Contemporary Project Management--Chapter 5 class notes

True/False Quiz

True

The value of engaging a subject matter expert early in a project should be balanced against the potentially significant cost of paying for their expertise over a longer period of time.

a. True b. False

True

The ideal time to bring team members and even a few SMEs on board is when the project charter is being written.

a. True b. False

False

All project teams progress uniformly through the five stages of team development.

a. True b. False

True

To help the team attain their goals, project managers need to understand the stages of development that project teams typically progress through.

a. True b. False

True

During the initial Forming stage, where new team members are excited yet concerned that the project work might be difficult, the project manager can help the team develop team-operating methods early - when they construct the project charter.

a. True b. False

True

Members of high-performing project teams will typically realize and increase their potential, solve problems, and move beyond their official role.

a. True b. False

False

The "relationship" topics within team ground rules, such as "discuss openly and protect confidentiality" and "avoid misunderstandings," should eliminate the need for the team to address how to handle conflict. a. True b. False

True

A key process topic that should be part of early discussions regarding ground rules is appropriate decision making, ensuring that the project manager and core team understand who makes each type of decision and how those decisions are made.

a. True b. False

True

A project manager understands the importance of understanding personal motives of each team member, and takes the time to describe their project's purpose in ways that appeal to each individual worker's desires.

a. True b. False

False

A project manager's referent power is described as enticing people to perform well so they can be assigned to something more interesting, challenging, or that furthers their career. a. True b. False

True

The adoption of specific ground rules that specify acceptable behaviors by project team members can improve working relationships, effectiveness, and communication.

a. True b. False

False

The standard approach to making decisions on a project is to clearly and consistently vest decision making authority in the sponsor and project manager.

a. True b. False

True

Conflict over ideas on how to proceed with a project can lead to more creative approaches.

a. True b. False

b. forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

It is argued that project teams progress through five stages of team development. Which of the following sequences best represents this progression?

a. forming, norming, storming, performing, reforming

b. forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

c. forming, storming, norming, performing, reforming

d. forming, performing, reforming, norming, adjourning

b. storming

During which stage of team development do team members attempt to jockey for power, ask many questions and establish dubious goals?

a. forming

b. storming

c. norming

d. Performing

b. Argue about everything

Agile teams require motivated members with a higher level of commitment. Agile teams have all of the following desirable traits EXCEPT:

a. Self-managed

b. Argue about everything

c. Focused on project goals

d. Able to decide quickly

a. Stimulating work environment and opportunity for team and individual recognition

Which two project team success factors have shown the strongest correlation to successful project performance as perceived by senior managers?

a. Stimulating work environment and opportunity for team and individual recognition

b. Clearly defined project and team objectives, and use of task and relationship behaviors to resolve conflicts

c. Clear project plans created by the team, and effective communications

d. Mutual trust, respect, and credibility and cross-functional cooperation

c. discuss openly and protect confidentiality

Project team ground rules address which of the following relationship topics?

a. manage sponsors and senior leaders

b. manage customers and clients

c. discuss openly and protect confidentiality

d. protect the project sponsor

d. manage meetings

Project team ground rules address which of the following process topics?

a. manage customer's expectations

b. manage the organization's project management process

c. manage the organization's project reporting process

d. manage meetings

d. The steering team reviews the project data and makes the decision.

All of the following represent common decision-making methods by contemporary project teams EXCEPT:

a. The project manager or sponsor makes the decision.

b. One or two team members recommend or make the decision.

c. The project team votes to make the decision.

d. The steering team reviews the project data and makes the decision.

b. referent power

This type of power is when a project team member works for the project manager out of respect and personal desire.

a. coercive power

b. referent power

c. connection power

d. positional power

d. collaborating / problem solving

Which of the following styles of handling conflict is most appropriate whenever there is enough time, trust can be established, the issue is important to both sides and buy-in is needed?

