.

Question 15

 Most WBSs include a section for project communications to ensure that reporting key information is a project deliverable.

Question 16

 The communications management plan varies with the needs of the project.

Question 17

 The project manager often combines information from all of the lessons-learned reports into a project summary report.

Question 18

 Which process involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders?

A) strategic planning
B) systems management
C) identifying stakeholders
D) planning communications

Question 19

 Improving an organization's ability to communicate is an easy process.

Question 20

 Communication becomes simpler when you increase the number of team members.

Question 21

 According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) _____ is a medium that is "excellent" for encouraging creative thinking.

A) phone call
B) e-mail
C) meeting
D) website

Question 22

 A team has 10 communication channels between its various members. Using the formula for calculating the number of communication channels, it can be deduced that the team has _____ members.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 5
D) 10

Question 23

 According to research by Albert Mehrabian, which is NOT a way that information is communicated through face-to-face interaction?

A) body language
B) written content
C) spoken content
D) tone of voice

Question 24

 Which document describes what the project team has accomplished during a certain period?

A) progress reports
B) status reports
C) forecasts
D) lessons-learned reports

Question 25

 According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., which is the most appropriate medium for giving complex instructions?

A) phone call
B) e-mail
C) meeting
D) website

Question 26

 As the number of people involved in a project _____, the complexity of communications _____.

A) increases, decreases
B) decreases, increases
C) increases, stays constant
D) increases, increases

Question 27

 The output of the _____ process is a communications management plan.

A) managing communications
B) reporting performance
C) controlling communications
D) planning communications

Question 28

 An example of pull communication is _____.

A) meetings
B) video conferencing
C) voice mails
D) blogs

Question 29

 According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., what is the most appropriate medium for addressing negative behavior?

A) voice mail
B) e-mail
C) meeting
D) website

Question 30

 As a manager, you want to praise a team member, Phil, for doing a good job on a particular project. However, you know he tends to be an introvert. Which communication method would Phil be most comfortable with?

A) Call Phil in for a private meeting to appreciate his work.
B) Call a team meeting to praise Phil for his work on the project.
C) Announce Phil's accomplishment on the company Web site.
D) Have top management and the other teams in the company award Phil.

Question 31

 Using the formula for calculating the number of communication channels, how many channels would five people require?

A) 9
B) 10
C) 11
D) 14

Question 32

 The formula to determine the number of communication channels is _____, where n is the number of people involved.

A) n (n-1)/2
B) n(n+1)/2
C) n (n+1)/n(n-1)
D) n(n-1)/n(n+1)

Question 33

 Which is true of push communication?

A) Information is sent only to recipients who request the information.
B) This method ensures that the information is understood by recipients.
C) Information is sent to recipients without their request.
D) This method ensures that the information is received by the recipients.

Question 34

 During which phase must project teams address important considerations for managing information (and often end up updating business processes through improved communications)?

A) closing
B) execution
C) planning
D) monitoring and controlling

Question 35

 Which document describes where the project stands at a specific point in time?

A) progress reports
B) status reports
C) forecasts
D) lessons-learned reports

Question 36

 Which document addresses where the project stands in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost goals?

A) technical reports
B) status reports
C) progress reports
D) lessons-learned reports

Question 37

 Using the formula for calculating the number of communication channels, how many channels would two people require?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 38

 An example of push communication is _____.

A) meetings
B) video conferencing
C) voice mails
D) blogs

Question 39

 Which communication method is most appropriate for assessing the commitment of project stakeholders?

A) wiki
B) e-mail
C) website
D) meeting

Question 40

 Which method of communication is likely to be most effective for conveying sensitive or important information?

A) short face-to-face meetings
B) e-mails
C) telephone conversations
D) reading reports from other team members

Question 41

 The _____ line for any e-mail messages you write should clearly state the intention of the e-mail.

A) to
B) from
C) subject
D) cc

Question 42

 _____ communication happens when two or more people to exchange information via meetings, phone calls, or video conferencing.

Question 43

 _____ can create communication problems; words may have different meanings in different languages.

Question 44

 Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially information technology projects, is a failure to _____.

Question 45

 A(n) _____ must include suggested methods or technologies for conveying information.

Question 46

 Many information technology professionals work on _____ projects where they never meet their project sponsors, other team members, or other project stakeholders.

Question 47

 The _____ analysis includes information such as the contact person for the information, when the information is due, and the preferred format for the information.

Question 48

 Project managers should try to _____ the size of teams or subteams to avoid making communications too complex.

Question 49

 What is e-mail communication is most suited for?

A) assessing commitment to a project
B) building consensus among disputing parties
C) mediating a conflict between multiple parties
D) communicating simple information

Question 50

 While trying to assess commitment of project stakeholders, a(n) _____ meeting or a Web conference might be the most appropriate medium to use.

Question 51

 What documents include a complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project?

A) project archives
B) forecasts
C) project plans
D) project notes

Question 52

 Which question is typically addressed by a project forecast?

A) How much more money will be needed to complete the project?
B) Does the quality of output match our goals?
C) Are our clients satisfied with the speed and quality of work on this project?
D) How comfortable are employees with the software and technology being used on the project?

Question 53

 Which document predicts future project status and progress based on past information and trends?

A) progress reports
B) status reports
C) forecasts
D) project updates

Question 54

 Which is a guideline that project managers should follow when communicating with teams through e-mail?

A) Always reply to all the people to whom the initial message was sent.
B) If the entire message can fit in the subject line, put it there.
C) Minimize the total number of e-mails by including as many subjects as possible in a single e-mail.
D) Continue replying to e-mail messages without changing the subject line to maintain continuity.

Question 55

 _____ are normally provided as status reports or progress reports.

Question 56

 A(n) _____ is a document that guides project communications.

Question 57

 _____ communications involves ensuring that stakeholder communication needs are met.

Question 58

 The outputs of the _____ process are communications management plan and project documents updates.

Question 59

 The items discussed in a(n) _____ include reflections on whether project goals were met, whether the project was successful or not, causes of variances on the project, reasoning behind corrective actions chosen, use of different project management tools and techniques, and personal words of wisdom based on team members' experiences.

A) final project report
B) design document
C) audit report
D) lessons-learned report

Question 60

 A(n) _____ is a website that enables anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify its content.

A) intranet
B) blog
C) forum
D) wiki

Question 61

 A(n) _____ can be a vehicle for fostering team building and reinforcing expectations, roles, relationships, and commitment to the project.

Question 62

 A(n) _____ allows users to create custom websites to access documents and applications stored on shared devices.

Question 63

 The main goal of controlling communications is to ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire _____.

Question 64

 Describe the concepts of informal methods for distributing information. How do they compare to formal methods for distributing information?

Question 65

 What are the three main processes in project communications management? Briefly describe each process.

Question 66

 An important technique for _____ is the status review meeting.

Question 67

 What is performance reporting? What are some methods used for performance reporting?

Question 68

 _____ are journals on the Web that allow users to write entries, respond to another poster's comments, create links, upload pictures, and post comments to journal entries.

Question 69

 All meetings must have a(n) _____ and intended outcome.

Question 70

 A(n) _____ forces meeting organizers to plan the meeting and gives potential participants the chance to decide whether they need to attend.

Question 71

 How do you determine the number of communications channels? How does the number of people involved in a project affect this value? How can project managers control this value?

Question 72

 What are the guidelines for conducting effective meetings?

Question 73

 _____ often create consolidated progress reports based on the information received from team members.