Deck 2: Project Selection and Management

Question 1

Which of the following methodologies is the historic standard,but is used less today because it takes the longest to complete all the SDLC steps?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: unclear user requirements;unfamiliar technologies;somewhat complex;needs to be reliable;time is not an issue and the schedule visibility is somewhat important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which is a true statement about IT projects?

A)Most IS departments face a demand for IT projects that far exceed the ability to do them.
B)Project Managers must be certified as PMP (Project Management Professionals)
C)Project estimates tend to have a built-in buffer of time
D)Project teams of 12 to 15 are generally considered optimum
E)The majority of projects taken on by IT departments are not strategic to the business

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which is NOT suggested for IT development projects?

A)Projects need to be prioritized
B)Projects need to be carefully selected
C)Projects need to be carefully managed
D)Projects need to give a positive return on investment within four years
E)Projects need to give value to the business

Question 5

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: clear requirements;very familiar technologies;not all that complex;reasonably reliable;a short time schedule and the schedule visibility is not important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Question 6

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: unclear user requirements;unfamiliar technologies;very complex;must be reliable;a short to medium time schedule and the schedule visibility is somewhat important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Question 7

RAD is an acronym for:

A)Real Application Development
B)Rapid Application Design
C)Rapid Authentic Development
D)Real Autonomous Development
E)Rapid Application Development

Question 8

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: somewhat unclear requirements;somewhat unfamiliar technologies;that is complex;reasonably reliable;a short time schedule and high schedule visibility?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Question 9

Which of the following might result in version 1;version 2 (etc. )of a system?

A)System Prototyping
B)Waterfall Development
C)Iterative Development
D)System Prototyping
E)Parallel Development

Question 10

A critical success factor in project management is to:

A)Say "no" to all requests as they add to 'scope creep'
B)Use throwaway prototyping
C)Use a CASE tool to delineate requirements from work tasks
D)Start with a realistic assessment of the work that needs to be done
E)Hire an outside project management consulting group

Question 11

What the MAIN difference between systems prototyping and throwaway prototyping?

A)Systems prototyping involves users while throwaway prototyping does not
B)Throwaway prototyping involves users while systems prototyping does not
C)Systems prototyping is a rapid application development methodology;while throwaway prototyping is not
D)Systems prototyping works with users to quickly develop a simplified working version of the proposed system;while throwaway prototyping focuses more on exploring design alternatives
E)Throwaway prototyping develops systems that will be use as 'stop-gap' systems - and generally for less than six months;while systems prototyping results in systems that will be used extensively for several years.

Question 12

Parallel methodology is BEST characterized as:

A)A 'Quick and Dirty' system
B)A series of versions
C)A method for exploring design alternatives
D)A method for stressing customer satisfaction
E)More explicit testing

Question 13

System prototyping is BEST characterized as:

A)A 'Quick and Dirty' system
B)A series of versions
C)A method for exploring design alternatives
D)A method for stressing customer satisfaction
E)More explicit testing

Question 14

Extreme Programming (XP)is BEST characterized as:

A)A 'Quick and Dirty' system
B)A series of versions
C)A method for exploring design alternatives
D)A method for stressing customer satisfaction
E)More explicit testing

Question 15

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: clear requirements;very familiar technologies;not all that complex;must be reliable;a somewhat longer schedule and the schedule visibility is not important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)V-model

Question 16

The V-model pays more explicit attention to ___________:

A)Iteration
B)Return on investment (ROI)
C)Business Value (the "V")
D)Testing
E)Prototyping

Question 17

Which would generally NOT be taken into consideration for project portfolio management in an organization?

A)The number of large projects
B)The number of tactical projects
C)The number of high risk projects
D)The number of strategic projects
E)The number of financially feasible projects

Question 18

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: unclear requirements;very familiar technologies;not all that complex;reasonably reliable;a short time schedule and the schedule visibility is somewhat important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Extreme Programming

Question 19

Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: clear requirements;very familiar technologies;not all that complex;reasonably reliable;a very long time schedule and the schedule visibility is not important?

A)Waterfall
B)Parallel
C)Iterative
D)System prototyping
E)Throwaway prototyping

Question 20

Throwaway prototyping is BEST characterized as:

A)A 'Quick and Dirty' system
B)A series of versions
C)A method for exploring design alternatives
D)A method for stressing customer satisfaction
E)More explicit testing

Question 21

Which of the following is not a project characteristic that will affect the methodology selection descion?

