Deck 3: Managing Systems Projects

Question 1

Many project managers find ____ charts more helpful for scheduling, monitoring, and controlling projects.

A) Gantt
B) PERT/CPM
C) index
D) task

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A ____ path includes all tasks that are vital to the project schedule.

A) vital
B) baseline
C) critical
D) foundational

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In a PERT/CPM chart, each task has all of the following EXCEPT a(n) ____.

A) reference to successor tasks
B) ID
C) name
D) duration

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A ____ might involve maximums for one or more resources.

A) successor task
B) task group
C) constraint
D) bottom-up technique

Question 5

The first step in the creation of a PERT/CPM chart is to ____.

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

Question 6

The accompanying figure shows task ____, which simplify a complex task by combining several activities.

A) groups
B) clusters
C) aggregates
D) links

Question 7

Project scheduling involves all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) defining project constraints
B) staffing the project team
C) using Gantt charts
D) assigning specific tasks to team members

Question 8

In addition to tasks, every project has ____, which are reference points used to monitor progress and manage the project.

A) targets
B) milestones
C) members
D) workloads

Question 9

PERT/CPM is called a(n) ____ technique, because it analyzes a large, complex project as a series of individual tasks.

A) top-down
B) bottom-up
C) indexed
D) cataloging

Question 10

The first step in creating a WBS is to ____.

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

Question 11

A task is any work that requires the use of company resources including all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) controlling capital
B) people
C) time
D) money

Question 12

All of the following are metrics of a successful project EXCEPT ____.

A) on-time completion
B) completion with the same personnel as were on the team at the outset
C) completion within budget
D) delivery of a quality product that satisfies users

Question 13

A(n) ____ chart displays complex task patterns and relationships.

A) Gantt
B) index
C) PERT/CPM
D) task

Question 14

A project manager's scheduling function _____.

A) involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team's workload
B) includes monitoring the progress of the 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 identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Question 15

For a project manager, monitoring _____.

A) requires guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team's workload
B) involves controlling capital
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 16

When two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, the concurrent tasks are called ____ tasks.

A) descendent
B) successor
C) children
D) antecedent

Question 17

Two or more concurrent tasks often depend on a single prior task, which is called a(n) ____ task.

A) predecessor
B) a priori
C) antecedent
D) ancestor

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

For a project manager, monitoring _____.

A) involves controlling capital
B) includes monitoring the progress of the project, evaluating results, and taking corrective action when necessary to stay on target
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 20

A project manager's planning _____.

A) involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team's workload
B) includes monitoring the progress of the project, evaluating results, and taking corrective action when necessary to stay on target
C) consists of staffing, which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team members
D) includes identifying project tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Question 21

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

A) identification
B) management
C) response
D) balancing

Question 22

Most risk identifications include a brief description of all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) what might cause a risk to occur
B) who would be responsible for responding to a given risk
C) the potential impact of a given risk
D) the team member most vulnerable to a given risk

Question 23

A risk management plan includes a review of all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) employees
B) project scope
C) stakeholders
D) budget

Question 24

Problems with timetables and project milestones can indicate ____.

A) personality conflicts among team members
B) turnover of project personnel
C) poor control methods
D) all of the above

Question 25

All of the following are claims that Microsoft makes about the risk management capabilities of Microsoft Project EXCEPT ____.

A) the linking of risks with specific vendors
B) the assignment of ownership of risks
C) the specification of probability and risk impact
D) the ability to track progress to manage projects more efficiently

Question 26

____ is open-source software that is supported by a large group of users and developers.

A) Open Workbench
B) Microsoft Project Standard
C) Microsoft Project Professional
D) Both b and c

Question 27

Microsoft's risk management model includes all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) category, which specifies the risk type
B) probability, which indicates the degree of adverse effect should the risk occur, on a scale of 1 to 10
C) mitigation plan, which identifies plans to control or limit the risk
D) trigger, which identifies a condition that would initiate the contingency plan

Question 28

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

A) success indices
B) critical paths
C) milestones
D) all of the above

Question 29

In developing time and cost estimates, project managers must consider _____.

A) project size and scope
B) IT resources
C) prior experience with similar projects or systems
D) all of the above

Question 30

A ____ is an event that could affect a project negatively.

A) menace
B) threat
C) doubt
D) risk

Question 31

A continuous risk-tracking process can do all of the following EXCEPT ____.

A) identify new risks
B) prevent human resource turnover issues
C) notice changes in existing risks
D) update any other areas of the risk management plan

Question 32

When a project manager first recognizes that a project is in trouble, the options available to her include ____.

