Project Tools and Documentation Flashcards
Ralph is the project manager for the opening of a new ice cream parlor. The owner is always asking for status updates from Ralph and pushes Ralph to finish with a quality store that is on-time and on-budget. Which role in a RACI matrix would Ralph hold for the entire project?
A. Responsible
B. Accountable
C. Consulted
D. Informed
B. Accountable
Ralph’s role on the project is that he is accountable for all actions on the project and those of the project team. He has the authority to task, delegate, and ensure the quality of the deliverables.
Which knowledge management tool would be used for a team to communicate instantly, share information on task ownership and status, and see events for an entire workgroup?
A. Wiki pages
B. Intranet sites
C. Vendor knowledge bases
D. Collaboration tools
D. Collaboration tools
Collaboration tools allow for instant messaging, sharing work screens among team members over the network, and other areas including videoconferencing. A wiki page might be used as a collaboration tool, but the collaboration tool set is much broader than just wiki pages.
During a weekly project meeting, a list is kept of any assignments that are handed out during the meeting. What type of project document is this?
A. Issues log
B. Action items
C. Meeting minutes
D. Communication plan
B. Action items
It is critical to capture any assignments that have been handed out, who owns the assignment, and when the task is due. This helps make sure that there is no lapse in completion due to unclear assignments and a lack of clarity on what needs to be completed and by when.
The project’s sponsor is reviewing a communication for the project manager. In the document, she reads that the project is on budget, but there was a delay in getting materials from a supplier since the last communication. Which project document is she reading?
A. Status report
B. Scope statement
C. Risk register
D. SCRUM retrospective
A. Status report
A status report is a written document that captures the progress being made on a project, what challenges have materialized, and data on tracking to complete the project on time and on budget.
What type of project management tool is depicted here?
A. Process diagram
B. Histogram
C. Pareto chart
D. Gantt chart
A. Process diagram
A process diagram is a visual representation of the steps in a process. Other names for process diagrams include process maps and workflow diagrams.
The project schedule contains all of the following elements, EXCEPT
A. Activity start and finish dates
B. Activity duration
C. Activity assignments to resources
D. Authorization for the project to begin
D. Authorization for the project to begin
The project charter is the document that authorizes the project to commence.
Nathan is a software game developer assigned to a project to create a revolutionary new virtual reality game. He receives notice that he is to attend a meeting and give a presentation for 45 minutes on the capabilities of the technology that they will be using. Which document did Nathan receive that communicated this requirement?
A. Meeting agenda
B. Meeting minutes
C. Action items
D. Wiki pages
A. Meeting agenda
Publishing a meeting agenda and disseminating it in advance allows team members to be prepared and meetings to be on time and focused and improves the use of team members’ scarce time on a project.
Which of the following are a means of communicating the current conditions of a project? (Choose three.)
A. Dashboard information
B. Status report
C. Meeting minutes
D. Meeting agenda
E. Communication plan
F. Project charter
A. Dashboard information
B. Status report
C. Meeting minutes
Meeting agendas, communication plans, and project charters would all fall into the category of planning documents at various levels. Project condition information, or status, can all be gleaned in different forms from dashboard information, status reports, and meeting minutes.
Which of the following tools is used for entering data to generate a Gantt chart, WBS, or activity sequence automatically?
A. Process diagram
B. SCRUM retrospective
C. Collaboration tools
D. Project scheduling software
D. Project scheduling software
Standard tools like Microsoft Project or Primavera, plus an exploding market of cloud-based tools, help to automate the creation and updating of the project schedule. More simplistic projects can use Microsoft Excel or a comparable tool.
Which knowledge management tool is used to communicate only with internal employees for an entire organization?
A. Wiki pages
B. Intranet sites
C. Internet sites
D. Collaboration tools
B. Intranet sites
Intranet sites are information sites internal to an organization, and they are normally protected by a firewall that requires a form of authentication to gain access to the information. These are great hubs for communicating organizational information.