a. forcing / competing

b. smoothing / accommodating

c. compromising

d. collaborating / problem solving

d. different personalities

Which of these is NOT among the common task-related sources of project conflict?

a. schedule

b. priorities

c. technical approach

d. different personalities

c. use "good cop / bad cop" technique

All of the following are among the steps of the negotiation process EXCEPT:

a. clarify both parties' interests

b. work toward a common goal

c. use "good cop / bad cop" technique

d. clarify and confirm agreements

b. Traditional leadership

All of the following are leadership approaches that are common and effective on Agile projects EXCEPT:

a. Transformational leadership

b. Traditional leadership

c. Servant leadership

d. Developmental leadership

d. All of the above.

Which of the following can contribute to project uncertainty?

a. Environmental factors

b. Market factors

c. Political factors

d. All of the above

c. learning

All of these are stages of team development except:

a. adjourning

b. storming

c. learning

d. performing

b. Ground rules

____________________ establish(es) clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members and may cover topics such as protecting confidentiality, establishing trust, and handling conflict.

a. The employee handbook

b. Ground rules

c. Management by objectives

d. Personnel directives

c. Develop Project Team

The objective of the ____________________ process is to improve competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance.

a. Plan Human Resource Management

b. Acquire Project Team

c. Develop Project Team

d. Manage Project Team

d. none of the above

All of these are techniques for managing project conflicts except:

a. smooth/accommodate

b. withdraw/avoid

c. collaborate/problem solve

d. none of the above

d. issue log

A document used to manage points of discussion or dispute that arise during projects, in order to monitor them and ensure that they are eventually resolved and added to lessons learned, is called a(n) ____________________.

a. risk register

b. stakeholder register

c. SWOT analysis

d. issue log

a. competencies

Which of these is not a challenge of working on global and virtual teams?

a. competencies

b. language

c. time zones

d. culture

b. comprised of SMEs

Which of the following is not typical of an Agile team?

a. co-located

b. comprised of SMEs

c. can make decisions quickly

d. largely self-managed

c. Determine which teammate was in the wrong

Which of the following steps is not part of the six-step project conflict-resolution process?

a. Identify causes of conflict

b. Identify potential solutions

c. Determine which teammate was in the wrong

d. Understand the conflict

relationships; tasks

The sources of most project conflicts can be grouped into those related to ____________________ and those related to ____________________.

a. relationships; tasks

b. technical skills; budget

c. personalities; deadlines

d. Schedule; risks

c. Generalized specialists with more emphasis on long-term team membership.

The team leader is meeting with the project sponsor to determine the team assignments and resource requirements for the project. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, what is considered when team members are acquired?

a. Specialists with project-length membership.

b. High-performing team attitudes and behaviors.

c. Generalized specialists with more emphasis on long-term team membership.

d. High-performing team attitudes and behaviors with emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

d. High-performing team attitudes and behaviors with emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

The team leader of the Agile project is concerned that most of the available team members are technical specialists with a limited track record of collaboration. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, what are the characteristics of project teams?

a. Specialists with project-length membership.

b. High-performing team attitudes and behaviors.

c. Generalized specialists with more emphasis on long-term team membership.

d. High-performing team attitudes and behaviors with emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

d. Collaboratively and continually plan and commit

The Agile team leader is considering developing the plan first and then including the project team. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, how is the project team involved in planning?

a. Provide no input.

b. Provide input on their portion of plan.

c. Collaboratively to minimize the budget.

d. Collaboratively and continually plan and commit.

c. Agile principles of simplicity, willingness to change, value, and rapid feedback.

A team member raises a concern about changes to the scope—given the clients history of requesting changes. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, what key thoughts drive work?

a. Agile principles of simplicity, meeting scope, and schedule.

b. Agile principles of meeting scope, schedule, and cost agreements.

c. Agile principles of simplicity, willingness to change, value, and rapid feedback.

d. Agile principles of willingness to change, value, schedule, and cost agreements.

c. Assess and build individual and team capabilities, establish and use team ground rules. Team members know product.

