1. Approximatelywhat Percentage of the Wortd's Gross Domestic Product Is Spent Onprojects?

1. Approximatelywhat Percentage of the Wortd's Gross Domestic Product Is Spent Onprojects?

1. Approximatelywhat percentage of the wortd's gross domestic product is spent onprojects?
a. 10 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 50percent
d. 75 percent

b. 25 percent

  1. 2. Which ofthe following is a I'IOt a potential advantage of using good projectmanagement?

a. Shorter developmenttimes

b. Higher workermorale

c. Lower cost of capital

d. Higher profitmargins

c. Lower cost of capital

  1. 3. A ___ is atemporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, orresult.
    a . program
    b process
    c. project
    d . portfolio

c. project

  1. 4. Which of thefollowing is not an attribute of a project?
    a. projects are unique
    b. projectsare developed using progressive elaboration
    c. projectshave a primary customer or sponsor
    d. projects involve little uncertainty

d. projects involve little uncertainty

  1. 5. Which of thefollowing is not part of the triple constraint of project management?
    a. meeting scopegoals
    b. meetingtime goals
    c. meeting corrmunications goals
    d. meeting costgoals

c. meeting corrmunications goals

  1. 6 . ___is the application of knowledge, skills, toolsand techniques to project activities to
    meet projectrequirements.
    a. Project management
    b. Programmanagement
    c. Projectportfolio management
    d. Requirementsmanagement

a. Project management

  1. 7. Projectportfolio management addresses ___ goals of an organization,while project
    management addresses ___ goa• .
    a. strategic, tactical
    b. tactical,strategic
    c. internal, external
    d. external, internal

a. strategic, tactical

  1. 8. Severalapplication development projects done for the same functional group might bestbe
    managed as partof a ___ "
    a. portfolio
    b. program
    c. investment
    d. collaborative

b. program

  1. 9. Which ofthe following is not one of the top ten skills or competencies of an effectiveproject
    manager?
    a. people skills
    b. leadership
    c. integr~y
    d. technical skills

d. technical skills

  1. 10. What is thecertification program called that tile Project Management Inst~ute provides?
    a. CertifiedProject Manager (CPM)
    b. Project Management Professional (PMP)
    c. ProjectManagement Expert (PME)
    d. Project Management Mentor (PMM)

b. Project Management Professional (PMP)

  1. 1. Which ofthe following is not part of the three-sphere model for systems management?
    a. business
    b. information
    c. technology
    d_ orQ8.nization

b. information

  1. 2. Which ofthe four frames of organizations addresses how meetings are run, employee dress
    codes, and expected workhours?
    a. structural
    b. human resources
    c. political
    d. symbolic

d. symbolic

  1. 3. Personnelin a ___ organizational structure often report to twoor more bosses.
    a. functional
    b. project
    c. matrix
    d. hybrid

c. matrix

  1. 4. Projectwork is most successful in an organizational culture where ali of thefollowing characteristicsare high except ___ .
    a. member ident~y
    b. group emphasis
    c. risktolerance
    d. control

d. control

  1. 5. A ___ is aproduct or service, sucI1 as a tecl1nical report, atraining session, or hardware,
    produced or provided aspart of a project.
    a . deliverable
    b. product
    c.work package
    d. tangiblegoal

a . deliverable

  1. 6. Which of thefollowing is not a phase of the tradit ionalproject me cycle?
    a. systems analysis
    b. concept
    o. development
    d . illl'lementation

a. systems analysis

  1. 7. What isthe term used to describe a framework of the phases involved in developinginformation
    systems?
    a. systems development life cycle
    b. rapid applicationdevelopment
    c. predictiveIWe cycle
    d. extremeprogramming

a. systems development life cycle

  1. 8. Anothername for a phase exit is a ~_ point.
    a. review
    b. stage
    o. meeting
    d . kill

d . kill

  1. 9. Thenature of information technology projects is different fromprojects in many other iooustries
    because they arevery ~~_.
    a. expensive
    b. technical
    c. diverse
    d. challenging

c. diverse

  1. 10. Whatterm is used to describe when an organization acquires goods and/orsources from
    an outside source inanother country?
    a . globalization
    b. offshoring
    o. exporting
    d . global sourcing

b. offshoring

  1. 1. A ___ is aseries of actions directed toward a particular result.,.
  1. goal
    b. process

c. plan
d. project

b. process

  1. 2. ___ processesinclude coordinating people and other resources to carryout the project
    plans and produce theproducts, services, or results 01 the project or phase.
    a. In~iating
    b. Planning
    c Executing
    d . Monitoringand controlling,. Closing

