Deck 12: Project Monitoring and Control, Part II

Question 1

Describe at least four general guidelines that should be followed during the monitoring and control process.

Answer 1

Listed below are general guidelines that should be followed during the monitoring and control process.
• Educate stakeholders and team members on the need for and use of progress information to foster an environment of honest and accurate reporting.
• Automate the collection of status information as much as possible.
• Frequency of collection is dependent on the size of the project and the location of participants. Regardless of the project characteristics, collection of project status information should never exceed one week, and if possible, it should be done daily.
• Frequency and formatting of reports are outlined in the stakeholder analysis described in Chapter 4.
• Figure 11-1 shows the process for integrated change control.
• Final deliverable approval must be formally obtained from stakeholders before any task can be declared complete.

Question 2

It is very important that the quality monitoring and control process be executed continuously throughout the entire project, from the time the project charter is signed until the project sponsor accepts the final deliverable.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What is the difference between monitoring and control?

Answer 3

Monitoring and control are two separate steps put together into one process group within the project life cycle. Monitoring is concerned with collecting and reporting information about project performance to all stakeholders and the project team. Control uses the information supplied by the monitoring process to bring the actual project performance in line with what was planned.

Question 4

A Pareto diagram is a bar chart that displays, by frequency and in descending order, the most important errors.

Question 5

Throughout the history of IT projects, when money is running short or time is running out and the project must be completed, the quality of the end product is often sacrificed.

Question 6

If the project team is geographically dispersed, the task of collecting data is easier.

Question 7

Monitoring is concerned with collecting and reporting information about project performance to all stakeholders and the project team.

Question 8

Describe the different components of the Pareto diagram and how it is created.

Question 9

Explain the concerns of the seller and the concerns of the buyer in the procurement administration process.

Question 10

Name and describe three tools used to monitor and control project quality.

Question 11

Describe the different components of the control chart, and explain at least three possibilities for interpreting various kinds of patterns or runs on the control chart.

Question 12

Monitoring and control are two separate steps put together into one process group within the project life cycle.

Question 13

Where does quality control process fall in the continuous quality cycle for improvement?

Question 14

In quality control, explain the difference between prevention and inspection.

Question 15

Reporting uses the information supplied by the monitoring process to bring the actual project performance in line with what was planned.

Question 16

Describe the different components of the fishbone diagram and the process and steps to create the drawing.

Question 17

Describe four different categories of performance reports.

Question 18

The triple constraint of project management includes the scope of what is to be produced, the time it should take, and the cost of producing the product or service the project was initiated to create. A fourth item that also constrains all IT projects is resources.

Question 19

Getting accurate data, depending on the size and nature of the project, is never difficult.

Question 20

Much of the monitoring function in medium to large projects is generally done by a separate department that is specifically trained and unbiased-at least this is the goal.

Question 21

Getting the sample size right is extremely important because choosing too many samples is a waste of time and money, and choosing too few will not yield accurate information.

Question 22

A cause-and-effect analysis-also called an Pareto diagram after the creator of the technique or a fishbone diagram based on what the final diagram resembles-is used when a problem or issue has been discovered and you need to determine its root cause so that the most appropriate actions can be taken.

Question 23

In the fishbone diagram, each of the rectangular boxes represents a major category of suspicion.

Question 24

The sample source is the number of results needed to determine whether a process or result is performing to standard.

Question 25

Variable sampling rates the result on a continuous scale, measuring the degree of conformity.

Question 26

The performance reporting process involves the collection of project- and product-related data and the distribution of performance information to management only.

Question 27

A result is acceptable if it falls within the range specified by the tolerance or stakeholder set specifications.

Question 28

The Pareto principle states that 20 percent of the impact of a problem will show up in 80 percent of the causes.

Question 29

A control chart is used to prevent problems before they become major issues as opposed to inspecting a final product to find issues.

Question 30

Three tools used to monitor and control project quality are: cause-and-effect analysis, process control charts, and Pareto analysis.

Question 31

Attribute sampling looks at whether the collected result conforms to defined standards at a point in time.