The project team leader asks the sponsor for advice on how to build an Agile project team—and how this might differ from a plan-driven project. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, how is the project team developed?

a. Assess and develop team capabilities, use established team ground rules.

b. Assess and develop individual capabilities, use established team ground rules.

c. Assess and build individual and team capabilities, establish and use team ground rules. Team members know product.

d. Assess and build individual and team capabilities, use established team ground rules. Team members know schedule constraints.

c. Actively help make decisions, perform individual work, offer and accept help and feedback, continually ask questions.

The team leader of the agile project team informs the team that project team member responsibilities do not differ substantial from a plan driven team. A team member however has requested additional detail. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, what are team member responsibilities?

a. Actively participate and perform individual work.

b. Actively participate and provide inputs into the work packages.

c. Actively help make decisions, perform individual work, offer and accept help and feedback, continually ask questions.

d. Actively help make decisions, perform individual work, offer and accept help and provide inputs into the work packages.

b. Trust teams by having them self-govern while using transformational, servant, and developmental leadership. Continue to refine vision and direction as feedback is received.

The project sponsor is concerned about project governance and is considering putting strict policies and controls in place. The team leader disagrees. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, what is the management/leadership focus?

a. Manage according to the formal project plan while situational leadership. Continue to refine vision and direction as feedback is received.

b. Trust teams by having them self-govern while using transformational, servant, and developmental leadership. Continue to refine vision and direction as feedback is received.

c. Trust teams by providing details instructions while using transformational, servant, and developmental leadership. Continue to follow the formal project plan.

d. Trust teams by having them self-govern, manage according to the formal project plan while situational leadership.

b. Visible and constant communication, face-to-face when possible.

The client and the project sponsor are asking about the project progress reports and how often they will be made available. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, how are communications handled?

a. Periodic updates, meetings, reports.

b. Visible and constant communication, face-to-face when possible.

c. Leader focuses on needs of the followers to share periodic updates, meetings, reports.

d. Leader focuses on needs of the followers first through integrating followers' needs with project goals, honesty, delegation, and empowerment.

c. Scrum master facilitates, but team resolves when possible, by understanding conflict sources, using resolution process and appropriate style.

The project sponsor is aware that the team members have often engaged in conflict in the past and is concerned about what policies are needed in order to best manage it. When considering leading and managing agile project teams, how is conflict handled?

a. Project manager understands conflict sources, uses resolution process and appropriate style.

b. Program manager understands conflict sources, uses resolution process and appropriate style.

c. Scrum master facilitates, but team resolves when possible, by understanding conflict sources, using resolution process and appropriate style.

d. Product owner facilitates, but team resolves when possible, by understanding conflict sources, using resolution process and appropriate style.

a. Assess and build individual and team capabilities, establish and use team ground rule.

The fluid and iterative nature of Agile raises the concern of the project sponsor regarding project responsibilities and team accountability. There are several key principles of agile team responsibilities that go beyond performing individual work and help drive improvement and innovation. Which of the following is NOT a key principles of agile team responsibility?

a. Assess and build individual and team capabilities, establish and use team ground rule.

b. Collective ownership states that all team members are responsible for the product being produced and any one of them can change it when it appears necessary.

c. Pair programming, while developed in an information systems environment, is useful in many situations.

d. Openness states that workers help each other. If one needs help, he should ask. If another sees that a person needs help, he should offer. They learn together.

Management

the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources.

Leadership

the influencing process of leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change

Develop project team

the process of defining roles and responsibilities, improve competencies, working productively at individual and team levels, and improving the work environement to improve the team and project performance.

Manage project team

the process of assigning tasks, roles, and responsibilities to all the team members, tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and coordinating changes to optimize project performance.

Acquire project team

a process of identifying skill requirements for a project and acquiring human resources that possess those skills based on their availability to work on project assignments.

