CIST 2921 Final Exam Review

CIST 2921 Final Exam Review Which of the following is true of program managers? a. They provide leadership and direction for project managers heading the projects within a program. b. They are responsible solely for the delivery of project results. c. They report to project managers who represent the next level in the hierarchy. d. They recognize that managing a program is simpler than managing a project. They provide provide leadership and direction for project managers heading the projects within a program. Project procurement management mainly involves: a. buying goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization. b. generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information. c. identifying and analyzing stakeholder needs while managing and controlling their engagement. d. making effective use of the people involved with the project. buying goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization. true T/F: A project's stakeholders includes its customers, users, and suppliers. program A(n) _____ is "a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually." personal values Ethics is a set of principles that guides decision making based on _____ of what is considered right and wrong. human resource Team building exercises and motivation techniques are tools used in _____ management. a. human resource b. scope c. procurement d. cost human relations Soft skills are also known as _____ skills. true T/F: Stakeholder analyses, work requests, and project charters are tools used in integration management. primary customer A project's sponsor is also known as a(n) _____. project environment knowledge Martha works as a project manager at a bank. Due to certain changes in external factors, Martha needs to make a few alterations in the tactical goals of her project. In such a scenario, which of the following will best help Martha cope with the change? a. Project environment knowledge b. Motivation c. Negotiation d. Soft skills Describe the triple constraint. What are the three components and what is the relationship between them? Every project is constrained in different ways by its scope, time, and cost goals. These limitations are sometimes referred to in project management as the triple constraint. To create a successful project, a project manager must consider scope, time, and cost and balance these three often-competing goals. He or she must consider the following: Scope: This goal involves questions such as, "What work will be done as part of the project? What unique product, service, or result does the customer or sponsor expect from the project? How will the scope be verified?" Time: This goal encompasses questions such as, "How long should it take to complete the project? What is the project's schedule? How will the team track actual schedule performance? Who can approve changes to the schedule?" Cost: This goals deals with questions such as, "What should it cost to complete the project? What is the project's budget? How will costs be tracked? Who can authorize changes to the budget?" Managing the triple constraint involves making trade-offs between scope, time, and cost goals for a project. Experienced project managers know that they must decide which aspect of the triple constraint is most important. If time is most important, one must change the initial scope and/or cost goals to meet the schedule. If scope goals are most important, one may need to adjust time and/or cost goals. Project communications management Which of the following project management knowledge areas primarily involve generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information? a. Project cost management b. Project time management c. Project communications management d. Project procurement management checklist A _____ is a tool used in quality management. a. request for proposal b. checklist c. critical path analysis d. probability matrice What are some of the qualities of a good project manager? Explain. Project managers often take on the role of both leader and manager. Good project managers know that people make or break projects, so they must set a good example to lead their team to success. They are aware of the greater needs of their stakeholders and organizations, so they are visionary in guiding their current projects and in suggesting future ones. Companies that excel in project management grow project "leaders," emphasizing development of business and communication skills. Yet good project managers must also focus on getting the job done by paying attention to the details and daily operations of each task. The best project managers have leadership and management characteristics; they are visionary yet focused on the bottom line. Above all else, good project managers focus on achieving positive results. true T/F: Project managers work with the project sponsors to define success for particular projects. false T/F: The only responsibility of a project manager is to meet the specific scope, time, and cost goals of a project. false T/F: To be a successful manager, the only skills an IT project manager needs to possess is excellent technical skills. portfolio project management _____ software integrates information from multiple projects to show the status of active, approved, and future projects across an entire organization. resources Galaxy, a construction company, buys a particular brand of tiles manufactured by Tiles and Floors, an eco-friendly tile manufacturing company. However, Tiles and Floors has declared bankruptcy and closed down. At present, Galaxy is facing a crisis because there are no other manufacturers in the market that supplies eco-friendly tiles. Which of the following constraints is Galaxy currently facing? a. Time b. Cost c. Resources d. Scope true T/F: Maturity models, statistical methods, and test plans are examples of tools used in quality management. champion Some projects have a senior manager called a(n)_____ who acts as a key proponent for a project. false T/F: The best way to sustain a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility for the project. true T/F: Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects. Discuss four key issues project managers must address when working on global projects. Communications. Because people work in different time zones, speak different languages, have different cultural backgrounds, and celebrate different holidays, it is important to address how people will communicate in an efficient and timely manner. Trust. Trust is an important issue for all teams, especially when they are global teams. It is important to start building trust immediately by recognizing and respecting others' differences and the value they add to the project. Common work practices. It is important to align work processes and develop a modus operandi with which everyone agrees and is comfortable. Tools. IT pays a vital role in globalization, especially in enhancing communications and work practices. Many people use free tools such as Skype, Google Docs or social media to communicate. Many project management software tools include their own communications and collaboration features in an integrated package. implementation In the _____ phase, the project team creates a definitive or very accurate cost estimate, delivers the required work, and provides performance reports to stakeholders. a. development b. close-out c. implementation