Question 32

Inspection attempts to keep errors out of a process, whereas prevention attempts to keep errors from reaching the final customer.

Question 33

The performance reports generally demonstrate how resources (human and other) are being utilized to achieve project objectives and cover project artifacts and product artifacts.

Question 34

In the continuous quality cycle for improvement-Plan, Do, Study, Act- the Plan and Act processes refer to the quality monitoring and control functions.

Question 35

A benefit of control chart analysis is that it helps determine whether variability is attributable to something that can be fixed or some random set of variables based on chance alone.

Question 36

A Pareto diagram displays the frequency of issues so that project teams can focus on the problems that are occurring most often or are causing the biggest issues in terms of time and/or cost.

Question 37

The process to create the Pareto drawing is relatively simple and is generally done during a group brainstorming session.

Question 38

The tools used to monitor and control project quality graphically display collected statistical results, helping a project team measure variances to aid in the continuous process of improving the quality of a product.

Question 39

In the fishbone diagram, the arrows connecting the categories to the central line have attached to them lines containing more detailed ideas of what might be the root cause for the problem.

Question 40

SWOT analysis helps determine whether the process variability and the process average result are at stable (acceptable) levels and whether one or both are out of control (unacceptable).

Question 41

The quality ________ process involves monitoring specific project results (artifacts) identified during the planning phase of a project to determine whether they comply with the relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory results.

A) assurance
B) control
C) management
D) monitoring

Question 42

The easier the project manager makes it for the team to enter up-to-date information, the more ________ it will become.

A) optional
B) difficult
C) inaccurate
D) accurate

Question 43

________ uses the information supplied by the monitoring process to bring the actual project performance in line with what was planned.

A) Control
B) Monitoring
C) Reporting
D) Analysis

Question 44

This is a bar chart that displays, by frequency and in descending order, the most important errors.

A) Pareto diagram
B) Ishikawa diagram
C) Fishbone diagram
D) Monte Carlo diagram

Question 45

Each executive is responsible for monitoring trigger conditions and updating the team on the status of mitigation strategies and their effectiveness.

Question 46

Prevention attempts to keep errors out of a process, whereas ________ attempts to keep errors from reaching the final customer.

A) monitoring
B) control
C) reaction
D) inspection

Question 47

The ________ of project management includes the scope of what is to be produced, the time it should take, and the cost of producing the product or service the project was initiated to create.

A) schedule
B) project plan
C) triple constraint
D) scope statement

Question 48

Individuals doing their own reporting may be ________ to report bad news on their progress and may hide the real numbers or report false progress.

A) hesitant
B) eager
C) forced
D) absent

Question 49

The procurement administration process is carried out by the seller only to make sure each party meets the respective contractual obligations.

Question 50

________ attempts to keep errors out of a process.

A) Monitoring
B) Control
C) Reaction
D) Prevention

Question 51

Monitoring and controlling risks is a continuous monitoring process for all previously identified risks and for any new risks.

Question 52

For items that fall outside the range of acceptability, ________ actions need to be taken to bring them back into the range of acceptable quality standards.

A) management
B) executive
C) corrective
D) reactive

Question 53

The contract change control system should include procedures for handling any changes to deliverables, completing tracking of the change request and associated implications for cost and schedule, handling dispute resolutions, and getting required approvals to enact any contractual change.

Question 54

Whoever is assigned responsibility for managing a contract must also make sure that all outcomes associated with the work of each seller are formally documented with other project documentation so any future work possibilities with the same seller can be evaluated.

Question 55

Much of the monitoring function in medium to large projects is generally done by a separate department that is specifically trained and ________-at least this is the goal.

A) contracted
B) entry-level
C) remote
D) unbiased

Question 56

________ is concerned with collecting and reporting information about project performance to all stakeholders and the project team.

A) Control
B) Monitoring
C) Reporting
D) Analysis

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT a constraint of project management?

A) Quality
B) Resources
C) Scope
D) Cost

Question 58

Throughout the history of IT projects, when money is running short or time is running out and the project must be completed, the ________ of the end product is often sacrificed.

