Deck 13: Leading and Managing Project Teams

Question 1

Leadership within a project team should be demonstrated only by the project manager.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The value of engaging a subject matter expert early in a project should be balanced against the potentially significant cost of paying for his or her expertise.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When many members of the project team disagree,then it may be best to delay the decision,gather more data,or agree to let one person make the decision for the team.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Many conflicts on projects have multiple causes.

Question 5

Project manager strategies to promote organization,project and team member needs may vary from one stage of team development to another.

Question 6

The adoption of specific ground rules that specify acceptable and unacceptable behaviors can help prevent potential problems and improve working relationships and communication.

Question 7

Effective conflict management skills are rarely useful on successful project teams.

Question 8

All project teams progress uniformly through five stages of team development.

Question 9

One important way to build team capacity is to create a desirable team identity.

Question 10

Information is power. Withholding or distorting project information is a viable and potentially useful approach to increase power for the project manager.

Question 11

High-performing project teams will typically persevere despite challenges,produce high quality results and consistently meet or exceed stakeholder expectations.

Question 12

The standard approach to making decisions on a project is to clearly and consistently vest decision making authority in the project manager.

Question 13

Great team synergy can help make a team's capability better than the individual team member's capabilities.

Question 14

Project managers can further team development by securing agreement on common goals and objectives for the project.

Question 15

When a project team member is not performing,rewards may not prove as effective as a coercive approach that threatens the team member with undesired consequences.

Question 16

When a decision needs to be made quickly or requires significant authority it is often useful to delegate the decision to one or two team members.

Question 17

Conflict over the best approach can be useful since it may bring out creative discussion and lead to better methods.

Question 18

A project manager leads by placing the demands of the parent organization and the project above the needs of the project team members.

Question 19

Proactive project managers realize that conducting clear,succinct,one-way communication is a major key to their team's success.

Question 20

The ideal time to on-board core team members is to include them in the chartering process.

Question 21

The personal values of team members on high-performing teams can be enhanced through all of the following effective communication practices EXCEPT:

A) free sharing of information within and beyond the team
B) open discussion of all important topics
C) proactive reporting of potential problems
D) encouragement of personal conflict

Question 22

All of the following are advantages associated with assigning both core team members and subject matter experts to the project as soon as possible EXCEPT:

A) implementers are more motivated when they help create the plan
B) early assignment of resources saves the project money
C) early assignment helps ensure team members are available when needed
D) plans are more realistic when implementers are involved in the planning

Question 23

All of the following are among the methods project managers can use to develop individual and team capabilities EXCEPT:

A) utilize quality tools
B) demand situational leadership
C) teach personal responsibility
D) demonstrate personal leadership

Question 24

All of the following are among ground rules that have proven widely useful to project teams EXCEPT:

A) avoid conflict at all costs
B) consider at least two alternative approaches before proceeding
C) develop trust and encourage open discussion
D) use data when possible and make the data visible to all team members

Question 25

All of the following represent common methods for making decisions on contemporary project teams EXCEPT:

A) The project manager makes the decision.
B) One or two team members make the decision.
C) The project team votes to make the decision.
D) The sponsor is asked to make all of the decisions

Question 26

Project teams often adopt ground rules to address which of the following process topics?

A) managing meetings
B) managing the firm's project management process
C) managing the firm's project reporting process
D) managing customer's expectations

Question 27

Project teams often adopt ground rules to address which of the following relationship topics?

A) managing sponsors and senior leaders
B) managing customers and clients
C) protecting confidentiality
D) protecting the project sponsor

Question 28

All of the following are among the activities a project manager should undertake to develop a highly effective team EXCEPT:

A) assess sponsor capability
B) assess project team capability
C) establish team ground rules
D) assess individual member capability

Question 29

Reward power relies upon persuading others based upon giving them some form of reward. It is most appropriately used when:

A) a team member performs well.
B) needed to maintain discipline.
C) others respect the project manager's opinion and expertise.
D) a team member is not performing

Question 30

It is argued that project teams progress through five stages of team development. Which of the following sequences best represents this progression?

A) forming, norming, storming, performing, reforming
B) forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
C) forming, storming, norming, performing, reforming
D) forming, performing, reforming, norming, adjourning

Question 31

Assembling the right quantity and variety of skills and experience for the project team can be quite challenging. One strategy is to staff the project with a combination of experienced and less experienced workers. All of the following are benefits associated with this approach EXCEPT:

A) It often costs less to use an inexperienced person.
B) The project manager can dominate the more junior team members
C) It helps to achieve organizational learning.
D) The more experienced person can mentor the inexperienced person.

Question 32

Which of the following is among the responsibilities of all project team members?

A) to complete their individual work on time, on budget and correctly
B) to complete their joint work with teammates on time, on budget and correctly
C) to work with the team to improve the project team's capabilities
D) all of these

Question 33

Frequently,project managers lack legitimate power based upon position and instead resort to persuading others based upon personal relationships. This type of power is known as:

A) coercive power
B) referent power
C) connection power
D) positional power

Question 34

The process of improving the competencies,team interaction,and the overall team environment to enhance project performance is known as:

A) Acquire project team
B) Develop project team
C) Connect project team
D) Manage project team interactions

Question 35

All of the following are among the types of capabilities that are useful for project team members EXCEPT:

A) activity specific knowledge and skills
B) personal learning
C) insensitivity towards others
D) organizational understanding

Question 36

The personal values of team members on high-performing teams can be enhanced through which of the following team behavior practices?

A) a constant focus on improvement
B) specification of individual routines and independent efforts
C) unilateral initiatives and personal competition
D) emphasis on formal procedures

Question 37

The negotiation process involves several steps including preparation for negotiation and determination of your "walk away point"

Question 38

Which of the following is among the widely accepted project team success factors?

A) effective communication including performance feedback
B) unbridled attention to the quality of project deliverables, without regard to cost
C) extreme risk taking strategies to maximize project gains
D) use of coercion to resolve conflicts and problems

Question 39

During which stage of team development do team members attempt to jockey for power,ask many questions and establish dubious goals?

A) forming
B) storming
C) norming
D) performing

Question 40

High-performing teams include members who typically hold which of the following values?

A) a high need for achievement
B) a strict adherence to their personal points of view
C) a commitment to self-promotion
D) a strong need for authority

Question 41

Describe at least three approaches the members of your project team can employ to improve team performance.

Question 42

Identify and describe at least five characteristics of a high-performing project team.

Question 43

Describe at least three alternative approaches to make decisions on a project team and describe when each is most appropriate?

Question 44

All of the following are among the steps of the negotiation process EXCEPT:

A) clarify both parties interests
B) work toward a common goal
C) use "good cop / bad cop" technique
D) clarify and confirm agreements

Question 45

Which of the following styles of handling conflict is most appropriate whenever there is enough time,trust can be established,the issue is important to both sides and buy-in is needed?

A) competing
B) accommodating
C) compromising
D) collaborating

Question 46

Describe the beneficial aspects of conflict on a project and identify at least three techniques you can use to resolve project conflicts.

Question 47

All of the following are among the common sources of project conflict EXCEPT:

A) schedule
B) project priorities
C) technical approach
D) personalities