Chapter 2: The Project Management and IT Context M/C

Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment, and project managers need to consider projects within the greater organizational context. _____ describes this holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization.

Systems thinking

_____ refers to a problem-solving approach that requires defining the scope of a system, dividing it into its components, and then identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs.

Systems analysis

The _____ perspective of an organization focuses on different groups' roles and responsibilities in order to meet the goals and policies set by top management.

Structural frame

The _____ frame of an organization focuses on providing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of people.

Human resource

The symbolic perspective of an organization:

Focuses on the meanings of the culture, language, traditions, and image of the organization.

The _____ perspective on organizations assumes that organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups.

Political frame

Grey's Infotech sells customized hardware and software solutions for businesses. The salespeople for Grey's have a strict dress code when meeting clients. They are required to wear dark business suits, in order to convey the company's dedication to quality. The meaning conveyed to the clients' through the salespeople's clothing is part of the _____ frame of the organization.

Symbolic

In Rizzati Corp, vice presidents in departments such as engineering, manufacturing, IT, and human resources report directly to the chief executive officer and undertake their tasks independently of each other. The staffs of these departments have specialized skills in their respective disciplines.Rizatti Corp can be said to have a _____ organizational structure.

Functional

In a _____organizational structure, program managers, rather than functional managers or vice presidents, report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete all required tasks within their programs.

Project

In a _____ organizational structure, personnel often report to both a functional manager and one or more project managers.

Matrix

Project managers have the most authority in a pure _____ organizational structure.

Project

Project managers have the least amount of authority in a pure _____ organizational structure.

Functional

Which of the following is true of a matrix organizational structure?

In a strong matrix organizational structure, the project manager controls the project budget and has moderate to high authority.

_____ refers to a set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization.

Organizational culture

The _____ characteristic of organizational culture describes the degree to which management's decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.

People focus

_____ refers to the degree to employees identify with the organization as a whole, rather than with their types of job or profession.

Member identity

_____refers to the degree to which departments within an organization are encouraged to coordinate with each other.

Unit integration

In organizational culture, people focus refers to _____.

The degree to which management's decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on employees within the organization

In organizational culture, means-end orientation refers to _____.

The degree to which management focuses on outcomes rather than on techniques and processes used to achieve results

_____ refers to the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment.

Open-systems focus

In organizational culture, control refers to _____.

The degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to oversee employee behavior

_____ are an example of external stakeholders for an organization.

Competitors

A(n) _____ refers to a product or service, such as a technical report, a training session, a piece of hardware, or a segment of software code, produced or provided as part of a project.

Deliverable

Which of the following is true of the project life cycle?

In the early phases of a project life cycle, resource needs are usually lowest.

The first two traditional project phases (concept and development) focus on planning, and are often referred to as _____.

Project feasibility

A preliminary or rough cost estimate is developed in the _____ phase of the project life cycle, and an overview of the work involved is created.

Concept

In the development phase of the project life cycle:

The project team creates more detailed project plans, a more accurate cost estimate, and a more thorough WBS.

In the _____ phase, the project team creates a definitive or very accurate cost estimate, delivers the required work, and provides performance reports to stakeholders.

Implementation

The _____ model of a systems development life cycle assumes that requirements will remain stable after they are defined.

Waterfall life cycle

The _____ model of a systems development life cycle provides for progressive development of operational software, with each release providing added capabilities.

Incremental build life cycle

In the _____ model, developers use a model to generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously.

Prototyping 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.

RAD life cycle

Which of the following best describes a kill point in the project life cycle?

A review of the status of a project at each phase of development to determine if it should be continued, redirected, or terminated

Which of the following best describes outsourcing?

An organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source

Which of the following is a disadvantage of virtual teams as compared to traditional teams?

Reduced opportunities for informal transfer of information

Which of the following is true of virtual teams?

It is important to select team members carefully.

Which of the following is true of the agile approach to software development?

In the agile method, requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration.