Chapter Quiz

1.	What is the goal of planning? To discover which technology will make the company the most profitable To arrive at a conclusion about any technology To determine the cost of a project To determine who should be the project sponsor
2.	What is the key to good research? Time Team members helping compile data Questions on every facet of the project scope Organization and a concentrated effort
3.	Of the following, which two are excellent sources of information for researching a technology project? Prior experience Television news Internet search engines Vendor brochures
4.	When time is of the essence, what can a project manager do to increase research productivity? Delegate the research topics among team members. Use only one or two research outlets. Limit the time spent doing the research. Hire a vendor to do the implementation.
5.	What is a feasibility study? A plan for researching the project A plan based on the project research A plan that recommends the proposed technology A plan that does not recommend the proposed technology
6.	Of the following, which topic is not usually included in a feasibility study? Executive summary Market research Product information Financial obligations
7.	Why must a project manager address the users impacted by the technology in a feasibility study? To determine their willingness to use the product To determine how many users will use the product To determine the downtime caused by the product To determine the validity of changing or adding technology
8.	Why should a project manager demonstrate ROI in the financial obligation portion of a feasibility study? He should not; it will be determined by the Project Sponsor. He should include ROI to demonstrate the validity of the project. He should include ROI to demonstrate the initial cash outlay for the technology. He should include ROI to make certain his project is approved.
9.	What is project priority? It is the ability of a project manager to determine which project is the most valuable to an organization. It is the ability of a project sponsor to determine which projects should be implemented and which should be discarded. It is a process project managers and project sponsors must go through when conflicting projects arise within an organization. It is a process project sponsors use to determine which project is of greater importance when two projects conflict.
10.	What is the goal of a project sponsor? To manage the project manager To delegate duties to the project manager To increase profits through the project led by the assigned project manager To increase productivity through technical implementations
11.	Complete this sentence : In order to complete successful planning the project manager must know ______________________? The mission statement of the organization How much the project budget is The cause of the problem the project is to solve The requirements the project must satisfy
12.	What is project portfolio management? It is the risk the project manager is taking when implementing a project. It is the pool of available project managers. It is the management and selection of which projects will be engaged, allowed to continue, or stopped based on conditions within the organization or project. It is the relationship between the project manager and a third party that will implement the proposed technology.
13.	What causes internal conflicting IT projects? Lack of communication Lack of planning Technology that develops too quickly Conflicting technology
14.	Of the following, which is the best solution two project managers can take to resolve conflicting projects? Ask the project sponsors from both projects to take the project to upper management. Ask the project sponsor from both projects to meet and determine how, and if, the projects can work together. The project managers from both projects should meet and determine if a solution can be reached between them. The project managers from both projects should meet. The project manager with the seniority will determine how the projects may continue.
15.	Which solution would allow project managers to disseminate information among projects quickly and easily? Monthly meetings among all project managers Weekly meetings among all project managers A newsletter created on proposed projects and dispersed to all project managers An intranet project page created for all project managers

Answers

1.	B. The goal of planning is to arrive at a conclusion. While it may seem appropriate to discover which technology will make the company most profitable, that is not always the goal of research. Determining the cost of a project is part of research, but it is not the ultimate goal.
2.	D. Organization and a concentrated effort is the key to good research. Without an organized focused approach, research has a tendency to ramble and be fruitless.
3.	A, D. Experience with the proposed technology is the best resource anyone can ask for. The second best is information from the vendor touting what the product is capable of. An Internet search engine may be an excellent resource for finding information, but not a resource in and of itself.
4.	A. Many hands lighten the load. Whenever possible, a project manager should delegate the planning among team members. The project manager rarely completes planning alone.
5.	B. A feasibility study is a plan based on the project research. It contains a summary of the information you ve discovered in an organized, factual document to determine if the project is feasible to complete.
6.	B. Market research is not included in a feasibility study. An executive summary, information on the product, and financial obligations are included.
7.	C. A project manager must evaluate any downtime caused by the product implementation. Downtime for users, whether through a learning curve or lack of productivity, is an expense for the company. Too high of a learning curve or long periods of inactivity due to lack of planning is unacceptable.
8.	B. To implement the technology, an organization will have an initial cash outlay. The ROI will show how the technology can earn back the initial expense and more by increasing productivity. If the ROI is too little, the project may be scrapped.
9.	A. A project manager may have multiple projects to manage. Project priority is the ability to determine which project takes precedence since it is most important to the success of an organization.
10.	C. The goal of a project sponsor is to increase profits through the proposed project. A project manager will carry out the implementation of the project. A project sponsor may manage a project manager, but it should not be her goal to do so.
11.	D. In order for a project to be successful, the project manager must know the requirements the project must satisfy. Meetings and interviews with the project stakeholders will help the project manager and the project team ascertain what exactly the project must create.
12.	C. Project portfolio management is a process management uses to determine which projects should be engaged and which should not be. Project portfolio management is also used to determine if projects should be halted because of a shift in priorities, conditions within a project, or conditions within an organization.
13.	A. Lack of communication causes conflicting IT projects. If departments, teams , project managers, and project sponsors would effectively share plans, research, and needs among the organization, there would be fewer conflicts and more successful IT implementation.
14.	C. When two projects clash , the initial reaction between the project managers should be to meet and discuss the situation. The two project managers should attempt to find a resolution and move forward with as little disruption as possible. If no resolution can be met, then the project sponsors should get involved to find a solution. Job seniority, despite popular opinion, does not make someone right.
15.	D. Use technology to discuss technology. Meetings are often counterproductive, a waste of time, and hard to schedule. A newsletter, while admirable, is not quickly created or updated. An intranet site can be quickly created and updated, is searchable, and is very cost effective.