Deck 2: The Manager, the Organization, and the Team

Question 1

It is common practice to select the project manager prior to the project being selected.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The project manager should take a careful, analytic approach to making decisions about projects.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

It is critical to a project's success to have top management support.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The functional manager has expertise in the function he or she manages, but the project manager rarely has expertise in many of the project's technical areas.

Question 5

The project manager is supposed to facilitate the work of the project team and must, therefore, stay aloof from the conflicts arising among project team members.

Question 6

Cross divisional project communication is enhanced when a project is organized in a functional project organization.

Question 7

A pure project organization is usually too expensive for the management of small projects.

Question 8

If the performance of all subsystems is optimized, it follows that the overall system is optimum.

Question 9

The most effective program managers tell their project managers exactly what to do. The project manager should not allow functional managers to usurp his or her control of the project.

Question 10

Conflict occurs mainly at the beginning of the project.

Question 11

Functionally organized projects are not seen as a high priority by functional managers.

Question 12

It is appropriate for the project manager to play an active role in communications between the client and the senior management of the organization conducting the project.

Question 13

It is common to have more than one boss in a matrix organization.

Question 14

The project manager must maintain a high level of flexibility in dealing with people.

Question 15

Functional project organizations have higher personnel costs than pure project organizations.

Question 16

When it comes to assigning individuals to work on projects, functional managers and project managers are often in conflict.

Question 17

The individual with responsibility for performing a task is more likely to overestimate the time required to complete the task than his/her immediate supervisor.

Question 18

A matrix organization is a combination of pure project organization and functional organization.

Question 19

An advantage of pure project organization is its great depth of technical knowledge.

Question 20

Project team members are often faced with conflicting orders in a matrix organization.

Question 21

Intrateam conflicts are minimal in a matrix organization.

Question 22

The skill of persuasion has the following parts

A) Credibility
B) Common goals
C) vivid language and compelling evidence
D) connection to emotions
E) all of the above

Question 23

Matrix, pure project, and functional project organizations may exist in the same company.

Question 24

Since the PM has position power there is no need for them to have credibility

Question 25

Project team conflict stifles team creativity.

Question 26

How many different types of project organizations are there?

A) 3
B) 6
C) 4
D) 5
E) Unlimited number

Question 27

Which of the following is not true concerning the difference between the project manager (PM) and the traditional manager TM)?

A) the PM is a facilitator the TM is a technical supervisor
B) the PM is a generalist the TM is a specialist
C) the PM must be able to integrate tasks; the TM must be able to analyze tasks
D) the PM uses an analytical approach the TM uses a systems approach
E) all of the above are true

Question 28

"Projectitis" is most likely to occur in which type of project organizational structure?

A) a pure project organization
B) a matrix organization
C) a functional organization
D) b and c
E) all of the above

Question 29

The project team members should be all of the following except:

A) politically sensitive
B) technically competent
C) goal oriented
D) problem oriented
E) focused on activities

Question 30

It is more important for project team members to focus on their specific project activities than on the project's overall results.

Question 31

Integration management and parallel tasking are fundamentally concerned with coordinating the flow of information.

Question 32

Political savvy is not only an important characteristic of a project manager but is also important for project team members.

Question 33

The task of bringing the work of all groups together to make a harmonious whole is called systems engineering.

Question 34

When making trade-offs on a project, the project manager needs to be aware that profit for the firm is always the most important of the project's goals.

Question 35

A functional project structure is not characterized by:

A) lower personnel costs
B) improved communications
C) lack of "projectitis"
D) lack of technical knowledge depth
E) all of the above are characteristics of a functional project structure

Question 36

In order for a PM to be "believable" the PM must have technical and administrative credibility.

Question 37

Morale of the project team is a key responsibility of the project manager.

Question 38

Project "war rooms" discourage team cooperation, morale and communications.

Question 39

The job of managing work across multiple groups is called integration management.

Question 40

The project manager is responsible to:

A) the parent organization
B) the project team
C) the project's client
D) the project manager's immediate supervisor
E) all of the above

Question 41

A matrix project that closely resembles the pure project is referred to as

A) a weak matrix
B) a strong matrix
C) a functional matrix
D) a balanced matrix
E) an unbalanced matrix

Question 42

Which of the following types of organizations would likely not have a program manager?

A) functional project organization
B) pure project organization
C) strong matrix project organization
D) weak matrix organization
E) All of the above would likely have program managers.

Question 43

The three primary goals of any project are:

A) profit, schedule, quality
B) schedule, budget, quality
C) performance, budget, schedule
D) performance, quality, schedule
E) budget, quality, profit

Question 44

What is a "virtual project?"

Question 45

The PM's job includes all of the following except?

A) Convener and chair of meetings
B) Facilitator
C) Communicator
D) Supervisor
E) Virtual project manager

Question 46

The _________________ approach centers on understanding the bits and pieces in a system.

A) facilitating
B) analytical
C) systems
D) sensitivity
E) matrix

Question 47

It is said that the distinction between the traditional manager-as-supervisor and the modern manager-as-facilitator is diminishing in recent years. Why?

Question 48

Dealing with conflict is an inherent part of the process of managing projects. Explain how the project manager is supposed to deal with conflict with the functional managers whose cooperation is required to get the human resources needed to do the work of the project.

Question 49

Altering the specifications of an ongoing project is referred to as

A) suboptimization
B) scope creep
C) a virtual project
D) projectitis
E) PMI

Question 50

What is meant by the phrase "scope creep?"

Question 51

Which of the following is not a characteristic of effective project team members?

A) They are technically competent.
B) They are politically sensitive.
C) They have a strong orientation to their discipline.
D) They have a strong goal orientation.
E) They have high self-esteem.

Question 52

During project formation stage, the major sources of conflict are all of the following except:

A) Priorities
B) Procedures
C) Technical
D) Schedules

Question 53

The four essential skills of persuasion described Jay Conger (1998) include all of the following except:

A) Effective persuaders must be credible to those they are trying to persuade
B) They must find goals held in common with those being persuaded
C) Must give locker-room motivational speeches
D) They must connect with the emotions of those they are trying to persuade

Question 54

Dysfunctions of a team include?

A) Absence of trust
B) Fear of conflict
C) Lack of commitment
D) Avoidance of accountability
E) All of the above

Question 55

Describe the difference between the analytic approach and the systems approach to solving problems on a project.

Question 56

Define "projectitis".

Question 57

Which of the following is an important project manager role?

A) technical expert
B) supervisor
C) project champion
D) micromanager
E) communicator

Question 58

Briefly describe what is meant by the phrase "project champion?"

Question 59

"The operation was a success but the patient died" best exemplifies

A) micromanagement
B) the systems approach
C) the need to fight fires
D) suboptimization
E) lack of leadership

Question 60

Why are negotiation skills an important criterion of a successful project manager?

Question 61

Briefly describe the project manager's role as a firefighter. What sorts of obstacles do project managers have to overcome?

Question 62

List the key characteristics of effective project team members.

Question 63

Why do many organizations choose to use PMs in order to complete work tasks.

Question 64

Briefly describe and contrast pure project organization, functional project organization, and the matrix project organization.

Question 65

What does "PMO" stand for? What is its purpose?

Question 66

How are the PmBok and PMI related?

Question 67

Briefly list the primary advantages and disadvantages of the matrix project organization.

Question 68

Explain the importance of credibility and why PM's need it.