Deck 10: Monitoring and Information Systems

Question 1

In earned value analysis,the 50-50 rule assumes that __________.

A)50 percent is earned when the task is half done and 50 percent is earned at completion
B)50 percent is earned when the task begins and 50 percent is earned at completion
C)50 percent is earned when the task begins and 50 percent is earned at the halfway stage
D)50 percent is earned when the project is planned and 50 percent is earned when the project is over

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the authors,the project manager can tolerate almost any kind of behavior,EXCEPT __________.

A)tardiness
B)negative attitude
C)unpunctuality
D)dishonesty

Answer 2

D

Question 3

For each factor to be measured during monitoring; performance criteria,standards,and __________ should be established.

A)data collection procedures
B)mechanized systems
C)automated systems
D)audit checks

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In earned value analysis,if the cost variance is (-$10,000),__________.

A)the cost variance is favorable
B)the cost variance is unfavorable
C)the scheduled variance is favorable
D)the scheduled cost avoidance is unfavorable

Question 5

In earned value analysis,the 0 - 100 percent rule allows __________.

A)100 percent credit before starting work and 0 percent credit after the completion
B)0 percent credit when work begins and 100 percent credit when the project is complete
C)0 percent credit when work begins and 100 percent credit at completion of the activity
D)0 percent credit at completion of the activity and 100 percent credit at formal acceptance during scope verification

Question 6

Management by exception has the disadvantage of being __________.

A)too expensive
B)too difficult to implement
C)a quantitative approach
D)an "after the fact" type of approach

Question 7

The first step in setting up a monitoring system is to __________.

A)collect existing data to see what data is relevant and available
B)collect every available piece of information so it can be analyzed
C)use whatever information is available
D)identify the key factors to be controlled

Question 8

Monitoring,as an activity,should be kept distinct from __________,which is the process of making judgments about the quality and effectiveness of project performance.

A)collecting
B)reporting
C)evaluation
D)recording

Question 9

According to the authors,in the planning - monitoring - controlling cycle,the directions of the flows indicate that __________.

A)information flows from the top to bottom and authority flows from the bottom to the top
B)information flows from the bottom to the top and authority flows from the top to the bottom
C)authority flows from the bottom to the top
D)information flows from the top to the bottom

Question 10

The most common mistake made when monitoring data is to gather information that is clearly related to project performance but __________.

A)is so volatile that trends cannot be detected
B)has little or no probability of changing significantly between collection periods
C)is too unusual to use
D)cannot be captured in the mechanized PMIS

Question 11

An appropriate and common secondary user for monitoring includes __________.

A)auditing,learning from mistakes,and reporting progress and status
B)exercising effective control over the project
C)evaluating current status of the project
D)fixing the blame when things go wrong

Question 12

A large proportion of all data collected takes one of the following forms EXCEPT __________.

A)indicators
B)verbal measures
C)raw numbers
D)individual perceptions

Question 13

Measuring characteristics such as "quality of team member cooperation" and "morale of team members" generally takes the form of __________characterizations.

A)verbal
B)raw number
C)indicative
D)all of the above

Question 14

__________ is when individuals are overwhelmed with too many reports,too much detail,and too much dat a.

A)Information overload
B)PMIS verification
C)Project isolation
D)Computer paralysis

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a common difficulty in the design of project reports?

A)Providing too much detail
B)Having too many interface modules
C)Poor correspondence to the parent firm's reporting system
D)Poor correspondence between the planning and monitoring systems

Question 16

One of the most common errors when collecting data is __________.

A)collecting rapidly changing data frequently
B)collecting data infrequently because data collection is so time consuming
C)collecting data that rarely changes
D)reporting to management after collecting data.

Question 17

ETC + AC = __________.

A)BAC
B)EAC
C)SPI
D)CPI

Question 18

According to the authors,the key items to be planned,monitored,and controlled are __________.

A)schedule,budget,and financial stability
B)schedule,quality,performance,and customer satisfaction
C)schedule,budget,and feasibility
D)schedule,budget,and performance

Question 19

If CPI = 1.05,then __________ is favorable.

A)time variance
B)schedule variance
C)cost variance
D)performance variance

Question 20

Monitoring,as an activity,should be kept distinct from __________,which uses data supplied by monitoring to bring actual performance into approximate congruence with planned performance.

A)recording
B)controlling
C)collecting
D)reporting

Question 21

In earned value analysis,the __________ is computed as the earned value minus the actual cost of work performed.

A)schedule variance
B)cost variance
C)time variance
D)CPI

Question 22

If EV = $500,AC = $450,PV = $475; CPI = __________.

A)1)05
B)1)11
C))95
D))90

Question 23

EV - PV = __________.

A)SV
B)CV
C)CPI
D)TV

Question 24

When collecting raw project data,it is important to make sure that all data are collected from sources that operate on the same __________ and with the same rules for data collection.