Negotiation

is about redefining an old relationship that is not working effectively or establishing a new relationship, necessary when a proposal is not acceptable to both the parties; most commonly used process and the first step to resolve a dispute, a difference, or a conflict.

virtual team

known as a distributed team, rarely meet in person and rely on information and communication technology

generalized specialists

human capital who are very good at one thing, but also competent at a wide variety of work

improve collaboratively

When one worker has problems, others help and learn together

Collective ownership

All qualified team members are responsible for product and all can change it

Pair programming

practice of one programmer writing while another reviews, two minds are better than one

Openness

Seek new ideas, ask for help when needed

Transformational leadership

Leader aims to develop trust and align personal values of individuals (followers) to accomplish vision and mission of the organization

Servant leadership

Leader focuses on needs of the followers first through integrating followers’ needs with project goals, honesty, delegation, and empowerment.

Developmental leadership

Safe environment in which different team members informally take on leadership roles at different times and are supported by team members and other stakeholders

courage

Tell the truth, work together, adapt to changes, question status quo, have difficult conversations

respect

Everyone gives and feels _______, everyone contributes, team strength is collaboration, give each other permission

c. People may still be committed to finishing work on a previous project.

What is the potential downside to bringing project workers into a project too early?

a. People don't like being told what to do, but are usually enthusiastic if they can participate in creating the project plan.

b. When the people who perform the work help to plan it, many more details may be considered.

c. People may still be committed to finishing work on a previous project.

d. For external projects, it is common to list the specific workers who will be assigned to a project team in the proposal.

d. Because highly skilled workers tend to be excellent generalists that need to be "sold" on the project

Why is it often necessary for project managers to persuade experienced workers to be part of the project team?

a. Because the project manager has a reputation of being a good boss by caring for team members

b. Because functional managers always offer their least experienced people as resources

c. Because strong technical skills are the most important qualification for team members

d. Because highly skilled workers tend to be excellent generalists that need to be "sold" on the project

a. When the project charter is being written

What is the best time to on-board team members?

a. When the project charter is being written

b. After the project plan has been completed

c. During project execution

d. When the financial and scoring models have been completed

c. Transforming

Which of these is NOT one of the five stages of team development?

a. Storming

b. Performing

c. Transforming

d. Norming

d. Performing

During which stage of team development do team members often feel close to one another and have a good understanding of how to work together?

a. Storming

b. Norming

c. Forming

d. Performing

b. Ability to put their own needs above those for the project

The characteristics of high-performing teams start with the personal values of individual team members. Which of these is NOT one of the personal values that can contribute to a high-performing team?

a. Appreciation and acceptance of personal responsibility

b. Ability to put their own needs above those for the project

c. Willingness to consider and accept alternative views

d. High need for achievement

c. Pride in performing as an individual

Which of these is NOT one of the favorable outcomes of fostering a high-performing project team?

a. High spirit and team morale

b. Satisfaction in project accomplishments

c. Pride in performing as an individual

d. Enjoyment of their work

a. chief projects officer (CPO)

During all five stages of team development, project managers should remember that their responsibilities are to simultaneously support all of these three intertwined groups EXCEPT:

a. chief projects officer (CPO).

b. parent organization.

c. project.

d. project team

d. The team charter contains the project scope overview, which is used to distinguish between what the project will and will not do.

Teams eager to become high performing often create and use a team charter to enhance their effectiveness. When people are arguing over a decision, it might be helpful to bring out the charter. Which of these is NOT a reason for referring to the team charter when disagreements arise?

a. The team charter presents information about how members are expected to collaborate in project activities and participate in making decisions.

b. The team charter specifies professional performance and personal behavior expectations for team members.

c. The team charter defines group norms for work ethics, respect, conflict management, and communication protocols.

d. The team charter contains the project scope overview, which is used to distinguish between what the project will and will not do.

a. ground rules

Acceptable behaviors adopted by a project team to improve working relationships, effectiveness, and communication are referred to as __________.

