Deck 1: Modern Project Management

Question 1

Project management is critically significant only for the electronics industry.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The sociocultural dimension of project management includes managing relationships, motivating team members and negotiating project terms.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Programs are processes designed to accomplish goals that are common to a program over time.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

At first glance, project managers perform the same functions as other managers. That is, they plan, schedule, motivate and control.

Question 5

For construction companies that build many buildings, all buildings built after the first do not fit the definition of a project.

Question 6

Project management appears to be ideally suited for a business environment requiring accountability, flexibility, innovation and repeatability.

Question 7

As specified in a project life cycle, the first stage in the life cycle of a project is the concept stage.

Question 8

Agile PM is incremental, iterative development and delivery whereas traditional PM does not deliver nor elicit feedback from the customer until the project is nearly complete.

Question 9

Accountants, architects, and attorneys are among professional people who excel at managing projects yet never have the title of project manager.

Question 10

A major driver of project management is small business development, among others.

Question 11

The modus operandi (method) used for implementing organizational strategy is through projects.

Question 12

The technical dimensions of project management is primarily what successful project managers focus on, specifically planning, scheduling, and controlling projects.

Question 13

Project management is equally useful in ongoing, routine work as well as unique, one-time initiatives, because of its flexibility.

Question 14

The fact that projects are not confined to a single department but may involve several departments and professionals is a defining characteristic of projects.

Question 15

Specific time, cost, and performance requirements are among the characteristics that separate project management from other endeavors of the organization.

Question 16

Project management skills are not needed in small projects within large organizations.

Question 17

Project management is a skill set that is transferable across most businesses and professions and is critical to many careers.

Question 18

One of the most significant driving forces behind the demand for project management is the ever increasing lengthening of the product life cycle.

Question 19

Project management is generally restricted to specialists because of the requirement for in-depth expertise.

Question 20

The Project Management Institute has a certification for project managers known as Project Management Professional (PMP).

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT one of the driving forces behind the increasing demand for project management?

A) Compression of the product life cycle
B) Knowledge explosion
C) Increasing need for concurrent multi-project management
D) Declining need for product customization
E) More sustainable business practices

Question 22

The two dimensions within project management processes are

A) Technical and sociocultural.
B) Cost and time.
C) Planned and unexpected.
D) Established and new.
E) Unique and reoccurring.

Question 23

Which dimension of project management centers on creating a temporary social system within a larger organizational environment that combines the talents of a divergent set of professionals working to complete the project?

A) Communication
B) Sociocultural
C) Social
D) Technical
E) Scheduling

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Project management is far from a standard way of doing business.
B) Project management is increasingly contributing to achieving organizational strategies.
C) Project management is being used at a consistent percentage of a firm's efforts.
D) Project management is a specialty that few organizations have access to.
E) All of these statements are false.

Question 25

People who are part of the project team need to understand project management because they

A) Work with others to create a schedule and budget.
B) Need to understand project priorities so they can make independent decisions.
C) Need to be able to monitor and report project progress.
D) Need to understand the project charter or scope statement that defines the objectives and parameters of the project.
E) All of these are reasons it is important for project team members to understand project management.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the stages of a project life cycle?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 27

Which of these is NOT part of the "sociocultural dimension" of project management?

A) Negotiation
B) Resource allocation
C) Managing customer expectations
D) Leadership
E) Dealing with politics

Question 28

The individual principles of project management are considered universal and applicable across most businesses and professions.

Question 29

Which of the choices listed below is NOT considered to be a characteristic of a project?

A) An established objective
B) A clear beginning and end
C) Specific time, cost and performance requirements
D) For internal use only
E) Something never been done by a particular company before

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT typical of a project manager?

A) Managing a temporary activity
B) Overseeing existing operations
C) Managing a nonrepetitive activity
D) Responsible for time, cost and performance trade-offs
E) Work with a group of outsiders, including vendors and suppliers

Question 31

In which stage of the project life cycle is the project's schedule and budget determined?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 32

Which of the following activities is the best example of a project?

A) Processing insurance claims
B) Producing automobiles
C) Writing a policy manual
D) Monitoring product quality
E) Overseeing customer requests

Question 33

Project management is ideally suited for a business environment requiring all of the following EXCEPT

A) Accountability.
B) Flexibility.
C) Innovation.
D) Speed.
E) Repeatability.

Question 34

In which stage of the project life cycle are project objectives established, teams formed, and major responsibilities assigned?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 35

In which stage of the project life cycle is the product of the project delivered to the customer and resources are released from the project?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 36

Which of these is NOT part of the "technical dimension" of project management?

