Ch 10. Review

Question 1

You want to assure version control of project documents and provide a collaborative platform for team members and stakeholders to review and update certain documents. You could use all of the following knowledge management tools to accomplish this except which one?

A. Wiki pages

B. Intranet site

C. Dashboards

D. Collaboration software

Answer 1

C. Dashboards

The knowledge management tools include intranet sites, Internet sites, wiki pages, vendor knowledge bases, and collaboration tools. A dashboard is a reporting tool.

Question 2

You have just left a meeting with the project sponsor where you were advised that your project has been canceled because of budget cuts. You have called the project team together to fill them in and to review the remaining activities to close out the project. Several of your team members question the benefit of doing a lessons learned review on a project that has been canceled. What should your response be?

A. Advise the team that part of the review time will be spent on documenting the failure of the lack of clear requirements from the customer.

B. Tell the team they need to do this to be able to stay on the project payroll another week while they look for a new assignment.

C. Inform the team that a final report is a requirement from the PMO, regardless of how the project ends.

D. Explain that there is value both to the team and for future projects in analyzing the phases of the project that have been completed to date to document what went right, what went wrong, and what you would change.

Answer 2

D. Explain that there is value both to the team and for future projects in analyzing the phases of the project that have been completed to date to document what went right, what went wrong, and what you would change.

There is valuable information to be gained from a review of any project, even projects that do not complete. The assessment should focus on those phases of the project that did finish, as well as a look at whether anything could have been done differently to make the project a success. The purpose of lessons learned is not to assign blame, even for projects that are canceled.

Question 3

You have just left a meeting with the project sponsor where you were advised that your project has been canceled because of budget cuts. You have called the project team together to fill them in and to review the remaining activities to close out the project. Which of the following describes the type of project ending this project experienced?

A. Extinction

B. Starvation

C. Addition

D. Integration

Answer 3

B. Starvation

Starvation is a project ending caused by resources being cut off from the project. Extinction occurs when the project work is completed and is accepted by the stakeholders. Addition occurs when projects evolve into ongoing operations, and integration occurs when resources are distributed to other areas of the organization.

Question 4

Which of the following measurement tools are used to measure operational or performance goals for systems?

A. KPIs

B. KPPs

C. Balanced scorecard

D. Run chart

Answer 4

B. KPPs

Key performance parameters are used to measure performance or operational goals for systems. They are similar to KPIs, which are used to measure any element of the project or operational areas of the business to determine whether goals are being achieved. A balanced scorecard is a type of management tool used to determine whether organizational goals are being met.

Question 5

Which of the following is the “best” type of project ending?

A. Extinction

B. Addition

C. Integration

D. Starvation

Answer 5

A. Extinction

Extinction occurs when the project work is completed and is accepted by the stakeholders. This is the best type of project ending. Starvation is a project ending caused by resources being cut off from the project. Addition occurs when projects evolve into ongoing operations, and integration occurs when resources are distributed to other areas of the organization.

Question 6

What is the primary purpose of a formal sign-off at the conclusion of the project work?

A. The sign-off allows the project manager to start a new assignment.

B. The sign-off means the project team is no longer accountable for the product of the project.

C. The sign-off is the trigger for releasing team members back to their functional organization.

D. The sign-off indicates that the project meets the documented requirements and the customer has accepted the project deliverables.

Answer 6

D. The sign-off indicates that the project meets the documented requirements and the customer has accepted the project deliverables.

A sign-off is the formal acceptance of the project’s final product, service, or result. Its primary purpose is the customer’s acceptance of the product of the project. Team members are released after sign-off, but this isn’t the primary purpose of a formal sign-off. Both the project manager and the project team members may continue to be involved in the project until all closure activities are complete.

Question 7

Which of the following charts is a type of histogram?

A. Scatter diagram

B. Fishbone

C. Pareto chart

D. Run chart

Answer 7

C. Pareto chart

A Pareto diagram is a type of histogram that measures the frequency of occurrences of data elements in rank-order over time.

Question 8

What is the focus of the lessons learned report?

A. The report should cover both the positive and negative aspects of the project, with suggestions for improvement.

B. The report should primarily summarize the results of the project schedule, the budget, and any approved scope changes.

C. The report should focus on the project deliverables and any issues that were created by the customer.

D. The report should cover what went well during the project and should determine which team member or business unit was responsible for failures or issues.

Answer 8

A. The report should cover both the positive and negative aspects of the project, with suggestions for improvement.

Both the successes and failures of a project need to be documented in the lessons learned report. Successes will provide blueprints to follow on future projects, and failures will alert teams on what to avoid. A good lessons learned document covers all aspects of the project from all participants. It should include all project information, not just schedule, budget, and changes, and it should never place blame for the things that went wrong.

Question 9

Your project is winding down, and some of your team members are anxious about their status. What is the best way to deal with their concerns?

A. Explain to the team members that they will be released when the project is done.

B. Let the team members know that you can only discuss their release date with the functional managers.

C. Establish the same release date for all the team members, even if their work is not completed.

D. Review the team member release plans with the functional managers. Keep team members and functional managers informed based on the status of the project schedule.

Answer 9

D. Review the team member release plans with the functional managers. Keep team members and functional managers informed based on the status of the project schedule.

Both team members and functional managers need to know in advance when you think a team member will be released. Team members may roll off the project at different times, so you need to discuss the release with each team member individually.

Question 10

You are in the Monitoring and Controlling phase of the project. Several problems have come to light, and you want to know what the causes of the problems are that are generating the effect. You hold a brainstorming meeting with key team members and plot the cause-and-effect scenarios on this type of chart.