c Executing

  1. 3. Whichprocess group normally requires the most resources andtime?
    a. In~iating
    b. Planning
    c. Executing
    d. Monitoringand controlling
    e. Closing

c. Executing

  1. 4. Whatmethodology was developed in the U.K. , defines45 separate subprocesses, and organizes
    these into eight processgroups?
    a. SixSigma
    b. RUP
    c. PMBO~ Guide
    d. PRINCE2

d. PRINCE2

  1. 5. Which of thefollowing outputs is often completed before initiating aproject?
    a. stakeholderregister
    b. business case
    c. projectcharter
    d . kick-offmeeting

b. business case

  1. 6. A workbreakdown structure, project schedule, and costestimates are outputs of the___ process.
    a. initiating
    b. planning
    c. executing
    d. monitoringand controlling
    e. closing

b. planning

  1. 7. Initiatinginvolves developing a project charter, which ispart of the project ___ management
    knowledge area.
    a. integration
    b. scope
    c. communications
    d. risk

a. integration

  1. 8. ___ involves measuring progress toward project objectives and taking correctiveactions.
    a . Initiating
    b. Planning
    c. Executing
    d. Monitoring and controlling
    e Closing

d. Monitoring and controlling

  1. 9. What typeof report do project teams create to reflect on what went right and what went
    wrong with the project?
    a. lessons-learned report
    b. progressreport
    c . finalproject repolt
    d. bUsiness case

a. lessons-learned report

  1. 10. Many people
    use ___ to havea standard format for preparing various projectmanagementdocuments.
    a. methodologies
    b. templates
    c. projectmanagement software
    d. standards

b. templates

  1. 1. Which ofthe following processes is not part ofproject integration management?
    a. develop the project business case
    b. developthe project charter
    c. develop the projectmanagement plan
    d . close theproject or phase

a. develop the project business case

  1. 2. What isthe last step in the four-stage planning process for selecting informationtechnology
    projects?
    a. informationtechnology strategy planning
    b. businessarea analysis
    c. mindmapping
    d . resource allocation

d . resource allocation

  1. 3. Which of thefollowing is not a best practice for new product developmentrojects?
    a. alignprojects and resources with business strategy
    b. select projects that will take less than two years to provide payback
    c. focus oncustomer needs in identifying projects
    d . assignproject managers to lead projects

b. select projects that will take less than two years to provide payback

  1. 4. A newgovernment law requires an organization to report data in a new way. Under
    which category would a newinformation system project to provide this data fall?
    a. problem
    b. opportunity
    c. directive
    d. regulation

c. directive

  1. 5. Ifestimates for total discounted benefits for a project are $120,000 andtotal discounted costs
    are $100,000,what is tI1e estimated return on investment (RDI )?
    a. $20,000
    b. $120,000
    c. 20 percent
    d. 120percent

c. 20 percent

  1. 6. A is adocument that formally recognizes the existence of a project and providesdirection on the
    project's objectives and management.
    a. project charter
    I). coulraGI
    c. businesscase
    d. project management plan

a. project charter

  1. 7. Which 01 thelollowing ~emsis not nomlally induded in a project charter?
    a. the name 01 theproject manager
    b. budgetinlormation
    c. stakeholder signatures
    d. a Gantt chart

d. a Gantt chart

  1. 8. __ ,-_ ensuresthat the descriptions 01 the projecrs products are oorrect andcomplete.
    a. Configuration management
    b. Integratedchange oontrol
    c. Integration management
    d. Achange control board

a. Configuration management

  1. 9. Which 01 thelollowing is not a suggestion lor perlomling integrated change oontrol?
    a. use good configurationmanagement
    b. mininize change
    c. establish
    a formal change control system
    d. viewproject management as a process of oonstant oommunication andnegotiation

b. mininize change

  1. 10. What tool and technique is used for all of the other projectintegration managementprocesses?
    a. projectmanagement software
    b. templates
    c. expert judgment
    d. all of the above
  1. expert judgment

1 . ______refer(s) to all the work involved in creating the products of the project
and the processes used to create them.
a. Deliverables
b. Milestones
c. Scope
d. Product development

2. Which tool or technique for collecting requirements is often the most expensive and timeconsuming?a.interviewsb.focus groupsc. survey sd. observation

3. A ______is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project thatdefines the total scope of the project.a. scope statementb. WBSc. WBS dictionaryd. work package