A)Schedule Visabiltiy
B)Creating a cost/benefit spreadsheet
C)User requirements clarity
D)Complexity of the system
E)System Reliability

Question 22

Suggestions for motivation might include all of these EXCEPT:

A)Setting realistic deadlines
B)Giving all team members the same bonus on a project
C)Recognize and reward good efforts
D)Reward those with outstanding quality and effort
E)Having a good working environment

Question 23

TJ is coordinating a project.Which would he probably NOT use to avoid conflicts?

A)Encourage a competitive edge between team members
B)Clearly defining plans for the project
C)Develop a project charter
D)Look at other projects and priorities and see how that might impact the project
E)Communicate the business value to the team

Question 24

Micah is a fairly new project manager.He estimated for a project plan (on the planning phase)that the project would cost $50,000 and take 20 weeks.According to the margin of error guidelines for well-done estimates,that could range from:

A)$0 and $100,000 - and between 15 and 25 weeks
B)$10,000 and $60,000 - and between 12 and 28 weeks
C)$0 and $100,000 - and between 0 and 40 weeks
D)$5,000 and $100,000 - and between 10 and 30 weeks
E)$25,000 and $75,000 - and between 10 and 30 weeks

Question 25

Bob is selecting a systems analysis and design methodology.What might be the first step?

A)Selecting the shortest methodology
B)Researching the organizations standards and policies for 'approved' methodologies
C)Interviewing senior management as to their suggestions on methodologies
D)Do a quick 'cost/benefit' analysis on which methodology will provide the most benefits at the lowest cost
E)Do an analysis on which methodology might lessen or eliminate scope creep

Question 26

The main difference between the Parallel Development Methodology and the Iterative Development Methodology is that:

A)The Parallel Development Methodology will have various releases (like version 1.0;2.0,etc. )and the Iterative will not
B)The Iterative Methodology will break the system project into sub-projects for analysis,design and implementation and then merge them into a final system and the Parallel will not
C)The Parallel Methodology will have sub-projects and the Iterative Methodology will have various releases
D)The Parallel Methodology will create various models or prototypes with user involvement before setting on design concepts and the Iterative will not
E)The Iterative Methodology will create various models or prototypes with user involvement before setting on design concepts and the Parallel Methodology will not

Question 27

Kumar is the project manager for a revised TTP system.Which of the following most likely would NOT be considered in developing a work plan?

A)Identifying tasks that need to be completed
B)Estimating the time that will be needed on tasks
C)Creating a dependency chart
D)The organizational readiness for the project
E)Key milestones that need to be met

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT a classic planning mistake?

A)Overly optimistic schedule
B)Failing to monitor the schedule
C)Failing to update the schedule
D)Adding people to a late project
E)Omitting key requirements

Question 29

Extreme programming requires a great deal of discipline and it is recommended for:

A)Large development teams
B)Mission critical applications
C)Large systems
D)Considerable onsite user involvement
E)All of these

Question 30

The science (or art)of project management is in making ___________ of size,time and cost.

A)Benchmark comparisons
B)Analytical and educated estimates
C)Trade-offs
D)Maximum calculations
E)Minimum calculations

Question 31

Which of the following would BEST describe "system reliability"?

A)The aspect of using technologies that analysts and developers are familiar with
B)The aspect of what the business side really wants the system to do
C)The aspect of how quickly the system can be developed and implemented
D)The aspect of how complex the system must be
E)The aspect of how accurate the system must be (such as medical equipment or for games)

Question 32

Agile development is a group of programming-centric methodologies that focus on:

A)Making assignments for a project
B)Creating a cost/benefit spreadsheet
C)Creating the system proposal
D)Working with a highly controversial project that may have political implications
E)Streamlining the SDLC

Question 33

The most common reason for schedule and cost overruns is ___________

A)Team conflict
B)Lack of communication from project manager to project team
C)Lack of support by sponsor and champion
D)Scope creep
E)Adding people to a late project

Question 34

Extreme programming emphasizes:

A)Customer satisfaction
B)teamwork
C)Communication as a core value
D)Simplicity as a core value
E)All of these

Question 35

Which of the following would BEST describe "system complexity"?

A)The aspect of using technologies that analysts and developers are familiar with
B)The aspect of what the business side really wants the system to do
C)The aspect of how quickly the system can be developed and implemented
D)The aspect of how intricate and difficult the system must be
E)The aspect of how accurate the system must be (such as medical equipment or for games)

Question 36

Interpersonal skills for a project manager might be important when:

A)Making assignments for a project
B)Creating a cost/benefit spreadsheet
C)Creating the system proposal
D)Working with a highly controversial project that may have political implications
E)Using the V-model variation of the Waterfall Methodology.

