Deck 3: Managing Systems Projects

Question 1

A project manager should never develop time and cost estimates based on the resources used for previously developed information systems.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In a Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)/Critical Path Method (CPM)chart,each rectangular box,called a task box,has five sections that contain important information about a task.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Critical time is the amount of time that the task could be late without pushing back the completion date of the entire project.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Using a work breakdown structure (WBS)allows one to manage a project as one large task.

Question 5

Quantitative risk analysis evaluates each risk by estimating the probability that it will occur and the degree of impact.

Question 6

If team members lack experience with certain aspects of the required technology,temporary help might be obtained from IT consultants or part-time staff.

Question 7

The purpose of quantitative risk analysis is to understand the actual impact in terms of dollars,time,project scope,or quality.

Question 8

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)/Critical Path Method (CPM)and Gantt charts are mutually exclusive techniques.

Question 9

The prior experience method to make time and cost estimates works best for large projects.

Question 10

The three legs of the project triangle are management,staff,and clients.

Question 11

Generally,systems analysts review the work of other systems analysts,and programmers review the work of other programmers,as a form of peer review,in structured walk-throughs.

Question 12

In most systems analysis tasks,time and people are interchangeable.

Question 13

System developers can initiate a formal project as early as the preliminary investigation stage,or later on,as analysis,design,and implementation activities occur.

Question 14

Weight is an importance value that is added to each duration estimate.

Question 15

When tasks must be completed one after another,they are called concurrent tasks.

Question 16

In addition to tasks,every project has events,or milestones.

Question 17

Scheduling involves selecting and staffing the project team and assigning specific tasks to team members.

Question 18

If any task along a critical path falls behind schedule,the entire project will be delayed.

Question 19

Henry L.Gantt developed Gantt charts almost 100 years ago.

Question 20

The task name should be unique in the project.

Question 21

Progress reports may be given verbally to immediate supervisors,management,and users.

Question 22

A _____ involves breaking a project down into a series of smaller tasks.

A) work breakdown structure (WBS)
B) value breakdown structure (VBS)
C) risk breakdown structure (RBS)
D) concept breakdown structure (CBS)

Question 23

The three legs of a project triangle are _____,scope,and time.

A) requirements
B) resources
C) environment
D) cost

Question 24

Frederick Brooks,Jr.observed that adding manpower to a late software project makes completion faster.

Question 25

The task duration is the same as the elapsed time.

Question 26

If the project manager fails to plan,staff,organize,supervise,communicate,motivate,evaluate,direct,and control properly,then the project is certain to fail.

Question 27

The first step in the creation of a Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)/Critical Path Method (CPM)chart is to _____.

A) select the graphical planning aids to use
B) determine the logical order of project tasks
C) determine the status of all tasks
D) identify all the project tasks

Question 28

Project planning,an activity of a project manager,_____.

A) requires guiding,supervising,and coordinating the a project team's workload
B) includes monitoring the progress of the a project,evaluating results,and taking corrective action when necessary to stay on target
C) focuses on long-term challenges and goals,the importance of stakeholders,and a commitment to the firm's role as a corporate citizen
D) includes identifying project tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Question 29

Project reporting,an activity of a project manager,_____.

A) involves the creation of a specific timetable,usually in the form of charts that show tasks,task dependencies,and critical tasks that might delay a project
B) includes informing management,users,and the project team about the progress of a project
C) consists of staffing,which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team members
D) includes identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Question 30

Project scheduling,an activity of a project manager,_____.

A) requires guiding,supervising,and coordinating a project team's workload
B) includes monitoring the progress of a project,evaluating results,and taking corrective action when necessary to stay on target
C) involves staffing,which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team members
D) includes budgeting a project based on the number of modules and their complexity in a project

Question 31

Project monitoring,an activity of a project manager,_____.

A) requires guiding,supervising,and coordinating a project team's workload
B) involves the creation of a specific timetable,usually in the form of charts that show tasks,task dependencies,and critical tasks that might delay a project
C) consists of staffing,which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team members
D) includes identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Question 32

Using a(n)_____,a project manager can convert task start and finish times to actual dates by laying out the entire project on a calendar.

A) XY chart
B) Pedigree chart
C) Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)chart
D) Scatter chart

Question 33

Qualitative risk analysis can involve a modeling process called what-if analysis,which allows a project manager to vary one or more element(s)in a model to measure the effect on other elements.

Question 34

A project _____ negotiates with users who might have conflicting requirements or want changes that would require additional time or expense.

A) manager
B) reporter
C) tester
D) coordinator

Question 35

Tasks are basic units of work that the project manager plans,schedules,and monitors.

Question 36

Effective project reporting requires _____.

A) strong communication skills
B) strong intervention skills
C) strong negotiation skills
D) strong leadership skills

Question 37

A project schedule will not be accurate if the underlying task pattern is incorrect.

Question 38

A risk response plan is a proactive effort to anticipate a risk and describe an action plan to deal with it.

Question 39

GanttProject is a free open-source Java-based project management tool that is available on multiple platforms.

Question 40

Gantt charts are more useful for scheduling,monitoring,and controlling the actual work than PERT charts.

Question 41

When maintaining schedules,if enough _____ and frequent checkpoints exist,problems will be detected rapidly.

A) activity diagrams
B) milestones
C) data flow diagrams
D) viewports

Question 42

Two or more _____ depend on a predecessor task.

A) dependent tasks
B) concurrent tasks
C) ancestor tasks
D) precursor tasks

Question 43

A _____ might involve maximums for one or more resources,such as time,dollars,or people.

A) successor task
B) constraint
C) task ID
D) milestone

Question 44

Often,two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task,which is called a _____.