4. What approach to developing a WBS involves writing down or drawing ideas in a nonlinearformat?a.top-downb. bottom-upc. analogyd. mind mapping

5. Assume you have a project with major categories called planning, analysis, design, and testing. What level of the WBS would these items fall under?a. 0b. 1c. 2d. 3

6. Which of the following is not a best practice that can help in avoiding scope problems oninformation technology projects?a. Keep the scope realisticb. Use off-the-shelf hardware and software whenever possiblec. Follow good project management processesd. Don't involve too many users in scope management

7. What major restaurant chain terminated a large project after spending $1 70 million on it, primarily because they realized the project scope was too much to handle?a. Burger Kingb. Pizza Hutc. McDonald sd. Taco Bell

8. Scope ______is often achieved by a customer inspection and then sign-off on keydeliverables.a. verificationb. validationc. completiond. close-out

9. Which of the following is not a suggestion for improving user input?a. Develop a good project selection process for information technology projectsb. Have users on the project teamc. Co-locate users with developersd. Only have meetings as needed, not on a regular basis

1 0. Project management software helps y ou develop a ______, which serves as a basisfor creating Gantt charts, assigning resources, and allocating costs.a. project planb. schedulec. WBSd. deliverable

1- What is involved in project scope management, and why is good project scope management so important on information technology projects?

Project Scope management involves planning the project scope in a scope management plan, defining the project scope in a project scope statement, and developing a work breakdown structure (WBS) decomposing and outlining the tasks involved in the project and their planned completion times (Schwalbe, 2007).

Clients will always modify the requirements for a project at some point in the SDLC in such a way that the scope will be impacted (Macronimous, 2008). It doesn’t matter how well designed the prototypes, how thoroughly the requirements are documented, there is invariably a disconnect between what the client actually needs and what they have helped define.

Chapter 1 Questions

Chapter 1.
1. Why is there a new or renewed interest in the field of project management.
Organisations are realising that much of the work they do is actually project based and as more and more of these projects end up with time, cost and scope over runs there is the increasing need for robust project management techniques within many organisations
2. What is a project, what are the main attributes? How is a project different from what most people do in their day to day jobs? What is the triple constraint?
A project is a temporary endevour with the goal of producing a unique product, service or result. Most day to day jobs are process driven and to not have the discrete boudries required to define a project. The triple constraint is time, cost and scope.
3. What is project management? Briefly describe the project management framework, providing examples of stakeholders, knowledge areas, tools and techniques and project success factors.
Project management is "the application of the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements"
project stakeholders are all those effected by the project. Project sponsor, customers, team memebers, suppliers, users. There are 9 project management knowledge areas according to the PMI PMBOK, these are

  1. Scope
  2. Time
  3. Cost
  4. Quality
  5. Integration
  6. Communications
  7. HR
  8. Risk
  9. Procurement

Tools and techniques include the internal processes, templates, procedures, tools such as Gantt charts, project diagrams, flow charts, critical path analysis, software tools.
Project success factors include meeting the triple constraint, the project has satisfied the customers expectations, the project made an overall less measureable goal of keeping a sponsor happy, saving money or providing a good return on investment.
4. What is a program? What is a project portfolio? Discuss the relationship between projects, programs and portfolio management and the contributions they make to the enterprise success.

A program is a collection of related projects managed ina coordinated way to obtain benefits not available if they we to be managed individually. A project porfolio is a group of projects or programs managed as a portfolio of investments in order to meet strategic company's goal to contribute to the company's success. Project and programs are more focussed toward tactical goals with concern over how well projects are being run, are they on time and budget. Porfolio management is more focussed toward strategic goals where the overriding questions will be, are we doing the right projects, are we investing in the right areas.
5.What is the role of the project manager? What are the suggested skill for all project managers and for information technology project managers? Why is leadership so important for project mangers? How is the job market for information technology project managers?
The role of the project manager is the successful management of the planning, excecution, monitoring, controlling and closure of the project. Important skills for a project manager include leadership, management skill, knowledge of the required tools and techniques, HR skill, communications skills. Good leadership will provide motivation, direction and clarity to the efforts of the project team, statistics and experience show that goods leadership is resonsible more project success than any other single attribute. The requirement for IT project managers is strong, a quick comparison on Seek showed over 1500 IT project amd programme manager vacancies across Australia compared to 1100 Management Accountant, considering Management accounting is a sought skill.
6. Briefly describe some key events in the history of project management. What roles does the PMI and other professional societies play in helping the profession?
In 1917 Henry Gantt develops the Gantt chart. In 1946 the modern concept of project management began with the Manhattan Project, the project aimed at building the atomic bomb. During the cold war years of the 50s and 60s the military continued to be instrumental in developing project management techniques, in the 70s companies started to manage project with software tools. The PMI ensures quality of education, develops project management frame work and manages certification.
7. What functions can you perform with project management software? What are some of the names of low end, mid range and high end project management tools?
Critical path analysis, develop Gantt charts.
Low - Minuteman, Project Kickstart
Mid - Microsoft Project
High - MS Project Server, Primavera, VPMi Enterpirse online.