d. concept RAD life cycle The _____ model uses an approach in which developers work with an evolving prototype, using tools such as computer-aided software engineering, joint requirements planning, and joint application design to facilitate rapid prototyping and code generation. a. waterfall life cycle b. spiral life cycle c. incremental build life cycle d. RAD life cycle Describe each of the three major types of organizational structure. A functional organizational structure is the hierarchy most people think of when picturing an organizational chart. Functional managers or vice presidents in specialties such as engineering, manufacturing, information technology (IT), and human resources (HR) report to the chief executive officer (CEO). Their staffs have specialized skills in their respective disciplines. For example, most colleges and universities have very strong functional organizations. Only faculty in the Business department teach business courses; faculty in the History department teach history; faculty in the Art department teach art, and so on. A project organizational structure also has a hierarchical structure, but instead of functional managers or vice presidents reporting to the CEO, program managers report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete the projects within their programs. An organization that uses this structure earns their revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract. For example, many defense, architectural, engineering, and consulting companies use a project organizational structure. These companies often hire people specifically to work on particular projects. A matrix organizational structure represents the middle ground between functional and project structures. Personnel often report to both a functional manager and one or more project managers. For example, information technology personnel at many companies often split their time between two or more projects, but they report to their manager in the Information Technology department. Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects. Matrix organizational structures can be strong, weak, or balanced, based on the amount of control exerted by the project managers. project feasibility The first two traditional project phases (concept and development) focus on planning, and are often referred to as _____. a. project feasibility b. project implementation c. project close-out d. project acquisition prototyping life cycle In the _____ model, developers use a model to generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously. a. prototyping life cycle b. spiral life cycle c. RAD life cycle d. incremental build life cycle deliverable A(n) _____ refers to a product or service, such as a report, a training session, a piece of hardware, or a segment of software code, produced or provided as part of a project. control _____ refers to the degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to oversee employee behavior. true T/F: The Adaptive Software Development (ASD) life cycle model assumes that software development follows an adaptive approach because the requirements cannot be clearly expressed early in the life cycle. systems _____ are sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose. false T/F: It is much more expensive to make major changes to a project during the earlier phases. predictive _____ life cycle models of systems development assume that the scope of the project can be articulated clearly and the schedule and cost can be predicted accurately. open-systems focus _____ refers to the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment. a. Open-systems focus b. Conflict tolerance c. Means-ends orientation d. Risk tolerance scrum framework Sprint planning is part of the basic ______. incremental build life cycle The _____ model of a systems development life cycle provides for progressive development of operational software, with each release providing added capabilities. a. RAD life cycle b. incremental build life cycle c. waterfall life cycle d. spiral life cycle false T/F: The nature of hardware development projects is more diverse than software-oriented projects. false T/F: Project managers should lead projects in isolation in order to truly serve the needs of the organization. PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) _____ is a project management methodology that defines 45 separate subprocesses and organizes these into eight process groups. closing The closing process involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services and then bringing the project or project phase to an orderly end. It includes verifying that all of the deliverables are complete, and it often includes a final project report and presentation. The _____ process involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services and bringing the project, or project phase, to an orderly end. a. executing b. planning c. closing d. monitoring creation of a WBS Creation of a WBS is a planning process falling under the Project Scope Management knowledge area. _____ is a planning process that is within the Project Scope Management knowledge area. a. Quality planning b. Developing a project management plan c. Creation of a WBS d. Schedule development artifact In Scrum, a(n) _____ is a useful object created by people. Describe the process of initiating a project and the issues involved. In project management, initiating includes recognizing and starting a new project. An organization should put considerable thought into project selection to ensure that it initiates the right kinds of projects for the right reasons. It is better to have a moderate or even small amount of success on an important project than huge success on one that is unimportant. The selection of projects for initiation, therefore, is crucial, as is the selection of project managers. Ideally, the project manager would be involved in initiating a project, but often the project manager is selected after many initiation decisions have already been made. Organizations must also understand and plan for the ongoing support that is often required after implementing a new system or other product or service resulting from a project. It is important to remember that strategic planning should serve as the foundation for deciding which projects to pursue. The organization's strategic plan expresses the vision, mission, goals, objectives, and strategies of the organization. It also provides the basis for information technology project planning. Information technology is usually a support function in an organization, so it is critical that the people initiating information technology projects understand how those projects relate to current and future needs of the organization. Information systems must support the firm's business goals, such as providing consulting services more effectively and efficiently. An organization may initiate information technology projects for several reasons, but the most important reason is to support business objectives. Providing a good return on investment at a reasonable level of risk is also important, especially in tough economic times. Rational Unified Process _____ is an iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members. a. Agile Unified Process b. Six Sigma c. Rational Unified Process d. Dynamic Systems Development Method true Because each project is unique, project teams are always trying to do something