Deck 10: Project Communications Management

Question 1

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

Answer 1

False
An important aspect of communications is the number of people involved in a project. As the number increases, the complexity of communication increases because there are more channels or pathways through which people can communicate. Communication becomes more complex as you increase team size.

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True
Most IT professionals enter the field because of their technical skills. Most find, however, that communication skills are the key to advancing in their careers, especially if they want to become good project managers.

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True
Because communication is so important on projects, every project should include a communications management plan-a document that guides project communications. The communications management plan varies with the needs of the project.

Question 4

The email is the most appropriate medium for all types of communications.

Question 5

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

Question 6

Status reports can take various formats depending on the stakeholders' needs.

Question 7

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

Question 8

A facilitator can help the team solve any communication problems.

Question 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

Geographic location and cultural background have no impact on communications.

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

_____ involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders.

A) Strategic planning
B) Systems management
C) Identifying stakeholders
D) Planning communications

Question 18

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

The project summary report is a summary of all the lessons-learned reports.

Question 21

Research has indicated that in a face-to-face interaction, _____ percent of information is through body language.

A) 58
B) 35
C) 7
D) 75

Question 22

An example of push communication is _____.

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

Question 23

As a manager, you want to praise a team member, Phil, for doing a good job on a particular project. However, you know that Phil tends to be an introvert. Which of the following communication methods 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 24

Managing communications is part of the _____ process of the project communication management.

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

Question 25

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 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

Which of the following is true of a project communications plan?

A) The communications plan within an organization does not vary from project to project.
B) The communications plan should be part of the overall project management plan.
C) The communications plan should never be part of the team contract, but should always be a separate document.
D) The communications plan should include project forecasts and other technical information.

Question 28

A team has 10 communication channels between its various members. Using the formula number of communication channels = n (n-1)/2, where n is the number of people in the team, the team has _____ members.

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

Question 29

_____ address 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 30

Which of the following methods 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 31

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) Web Site

Question 32

Which of the following communication methods would be most appropriate for assessing the commitment of project stakeholders?

A) Wikis
B) E-mail
C) Web sites
D) Meetings

Question 33

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

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

Question 34

Which of the following 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 35

According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) _____ is the most inappropriate medium for addressing negative behavior.

A) voice mail
B) e-mail
C) meeting
D) Web Site

Question 36

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 37

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 38

An example of pull communication is _____.

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

Question 39

____ describe where the project stands at a specific point in time.

A) Progress reports
B) Status reports
C) Forecasts
D) Lessons-learned reports

Question 40

According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) _____ is the most appropriate medium for giving complex instructions.

A) phone call
B) e-mail
C) meeting
D) Web Site

Question 41

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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

Question 45

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

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

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 routine information.

Question 48

____ predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends.

A) Progress reports
B) Status reports
C) Forecasts
D) Project updates

Question 49

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 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

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

Question 52

Which of the following questions 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

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 54

Which of the following is a guideline that project managers should follow when communicating with their 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

_____ monitoring and controlling project communications to ensure that stakeholder communication needs are met.

Question 56

_____ are 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 57

A(n) _____ is a Web site that enables anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify Web page content.

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

Question 58

The items discussed in a(n) _____ include reflections on whether project goals were met, whether the project was successful or not, the causes of variances on the project, the reasoning behind corrective actions chosen, the 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 59

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

Question 60

____ describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period.

A) Progress reports
B) Status reports
C) Forecasts
D) Lessons-learned reports

Question 61

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

Question 62

_____ are normally provided as status reports or progress reports.

Question 63

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

Question 64

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

Question 65

Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management Solution has a(n) _____ tool that provides a centralized and consolidated view of programs and projects.

Question 66

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

Question 67

What are the guidelines for conducting effective meetings?

Question 68

An important technique for _____ is the status review meeting.

Question 69

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

Question 70

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

Question 71

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

Question 72

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 73

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

Question 74

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

Question 75

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