Weekly Challenge 2 Foundations of Project Management

 

Weekly Challenge 2 Foundations of Project Management

1) As a project manager you are transparent, which means being up front with plans and ideas and making information readily available. What project management value does this represent?

Ans: Effective communication

 

2) As a project manager, you direct the activities your team needs to accomplish within a set period of time. You also control the team’s workload to ensure the activities are getting done on time. Which project management responsibility does this represent?

Ans: Managing Task

 

3) As a project manager on a product team, which of the following activities would be the best way to ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Give teammates ownership over specific pieces of the project and manage the tasks, not the person.

Establish “escalation paths.”

 

4) A project manager forgets to assess how national holidays and team member vacations will affect the project’s completion date. Now, because of team member time off, the project delivery will be two weeks late. What flexible planning strategy could the project manager have used to avoid the delay?

Ans: Assess external constraints

 

5) Suppose that unless a teammate receives additional resources, they are going to complete an activity past a deadline. You know that the stakeholders are reluctant to provide additional resources. Which interpersonal skill can you use to strike a middle ground between both the teammate’s and stakeholders’ needs?

Ans: Negotiation

 

6) As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to build a great team. Which of the following would a project manager do to build a great team? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Take the time to understand each team member’s motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.

Understand the customer’s requirements to better shape the skills needed for the team.

Allow the team members to have input and ask questions.

 

7) As a project manager, how can you protect the team from changes to the project? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Clearly identify any project changes.

Let the stakeholders know how changes impact the budget and schedule.

Document initial expectations of the project.

 

8) Yui is a project manager working for a clothing company developing a new line of winter sleepwear. Which of the following is necessary for Yui to manage this project effectively?

Ans: Yui must ensure team members understand their objectives and have what they need to be successful in their tasks.

 

9) As a project manager on a product team, which of the following responsibilities are part of your role within the team? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Hold all team members accountable for their assigned tasks.

Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible.

Collaborate with other teams at the organization.

 

10) Suppose you are trying to figure out how a team member prefers to receive positive recognition. Which interpersonal skill can you use to make this determination?

Ans: Understanding Motivations

 

11) As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to build a great team. Which of the following would a project manager do to build a great team? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Ensure the team knows that each individual is valued, trusted, and appreciated.

Bring on people with the right skills.

 

12) Jamar just landed his first project management job with a construction company. Which of the following is necessary for Jamar to be an effective construction project manager?

Ans: Jamar must help the engineers and construction workers communicate with one another to ensure that they are all on the same page.

 

13) Suppose that as a project manager, you provide detailed plans and frequent project updates to both the team and stakeholders. What project management value does this represent?

Ans: Effective communication

 

14)  As a project manager on a product team, your stakeholders ask you to help the marketing team come up with a strategy to attract customers. What project management responsibility does this represent?

Ans: Collaborate with other teams at the organization.                                      

 

15) How can a project manager better communicate goals and clarify those goals for a cross-functional team?

Ans: Define key items and encourage team members to ask questions.

 

16) You’re a project manager on a team improving a product. How can you make sure the project stays on schedule?

Ans: Track daily product improvement tasks of team members in a spreadsheet.

 

17) As a project manager, you learn that a teammate will be out sick for at least a week. They will be unable to complete their tasks, potentially causing the project to go past its deadline. Which work reallocation strategy can keep the project on schedule?

Ans: Review the out-sick teammate’s tasks to determine which tasks have “float” and figure out where the order of tasks can be changed or resources can be juggled.

 

18) A project manager's ability to guide teammates to complete their assigned work without acting as their direct managers is called _____.

Ans: influencing without authority      

19) As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to effectively manage the project. Which of the following would a project manager do to effectively manage the project? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Understand the impact of each process within the project.

Frequently communicate the larger project goal to the team.

 

20) Which of the following are examples of internal customers? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Organizational departments

Team members

Management

Learning more about project manager roles and responsibilities

 

1) Fill in the blank: _____ is how a project manager makes use of productivity tools and creates processes. The project manager may need to use certain tools and processes to do tasks like create a schedule and share information.

Ans: Planning and organizing

 

2) Fill in the blank: _____ is how a project manager keeps track of the team's workload, ensures that things are getting done within a set period of time, and demonstrates progress to people outside the immediate team, like stakeholders.

Ans: Managing tasks

 

3) Fill in the blank: _____ is how a project manager oversees the financial components of a project and mitigates project issues and risks as they come up.

Ans: Budgeting and controlling costs

 

4) Fill in the blank: A cross-functional project team is a team that has _____.

Ans: diverse skill sets and works toward a common goal

 

 

Acquiring the core skills of a successful project manager

 

1) Which of the following is true of project managers’ experience? Select all that apply.

Ans:

They need to be familiar with project management tools

They need to know how to manage a budget

 

2) Which skill should a project manager use when dealing with change and ambiguity?

Ans: Flexibility

 

3) Using tools such as a digital calendar and a spreadsheet to track team tasks is evidence of what project management skill?

Ans: Effective organizational skills

 

4) Which of the following flexible planning strategies can help a project manager during times of unpredictability? Select all that apply.

Ans:

Calculate float in the schedule.

Plan for risks and challenges

Assess external constraints.