Midterm Quiz Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
What is a project?
A
• An endeavor to accomplish a specific objective through a unique set of interrelated tasks and the effective utilization of resources
2
Q
What are some attributes of a project?
A
- Well defined, clear objective – establishes what is to be accomplished
- Series of interdependent tasks in a certain sequence
- Utilizes various resources
- Has a specific time frame
- May be unique/one time endeavor (planning a wedding, etc.)
- Has a customer/client/sponsor
- Degree of uncertainty (budget, schedule, scope)
3
Q
What are the 5 key concepts when beginning a project?
A
- Client
- Project scope
- Deliverables
- Cost
- Schedule
4
Q
What is Phase 1 of the project life cycle (PLC) ?
A
Phase 1:
• Identify need, problem, or opportunity
• Determine if project is to be selected
• Develop project charter: rationale, project objective, expected benefits, general requirements and conditions
• Decide if RFP (request for proposal) is needed
5
Q
What is Phase 2 of the PLC?
A
Phase 2:
• Show how project scope will be accomplished
• Plan the work and work the plan
• Develop baseline plan: what needs to be done, how will it get done, who will do it, how long will it take, how much will it cost, what are the risks
• Have actual resources plan the work
6
Q
What is Phase 3 of the PLC?
A
- Accomplish project objectives: project manager leads, project team completes the project
- Increase pace as more resources are added
- Monitor and control progress
- Take corrective action as needed
- Manage and control changes with sponsor approval
- Achieve customer satisfaction with acceptance of deliverable
7
Q
What is Phase 4 of the PLC?
A
Phase 4: • Collect and make final payments • Recognize and evaluate staff • Conduct post project evaluation • Document lessons learned • Archive project documents • Record lessons learned
8
Q
What are some aspects of building relationships with clients?
A
- Requires being proactive and engaged (face to face meetings)
- First impressions count
- Necessitates being a good listener and a good learner
- Focus should not remain on discussing projects alone
- Establishing and building trust is key
- Ethical behaviour in dealing with clients is imperative for building trust
9
Q
What are some things to keep in mind when building relationships?
A
- Control emotions and be tactful and not confrontational in discussions with clients
- Maintain a positive and can-do attitude in dealings
- Build credibility based on performance
- Always put the client first
- It is important to build relationships with several key people in a client or partner organization
10
Q
What are some ways to development a winning proposal?
A
- A selling document – not a technical report
- Understands what the client is looking for
- Can achieve the intended results professionally, on time, and, within budget
- Emphasize the benefits to the customer
- Be realistic in scope, cost, and schedule
- Write in a simple, concise manner
- You want to convince the client that you are able to meet their needs
11
Q
What are some aspects of proposal preparation?
A
- Can be a straightforward task performed by one person or a resource-intensive effort requiring a team
- May designate a proposal lead
- Schedule must allow time for review and approval by client/management
- Can be a few pages or hundreds of pages
12
Q
What is the technical section of the proposal’s contents?
A
- Understanding of the problem/need
- Proposed approach or solution
- Exception – variation from specified requirements
- Benefits to the customer
13
Q
What is the management section of the proposal’s contents?
A
- Description of work tasks
- Deliverables
- Project schedule
- Project organization
- Related experience
- Equipment and facilities
14
Q
What is the cost section of the proposal’s contents?
A
- Labour**
- Materials**
- Travel**
- Subcontractors and consultants
- Equipment and facilities rental
- Documentation
- Overhead
- Escalation
- Contingency or management reserve
- Fee or profit
15
Q
What are some aspects of the proposal submission and follow up?
A
- Submit proposals on time
- Hand deliver expensive proposals or send by express mail services, if necessary
- Clients may request electronic submissions
- Continue to be proactive even after submission
- Follow-up needs to be done in a professional manner
16
Q
What are some aspects of planning?
A
- Most important phase
- Often is overlooked or not well thought out
- Systematic arrangement of tasks/activities to accomplish an objective
- Becomes the benchmark to compare actual progress against
17
Q
What are the three aspects of the project objective?
A
- Expected result or end product
- Clearly defined and agreed upon by client and those performing the project
- CLEAR, ATTAINABLE, SPECIFIC, MEASUREABLE
18
Q
What are some aspects of defining activities?
A
- A project team would need to define or list all the specific, detailed activities (tasks) necessary to complete the project
- Brainstorming or work breakdown structure
- Activity is a defined piece of work that consumes time. Activities also define more specifically how the work will get done
- Activity is also called a task
19
Q
What is a network diagram?
A
- Visual representation of the sequential flow and interrelationships of activities
- Draw the activities in their logical order
- When deciding on the sequence consider the following: What activities must be finished before this activity can begin? What activities can be done at the same time? What activities can’t start until this activity is finished?
20
Q
What is the difference between a precedential and concurrent relationship?