A) trimming the project requirements
B) delaying the project deadline
C) adding to the project resources
D) all of the above

Question 33

A(n) ____ chart can be used to display the qualitative risk analysis matrix.

A) pie
B) XY
C) bar
D) line

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a version in which Microsoft Project 2010 is released?

A) Standard
B) Professional
C) Open
D) Server

Question 35

Open Workbench can exchange files with Microsoft Project by importing and exporting the data in ____ file format.

A) HTML
B) TXT
C) Microsoft Word
D) XML

Question 36

All of the following are possible causes of cost overruns related to human resource factors EXCEPT ____.

A) motivation issues
B) inadequate training
C) inaccurate TCO forecast
D) turnover

Question 37

Microsoft offers a free ____ trial version that allows you to install, use, and evaluate Microsoft Project.

A) 7-day
B) 15-day
C) 30-day
D) 60-day

Question 38

A _____ cannot be started until one or more other tasks are completed.

A) dependent task
B) concurrent task
C) predecessor task
D) all of the above

Question 39

When an information system does not meet business requirements, causes might include ____.

A) unidentified requirements
B) inadequately defined scope
C) imprecise targets
D) all of the above

Question 40

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

A) vital
B) baseline
C) foundational
D) critical

Question 41

Although a Gantt chart provides more detailed information about a project, a PERT/CPM chart offers a rapid overview that graphically displays the timing, duration, and progress of each task.

Question 42

If you do not have previous experience to measure a project in a given environment, you could design a prototype or pilot system to gain technical and cost estimating experience.

Question 43

Using a WBS allows you to manage a project as one large task.

Question 44

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

Question 45

Which of the following is an example of an event?

A) the start of user training
B) conversion of system data
C) project creep
D) completion of interviews

Question 46

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

Question 47

Gantt charts are an ideal tool for controlling a complex project because they provide plenty of detailed information.

Question 48

Structured walk-throughs take place throughout the SDLC and are called ____ reviews, depending on the phase in which they occur.

A) technical
B) code
C) design
D) testing

Question 49

____ is a time estimate the project manager makes for a task.

A) The weight
B) The worst-case estimate
C) The best-case estimate
D) The probable-case estimate

Question 50

Project managers typically perform the tasks of ____.

A) project planning
B) project reconciliation
C) project scheduling
D) project monitoring

Question 51

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

Question 52

If it will take one person 20 days to perform a particular task, it is true that two people could complete the same task in 10 days or that 10 people could perform the task in two days.

Question 53

In a PERT/CPM chart, the name of a given task has to be unique in the project. _________________________

Question 54

PERT/CPM and Gantt charts are mutually exclusive techniques.

Question 55

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

Question 56

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

Question 57

A report published by the Standish Group concluded that only one third of software development projects were successful, in the sense that they met ____ targets.

A) budget
B) scope
C) schedule
D) quality

Question 58

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 59

A project manager, or project leader, usually is a senior systems analyst or an IT department manager if the project is large.

Question 60

Gantt charts often are included in progress reports to show project status graphically. _________________________

Question 61

The ____________________ handles administrative responsibilities for a project development team and negotiates with users who might have conflicting requirements or want changes that would require additional time or expense.

Question 62

To schedule a project, a project manager can use a(n) ____________________ like the one in the accompanying figure, which is a horizontal bar chart that represents a series of tasks.

Question 63

To simplify a Gantt chart for a large project, a project manager can combine related activities into ____________________ that represent several activities.

Question 64

Project status meetings give project managers an opportunity to seek input and conduct brainstorming sessions.

Question 65

Tasks that are not on the critical path cannot be ignored.

Question 66

When several tasks can take place at the same time, each is called a sequential task.

Question 67

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

Question 68

In a PERT/CPM chart, each rectangular box, called a task box, has five sections that contain important information about a task.

Question 69

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 70

Project management software can highlight the series of tasks that form the critical path.

Question 71

The chart in the accompanying figure represents a bottom-up technique, because it analyzes a large, complex project as a series of individual ____________________.

Question 72

Most managers recognize that problems do occur on most projects; it is better to alert management sooner rather than later.

Question 73

When two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, each of the concurrent tasks is called a predecessor task.

Question 74

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 75

In any project, large or small, tasks depend on each other and must be performed in a sequence.

Question 76

Over time, the distinctions between the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) and the Critical Path Method (CPM) have disappeared, and today the scheduling technique is called ____________________, as represented in the accompanying figure.

Question 77

In Open Workbench, unlike in Microsoft Project, you create tasks and durations, indicate dependencies, and assign resources.

Question 78

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

Question 79

If any task along the critical path falls behind schedule, the entire project is delayed.

Question 80

Project planning is a dynamic task and involves constant change.