A) WBS
B) Budgets
C) Problem solving
D) Schedules
E) Status reports

Question 37

Contrary to on-going duties and responsibilities of customary jobs, projects have a defined endpoint.

Question 38

Which of the choices listed below is NOT considered a project?

A) Developing a new software program
B) Designing a space station
C) Preparing the site for the Olympic Games
D) Production of automobile tires
E) Developing a new advertising program

Question 39

In which stage of the project life cycle is a major portion of the actual project work performed?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 40

In which stage of the project life cycle are you more likely to find status reports, changes, and the creation of forecasts?

A) Identifying
B) Defining
C) Planning
D) Executing
E) Closing

Question 41

Project Managers are

A) ultimately responsible for performance.
B) not timid.
C) a direct link to the customer.
D) able to multitask.
E) all of these.

Question 42

Any project life cycle is made up of stages. The project's schedule and budget will be determined in the ___________ stage of the project life cycle.

A) conceptual
B) closing
C) defining
D) planning
E) executing

Question 43

This first chapter introduced some of the most rudimentary aspects of the discipline, including definitions. A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result is a(n) _________.

A) project
B) activity
C) task
D) undertaking
E) All of these.

Question 44

A project life cycle is characterized as made up of stages. A major part of the project work, both physical and mental, takes place in the ___________ stage of the project life cycle.

A) conceptual
B) closing
C) defining
D) planning
E) executing

Question 45

The product life cycle must be understood as totally different from the project life cycle. In today's high-tech industries the product life cycle is averaging _________ to 3 years.

A) 1 year
B) 6 months
C) 18 months
D) 3 months
E) 9 months

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a reason why project management has become a standard way of doing business?

A) Increased need for skilled management of stakeholders outside of organization.
B) Projects need to be done faster.
C) Organizations are doing more project work in-house instead of outsourcing.
D) Organizations are executing more and more projects.
E) Increased product complexity and innovation.

Question 47

Which of the following represents the correct order of stages within the project life cycle?

A) Planning, Defining, Executing, Closing
B) Closing, Planning, Defining, Executing
C) Defining, Planning, Executing, Closing
D) Executing, Defining, Planning, Closing
E) Planning, Defining, Closing, Executing

Question 48

A project life cycle is characterized as made up of stages. The initial stage in the project life cycle is the __________ stage.

A) conceptual
B) closing
C) defining
D) planning
E) executing

Question 49

As the number of small projects increase within an organization's portfolio, what is a challenge an organization faces?

A) Sharing resources
B) Measuring efficiency
C) Managing risk
D) Prioritizing projects
E) All of these are challenges

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT true about project management?

A) It is not limited to the private sector.
B) Many opportunities are available for individuals interested in this career path.
C) It improves one's ability to plan, implement and manage activities to accomplish specific organizational objectives.
D) It focuses primarily on technical processes.
E) It is a set of tools.

Question 51

Project management is being driven by

A) elevated profit motive.
B) knowledge explosion.
C) increased customer focus.
D) more projects being done in-house.
E) knowledge explosion and increased customer focus.

Question 52

Like many other professions such as accounting, marketing and finance, there is a professional organization for project managers. One professional organization for project managers has grown from 93,000 in 2002 to more than 565,000 currently and is the ___________.

A) Institute for Project Managers
B) Society for Project Professionals and Project Managers
C) Organization for Project Managers and Professionals
D) Project Management Institute (PMI)
E) The Union of Project Professionals

Question 53

A project life cycle is characterized as made up of stages. The final stage in the project life cycle is the __________ stage.

A) conceptual
B) closing
C) defining
D) planning
E) executing

Question 54

Project management is not limited to the __________ sector.

A) universal
B) private
C) global
D) international
E) business and government

Question 55

A project life cycle

A) will only ever consist of four phases.
B) must be dogmatically followed.
C) reduces the amount of planning necessary.
D) can vary based on the industry.
E) will always have a phase called 'visioning'.

Question 56

Which of the following is a good example of a program?

A) Planting a garden
B) Developing a new residential area that includes six custom homes
C) Developing a new marketing plan
D) Taking notes each class meeting to prepare for the final
E) Planning a wedding

Question 57

Project Management is a style that places a premium on

A) building relationships.
B) including a diverse set of talent.
C) maintenance operations.
D) building relationships and including a diverse set of talent.
E) extensive testing only.

Question 58

A series of coordinated, related, multiple projects that continue over an extended time period and are intended to achieve a goal is known as a

A) Strategy.
B) Program.
C) Campaign.
D) Crusade.
E) Venture.

