1.
Imagine you are managing a project that hits a major milestone early, putting the team ahead of schedule. This alters the project plan’s original course of action. What is the name for this type of event?
Finishing tasks early can alter a project plan. Measuring project performance helps you use positive deviations like this one to your advantage.
2.
Which five items should you track throughout the project execution phase?
Tracking costs helps keep the project within budget.
Tracking action items helps keep the project within scope.
Tracking key tasks and activities helps keep the project on schedule and in scope.
Tracking the project schedule helps teams complete deliverables on time.
Tracking progress toward milestones helps keep the project on schedule.
3.
Which tracking method is best for teams with a lot of people and projects with many tasks or milestones that are dependent on one another?
Gantt charts lay out ownership and responsibilities explicitly. This makes them a good choice for large and complex projects.
4.
Which tool is most useful near the end of a project, when meeting deadlines is the top priority?
A burndown chart is a great tool to help teams meet deadlines through the project’s close.
5.
Imagine that a client wants to add an auction of donated items to a fundraising event. The project manager is currently executing the project for a dinner and short concert. Which of the triple constraints does this change impact the most?
While the triple constraints are linked, the project manager must work to include the event’s changing requirements and scope.
6.
Imagine a home improvement chain develops a new line of power tools. One of the designers wants to adopt a new process that will simplify the team’s workflow. Which method should they use to convey their idea to team members and stakeholders?
Team members can use change request forms to schedule stakeholder discussions and communicate proposed changes.
7.
Imagine that a toy company is known for making a popular doll, but their design team decides to test out a new material for the doll’s clothes before beginning a new batch. This test has what two types of dependencies?
Internal dependencies are relationships between tasks within the same project, like testing new materials for production.
The project team defines discretionary dependencies when they decide certain tasks should rely on one another.
8.
What tool can project managers use to calculate risk exposure and prioritize risks using high, medium, and low rankings?
Project managers can calculate risk exposure using a matrix that measures impact against probability.
9.
Which term refers to the process of enlisting leadership or management to remove an obstacle, clarify or reinforce priorities, and validate next steps?
Escalations can act as checks and balances, so that teams can take appropriate actions when projects change.
10.
What can project managers do to keep trench war disagreements from bringing projects to a standstill?
Escalation can help teams settle differences and work out solutions that move the project forward.
11.
In the ROAM technique, what does it mean to resolve a risk?
A resolved risk no longer poses a problem because the team avoided or eliminated the risk.