Deck 14: Determining Project Progress and Results

Question 1

When using a control chart,a point that occurs above the upper control limit typically means the variation is enough that it is not likely to have happened purely by chance - rather some sort of special cause explains the variation.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The purpose of quality control on projects is to reduce the number of defects in deliverables rather than to improve the project process.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

During project execution,monitoring refers to the act of comparing actual performance with planned performance and taking corrective action when needed.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When using earned value techniques,Actual Cost (AC)refers to the total costs actually incurred and recorded in accomplishing work performed during a given time period.

Question 5

Inspection is keeping errors out of process while prevention is trying to find errors so they do not get to the customer.

Question 6

The concept behind a balanced scorecard is that an organization needs to be evaluated along supplier,external business,risk and human resource perspectives.

Question 7

The Cost Variance (CV)is a measure of cost efficiency on a project.

Question 8

When project managers authorize project work,they should empower others to the extent possible,yet control to the extent necessary.

Question 9

The Schedule Performance Index (SPI)is a measure of schedule efficiency on a project.

Question 10

Earned Value (EV)is the authorized budget assigned to the scheduled work to be accomplished.

Question 11

Two types of control are used extensively on projects: steering control and go / no go control.

Question 12

When reporting performance to sponsors and management,it is often helpful to organize the information in terms of three time periods: the past,the current and the future.

Question 13

A control limit is what the customer will accept,whereas a tolerance limit reflects what the process can consistently deliver when things are behaving normally.

Question 14

Detailed project progress should be reported to stakeholders and clients frequently - typically on a daily basis.

Question 15

Some scope changes start as proposed changes to cost or schedule,just as some changes to cost or schedule start as proposed scope changes.

Question 16

Meetings and reports are two common approaches that project managers can adopt to report project performance to sponsors,management and clients.

Question 17

The purpose of a check sheet is to quickly understand the primary causes of a particular problem using the 80/20 rule.

Question 18

When discrepancies are identified during a project quality audit,the presumption must be that workers failed to comply with procedures and should be reprimanded accordingly.

Question 19

It is often costly,difficult or even impossible to inspect an entire sample. When that is the case,it is best to inspect the population.

Question 20

It is possible for a project to be both behind schedule and under budget at the same time.

Question 21

Report Performance is the process of collecting and distributing performance information and typically includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) status reporting.
B) managing stakeholder expectations
C) forecasting.
D) progress measurement.

Question 22

Benchmarking generally includes all of the following steps EXCEPT:

A) using management by objectives
B) active participation from another organization
C) adaptation and adoption of new or improved methods
D) determination of a process that needs dramatic improvement

Question 23

Figure 14.1 Drug Surveillance Aircraft Project - Monthly Performance Report
(October 31, 20XX)
Consider the project performance report presented in figure 14.1. What valid conclusion can you draw regarding the project cost performance as of October 31,20XX?

A) The project is $8,000 over budget.
B) The project is $18,000 over budget.
C) The project is on budget.
D) The project is $26,000 under budget.

Question 24

Project managers interested in controlling quality on projects will often concentrate upon project inputs. Which of the following are important considerations for the project managers concentrating on inputs to ensure project quality?

A) ensure the workers assigned are capable of doing their work
B) ensure that rework is kept to a minimum
C) ensure that internal and external inspections are conducted
D) ensure that all outsourced deliverables are validated

Question 25

All of the following accurately describe the trade-offs that must be managed while accomplishing project work EXCEPT:

A) When confronted with trade-offs between cost, schedule and quality, quality should always come first
B) Team members must address trade-offs between cost, schedule and quality.
C) Sponsors may need to help project managers secure additional resources when confronted by trade-offs.
D) Team members must often make trade-offs between the current project and other higher priority projects.

Question 26

Which of the following tools is displayed as a special type of scatter diagram used to see how a variable of interest changes over time?

A) flow chart
B) cause and effect diagram
C) check sheet
D) run chart

Question 27

Change control includes which of the following activities?

A) identifying, documenting, approving or rejecting, and controlling changes to project baselines
B) brainstorming, selecting and implementing new ideas
C) recruiting, selecting and training new team members
D) identifying and implementing changes to the project charter

Question 28

Some organizations rely upon a formally constituted group of stakeholders to review,evaluate and approve changes to the project. This group is typically known as a:

A) stakeholder review board.
B) change control board.
C) project evaluation committee.
D) steering committee

Question 29

Which of the following serves as an important guideline concerning project inspections?

