University of Houston, Downtown - CIS 3302Chapter 1 - 6 Test Bank: All Grade A Content.

CIS 3302: Chapter 1 - 6 Test Bank

Chapter 1

1.  Until the 1980s, project management primarily focused on providing schedule and resource data to top management in the military, computer, and construction industries.

2.  A research report showed that the U.S. spends $2.3 trillion on projects every year, an amount equal to 40 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

3.  One attribute that helps define a project is that a project has a unique purpose.

4.  A project should be developed using progressive elaboration, starting from specific details and broadening in scope as it progresses.

5.  Projects are often defined narrowly when they begin.

6.  Projects rarely involve uncertainty.

7.  Every project is constrained in different ways by its scope and cost goals; these limitations are sometimes referred to in project management as the double constraint.

8.  Questions about how long a project’s schedule should be are related to the issue of the project’s scope.

9.  Because projects involve uncertainty and limited resources, projects rarely finish according to discrete scope, time, and cost goals as originally planned.

10.  Managing the triple constraint involves making trade-offs between scope, time, and cost goals for a project.

11.  Some people refer to the “double constraint” of project management to include quality and customer satisfaction.

12.  In the example of building a new house, the support staff would provide the wood, windows, flooring materials, appliances, and so on.

13.  Stakeholders’ needs and expectations are only important in the beginning of a project.

14.  There are six core knowledge areas of project management.

15.  Follow-up studies done by the Standish Group showed that the number of failed projects has more than doubled in the past decade.

16.  The 2006 Standish Group survey showed that IT project success rates had risen from 16 percent in 1994 to 35 percent in 2006.

17.  Project management is the silver bullet that guarantees success on all projects.

18.  A key finding of a 2004 study is that relationship management is viewed as a top success factor for information systems in China, while it is not mentioned in U.S. studies.

19.  Winners in project delivery know that strong program managers—referred to as project leaders—are crucial to project success.

20.  A program is “a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually.”

21.  Program managers are not responsible for coordinating the efforts of project teams, functional groups, suppliers, and operations staff.

22.  The job description for a project manager can vary by industry and by organization.

23.  Project managers should possess general management knowledge and skills.

24.  Project managers must be able to make effective use of technology as it relates to the specific project.

25.  Project managers for large information technology projects have to be experts in the field of information technology.

26.  Project managers often take on the role of both leader and manager.

27.  Today’s project managers still draw Gantt charts by hand.

28.  Determining the relationships among tasks is not essential in helping to improve project scheduling.

29.  New software makes basic tools, such as Gantt charts and network diagrams, inexpensive, easy to create, and available for anyone to update.

30.  Many people still use basic productivity software, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, to perform many project management functions.

31.  A research report showed that the U.S. spends         on projects every year.

A.  $2.3 billion

B.  $23 billion

C.   $2.3 trillion

D.  $23 trillion

32.  A research report showed that the U.S. spends the equivalent of         percent of the nation’s gross domestic product on projects every year.

A.  10

B.  20

C.   25

D.  50

33.  Many organizations assert that using project management provides advantages, such as          .

A.  lower profit margins

B.  lower costs

C.  less internal coordination

D.  lower worker morale

34.  Because a project requires resources, often from various areas, many projects cross           or other boundaries to achieve their unique purposes.

A.  financial

B.  spatial

C.   departmental

D.  technological

35.  The project         usually provides the direction and funding for the project.

A.  leader

B.  sponsor

C.  manager

D.  director

36.  The limitations of scope, time, and cost goals are sometimes referred to as the          .

A.  double bind

B.  triple constraint

C.  double constraint

D.  double obstacle

37.          are the people involved in or affected by project activities and include the project sponsor, project team, support staff, customers, users, suppliers, and even opponents of the project.

A.  Managers

B.  Stakeholders

C.  Directors

D.  Citizens

38.  In the example of the project of building a house, the project sponsors would be the potential         .

A.  contractors

B.  support staff

C.  managers

D.  new homeowners

39.  In the example of the project of building a house, the         would normally be the general contractor responsible for building the house.

