Project Management – Week 2

Question 1

A primary role of the project manager is informing this person of changes, status, conflicts, and issues on the project.

• The project requestor
• Selected: The project sponsorThis answer is correct.
• The project champion
• The most influential project stakeholder

You are correct!   A key role of the project manager is informing the sponsor of changes, status, issues, and conflicts on the project. The project requestor and stakeholders should be informed as well, but the primary role of the project manager involves informing the sponsor and keeping him or her updated.

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Question 2

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

• Selected:TrueThis answer is correct.
• False

A systems view describes a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex problems including using a systems analysis and systems management. Top management and project managers must follow a systems philosophy to understand how projects relate to the whole organization. Therefore, projects must operate in a broad organizational environment, and project managers need to consider projects within the greater organizational context.

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Question 3

Your manager decides to assign you to an ongoing project in which users will connect to an application running on a server and upload information to a database. Two major types of IT resources you will need after management approval do not include database systems engineers and Apache web servers.

• True
• Selected:FalseThis answer is correct.

After the project is approved, you will need some skillful individuals who can handle the database, someone to program the application code, and someone who can manage the server for you. You will also need devices such as application and web servers.

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Question 4

What term describes an organization’s acquisition of goods and services from an outside source in another country?

• Globalization
• Selected: OffshoringThis answer is correct.
• Exporting
• Global sourcing

You are correct!   Outsourcing is an organization’s acquisition of goods and services from an outside source, but the term offshoring is sometimes used to describe outsourcing from another country. Offshoring is a natural outgrowth of globalization. IT projects continue to rely more and more on outsourcing, both within and outside their country boundaries.

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Question 5

Which of the following terms describes a framework of the phases involved in developing information systems?

• Selected: Systems development life cycleThis answer is correct.
• Rapid application development
• Predictive life cycle
• Extreme programming

You are correct!   A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases of developing information systems. Some popular models of an SDLC include the waterfall model, the spiral model, the incremental build model, the prototyping model, and the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model.

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Question 6

You are working in a matrix organization. Choose two responses that describe this type of structure.

• Project resources are members of another business unit and may or may not be able to help you full-time.
• Selected: Matrix organizations can be structured as strong, weak, or balanced.This answer is correct.
• Project managers have the majority of power in this type of structure.
• This organizational structure is similar to a functional organization.
• Selected: Employees are assigned project tasks by their project manager in this type of structure; personnel often report to two or more bosses.This answer is correct.

You are correct!   A matrix organization can be structured as a strong, weak, or balanced matrix. Employees are assigned to projects by their functional managers, and the project tasks are assigned to them by the project manager. The project manager has the majority of power in a project-based organization. This is the middle ground between functional and project structures; personnel often report to two or more bosses.

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Question 7

Which of the following is not part of the three-sphere model for systems management?

• Business
• Selected: InformationThis answer is correct.
• Technology
• Organization

You are correct!   The three-sphere model for systems management provides business, organizational, and technological issues that could be factors in a project. In this case, technological issues, though not simple by any means, are probably the least difficult to identify and resolve.

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Question 8

You are undertaking a new project in which users will connect to an application running on a server and post information to a database. At first glance, what types of IT resources do you think you’ll need after management approval? Choose three.

• Selected: Database administratorThis answer is correct.
• Selected: Application developerThis answer is correct.
• Graphic designer
• Selected: Server administratorThis answer is correct.
• The CEO

You are correct!   After the project is approved, you will need some skillful individuals who can handle the database, someone to program the application code, and someone who can manage the server for you.

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Question 9

What does it mean to take a systems view of a project, and how does taking this view apply to project management? Choose two.

• Selected: Systems thinking does not describe a holistic view of carrying out projects within the context of the organization.This answer is incorrect.
• Selected: A systems philosophy is an overall model for thinking about things as systems.This answer is correct.
• The systems view of a project does not apply to project management.
• A systems view describes a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex issues, including using a systems analysis and systems management.

Actually, taking a systems view means looking at the big picture of how a particular project fits into the rest of the organization. A systems philosophy is an overall model for thinking about things as systems. A systems view describes a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex issues, including using a systems analysis and systems management. Therefore, projects must operate in a broad organizational environment, and project managers need to consider projects within the greater organizational context.

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Question 10

Which of the following statements is false?

• An analysis project life cycle is a collection of project phases.
• Selected: A product life cycle is the same as a project life cycle.This answer is correct.
• The waterfall approach is an example of a predictive life cycle model.
• Agile is an example of an adaptive life cycle model.

You are correct!   Project life cycle is a collection of project phases, such as concept, development, implementation, and close-out. Projects often develop products, which follow product life cycles. Examples of product life cycles for software development include the waterfall, spiral, incremental build, prototyping, RAD, and adaptive software development models.

 

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Question 1

A matrix organization can only be structured as strong or weak.