a. ground rules

b. acceptance criteria

c. negotiations

d. operating principles

b. When the decision requires a higher authority

Under certain circumstances, a project manager or sponsor might retain the right to make a project decision. What would these circumstances be?

a. When they want the team to consider at least two alternative approaches before proceeding

b. When the decision requires a higher authority

c. When the project manager wants to encourage participation

d. When they want to handle conflict

b. It enables the two team members to get to know each other better and work well together

There can be benefits to delegating a decision to one or two core team members or SMEs. What are these benefits?

a. The decision can be made quickly by a higher authority.

b. It enables the two team members to get to know each other better and work well together.

c. It gives each team member the opportunity to articulate what they believe is important to the decision, and why.

d. It allows each team member of the team to cast a vote

a. When significant commitment is necessary to implement the decision

When would consensus be the best decision-making strategy?

a. When significant commitment is necessary to implement the decision

b. When sufficient information or time is not available and the decision needs to be made before the next meeting

c. When the project manager wants to test for agreement, to see if the majority agrees

d. When the decision requires higher authority

c. Expert

__________ power is the ability to persuade others based upon the project manager's personal knowledge and skills.

a. Reward

b. Referent

c. Expert

d. Information

a. Legitimate

__________ power should be used by project managers when they are asking their team members to perform a task within their job description.

a. Legitimate

b. Connection

c. Expert

d. Information

a. Coercive

__________ power should be used by a project manager only in circumstances in which it is necessary to maintain discipline or enforce the rules.

a. Coercive

b. Legitimate

c. Reward

d. Expert

a. Stakeholder list

In order to manager stakeholders' expectations, a project manager needs to understand the stakeholders' assumptions. What document(s) can help with this?

a. Stakeholder list

b. Resource estimates

c. Team-operating principles

d. Charter signatures and commitment

a. high, high

The collaborative style for handling conflict has a __________ concern for self and a __________ concern for others.

a. high, high

b. high, low

c. low, high

d. medium, medium

b. Helps the project manager understand priorities and motivations of each core team member

Why is it important for project managers to have one-on-one discussions with their core team members?

a. Ensures that the team member understands the project manager's power

b. Helps the project manager understand priorities and motivations of each core team member

c. Helps them establish ground rules and the team charter

d. Helps them move through the forming stage of team development

d. Team members have varied skills.

Which one of these is NOT one of the increased challenges to working with a global or virtual team?

a. Time boundaries are crossed.

b. Cultural, age, gender, functional diversity

c. Team members are physically dispersed.

d. Team members have varied skills.

d. Yes; the team should meet in person once, at the beginning of the project.

Should a virtual team also meet in person?

a. No; the additional expense of arranging for all team members to meet in a central location is prohibitive.

b. No; with the availability and diversity of technology methods available, it should not be necessary to physically bring team members together one time.

c. Yes; the team should meet in person at every major project milestone.

d. Yes; the team should meet in person once, at the beginning of the project.

Gallup Consulting

What is a global research-based consultancy, specializing in employee and customer management.

strength

By “_____,” I mean an ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a specific activity.

goals

A tool like the Clifton StrengthsFinder® is useful for helping team members identify the ways they can best contribute to the team’s ______.

Executing

Our research shows that the thirty-four StrengthsFinder themes naturally cluster into these four groups:

• making things happen

Influencing

Our research shows that the thirty-four StrengthsFinder themes naturally cluster into these four groups:

• reaching a broader audience

relationship building

Our research shows that the thirty-four StrengthsFinder themes naturally cluster into these four groups:

• holding the team together

strategic thinking

Our research shows that the thirty-four StrengthsFinder themes naturally cluster into these four groups:

• focusing on all the possibilities

Leadership

The ability to focus the group's attention on the work and complete it- based on trust and respect, not fear and submission.

Pride

______ is the enemy of godly leadership

Humility

Which is the most important biblical leadership pillar?

same

Leadership and management are related but not the _______

coercion

One keys for leadership is to use this skill without _______

credibility

team uses _____, not vision