A.  project sponsors

B.  project team

C.   project manager

D.  support staff

40.  Project         management involves defining and managing all the work required to complete the project successfully.

A.  scope

B.  quality

C.  time

D.  cost

41.  Project         management ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken.

A.  cost

B.  time

C.  scope

D.  quality

42.  Project         management is concerned with making effective use of the people involved with the project.

A.  human resource

B.  risk

C.  communications

D.  procurement

43.  Project         management involves generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information.

A.  risk

B.  procurement

C.   communications

D.  resource

44.  Project         management is an overarching function that affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas.

A.  cost

B.  quality

C.   integration

D.  time

45.  What works on one project may not work on another, so it is essential for project managers to continue to develop their knowledge and    in managing projects.

A.  time

B.  resources

C.  funding

D.  skills

46.  According to the Standish group, which of the following factors contributes most to the success of information technology projects?

A.  Executive support

B.  User involvement

C.  Experienced project manager

D.  Clear business objectives

47.  According to the Standish Group study describing what factors contribute most to the success of information technology projects,         percent of successful projects are led by experienced project managers.

A.  75

B.  80

C.   97 D. 100

48.  “All project leaders use a shared road map, focusing on key business aspects of their projects while integrating goals across all parts of the organization” describes the          best practice for project delivery.

A.  Use an integrated toolbox

B.  Grow project leaders

C.   Develop a streamlined project delivery process

D.  Measure project health using metrics

49.           project management software integrates information from multiple projects to show the status of active, approved, and future projects across an entire organization.

A.  Investment

B.  Active

C.   Enterprise

D.  Budget

50.  A         can have many different job descriptions, which can vary tremendously based on the organization and the project.

A.  project supervisor

B.  project manager

C.  job coordinator

D.  project coordinator

51.  In an interview with two chief information officers (CIOs), both men agreed that the most important project management skills seem to depend on .

A.  the difficulty of the project and the resources involved

B.  the difficulty of the task and the people involved

C.  the uniqueness of the project and the difficulty of the task

D.  the uniqueness of the project and the people involved

52.  Achieving high performance on projects requires          , otherwise called human relations skills.

A.  capital skills

B.  soft skills

C.  light skills

D.  hard skills

53.  A(n)         focuses on long-term goals and big-picture objectives, while inspiring people to reach those goals.

A.  assistant

B.  programmer

C.   leader

D.  manager

54.  A(n)         often deals with the day-to-day details of meeting specific goals.

A.  manager

B.  leader

C.  programmer

D.  analyst

55.  Some people say that         achieve the vision of a project.

A.  leaders

B.  managers

C.  stakeholders

D.  supervisors

56.  Most people agree that the modern concept of project management began with the         .

A.  Great Wall of China

B.  first space shuttle

C.  Egyptian pyramids

D.  Manhattan Project

57.  The Manhattan Project cost almost $2 billion in       . A. 1936

B. 1946

C. 1956

D. 1966

58.  In         , Henry Gantt developed the famous Gantt chart as a tool for scheduling work in factories. A. 1897

B. 1917

C. 1927

D. 1957

59.  A Gantt chart is a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a    format.

A.  pie chart

B.  line graph

C.  bar graph

D.  calendar

60.  During the Cold War years of the 1950s and ’60s,         continued to be key in refining several project management techniques.

A.  NASA

B.  the military

C.  steel manufacturing

D.  marine biology

61.  The longest path through a network diagram that determines the earliest completion of a project is called the

         path.

A.  essential

B.  important

C.   critical

D.  vital

62.  By the         , the U.S. military and its civilian suppliers developed software to assist in managing large projects.

A. 1960s B. 1970s C. 1980s D. 1990s

63.           was an early project management software product that helped managers analyze complex schedules for designing aircraft.

A.  Artemis

B.  Columbia

C.  Vega

D.  Oberlin

64.  A PMO, or Project         Office, is an organizational group responsible for coordinating the project management function throughout an organization.