What is a RACI matrix used for?
A. Determining key performance indicators
B. Identifying roles and responsibilities
C. Analyzing risk at a moment in time
D. Presenting status via a dashboard
B. Identifying roles and responsibilities
RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. At a task or activity level, it identifies who needs to do what action based on the individual’s role.
A subject-matter expert who is not directly working on a project receives a phone call to get her opinion on two options facing the team. Which role in a RACI matrix has this stakeholder been assigned?
A. Responsible
B. Accountable
C. Consulted
D. Informed
C. Consulted
Being consulted means that there is a two-way communication that will take place prior to a decision or action being taken for a particular task or decision. This will often vary in a RACI matrix from activity to activity.
Carl is the president of a binding company that won the job to bind the books for a new young adult novel. The publishing company needs 100,000 books delivered in 12 days. At the end of each day, Carl asks for the completed number of books to make sure that it is at 8,333 or higher. What does this number represent?
A. MOU
B. AC
C. SPI
D. KPI
D. KPI
A key performance indicator to meet the publisher’s target is to complete 1/12 of the books each day, which would be 8,333. Meeting this target would let Carl know that they are on track to complete the job on time. Missing this number would mean that Carl would have to change the speed of the process, add more personnel, or add more shifts.
To which project-centric document would you refer to get a description of the project, find out the key deliverables, and gain an understanding of the success and acceptance criteria for the project?
A. Project charter
B. Scope statement
C. Project schedule
D. Meeting minutes
B. Scope statement
The scope statement is a more detailed explanation of what the project will deliver compared to the project charter, which contains a high-level scope definition.
During a regular meeting, the team creates a list that has next steps to be taken, who owns the task, and when it is due. What kind of project documentation does this list represent?
A. Action items
B. Issues log
C. Status report
D. Communication plan
A. Action items
Action items routinely get assigned during meetings, and they are key to capturing what needs to get done, who will do it, and when it needs to get done. This information should be shared with the team after the meeting so that work can be done and follow-up can occur. Action items are those activities that must be completed in order to fulfill the project’s deliverables.
In which of the following documents would you find information regarding the high-level budget and milestones for the project?
A. Request for information
B. Scope statement
C. Project charter
D. Action items
C. Project charter
The project charter will also contain high-level information about assumptions, constraints, and risks. Remember, it is also the formal authorization to begin project work.
Meghan is a project manager. A team member reported to her an inappropriate and unprofessional interaction with a project team member on a different team. Meghan is not sure to whom this other team member reports. Which project document would help her find the correct person to whom to escalate this issue?
A. RACI matrix
B. Request for proposal
C. Organizational chart
D. Issues log
C. Organizational chart
The organizational chart is a graphic representation of how the project is structured, and it contains the reporting relationships for the project.
A construction project has just completed the demolition and grading of a worksite. The project manager needs to update the status of this task and see what the next task is that needs to start. Which project-centric document would the project manager look to for guidance?
A. Project charter
B. Project schedule
C. Action items
D. Dashboard information
B. Project schedule
The project schedule, commonly displayed in the form of Gantt chart, shows the order of tasks, start and end dates, duration, and when using project software can automatically help keep track of the percentage of work completed on a task.
During a project meeting, a key stakeholder looks at a report and sees that the schedule now has a yellow setting when last week it was set at green. What kind of data is the stakeholder viewing?
A. Dashboard information
B. Fishbone diagram
C. Project management plan
D. Risk register
A. Dashboard information
A dashboard is a form of a status report that will display conditions of different data elements and key performance indicators to communicate the progress and challenges of the project.
What type of project management tool is depicted here?
A. Process diagram
B. Histogram
C. Pareto Chart
D. Gantt Chart
B. Histogram
According to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide®), Fifth Edition, published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), a histogram is a special form of a bar chart used to describe central tendency, dispersion, and shape of a statistical distribution.