• True
• Selected:FalseThis answer is correct.

You are correct!   A matrix organization can be structured as a strong, weak, or balanced matrix. Employees are assigned to projects by their functional managers, and the project tasks are assigned to them by the project manager. The project manager has the majority of power in a project-based organization. This is the middle ground between functional and project structures; personnel often report to two or more bosses.

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Question 2

A primary role of the project manager is informing this person of changes, status, conflicts, and issues on the project.

• The project requestor
• Selected: The project sponsorThis answer is correct.
• The project champion
• The most influential project stakeholder

You are correct!   A key role of the project manager is informing the sponsor of changes, status, issues, and conflicts on the project. The project requestor and stakeholders should be informed as well, but the primary role of the project manager involves informing the sponsor and keeping him or her updated.

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Question 3

You are working in a matrix organization. Choose two responses that describe this type of structure.

• Project resources are members of another business unit and may or may not be able to help you full-time.
• Selected: Matrix organizations can be structured as strong, weak, or balanced.This answer is correct.
• Project managers have the majority of power in this type of structure.
• This organizational structure is similar to a functional organization.
• Selected: Employees are assigned project tasks by their project manager in this type of structure; personnel often report to two or more bosses.This answer is correct.

You are correct!   A matrix organization can be structured as a strong, weak, or balanced matrix. Employees are assigned to projects by their functional managers, and the project tasks are assigned to them by the project manager. The project manager has the majority of power in a project-based organization. This is the middle ground between functional and project structures; personnel often report to two or more bosses.

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Question 4

A project manager has the most authority under which organizational structure?

• Selected: Project-basedThis answer is correct.
• Functional
• Balanced matrix
• Strong matrix

You are correct!   Project managers have the most authority in a pure project or project-based organization. This structure is designed around project work, and project managers have the most authority in this type of structure. Project managers have the least amount of authority in a functional organization; they have some authority in a balanced matrix and a little more authority in a strong matrix, but not as much authority as they have in a project-based organization.

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Question 5

You are undertaking a new project in which users will connect to an application running on a server and post information to a database. At first glance, what types of IT resources do you think you’ll need after management approval? Choose three.

• Selected: Database administratorThis answer is correct.
• Selected: Application developerThis answer is correct.
• Graphic designer
• Selected: Server administratorThis answer is correct.
• The CEO

You are correct!   After the project is approved, you will need some skillful individuals who can handle the database, someone to program the application code, and someone who can manage the server for you.

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Question 6

What term describes an organization’s acquisition of goods and services from an outside source in another country?

• Globalization
• Selected: OffshoringThis answer is correct.
• Exporting
• Global sourcing

You are correct!   Outsourcing is an organization’s acquisition of goods and services from an outside source, but the term offshoring is sometimes used to describe outsourcing from another country. Offshoring is a natural outgrowth of globalization. IT projects continue to rely more and more on outsourcing, both within and outside their country boundaries.

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Question 7

What is one possible disadvantage of a pure project or project-based organization?

• The organization doesn’t work on anything that isn’t project-related.
• Costs are high because specialized skills are required to complete projects in this type of structure.
• The functional managers have control over which team members are assigned to projects.
• Selected: Once the project is completed, the project team members may not have other projects to work on.This answer is correct.

You are correct!   The key problem with a project-based organization is that there may not be a new project in place at the conclusion of the one team members were released from. This leaves specialists “sitting on the bench” with no work to do and is costly to the organization. It’s an advantage to a project-based organization to work on projects. Costs aren’t necessarily any higher in this type of organization than others. Costs will depend on the type of project you’re working on, not the organizational structure. And the project managers have control over who works on the projects in a project-based organization.

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Question 8

Which of the following terms describes a framework of the phases involved in developing information systems?

• Selected: Systems development life cycleThis answer is correct.
• Rapid application development
• Predictive life cycle
• Extreme programming

You are correct!   A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases of developing information systems. Some popular models of an SDLC include the waterfall model, the spiral model, the incremental build model, the prototyping model, and the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model.

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Question 9

The nature of IT projects is different from projects in many other industries because they are very_____.

• Expensive
• Technical
• Selected: DiverseThis answer is correct.
• Challenging

You are correct!   Unlike projects in many other industries, IT projects can be very diverse. Some involve a small number of people installing off-the-shelf hardware and associated software, while others involve hundreds of people analyzing several organizations’ business processes and then developing new software in a collaborative effort with users to meet business needs.

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Question 10

Your manager decides to assign you to an ongoing project in which users will connect to an application running on a server and upload information to a database. Two major types of IT resources you will need after management approval do not include database systems engineers and Apache web servers.

• True
• Selected:FalseThis answer is correct.

After the project is approved, you will need some skillful individuals who can handle the database, someone to program the application code, and someone who can manage the server for you. You will also need devices such as application and web servers.