A.  Management

B.  Money

C.  Municipal

D.  Marketing

65.  Many organizations are now using enterprise or project          management software to help manage projects.

A.  path

B.  portfolio

C.  institute

D.  office

66.  PMI provides certification as a Project Management          (PMP), someone who has documented sufficient project experience and education, agreed to follow the PMI code of professional conduct, and demonstrated knowledge of the field of project management by passing a comprehensive examination.

A.  Producer

B.  Practitioner

C.   Professional

D.  Professor

67.  Just as passing the CPA exam is a standard for accountants, passing the         exam is becoming a standard for project managers.

A.  PMI

B.  PM

C.   PMP

D.  PMO

68.  The Project Management          , a Web site for people involved in project management, provides an alphabetical directory of more than 300 project management software solutions.

A.  Center

B.  Alliance

C.  Consortium

D.  Facility

69.           tools are often recommended for small projects and single users.

A.  Low-end

B.  Midrange

C.  High-end

D.  Expensive

70.           tools, sometimes referred to as enterprise project management software, provide robust capabilities to handle very large projects.

A.  Low-end

B.  Midrange

C.   High-end

D.  Inexpensive

71.  More than                                         million people regard project management as their profession.

16 or

72.  The “CHAOS” study found that more than                                        percent of information technology projects were canceled before completion.

31 or

73.  A(n)                                         is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

74.  The term “                                        ” refers to work done in organizations to sustain the business.

75.                                           include people, hardware, software, or other assets.

76.  The question, “What unique product or service does the customer or sponsor expect from the project?” is related to the                                   of the project.

77.  The question, “What is the project’s budget?” is related to the project’s                                          .

78.  The                                         of project management includes quality along with scope, time, and cost.

79.                                           is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.”

80.  Project management                                         describe the key competencies that project managers must develop.

81.  Project management tools and                                         assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work in all nine knowledge areas.

82.  Gantt charts, project network diagrams, critical path analysis, crashing, fast tracking, and schedule performance measurements are examples of tools and techniques for                           .

83.  Companies that excel in project delivery use performance                                          to quantify progress.

84.                                                               refers to the process in which organizations group and manage projects and programs as a portfolio of investments that contribute to the entire enterprise’s success.

85.                                           skills include effective communication, influencing the organization to get things done, leadership, motivation, negotiation, conflict management, and problem solving.

86.One reason project managers need good                                         skills is that to understand, navigate, and meet stakeholders’ needs and expectations, they need to lead, communicate, negotiate, solve problems, and influence the organization at large.

87.  Some people say that, “Managers do things right, and                                         do the right things.”

88.  A(n)                                         chart is a standard format for displaying project schedule information.

89.  As computer hardware became smaller and more affordable and                                         included graphical and easy to use interfaces, project management software became less expensive and more widely used.

90.  The                                                                       , an international professional society for project managers founded in 1969, has continued to attract and retain members, reporting 277,221 members

worldwide by August 31, 2008.

91.  Because there are so many people working on projects in various industries, PMI has created Specific

                                         (SIGs) that enable members to share ideas about project management in their particular application areas, such as information systems.

92.                                          , loosely defined, is a set of principles that guide our decision making based on personal values of what is “right” and “wrong.”

93.                                           tools, a step up from low-end tools, are designed to handle larger projects, multiple users, and multiple projects.

94.                                           is still the most widely used project management software today in the midrange tools category.

95.                                           tools are generally licensed on a per-user basis.

96.  Describe the triple constraint. What are the three components and what is the relationship between them?

97.  List and describe each of the nine project management knowledge areas.

98.  What is the difference between leadership and management? How do these two terms relate to a project manager?

99.  Discuss the PMP certification. What are the advantages of obtaining PMP certification?

100.  Discuss the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Chapter 2: The Project Management and Information Technology Context RUE/FALSE

1.      Project managers should lead projects in isolation in order to truly serve the needs of the organization.

Even though projects are temporary and intended to provide a unique product or service, you cannot run projects in isolation. If project managers lead projects in isolation, it is unlikely that they will ever truly serve the needs of the organization.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.45 OBJ:   LO: 2-1    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:   A Systems View of Project Management                               KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

2.      Using a systems approach is critical to successful project management.

ANS:  T                                                     DIF:    REF:   p. 45                                 OBJ:   LO: 2-1           NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:   A Systems View of Project Management                               KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

3.      Systems analysis addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system.

Systems management addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining,and modifying a system.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p. 45 OBJ:   LO: 2-1      NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:   A Systems View of Project Management                              

4.      Project managers and their teams must keep in mind the effects of any project on the interests and needs of the entire system or organization instead of focusing on the immediate concerns of the project.

