Deck 4: Managing Conflict and the Art of Negotiation

Question 1

After identifying the stakeholders,a _________should be created to maintain key information about them including contact information,their requirements and expectations,what stage in the project they have the most interest in,and so on.

A)stakeholder register
B)stakeholder plan
C)project plan
D)request for proposal

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The need to manage interfaces and to correct incompatibilities is likely to create technical conflicts during the __________ phase of the project lifecycle.

A)project formation
B)project buildup
C)main program
D)project phase out

Answer 2

C

Question 3

During project build-up,the project should move from a general concept to __________.

A)implementation of plans
B)a highly detailed set of plans
C)a project charter
D)a project contract

Answer 3

B

Question 4

During project build-up,if the project is independent and standalone,the project manager seeks a commitment of __________ from the functional departments.

A)work
B)materials
C)people
D)budgets

Question 5

__________ is the process which begins when one party perceives that the other has frustrated,or is about to frustrate,some concern of his.

A)Conflict
B)Happiness
C)Contentment
D)Utility

Question 6

__________ problems are comparatively rare during project phase-out because most have been solved or bypassed earlier.

A)Resource
B)Schedule
C)Authority
D)Technical

Question 7

During the main program phases of the project lifecycle,the conflict intensity is the greatest with respect to __________.

A)cost
B)schedules
C)scope
D)quality

Question 8

There are probably more opportunities for __________ in handling conflicts and negotiations than in any other aspect of project management.

A)errors in judgment
B)ethical missteps
C)project team strife
D)project manager burnout

Question 9

Personality conflicts during project phase-out are often caused by __________.

A)the absence of deadlines
B)the influx of newer technology
C)pressure to complete the project and anxiety about leaving the project
D)distribution of expenses charged to the project

Question 10

Before the goals of the shareholders can be aligned with the purpose of the project,the ____________ must be identified.

A)risks
B)costs
C)stakeholders
D)quality

Question 11

The most common method of identifying stakeholders is _____.

A)expert judgment of the project manager and project team
B)surveying all users
C)sending out invitations
D)using corporate guidelines

Question 12

A party to a conflict will usually be satisfied when the level of frustration has been __________.

A)increased by the domination of the other party
B)lowered to the point where no action against the other party is contemplated
C)lowered because the party realizes the hopelessness of continuing the conflict
D)eliminated because the party has surrendered to the other party

Question 13

A useful tool for accessing the level of commitment needed from stakeholders is the ____________.

A)Commitment Assessment Matrix
B)Power-Interest Grid
C)Stakeholder Survey
D)Administrative Matrix

Question 14

Which of the following are not strategies people use to deal with conflict identified by Thomas and Kilmann?

A)Competing
B)Avoiding
C)Collaborating
D)Forcing

Question 15

Toward the end of the project lifecycle,conflict intensity is the greatest with respect to __________.

A)cost
B)schedules
C)scope
D)quality

Question 16

Identify the category of conflict that is not included in the categories used by Thamhain and Wilemon in their study of project conflict.

A)Differences about goal / expectations
B)Uncertainty about authority
C)Interpersonal problems
D)Discipline / problem-orientation differences

Question 17

During the early program phases of the project lifecycle,Thamhain says that conflict intensity is the greatest with respect to __________.

A)cost
B)human resource management
C)time
D)priorities

Question 18

During project formation,the organizational structure selected will have a major impact on the ways in which conflicts are handled.Lack of clarity about the relative power / influence / authority of the PM and the functional managers is a major component of all conflicts involving __________.

A)contractual obligations
B)property rights
C)budgeting
D)resource allocation and scheduling

Question 19

During project build-up,if the project is functionally tied down,the project manager seeks a commitment of __________ from the functional departments.

A)work
B)materials
C)people
D)budgets

Question 20

Most of the conflicts that involve the organization and outsiders have to do with __________.

A)interpersonal differences
B)cultural differences and status differences
C)technical differences
D)property rights and contractual obligations

Question 21

One requirement for the conflict / resolution methods described is that they must allow the conflict to be settled without __________ to the project's objectives.

A)an increase
B)resolution
C)significance
D)irreparable harm

Question 22

Partnering is an attempt to __________ the risk associated with subcontracting.

A)mitigate
B)increase
C)absorb
D)allow

Question 23

Which of the following is not one of the four points of principled negotiation?

A)Insist on using objective criteria
B)Focus on interest not positions
C)Invent options for mutual gain before trying to reach an agreement
D)Separate people from the problem

Question 24

The boundaries between departments or functions represent __________.

A)interfaces
B)challenges
C)Pareto locations
D)risk mitigation

Question 25

What is the key to finding a negotiator's interests and concerns when he or she states a position? You should ask __________ the interest or concern is important.

A)why
B)when
C)where
D)if

Question 26

When dealing with conflict between parties,it is recommended that one __________ in order to avoid the conflict becoming interpersonal.