Question 37

If the skills required by a project cannot be met by the available project team,which would probably NOT be a reasonable solution?

A)Use a consultant
B)Use a contract employee
C)Modify the project to use skills inherent on the project team
D)Train the project team (or some of the team)on the skills needed
E)Mentor a team member (like sending a person to work on a similar project to acquire the necessary skills)

Question 38

A team of developers and customers are in close communication,with frequent communications,simplicity,feedback and courage.This would best describe:

A)The parallel development methodology
B)The waterfall development methodology
C)The iterative development methodology
D)The Extreme Programming methodology
E)The throwaway prototyping methodology

Question 39

Rapid Application Development is a collection of methodologies that include all of the following except:

A)Iterative Development
B)System Prototyping
C)Throwaway Prototyping
D)V-model Methodology.

Question 40

Garrett has been told by management that his project MUST be completed on time.His best estimates are more than two weeks after the absolute deadline.Which technique could he use to get a functional system on time?

A)Risk management
B)System prototyping
C)Benchmarking
D)Timeboxing
E)Activity elimination

Question 41

The project methodology that takes the longest to complete is the Waterfall Development Methodology.

Question 42

The Iterative approach of the RAD methodology breaks the overall project into a series of release versions.

Question 43

If you had a project with very clear requirements;familiar technologies;not super complex;reliable;a very long time schedule and where the need for schedule visibility is low - the best methodology might be Extreme programming

Question 44

PMP is People - Management - Project - the three components of successful project management.

Question 45

The Throwaway Prototyping methodology is especially good for exploring design alternatives.

Question 46

The Waterfall Methodology breaks the overall project into a series of release versions.

Question 47

Extreme Programming (XP)stresses customer satisfaction and teamwork.

Question 48

Projects can be classified by: size,cost,purpose,length,programming language and hardware platform.

Question 49

The margin of error in cost and time estimates can be as much as 20% in the planning phase for the system proposal deliverable.

Question 50

Agile Development stresses analysis,modeling and documentation over programming.

Question 51

In most IT departments,the demand for IT projects is generally about the same as the department's ability to supply them.

Question 52

Scope creep is when new requirements are added to the project after the original project scope was defined and 'frozen'.

Question 53

The Throwaway Prototyping methodology is good at creating release version 1.0 for users;and then the methodology shifts to system prototyping to finish the system.

Question 54

The science (or art)of project management is setting a schedule and sticking to it no matter what - even if that includes working weekends and adding staff to reach the deadline on time.

Question 55

Investments in information systems projects today are evaluated in the context of an entire portfolio of projects.

Question 56

The corporate IT department carefully needs to prioritize,select and manage a portfolio of projects.

Question 57

A critical success factor for project management is to start with a realistic assessment of the work that needs to be accomplished.

Question 58

CIO is an acronym for "Chief Information Officer".

Question 59

The project methodology that takes the longest to complete is Extreme Programming Methodology.

Question 60

Throwaway Prototyping balances the benefits of well-thought-out analysis and design phases with the advantages of using prototypes to refine key issues before a system is built.

Question 61

A classic planning mistake mentioned in the textbook is having an 'overly optimistic schedule'.

Question 62

What is the difference between systems prototyping and throwaway prototyping methodologies?

Question 63

Why is it generally a problem to add more people to a late project?

Question 64

Using industry standards,the general estimated project time for the Planning phase is 15%.

Question 65

What are the main differences between the Waterfall Development and the Rapid Application Development methodologies?

Question 66

Wendy has been informed by the CIO that the project she is managing MUST be done by December 20th and must be fully tested and implemented by December 31st.She realizes that will mean she will have to prioritize the functionality and build the system to meet the core functions,even if that means something gets delayed until the next release of that system.She is practicing the 'timeboxing' approach to scope management.

Question 67

Nate is managing a project that is behind by one month with five months to go.He should add four to six staff persons to the project to get it back up to speed.

Question 68

What can you do to manage scope creep?

Question 69

Either systems prototyping or throwaway prototyping are generally a good methodology choice when the project has unclear user requirements.

Question 70

What considerations do you need to make when staffing a project team?

Question 71

A classic planning mistake mentioned in the textbook is motivating employees with financial rewards instead of recognition and genuine thanks.

Question 72

Using industry standards,the general estimated project time for the Implementation phase is 15%.

Question 73

Scrum,XP and Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)are all classified as 'agile development' concepts.

Question 74

Using industry standards,the general estimated project time for the Analysis phase is 20%

Question 75

Using industry standards,the general estimated project time for the Implementation phase is 30%.