Although it is easier to focus on the immediate and sometimes narrow concerns of a particular project, project managers and other staff must keep in mind the effects of any project on the interests and needs of the entire system or organization.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.46 OBJ:   LO: 2-1    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:   A Systems View of Project Management                               KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

5.      When you separate business and organizational issues from project management planning, you do a better job of ensuring project success.

When you integrate business and organizational issues into project management planning and look at projects as a series of interrelated phases, you do a better job of ensuring project success.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.47 OBJ:   LO: 2-1    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:   A Systems View of Project Management                               KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

6.      According to the symbolic frame, the most important aspect of any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means.

The symbolic frame focuses on symbols and meanings. In this frame, the most important aspect of any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.48 OBJ:   LO: 2-2    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

7.      Most colleges and universities have very strong functional organizations.

ANS:  T                                                     DIF:    REF:   p.49                                 OBJ:   LO: 2-2           NAT:  BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations              KEY:  Bloom's: Knowledge

8.      An organization that uses a project organizational structure earns their revenue primarily from performing projects for

other groups under contract.

A project organizational structure is hierarchical, but instead of functional managers or vice presidents reporting to the CEO, program managers report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete the projects within their programs. An organization that uses this structure earns its revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.50 OBJ:   LO: 2-2    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

9.      Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects.

Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p. 50 OBJ:   LO: 2-2      NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

10.      Most people believe that the underlying causes of many companies’ problems can be traced to its organizational structure.

Organizational culture is very powerful, and many people believe the underlying causes of many companies ’ problems are not in the organizational structure or staff; they are in the culture.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.51 OBJ:   LO: 2-2    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

11.      The same organization can have different subcultures.

It is also important to note that the same organization can have different subcultures. The IT department may have a different organizational culture than the finance department, for example.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.51 OBJ:   LO: 2-2    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

12.      Project work is most successful in an organizational culture where activities are organized around individuals.

Project work is most successful in organizations in which work activities are organized around

groups or teams, rather than individuals. An organizational culture that emphasizes group work is best for managing projects.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.51 OBJ:   LO: 2-2    NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

TOP:  Understanding Organizations             

13.      An organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager’s job more difficult.

Most project managers strive for strong unit integration to deliver a successful product, service, or result. An

organizational culture with strong unit integration makes the project manager ’s job easier.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p. 51 OBJ:   LO: 2-2      NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic

LOC:  Understanding Organizations              KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension

14.      Internal stakeholders include groups affected by the project such as government officials or concerned citizens.

External project stakeholders include the project ’s customers (if they are external to the organization), competitors, suppliers, and other external groups potentially involved in the project or affected by it, such as government officials or concerned citizens.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.52

OBJ:   LO: 2-3           NAT:  BUSPROG: Analytic                          TOP: Stakeholder Management

15.      Project managers must take adequate time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders.

Because the purpose of project management is to meet project requirements and satisfy stakeholders, it is critical that project managers take adequate time to identify,understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.52-53

OBJ:   LO: 2-3           NAT:  BUSPROG: Analytic                          TOP: Stakeholder Management

16.      The best way to sustain a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility for the project.

The best way to kill a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility.

                                 DIF:                                                           REF: p.54

OBJ:   LO: 2-3           NAT:  BUSPROG: Analytic                          TOP: Stakeholder Management

17.      Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization.

Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization. If certain functional managers are not responding to project managers’ requests for necessary information, top management must step in to encourage the functional managers to cooperate.

                                 DIF:                                                 &