A
- Precedential: some activities must be finished before others can start
- Concurrent: activities can be worked on at the same time
21
Q
What are some characteristics of an effective project team?
A
- Clear understanding of the project objective
- Clear expectations of each person’s role and responsibilities
- Results oriented
- High degree of cooperation and collaboration
- High level of trust
22
Q
What are the 5 key characteristics of a team?
A
- Common goal and approach
- Mutual accountability
- Trust and cooperation
- Shared leadership
- Synergy
23
Q
What are some aspects of the project lead?
A
- Sometimes there are also project leads
- Act as a guide and facilitator to ensure work is completed and submitted on time
- Foster a climate of active participation
- Minimize conflict
- Motivate and inspire the team to achieve the goal (proposal, update, report, presentation)
24
Q
What are some aspects of effective project leadership?
A
- Team building
- Communicating
- Influencing
- Visioning
- Listening and questioning
- Empowering
25
How can you be an effective team member?
* Plan, control, and feel accountable for their individual work efforts
* Have high expectations
* Are self-directed and follow through on assignments
* Take pride in doing quality work
* Participate and communicate
* Are problem identifiers and problem solvers
* Put the success of the project above personal gain
26
What are some barriers of team effectiveness?
* Unclear goals
* Unclear definition of roles and responsibilities
* Lack of project structure
* Lack of commitment
* Poor communication
* Poor leadership
* Turnover of project team members
* Dysfunctional behavior
27
What are the 4 conflicts that occur in groups? Explain each.
1. Forming: members may be worried about their performance and the performance of others. May be hesitant to share ideas. Little gets done during this stage. For the most part, group members are just getting to know one another
2. Storming: may become argumentative, discuss important goals, vie for leadership. Start to work on assigned tasks. Conflict can help members develop relationships and make decisions
3. Norming: roles become established. Members are comfortable with one another and can disagree assertively and express their opinions
4. Performing: members focus their attention on working to achieve the group goal
28
What are the 5 approaches to handling conflict? Explain each.
1. Avoiding or withdrawing: individuals retreat to avoid actual conflict or potential disagreement
2. Competing or forcing: conflict viewed as a win-lose situation. Winning is valued more than the relationships
3. Accommodating or smoothing: looking for areas of agreement rather than addressing differences
4. Compromising: team members search for an intermediate solution. Focus on splitting the difference
5. Collaborating, confronting or problem solving: confront the issue directly. Look for a win-win outcome. Value both the outcome and the relationship
29
What are the 5 strategies to achieve a win-win situation?
1. Emphasize the big picture goals
2. Focus on the problem, not the people
3. Focus on the future not the past
4. Create new options for joint gain
5. Focus on what is fair not what is equal
30
What are 4 things to consider when estimating activity resources?
* Duration (time) to perform the activity
* People (those completing activity, expertise, who’s doing what)
* Cost of the activity
* Materials, equipment, facilities
31
What are some aspects of activity duration estimates?
* Once you have decided what types and quantities of resources will be needed, then you need to estimate how long each activity will take
* TOTAL ELAPSED TIME refers to the work to be done PLUS any waiting time
* Build in time for unexpected events (eg., sickness, meetings, emergencies, problems or delays with materials or other)
* The person responsible for performing the activity should help estimate the duration/time
32
What are some aspects of the project start and finish times?
* Need to define the overall window of time in which the project must be completed
* Select an estimated start time/date and a required completion time/date for the overall project
* Project Schedule: determines the times (or dates) at which each activity can start and finish
* Earliest Start (ES) and Latest Start (LS)
* Earliest Finish (EF) and Latest Finish (LF)
33
What is a work breakdown structure?
* Break the overall deliverable into smaller manageable chunks
* Think about each part of your projects and who will be responsible for each work item in the WBS (ie, what is the Project Lead responsible for? Break down into manageable chunks...... meetings, reporting, communication, reviewing/ editing, writing, etc.)
34
What is a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)?
* A tool used to designate the individuals responsible for accomplishing the work items in the Work Breakdown Structure is called the Responsibility Assignment Matrix
* A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) illustrates WHO will be responsible for the work
* May have primary responsibility and/or support responsibility
* Important that you do not have too many people with primary responsibility
35
What are some aspects of the project budgeting costs?
* A budget baseline should also be prepared
* Assist with monitoring actual costs and work performance
* Should include: labour, materials, travel, other
* Note: Your project proposal should include both your projected cumulative and total costs
36
What is the difference between the total budgeted cost (TBC) and the cumulative budgeted cost (CBC)?
Total Budgeted Cost (TBC):
• “The sum of the estimated costs for all the specific work activities within the project”
• All the costs for the various elements for each activity to complete the project
Cumulative Budgeted Cost (CBC):
• Amount that was budgeted to accomplish the work up to a certain point
• Use the CBC as a standard for monitoring the actual cost of the project