A) predecessor task
B) wireframe task
C) beneficiary task
D) discrete task

Question 45

A(n)_____ is a recognizable reference point that can be used to monitor progress.

A) event
B) notification
C) alert
D) task

Question 46

A _____ is a sequence of tasks that has no slack time.

A) risk path
B) foundation path
C) baseline path
D) critical path

Question 47

_____ give the project managers an opportunity to seek input and conduct brainstorming sessions.

A) Status reports
B) Project review reports
C) Project status meetings
D) Board meetings

Question 48

When several tasks can start at the same time,each is called a(n)_____ task.

A) model
B) asynchronous
C) baseline
D) concurrent

Question 49

A _____ chart displays complex task patterns and relationships.

A) Gantt
B) Pareto
C) Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)
D) Scatter

Question 50

_____ give team members of a project an opportunity to share information,discuss common problems,and explain new techniques.

A) Board meetings
B) Project status meetings
C) Project review reports
D) Status reports

Question 51

Project managers always must be aware of the _____,so they can monitor the vital tasks and keep a project on track.

A) absolute path
B) relative path
C) critical path
D) dynamic path

Question 52

A _____ cannot be started until a previous task is completed.

A) dependent task
B) predecessor task
C) precursor task
D) concurrent task

Question 53

The first step in creating a work breakdown structure (WBS)is to _____.

A) mark all recognizable events
B) determine time requirements
C) list all tasks
D) estimate task completion time and cost

Question 54

A(n)_____ is a series of tasks that,if delayed,would affect the completion date of the overall project.

A) critical path
B) dynamic path
C) absolute path
D) relative path

Question 55

The _____ is the most pessimistic outcome of a task.

A) best-case estimate (B)
B) probable-case estimate (P)
C) worst-case estimate (W)
D) dominant-case estimate (D)

Question 56

_____ is a full-featured program that holds the dominant share of the project management software market.

A) Apptivo
B) GanttProject
C) Microsoft Project
D) Gantter

Question 57

A _____ is a review of a project team member's work by other members of a team.

A) critical walk-through
B) foundational walk-through
C) baseline walk-through
D) structured walk-through

Question 58

When two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task,each of the concurrent tasks is called a(n)_____.

A) successor task
B) discrete task
C) antecedent task
D) descendent task

Question 59

A(n)_____ is a condition,restriction,or requirement that the system must satisfy.

A) constraint
B) index
C) milestone
D) viewport

Question 60

A _____ represents the work that one person can complete in one day.

A) person-day
B) work-day
C) work-duration
D) person-work

Question 61

Briefly explain the tasks performed by a project manager.

Question 62

_____,a human resource issue,is a possible cause of cost overruns in an organization.

A) Inadequate training
B) Inaccurate demand forecast
C) Poor monitoring of progress
D) Unrealistic estimates

Question 63

When a project manager first recognizes that a project is in trouble,one of the options available to the manager is _____.

A) delaying the project deadline
B) expanding the project requirements
C) reducing the project resources
D) eliminating controls and procedures

Question 64

Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.

Question 65

Mauricio estimates that the first module of the project could be completed in as few as 15 days or could take as many as 25 days,but most likely will require 20 days.What is the 20 day estimate called?

A) best-case estimate (B)
B) probable-case estimate (P)
C) worst-case estimate (W)
D) logistical estimate (L)

Question 66

_____ can involve a modeling process called what-if analysis,which allows a project manager to vary one or more element(s)in a model to measure the effect on other elements.

A) Qualitative risk analysis
B) Quantitative risk analysis
C) Resource list analysis
D) Trigger analysis

Question 67

_____,a free cloud-based project management tool,runs in a browser window,so there is no software to install to use it.

A) Apptivo
B) Smartsheet
C) Microsoft Project
D) Gantter

Question 68

Explain the three legs of a project triangle.What makes it challenging?

Question 69

A _____ is a proactive effort to anticipate a risk and describe an action plan to deal with it.

A) risk identification plan
B) risk response plan
C) risk balance plan
D) risk management plan

Question 70

A _____ consists of horizontal bars,connected with arrows that indicate task dependencies.

A) Gantt chart
B) viewport
C) Scatter chart
D) wireframe

Question 71

_____ lists each risk and assesses the likelihood that it could affect a project.

A) Risk averting
B) Risk dominance
C) Risk identification
D) Risk analytics

Question 72

A continuous risk-tracking process can _____.

A) notice changes in existing risks
B) revert reported risks
C) prevent human resource turnover issues
D) prevent new issues

Question 73

A _____ includes a review of a project's scope,stakeholders,budget,schedule,and any other internal or external factors that might affect the project.

A) change management plan
B) configuration management plan
C) debt management plan
D) risk management plan

Question 74

Mauricio has decided to use a project management tool for this project.He wants the tool to be free and cloud-based so that there is no need for software to be installed.Help Mauricio in identifying the project management tool that best fits the purpose.

A) SPSS
B) Scoro
C) Microsoft Project
D) Gantter

Question 75

Briefly explain how project progress is reported and evaluated.

Question 76

Define risk and give a basic list of risk management steps.

Question 77

A _____ displays the same information as the Gantt chart,including task dependencies,but uses task boxes to include much more detail.

A) semantic wireframe
B) mesh topology
C) ring topology
D) network diagram

Question 78

A(n)_____ is an event that could affect a project negatively.

A) issue
B) webinar
C) uncertainty
D) risk

Question 79

A Gantt chart can simplify a complex project by combining several activities into a task _____ that contains subsidiary tasks.

A) group
B) hierarchy
C) network
D) bar

Question 80

Adding more people to a project actually might increase the time necessary to complete the project because of a principle called _____.

A) Brooks' law
B) Bernoulli's law
C) Hooke's law
D) Moody's law