A)continent
B)floor of the building
C)time intervals
D)scope plan

Question 25

Which of the following conventions has the characteristic of the project always seeming to be running late,until the very end when it seems to suddenly catch up?

A)The 50-50 rule
B)The 0-100 percent rule
C)Critical input use rule
D)The proportionality rule

Question 26

Ordinal rankings of performance are examples of a __________ type of measure.

A)frequency count
B)raw number
C)verbal measure
D)subjective numeric rating

Question 27

If EV = $500,AC = $475,PV = $450; SV = ________.

A)$50
B)$25
C)90%
D)95%

Question 28

__________ is collecting,recording,and reporting information concerning any and all aspects of project performance that the project manager or others in the organization wish to know.

A)Initiating
B)Planning
C)Controlling
D)Monitoring

Question 29

The project __________ describes what is being done,when and the planned level of resource usage for each task,work-package or element in the project.

A)WBS
B)risk management plan
C)schedule
D)quality report

Question 30

In general,__________ tend to bias data advertently or inadvertently.

A)project managers
B)stakeholders
C)those who report them
D)those who use them

Question 31

In earned value analysis,BAC refers to the __________.

A)budgeted annual cost
B)budget at completion
C)budget at close-out
D)big annual cost

Question 32

__________ are used when some aspect of system performance cannot be measured directly.

A)Indicators
B)Frequency counts
C)Raw numbers
D)Verbal measures

Question 33

The earned value rule that divides the actual task time-to-date by the scheduled time for the task to calculate percent complete is called the __________ rule.

A)50-50
B)0-100 percent
C)critical input use
D)proportionality

Question 34

__________ can often give the project manager early warning signals of potential problems in a project and help understand the relationships of individual tasks to one another and to the overall project.

A)Detailed and timely reports
B)Executive summaries
C)Scope change reports
D)The WBS

Question 35

A(n)__________ can be used to deal with issues of honesty related to the monitoring system.

A)WBS
B)executive summary
C)internal audit
D)quality control chart

Question 36

The best sources of items to be monitored are the project risk management plan,change of scope orders,and __________.

A)schedule
B)WBS
C)quality report
D)resource report

Question 37

In earned value analysis,EAC refers to the __________.

A)estimated cost at completion
B)estimated actual cost
C)eliminated annual cost
D)estimated annual cost

Question 38

The project control process should be viewed as a(n)__________,with revised plans and schedules (if warranted)following corrective actions.The project control process should run continuously until the project is completed.

A)closed loop system
B)open loop system
C)open environment
D)earned value plan

Question 39

Reports for __________ have a need for detailed information about individual tasks and the factors affecting such tasks.

A)top executives
B)lower-level personnel
C)all the stakeholders
D)project managers

Question 40

A(n)__________ is a simple tally of the occurrence of an event.This type of measure is easy to collect and is often reported as events per unit of time or reported as events as a percent of a standard number.

A)frequency count
B)raw number
C)subjective numeric rating
D)verbal measure

Question 41

In earned value analysis,(CPI)(SPI)= __________.

A)CV
B)TPI
C)CSI
D)SV

Question 42

Describe the three common difficulties in designing project reports.

Question 43

ST-AT =

A)TV
B)EV
C)CV
D)SV

Question 44

Identify some of the benefits when timely reports are delivered to the proper people by the project management information system.

Question 45

Suggest some practical measures that can be used to improve the perception about the benefits of meetings.

Question 46

Conceptually,EAC represents the amount spent to date plus __________.

A)the delay costs
B)BAC
C)CV
D)ETC

Question 47

Excessive computer involvement with computer activity replacing project management; loss of touch with the project and its realities,is referred to as __________.

A)computer simulation
B)computer paralysis
C)information overload
D)robotic automation

Question 48

Identify the main complaints associated with meetings.

Question 49

Vague or incomplete project requirements are an example of which telltale sign that a project is in trouble?

A)Muddy waters
B)Mysterious stakeholders
C)Unconstrained constraints
D)Scope creep

Question 50

A status report that is vague or contains overly optimistic language like "very soon" or "marginal increase" in costs is referred to as

A)suspicious
B)paralyzed
C)incomplete
D)risky

Question 51

List the four conventions used to aid in estimating percent completion.

Question 52

(BAC + EV) / CPI = __________.

A)EAC
B)TPI
C)CPI
D)ETC

Question 53

If CSI is less than 1,it is indicative of a(n)__________.

A)problem
B)good project
C)efficient project
D)budget error

Question 54

When using earned value analysis,identify the three conditions that can exist with respect to the completion of activities in a project.

Question 55

Unfortunately,it is common to focus monitoring activities on data that are easily __________ but not necessarily important.

A)gathered
B)purchased
C)analyzed
D)reported