The communication plan contains all of the following components, EXCEPT
A. Stakeholder information needs
B. When information should be distributed
C. Report on status of deliverables and schedule
D. How information will be delivered
C. Report on status of deliverables and schedule
This defines a status report. Although this is a specific type of communication, the need for the report and who it will be sent to would be included in the communication plan. The actual report itself is a different project artifact.
Working on a project as a part of college class, Hannah takes notes on what occurs during a meeting, types up the information including action items, and disseminates the final version to the team. What project document did Hannah create?
A. Meeting agenda
B. Meeting minutes
C. Status report
D. Action items
B. Meeting minutes
Having someone assigned to capture what occurs in a meeting and create a written record is very helpful to the efficiency of the project.
Bert is a project manager assigned to the development of a new piece of hospital equipment. He is looking for the information that spells out who the stakeholders are, what the high-level scope is, assumptions, constraints, and the authorization to proceed. Which document is Bert looking for?
A. Pareto chart
B. RACI matrix
C. Project charter
D. Balanced score card
C. Project charter
The project charter includes information such as high-level risks, requirements, budget, assumptions, and constraints. Much of this information can be captured within a business case document, which can serve as a starting point for developing the project charter. Remember that the project sponsor is responsible for creating and signing the project charter.
What is a document that is distributed prior to a meeting that spells out the topics to be discussed and who will present them at the meeting?
A. Meeting minutes
B. Communication plan
C. Collaboration tools
D. Meeting agenda
D. Meeting agenda
Meeting agendas are distributed in advance of the meeting to allow people to be prepared during the meeting. Some organizations have a standard for delivering the agenda a certain period of time in advance, such as two business days prior to the meeting. This standard can be added to the communications plan to ensure uniformity on the project.
Which type of tool would auto-calculate task duration and planned effort by task and allow for assignment and reassignment of resources?
A. PERT
B. SIPOC-R
C. Project scheduling software
D. Histograms
C. Project scheduling software
Project scheduling software, especially for complex projects, can aid in the ease of tracking data and producing reports. Remember, there is a learning curve for all users whenever a new software tool is introduced on a project.
When creating a RACI matrix, how many different positions can/must have the role of accountable?
A. Zero
B. One
C. Two
D. Three
B. One
For any given task, there must be one, and only one, position that is accountable. Being accountable in a RACI context means that one person is ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of a deliverable or task.
The field team sends an update to the project manager letting him know that there were 12 employees at the project site, there were no accidents this week and no issues to report, and that the team is tracking toward on-time completion of their work. The project manager adds this information in a box on a report. What would you call this data provided to the project manager’s report?
A. Action items
B. Dashboard information
C. Organization chart
D. Project management plan
B. Dashboard information
A dashboard is either an electronic or paper report that shows lots of information in the format of a dashboard display with different “instrumentation panels” showing key performance information from different project areas.
Monty can’t remember what the key performance indicators are to help measure success on the product the project team is creating. Where can Monty find this information?
A. Issues log
B. Scope statement
C. Communications plan
D. Action items
B. Scope statement
The scope statement is a reference for what the product needs to do, what assumptions and constraints have been identified, and what key performance indicators will be used to track and measure the project’s success.
Which project plan sets how information will be shared on the project, what the frequency level is with which it will be shared, and with whom will it be shared?
A. Meeting agenda
B. Action items
C. Project charter
D. Communication plan
D. Communication plan
This plan sets the written communication, meeting schedule, and escalations that should occur to keep the identified stakeholders up to date on project events.
What is a set of quantifiable measures that an organization uses to gauge progress toward project goals?
A. RACI
B. SWOT
C. KPI
D. NDA
C. KPI
Key performance indicators are the critical and quantifiable measures needed to track success factors for a project, product, or an organization. There should be a limited number of “key” indicators that need to be tracked.
Susan is working on a project, and she is the lone specialist assigned to complete a deliverable on a task. She will do the work to complete the assignment, and she is the person who must answer for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable. Which two participation types of a RACI matrix has she been assigned? (Choose two.)