A)avoid the situation
B)define the substantive problem
C)leisurely discuss the issue
D)focus on interests

Question 27

__________ is a method of transforming contractual relationships into a cohesive,cooperative project team with a single set of goals and established procedures for resolving disputes in a timely and effective manner.

A)Project mentoring
B)Project delving
C)Project partnering
D)Pareto analysis

Question 28

According to the authors; which of the entities below is not a party to the chartering process?

A)The project manager
B)The customer
C)Senior management
D)Functional managers

Question 29

Negotiating to a(n)__________ solution is the key to conflict resolution in project management.

A)win-lose
B)win-win
C)avoidance
D)confrontation

Question 30

According to the authors,the favored technique for resolving conflict is __________.

A)negotiation
B)mitigation
C)avoidance
D)collaboration

Question 31

Which of the following is not included in the authors' four part agreement for partnering?

A)Continuous senior management support
B)A method for resolution of problems and disagreements
C)Joint evaluation of the project's progress
D)A set of team building exercises

Question 32

Which one of the following choices was not identified by the authors as one of the reasons why organizations enter into partnership arrangements with each other?

A)Avoidance of litigation
B)Diversification of technical risk
C)Reducing internal conflict
D)Avoidance of capital investment

Question 33

The total level of conflict in the project lifecycle is highest during the __________ stage.

A)closing
B)main program
C)project build-up
D)project formation

Question 34

The general objective of a __________ solution to conflict is to find a solution such that no party can be made better off without making another party worse off by the same amount or more.

A)mitigation
B)Pareto-optimal
C)win-win
D)compromising

Question 35

Conflicts within the organization typically differ from conflicts with outsiders in one important way.As far as the organization is concerned,these conflicts are __________.

A)conflicts between opponents
B)conflicts between allies
C)conflicts between microcultures
D)conflicts between subcultures

Question 36

If a resource conflict arises between two high-priority projects,precedence is typically given to the project with the __________.

A)earliest due date
B)fastest completion time
C)biggest revenue stream
D)lowest cost to complete

Question 37

According to the authors,the nature of negotiation as it applies to project management is the realization that few of the conflicts arising in projects have to do with __________.

A)whether or not the task will be done
B)the precise design of the deliverable
C)how the design will be achieved
D)who will do the work,when,and at what cost.

Question 38

A(n)__________ is simply a written agreement between the PM,senior management,and the functional managers who are committing resources and / or people to the project.

A)project charter
B)project summary
C)scope plan
D)partner agreement

Question 39

There are several words that are synonyms for negotiate.Which of the following is not quoted by the authors?

A)Arbitrate
B)Bicker
C)Conciliate
D)Haggle

Question 40

The authors mention three situations where the highest level of negotiating skill is required by the project manager.Which of the following is not one of them?

A)getting personnel from the functional manager
B)using subcontractors
C)changing project deliverables in midstream
D)using input from multiple functional units in developing the project mission

Question 41

Principled negotiation is defined by four points.Match each point with its description.

A)Separate the people from the problem
B)Focus on interests,not positions
C)Before trying to reach agreement,invent options for mutual gain
D)Insist on using objective criteria
1)Effort should be devoted to finding a wide variety of possible solutions-or elements thereof-that advance the mutual interests of the conflicting parties.
2)To minimize the likelihood that the conflict will become strictly interpersonal,the substantive problem should be carefully defined.Then everyone can work on it rather than each other.
3)Attention should be given to finding standards that can be used to determine the quality of an outcome.
4)Knowledge of the other party's interests allows a negotiator to suggest solutions that satisfy the other party's interests without agreeing with the other's position.

Question 42

List and describe the three basic causes for change in projects.

Question 43

Identify three basic causes for change in projects.

Question 44

Identify the three fundamental categories of conflict that occur during a project's lifecycle.

Question 45

The __________ approach to negotiation states immediate wants on the assumption that the environment is static.

A)principled
B)positional
C)stakeholder
D)pareto

Question 46

The __________ approach to negotiation aims to achieve a win-win result.

A)principled
B)positional
C)stakeholder
D)pareto

Question 47

Thomas and Kilmann identified five strategies people use to deal with conflict.List and briefly describe these.

Question 48

Describe the multistep process for building partnered projects.

Question 49

__________ refers to communications across lines of equivalent authority.

A)Lateral relations
B)Interfacing
C)Peering
D)Logical relations

Question 50

Describe the type of relations that generally exist between the organization carrying out the project and a subcontractor working on the project.

Question 51

Using the Power-Interest Grid,match up these two dimensions of stakeholders with the appropriate relationship with the project manager.

A)Low power,low interest
B)High power,low interest
C)High interest,low power
D)High interest,high power
1)Monitor
2)Keep informed
3)Closely manage
4)Keep satisfied

Question 52

List and describe the five strategies people use to deal with conflict.

Question 53

Describe the four points of principled negotiation described by Fisher.