A. Pareto chart

B. Histogram

C. Fishbone diagram

D. Scatter diagram

Answer 10

C. Fishbone diagram

The fishbone diagram is a cause-and-effect diagram. Brainstorming sessions are a great way to construct this chart and determine what causes are impeding your results.

Question 11

This document records items that usually arise during a status meeting. They concern the project but do not generally impact the project work directly. This document contains a description, an owner, and status, among other items.

A. Status report

B. Action items

C. Issues

D. Meeting minutes

Answer 11

B. Action items

Action items generally arise during the status meetings. They should be documented in an action item list. They are assigned an identification number, a description, and an owner, and their status is recorded and reviewed at status meetings. Issues generally impact the project work directly and may impede progress or bring about a risk. Action items are usually “to dos” or questions that must be answered regarding the project.

Question 12

This is used to keep stakeholders and team members up to date. It typically contains information related to budgets, timelines, deliverables, and risks. The issues log and action items are usually distributed with this document.

A. Status report

B. Meeting minutes

C. Wiki pages

D. Dashboard information

Answer 12

A. Status report

Status reports update stakeholders on project progress. The issues log and action item list are usually distributed with the status report. Wiki pages are a way to distribute the reports. Meeting minutes document what occurred during the meeting and what decisions were made, while dashboards are up-to-date, real-time information on the status of key project elements.

Question 13

Your project evolved over time into an ongoing operation. What type of project ending is this, and what are your next steps? Choose two.

A. The next step is to write the project close report.

B. The next step is to inform the project sponsor and stakeholders the project has ended.

C. The project ending is because of integration.

D. The project ending is because of addition.

E. The next step is to perform a postmortem analysis.

Answer 13

D. The project ending is because of addition.

E. The next step is to perform a postmortem analysis.

Addition occurs when the project evolves into ongoing operations. Integration occurs when the resources on the project are reassigned to other projects or activities. When a project fails, is canceled, or otherwise ends before completion, the next step is performing a postmortem review.

Question 14

Which of the following charts are cause-and-effect diagrams or used to determine if there is a cause-and-effect correlation between two numerical variables? Choose two.

A. Pareto chart

B. Fishbone

C. Run chart

D. Scatter diagram

E. Histogram

Answer 14

B. Fishbone

D. Scatter diagram

Fishbone diagrams are cause-and-effect diagrams. Scatter diagrams are used to determine whether there is a correlation between cause and effect.

Question 15

This document is produced at the end of the project and reports the final project outcomes.

A. Lessons learned

B. Status report

C. Project close report

D. Postmortem analysis

Answer 15

C. Project close report

The project close report is produced at the end of the project, and it serves as the final status report. It summarizes the project goals, costs, schedule, lessons learned, and historical data.

Question 16

You’re a project manager for a large project. You’re in the middle of the Executing phase. The project sponsor has decided to cancel the project because of unexpected cost overruns and resource shortages. What are your next steps? Choose two.

A. Change vendors to obtain a lower bid for hardware and software components.

B. Prepare project closure documents.

C. Perform a lessons learned analysis and release resources.

D. Ask the sponsor to allow you to redesign the project with fewer deliverables.

E. Ask the stakeholders to speak to the sponsor.

Answer 16

B. Prepare project closure documents.

C. Perform a lessons learned analysis and release resources.

If you have a sponsor who opts to cancel the project, you will still perform project closing procedures. During this process, you’ll assemble the closure documents, perform a lessons learned analysis, and release any resources working on the project.

Question 17

Your project is too slow paced and your executive stakeholders want more up-to-date information available to them in an easy-to-use format. They are monitoring the project to determine whether it should be canceled or further actions taken to get it back on track. Which of the following is the best option for you to implement?

A. Dashboards

B. More frequent status reports

C. A daily email with status

D. Invite the stakeholders to the daily stand up meetings so they can hear up-to-date status for themselves.

Answer 17

A. Dashboards

Executives don’t have time to attend daily standup meetings and aren’t likely to read daily emails. The best option is to provide them a dashboard with up-to-date information that’s easy to read.

Question 18

All of the following are true regarding the release of team members except for which one?

A. Team members are released after lessons learned are documented.

B. The project manager should perform a final performance appraisal for team members when they’re released from the project.

C. The project manager should inform the functional managers well in advance of the team members’ release date.

D. The project manager should communicate with the team members about their upcoming release date.

Answer 18

A. Team members are released after lessons learned are documented.

Team members can be released prior to the lessons learned session. If your team members are leaving the organization or are located at a different geographical location, you could perform a lessons learned session with them before they leave, or you could include them in the final lessons learned session using video conferencing or similar technology.

Question 19

Your project has experienced some setbacks, and your stakeholders are not happy with progress. A hurricane wiped out one of your vendor’s warehouses, and you are scrambling for parts. You work with the vendor and your procurement department to find other suppliers who may have the parts you need. Which of the following is the best option given this scenario?

A. Cancel the project.

B. Document the situation in the meeting minutes.

C. This is an issue that should be recorded and tracked in the issues log.

D. This is a KPI that the vendor has not met.

Answer 19

C. This is an issue that should be recorded and tracked in the issues log.

This question describes an issue that has occurred on the project that will likely impede progress. You will record this issue in the issues log and report regularly on its status.

Question 20

Who is responsible for authorizing the closure of the project?

A. Stakeholders

B. Project manager

C. Executive team members

D. Sponsor

Answer 20

D. Sponsor

The sponsor is the one who signs off on the closure documents. As the project manager, you create the documentation and provide supporting artifacts to demonstrate that all deliverables have been successfully completed.