A) quality
B) usability
C) durability
D) scalability

Question 59

The ________ a team chooses to monitor and control vary from project to project.

A) requirements
B) resources
C) metrics
D) reports

Question 60

Decisions concerning project changes must be based on accurate data, so it is extremely important for a project manager to make it as easy as possible to collect the data by ________ as much of it as possible.

A) eliminating
B) requiring
C) automating
D) optimizing

Question 61

________ sampling rates the result on a continuous scale, measuring the degree of conformity.

A) Variable
B) Attribute
C) Random
D) Statistical

Question 62

In the continuous quality cycle for improvement-Plan, Do, Study, Act- the ________ processes refer to the quality monitoring and control functions.

A) Study and Act
B) Plan and Do
C) Plan and Act
D) Do and Study

Question 63

A result is acceptable if it falls within the range specified by the ________ or stakeholder set specifications.

A) threshold
B) requirements
C) tolerance
D) criteria

Question 64

________ attempts to keep errors from reaching the final customer.

A) Monitoring
B) Inspection
C) Reaction
D) Prevention

Question 65

________ sampling looks at whether the collected result conforms to defined standards at a point in time.

A) Variable
B) Attribute
C) Random
D) Statistical

Question 66

The tools used to monitor and control project quality ________ display collected statistical results, helping a project team measure variances to aid in the continuous process of improving the quality of a product.

A) textually
B) graphically
C) summary
D) remotely

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT one of the three tools used to monitor and control project quality?

A) Monte Carlo analysis
B) Cause-and-effect analysis
C) Pareto analysis
D) Control charts

Question 68

The process is in control (operating within acceptable limits) if the result falls within the control ________.

A) threshold
B) requirements
C) tolerance
D) limits

Question 69

________ analysis helps determine whether the process variability and the process average result are at stable (acceptable) levels and whether one or both are out of control (unacceptable).

A) Pareto
B) Cause-and-effect
C) Control chart
D) SWOT

Question 70

A benefit of control chart analysis is that it helps determine whether variability is attributable to something that can be fixed or some random set of ________ based on chance alone.

A) variables
B) requirements
C) errors
D) criteria

Question 71

In the ________ diagram, each of the rectangular boxes represents a major category of suspicion.

A) SWOT
B) control chart
C) Pareto
D) fishbone

Question 72

In the fishbone diagram, the arrows connecting the categories to the central line have attached to them lines containing more detailed ideas of what might be the ________ for the problem.

A) severity
B) scope
C) root cause
D) solution

Question 73

The ________ process involves the collection of project- and product-related data and the distribution of performance information to stakeholders.

A) project status reporting
B) performance reporting
C) communication distribution
D) tabulation

Question 74

The ________ process is carried out by both a seller and a buyer to make sure each party meets the respective contractual obligations.

A) contractual
B) outsourcing
C) procurement administration
D) purchase

Question 75

A ________-also called an Ishikawa diagram after the creator of the technique or a fishbone diagram based on what the final diagram resembles-is used when a problem or issue has been discovered and you need to determine its root cause so that the most appropriate actions can be taken.

A) Pareto analysis
B) cause-and-effect analysis
C) control analysis
D) SWOT analysis

Question 76

Getting the sample ________ right is extremely important because choosing too many samples is a waste of time and money, and choosing too few will not yield accurate information.

A) size
B) source
C) data
D) population

Question 77

A ________ displays the frequency of issues so that project teams can focus on the problems that are occurring most often or are causing the biggest issues in terms of time and/or cost.

A) Pareto diagram
B) control chart
C) fishbone diagram
D) Ishikawa diagram

Question 78

A contract or seller ________ system needs to be in place to handle all changes to the contract and/or deliverables requested.

A) change control
B) management
C) relation
D) monitoring

Question 79

Each risk owner is responsible for monitoring ________ conditions and updating the team on the status of mitigation strategies and their effectiveness.

A) work package
B) environmental
C) project
D) trigger

Question 80

A ________ is used to prevent problems before they become major issues as opposed to inspecting a final product to find issues.

A) Pareto analysis
B) cause-and-effect analysis
C) control chart
D) SWOT analysis