Deck 4: Project Initiation: Setting the Stage for Action

Question 1

A multinational consumer products company must balance the flexibility of delivering products specifically targeted to different countries while combining its resources across the globe. To do this, it has its operating, marketing and engineering employees report to a local project manager, while at the same time each one also reports to a global manager in charge of his or her specific function. This organizational structure is most likely an example of:

A) A functional structure
B) A projectized structure
C) A networked structure
D) A matrix structure
E) None of the above

Answer 1

A matrix structure

Question 2

Which of the following is are) characteristics of a fixed-price contract?

A) Low risk for the customer
B) The work must be clearly specific and well-defined
C) The supplier bills the customer for all costs involved in completing the work
D) The work should be open-ended to allow for adaptation to changing customer requirements
E) A and B only
F) None of the above

Answer 2

A and B only

Question 3

Which of the following individuals or groups would NOT typically be considered a stakeholder in a major corporate project?

A) Customer
B) Project sponsor
C) Project team
D) Shareholders
E) B and C
F) None of the above

Answer 3

None of the above

Question 4

The number of two-way communication channels for a team consisting of n members can be calculated by the following equation:

A) n n-1)) / 2
B) n-1) / 2
C) n / 2
D) n + n-1)) / 2
E) None of above

Question 5

Which of the following is typically NOT included in a project charter?

A) The name of the project sponsor
B) A communication plan
C) Preliminary project deliverables
D) A list of project stakeholders.
E) None of the above - all are elements typical included in a project charter

Question 6

Which of the following is are) likely examples of consequences of poorly launched projects?

A) Members of a team fail to understand the performance standards on which the project will be measured.
B) The project's costs quickly escalate beyond the initial estimates.
C) Needs of specific stakeholders are not understood.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 7

An organization that allows functions to exist on the vertical dimension of the organizational chart, with projects running on the horizontal dimension is described as a:

A) Projectized organization structure
B) Matrix organization
C) Networked organization
D) Functional organization
E) None of the above

Question 8

A project team has been assigned to research and develop a new product to compete with its competitor's latest product launch. The product is needed quickly because the company is losing market share. The team consists of 6 members, located throughout the country. Each one has a role in sales, marketing, manufacturing, or engineering, and will be performing this project in addition to his or her full-time position. Which of the following project team considerations is most likely to pose a threat to achieving success?

A) Inadequate knowledge and technical skills of the team members.
B) Poor team member representation that does not include a diverse set of stakeholders.
C) Not the correct team size.
D) Not enough time available for the team members.
E) All of the above.
F) None of the above.

Question 9

The ideal team size for making effective decisions is:

A) Fewer than 3 team members
B) Between 3 and 4 team members
C) Fewer than 6 team members
D) Between 5 and 14 team members
E) More than 10 team members

Question 10

If a project has 25 key stakeholders, how many communication channels would this represent?

A) 12.5
B) 25
C) 50
D) 300
E) 312.5

Question 11

Success visioning is best defined as:

A) A process by which the team imagines what the outcomes would look like if the project were to be successful.
B) A brainstorming process to determine the project objective statement.
C) The determination of project scope, boundaries, and deliverables.
D) Benchmarking other successful projects
E) All of the above.
F) None of the above.

Question 12

Which part of the project initiation document is used to highlight the work content that is to be completed by the end of the project?

A) Project success measures
B) Business success measures
C) Contracting plan
D) Deliverables in scope
E) None of the above