A) inspect after critical or expensive processes to make sure the inputs are good
B) inspect prior to key work handoff points
C) inspect at milestones identified in the project schedule
D) inspect only as a last resort

Question 30

The Budget at Completion (BAC)is the sum of all budgeted values established for the work to be performed on a project.As such it is equivalent to:

A) the total planned value of the project.
B) the total earned value of the project.
C) the total actual cost of the project.
D) the total value of the work completed to date

Question 31

The process of reviewing all change requests,approving changes and controlling changes to deliverables and organizational process assets is known as:

A) project monitoring.
B) variance analysis and control.
C) integrated change control.
D) configuration management

Question 32

When a project manager asks clarifying questions and paraphrases what is being communicated to them,he or she is using ?

A) Passive listening
B) Active listening
C) Information gathering techniques
D) Soft skills

Question 33

Which of the following are appropriate lessons that should guide the information distribution practices of project managers in the information age?

A) target communications to as many people as possible
B) replace communication methods as soon as new methods emerge
C) use the communication plan and always monitor additional communication needs
D) emails should be the only form of communications

Question 34

One useful method of process improvement involves consideration of how another organization performs a process with an eye toward determining how to improve your own performance. This method is known as:

A) comparative improvement.
B) benchmarking.
C) variance analysis.
D) sensitivity analysis

Question 35

Figure 14.1 Drug Surveillance Aircraft Project - Monthly Performance Report
(October 31, 20XX)
Consider the project performance report presented in figure 14.1. What valid conclusion can you draw regarding the project schedule performance as of October 31,20XX?

A) The project is $18,000 behind schedule.
B) The project is $26,000 behind schedule.
C) The project is 18 days behind schedule.
D) The project is $26,000 ahead of schedule.

Question 36

Figure 14.1 Drug Surveillance Aircraft Project - Monthly Performance Report
(October 31, 20XX)
Consider the project performance report presented in figure 14.1. Your analyst has determined that your estimate to complete (ETC)is $226,000. Based on your performance to date and assuming future performance will proceed at the same level of efficiency as past performance,what is your estimate at completion (EAC)?

A) $542,000
B) $550,000
C) $568,000
D) It can not be determined from the information provided.

Question 37

All of the following accurately describe earned value management EXCEPT:

A) It is used to objectively measure project performance and progress.
B) It enables a project team to understand progress in terms of both cost and schedule.
C) It is good for performance reporting but not for forecasting
D) It is in essence a decision-making tool.

Question 38

While the project is underway,effective information distribution often requires the project manager and team to accomplish all of the following activities EXCEPT:

A) determine any information needs beyond those addressed in the communication plan
B) establish an information retrieval and distribution system
C) report progress to all stakeholders
D) conduct stand-up meetings to maximize efficiency

Question 39

Figure 14.1 Drug Surveillance Aircraft Project - Monthly Performance Report
(October 31, 20XX)
Consider the project performance report presented in figure 14.1. As a project manager,these results should lead you to...

A) take actions to understand and remedy the schedule performance on the active avionics work packages.
B) take actions to understand and resolve budgetary overruns on the active communications work packages.
C) take actions to understand and remedy the schedule performance on the active training work packages.
D) notify the project owner that you will not require all of the funding currently budgeted for this project.

Question 40

All of the following accurately apply to project performance reporting EXCEPT:

A) Performance reporting includes meetings, reports and documentation.
B) Performance can be reported at fixed intervals or at key milestones.
C) Progress can be reported at varying degrees of frequency.
D) The same report format should be used for all stakeholders

Question 41

Describe how you would adopt a balanced score card approach to evaluate your project performance. Your response should identify specific measures you would use as well as the approach you would take to obtain the measures you identify.

Question 42

Identify a business process that is often critical to project success. Now describe the approach you would employ to improve the business process you identified.

Question 43

Describe the essential aspects of integrated change control.

Question 44

Which of the following measures is best suited for determining whether the project is on,ahead or behind schedule?

A) Estimate to Complete (ETC)
B) Schedule Variance (SV)
C) To Complete Performance Index (TCPI)
D) Schedule Compliance (SC)

Question 45

Your most recent project performance report indicates that your cumulative Schedule Performance Index (SPI)is .85 and your cumulative Cost Performance Index (CPI)is .90. What conclusions can you draw from these performance indices? What actions might you take to address project performance based on these results?