Question 59

A project does not include

A) unique elements.
B) a specific objective.
C) repetitive, same or similar work.
D) creating a new product or service.
E) developing a new process.

Question 60

Which of the following is typically the responsibility of a project manager?

A) Meeting budget requirements
B) Meeting schedule requirements
C) Meeting performance specifications
D) Coordinating the actions of the team members
E) All of these are typical responsibilities

Question 61

Because projects have a defined beginning and end, the ________ is frequently used to manage the transitions of a project from start to completion.

A) product life cycle
B) project life cycle
C) development life cycle
D) transition life cycle
E) completion life cycle

Question 62

Identify the five major characteristics of a project.

Question 63

Project managers are expected to ensure that appropriate trade-offs are made between the time, cost, and __________ requirements of the project.

A) performance
B) quality
C) specifications
D) functional
E) scope

Question 64

When the project scope and / or technology are not fully known or stable, the best choice of method for such projects is

A) traditional project management.
B) plan-driven project management.
C) schedule-driven project management.
D) agile-driven project management.
E) budget-driven project management.

Question 65

In today's customer-focused organizations, the customer is recognized as the final authority of what constitutes quality. Nevertheless, customer tastes and feature preferences vary from customer to customer. Increased competition has placed a premium on customer satisfaction and the development of __________ products and services.

A) unique
B) quality
C) customized
D) creative
E) consistent

Question 66

An increase in the complexity of projects, because projects typically include the latest advances, can be the result of a growth in new __________.

A) products
B) knowledge
C) services
D) products and services
E) processes

Question 67

A(n) _________ is a series of coordinated, related multiple projects that continue over an extended time intended to achieve a goal.

A) program
B) portfolio
C) product family
D) process
E) folder

Question 68

Life cycles are used to characterize how things change over time. The _____________ typically passes sequentially through four stages.

A) product life cycle
B) project life cycle
C) development life cycle
D) transition life cycle
E) completion life cycle

Question 69

Project managers must have many competencies, among them leadership, teamwork and negotiation. Leadership, teamwork, and negotiation are examples of the _________ dimension of the project management process.

A) sociocultural
B) soft skills
C) technical
D) tools
E) planning

Question 70

The establishment of project goals, specifications, and responsibilities usually occurs in the ________ stage of project life cycle.

A) defining
B) planning
C) executing
D) conceptual
E) closing

Question 71

For companies of moderate-to-large size, it is not unusual to have hundreds of small projects ongoing concurrently. The advent of many small projects has created the need for an organization that can support __________ management.

A) multi-project
B) program
C) concurrent
D) portfolio
E) product

Question 72

Training the customer, releasing staff and resources occurs in the ________ stage of project life cycle.

A) defining
B) planning
C) executing
D) conceptual
E) closing

Question 73

Project managers employ lots of useful tools, many supported by software. WBS, schedules, and budgets are tools taken from the _________ dimension of the project management process.

A) sociocultural
B) soft skills
C) technical
D) tools
E) planning

Question 74

Projects with high predictability are said to have ____.

A) unknown or unstable scope
B) unknown or unstable requirements
C) the best circumstances for use of traditional project management
D) the best circumstances for use of agile project management
E) iterative and incremental delivery

Question 75

One of the defining characteristics of a project is that it has a singular purpose, i.e., an established ________.

A) vision
B) objective
C) goal
D) mission
E) purpose

Question 76

Agile project management involves ____ whereas traditional project management involves _______.

A) iterative and incremental delivery, upfront planning with high predictability
B) high certainty, projects with unstable scope
C) high uncertainty, projects with unknown requirements
D) known and stable scope, unknown requirements
E) projects with high predictability, project with unknown or unstable requirements

Question 77

Agile PM is appropriate when _______.

A) project scope is unknown or unstable
B) the technology to be used is well known
C) the project scope is well known
D) the processes to be used are well known
E) projects of this type have been done many times before

Question 78

Traditional project management focuses on thorough planning up front. Such planning requires ____.

A) thoroughness
B) a planning schedule
C) predictability
D) a planning budget
E) All of these alternatives are correct

Question 79

A professional organization for project managers is the ___________.

A) Project Management Institute (PMI)
B) Institute for Project Managers
C) Society for Project Professionals and Project Managers
D) Organization for Project Managers and Professionals
E) The Union of Project Professionals

Question 80

Iterative and incremental delivery means ______.

A) the project uses the traditional method of project management
B) the entire project product or service is delivered all at once at the end of the project
C) the project documentation is completed and delivered after each milestone
D) the components or features of the project product or service are delivered one at a time throughout the duration of the project
E) product functionality is delivered all at once at the end of the project