A. Responsible
B. Accountable
C. Consulted
D. Informed
A. Responsible
B. Accountable
It is possible for someone to be both responsible and accountable. Remember that there can be only one person who is accountable, but multiple people can be responsible. Where an individual gets assigned to multiple participation types is dependent on the number and quality of staff assigned to the project.
What is an inventory of project actions that should be resolved in order to fulfill deliverables?
A. Histogram
B. Wiki pages
C. Action items
D. Issues log
C. Action items
Action items are comparable to a “to-do” list of activities that need to occur for product completion. Remember that this is a dynamic list that can often grow during the course of the project, specifically in meetings.
The project organizational chart would contain all of the following components, EXCEPT
A. Project authorization
B. Team member organization
C. Reporting structures
D. Visual representation of data elements
A. Project authorization
Project authorization is a component of the project charter, and therefore it is not a component of the organizational chart.
Scott is a board director for a nonprofit, and he is looking for an update on the financial aspects of a new project that the organization is attempting. Which document would help bring Scott up to speed on current conditions of the project?
A. Issues log
B. Project management plan
C. SWOT analysis
D. Status report
D. Status report
A status report or dashboard would allow the stakeholder to get the information on the current conditions of the project. Other performance measurement tools like a balanced scorecard could help give a glimpse into the project.
There is a question about a project decision that was made at a gathering earlier in a project. Where should the project manager look to help recall the decision and the circumstances that were discussed?
A. Meeting agenda
B. Project charter
C. Action items list
D. Meeting minutes
D. Meeting minutes
Meeting minutes help to memorialize details of conversations and decisions that were made in the moment. Often during the course of a project, so much time passes with so many other decisions made that it can be difficult to recall what was done and why. Meeting minutes are a tool to help address those challenges.
Which tool provides a visual representation of all of the steps required in a process?
A. Process diagram
B. Histogram
C. Pareto chart
D. Project scheduling software
A. Process diagram
Process diagrams are often called workflow diagrams, which show all of the steps from start to end in a process.
When a RACI matrix is being created, what person or group of people are assign an “R” for responsible?
A. The one who is ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of the assignment
B. Those whose opinions are needed before work or a decision is undertaken
C. Those who do the work needed to complete the task or deliverable
D. Those who are kept up-to-date when work or a decision is completed
C. Those who do the work needed to complete the task or deliverable
With a RACI matrix, it is easy to get accountable and responsible mixed up, particularly when first creating the matrix. Those who must see the task completed are accountable, whereas the people who will actually do the work are responsible. Keep a sharp eye out to make sure that you don’t get confused.
To which document would a project manager refer in order to review the high-level scope, high-level risks, assumptions, and constraints, and to find out who are the key stakeholders?
A. Scope statement
B. Project charter
C. Project management plan
D. Meeting agenda
B. Project charter
The project charter also gives formal authority to begin the project, and it allows the project manager to begin applying resources to the project.
What type of project management tool is depicted here?
A. Process diagram
B. Histogram
C. Pareto chart
D. Fishbone diagram
D. Fishbone diagram
A fishbone diagram, also called an Ishikawa diagram, is a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem in order to identify its root causes.
During a meeting, the team reports that Brad is sorely underperforming. The project manager needs either to replace or reassign Brad. Where would this task get captured?
A. Meeting agenda
B. Lessons learned
C. Issues log
D. Action items
D. Action items
Specific actions that need to get completed are added to the action items list. This list is great during meetings to maintain an accurate track of the tasks that come up during discussion so that they can be successfully undertaken and completed.
What type of project management tool is depicted here?
A. Process diagram
B. Histogram
C. Pareto chart
D. Gantt chart
C. Pareto chart
A Pareto chart contains both a line graph and bars where the individual values are represented in descending order by the bars and the cumulative total is represented by the line.