Chapter 2 Questions

1. What does it mean to take a systems view of a project? How does taking a systems view of a project apply to project manamgement?
Taking a systems view means looking at the processes of an organisation as a set of interacting systems that do not exsist in isolation. Taking a systems view applies to project management as it ensures projects do not exist in isolation from the organisation and its other systems and that projects are focussed toward supporting organisational strategy. Project managers need to take a holistic view and see how their project fits within the greater context of the hole organisation.
2. Explain the 4 frames of an organisation. How can they help project managers understand the organisational context for their projects.
The 4 frames of an organisation are:

  1. Structural. How an organisation is structured .i.e. org chart roles and responsibilities
  2. Human Resources. Focusses on prodcing harmony between the needs of the organisation and the needs of the people. EG
  3. Political. Poltical frames make the argument that people in organisations are essentially coallitions of interest groups or factions composed of various individuals
  4. Symbolic. Focussed on symbols and meanings and relates to a companies culture, dress etc. It looks at the symbolic meaning of roles in meeting, as in who takes control, or in the presence of the CEO at a particular meeting, is this support or is it a threat?

Projects have to be run in the context of the organisation and how it operates. the PM would have to have a good understanding of the environment in which they are working and the signifigance of events and peoples actions.
3. Briefly explain the differences between functional, matrix and project organisations. Describe how each structure affects the management of the project.
Functional organisations are departmentalised into functional areas of common knowledge. A projectised organisation arranges their staff into project teams of various the various skills required to complete projects. Projects are the main output of project organisations such as a construction company. A matrix organisation has a combination of both functional structure and project teams where an individula employee may have 2 managers simaltaneously, say there functional line manager and a Project manager for a project team they are a member of. For example a management Accountant will have a CFO as their functional manager but during ERP implentation they may also report to the project manager in charge of the ERP implementation.
The different organisations refelect the different power or infuence a project manager may have. In a functional organisation a PM would have very little or none, within a matrix org they would have more but not total since there would be dotted line reporting to the PM and a more direct report to a functional manager. In a project centric org, the PM would be the the full direct line report to all team members.
4. Describe how organisational cultureis related to project management. What type of culture promotes a strong project managment environment.
Organisational culture has been described by Robbins and Judge in 10 characteristics. Depending on the degree to which an organisation may be strong or weak in a particular characteristic will have a large bearing on whether the organisation will be supportive of projects.
The type of culture that supports a project management environment is:

  1. Member Identity: The degree to which the employee identifies toward their profession or toward the organisation. An organisation where the employees identify toward the organisation is more conducive to projects.
  2. Group emphasis: the degree to which the organisation operations are organised around group, an organisation high in group emphasis is far more supportive of projects.
  3. People Focus: The degree to which people are taken into account when management decisions are made. a good project manager, indede any good manager, will balance the best interest of the employee with the best interest of the organisation.
  4. Unit integration: The degree to which departments are encouraged to work together. High unit integration supports projects
  5. Control: The degree to whcih rules, policies and direct supervision are required to manage staff. This needs to be balanced and depends significantly of the employee.
  6. Risk Tolerance: The degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggresive and innovative. An organisation that has a high appertite for risk is required to best support projects as there is ingherent risks involved with project as they are unique by nature.
  7. Reward criteria: the degree to which rewards such as promotions and salary increases are based on performance. Project teams tend to perform better when it is perceived their better efforts will be rewarded.
  8. Conflict tolerance: The degree to which employees are encouraged to air conflict and greivences. Project oriented organisations require good communications that willencourage team memebers to discuss any conflict openly.
  9. Means-End orientation: The degree to which management focusses on outcomes rather than techniques, tools and processes. Good project organisations are required to balance these and be rigorous with tools, techniques and processes but also focus on the output.
  10. Open systems focus: The degree to which the organistation focusses on the external environment. As discussed in systems focus, project must have a holistic view of the organisation and as such are required to have a strong open systems focus.

Chapter 3 Discussion Questions

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