SADCW-6ed Chapter 09 Project Planning and Project Management

SADCW-6ed Chapter 09: Project Planning and Project Management TRUE/FALSE 1. A good project manager focuses his energy on the success of the project team and allows the oversight committee to monitor and report project status.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p257

2. A major reason that software development projects to fail is due to poor project management.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p255

3. In 2009 almost over two-thirds of all software development projects had serious problems with delivering satisfactory results on time.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p255

4. Ceremony refers to the official kick-off meeting to start a project.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p257

5. Since the Agile philosophy embraces change, project scope management is not important for Agile projects.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p260

6. The final decision of project scope in an Agile project rests with the users.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p260

7. With Agile Time Management scheduling is only done on a micro level and not a macro level.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p261

8. With Agile Cost Management it is important to control the costs, even more important than estimating the costs to get project approval.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p261

9. Agile project managers do not try to answer the question “How much will the project cost?”

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p p261, p9

10. In Agile projects the easiest portions of the system are built in the first few iterations.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p261

11. Projects are seldom initiated to solve immediate business problems.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p262

12. It is usually impossible to make an accurate estimate of the time required to complete a development project.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p265

13. One important step in estimating the time required for a project is to try to identify all of the functional requirements of a the new system.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p266

14. One of the responsibilities of the project manager in getting a project approved is to try to predict the value of business benefits.

ANS: F

PTS: 1

REF: p267

15. In adaptive, iterative projects there are usually two types of schedules created.

ANS: T

PTS: 1

REF: p277

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Which of the following statements best defines what a project is? a. A planned activity consisting of defined tasks by a team of people. b. A sequence of steps with a scheduled completion. c. A set of procedures that must be completed in a timely fashion. d. A planned undertaking with a start and stop and that produces a result.

ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p255

2. Which of the following best describes the reason why projects fail? a. Technological problems b. System is too complex c. Wrong development methodology d. Undefined project management practices ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p256

3. According to the CHAOS report for 2009 what is the percent of projects that can be considered completely successful? a. 44% c. 24% b. 32% d. 60% ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p255

4. The organization and direction of other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget is called what? a. Project delivery management c. Project human resource management b. Project integration management d. Project management ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p26

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the external responsibilities of a project manager? a. Report project status c. Work with the client b. Assess project risks d. Identify resource needs

ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p257

6. Which of the following is NOT one of the internal responsibilities of a project manager? a. Develop the project schedule b. Develop specifications c. Assign work to team members d. Monitor project milestones ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p257

7. Which of the following is NOT one of the PMBOK knowledge areas? a. Integration Management c. Risk Management b. Documentation Management d. Procurement Management ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p259

8. Which of the following principles of project management identifies all stakeholders? a. Risk Management c. Human Resource Management b. Communications Management d. Time Management ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p259

9. What technique is used to control the scope in an Agile project? a. Not important to worry about scope. b. Freeze the requirements in an early iteration. c. Keep a prioritized list of required functions. d. Let the client and the users worry about the scope.

ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p260

10. Project Quality Management is different for Agile projects because they place heavy emphasis in what additional area? a. The quality of the testing process. b. The quality of the project processes. c. The quality of the deliverables. d. The quality of the team members.

ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p261-262

11. Which of the following is also called a steering committee? a. Executive committee c. Project approval committee b. Strategic planning committee d. Oversight committee ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p257

12. Which of the following is NOT a standard reason for initiating a system development project. a. To respond to an opportunity b. To reduce staffing requirements c. To resolve a problem d. To respond to an external directive ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p262

13. A ____ combines three components: the problem description, the business benefits, and the system capabilities. a. Project charter c. System vision document

b. Proof-of-concept analysis ANS: C

PTS: 1

d. System scope document REF: p263

14. Which of the following is NOT a common question asked by the client before giving project approval? a. How much will it cost? b. How long will it take? c. Who is the project manager? d. What are the benefits?

ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p265

15. Usually the highest cost for the development and deployment of a new system is _____. a. License fees for new software c. Computer and network equipment b. Salaries of the development team d. Data center costs ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p266

16. The time from the deployment of a new system until the break-even point is reached is sometimes called the ______. a. investment period c. return on investment b. net present value d. payback period ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p268

17. The net present value for a year is calculated by _______. a. combining benefits and costs for a defined number of years b. applying the discount rate to the combination of benefits and costs c. determining when the benefits offset the costs d. applying the discount factor to the combination of benefits and costs ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p268

18. Which is NOT one of the primary areas for risk and feasibility analysis? a. Organizational risks c. Schedule risks b. Deployment risks d. Resource risks ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p269

19. The fear of using a computer (computer phobia) is a type of _______ risk. a. Technological risk c. Organizational risk b. Resource (people) risk d. Deployment risk ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p269

20. Missing milestones on a project may be an indication of project that has high _______ risk. a. Schedule c. Deployment b. Resource d. Technological ANS: A

PTS: 1

REF: p271

21. Which of the following is NOT one of the activities of the second core process to plan and monitor the project. a. Establish the work environment c. Evaluate work processes b. Build work schedules d. Estimate the project length ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p271

22. Which is NOT an activity associated with establishing the project environment? a. Record and communicate project information. b. Establish the working environment. c. Establish team processes and procedures. d. Identify staffing requirements.

ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p272

23. The creation of a work breakdown structure is helpful in the development of what? a. Software testing plan. b. Project iteration schedule. c. Detailed work schedule. d. Detailed effort estimates of work tasks.

ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p277

24. Estimating the effort required and identifying task dependencies is usually part of the work to create what? a. The project iteration schedule c. The project time estimate b. The detailed work schedule d. The critical path ANS: B

PTS: 1

REF: p277

25. When the project team asks “Are our working relationships with the user effective?” it is doing what? a. An end of iteration review c. A performance review b. An end of project review d. A work breakdown structure ANS: A

PTS: 1

REF: p281

26. Which of the following is NOT one of the activities associated with staffing the project team? a. Conducting team-building exercises. b. Developing a resource plan. c. Organizing work groups. d. Setting up programming rules and guidelines.

ANS: D

PTS: 1

REF: p279

27. Which is NOT a criterion that is used to determine how to define tasks for a work breakdown structure. a. How to know when the task is complete. b. How to estimate the effort required. c. A logical way to determine its predecessor. d. It should take one to five days.

ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p279

28. Given a project schedule with all tasks connected with one-way arrows and task durations. The critical path is _____. a. the longest path through the network b. the shortest path through the network c. neither the longest nor shortest path through the network d. it cannot be determined ANS: A

PTS: 1

REF: p279

29. The present value of $200,000 development costs in year 0 assuming a 10% discount rate is: a. $180,000 c. $200,000 b. $190,000 d. $210,000 ANS: C

PTS: 1

REF: p268

MULTIPLE RESPONSE 1. Which two of the following are activities belonging to the first core process? a. Schedule the work b. Perform risk and feasibility analysis c. Choose the project manager d. Establish the project environment e. Evaluate the work processes f. Quantify project approval factors ANS: B, F

PTS: 2

REF: p262

2. Which two of the following activities belong to the second core process of planning and monitoring the project? a. Establish the project environment b. Estimate the project cost c. Analyze project risk and feasibility d. Determine project scope e. Estimate the project length f. Staff and allocate resources ANS: A, F

PTS: 2

REF: p271

3. Which two of the following questions (decision points) are important when monitoring project progress? a. Is the task on target? b. Is the task too large? c. Is the task clearly defined? d. Is the variance significant? e. Is the corrective action sufficient? f. Is the status complete?

ANS: A, D

PTS: 2

REF: p281

COMPLETION 1. The term “____________________” refers to the organization and direction of other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget.

ANS: project management PTS: 2

REF: p256

2. The person or group that funds the project is called the _____ .

ANS: client PTS: 2

REF: p257

3. The person or group that work directly with the system are called _______ .

ANS: user users PTS: 2

REF: p257

4. The _______ consists of clients and key manager who review the progress and direct the project.

ANS: oversight committee PTS: 2

REF: p257

5. The level of formality of a project is often referred to as _______ .

ANS: ceremony PTS: 2

REF: p257

6. A project management guide and standard of fundamental project management principles is referred to as the _______.

ANS: PMBOK Project Management Body of Knowledge PTS: 2

REF: p259

7. A document to help define the scope of the new system is called a _____.

ANS: system vision document System vision document System Vision Document PTS: 2

REF: p263

8. The benefits that accrue to an organization, usually measured in dollars, from the deployment of a new system are called ______.

ANS: business benefits PTS: 2

REF: p263

9. The required functions and capabilities of the new system that are developed in order to get approval for the development project are called the _______.

ANS: system capabilities PTS: 2

REF: p263

10. The dollar value of benefits reduced by the dollar value of costs combined together and expressed in current dollars is called the ______.

ANS: net present value NPV Net Present Value PTS: 2

REF: p268

11. What is the name given to the process of comparing costs and benefits to see whether investing in a new system will be beneficial?

ANS: cost/benefit analysis cost benefit analysis cost-benefit analysis Cost/benefit analysis Cost Benefit Analysis Cost-benefit analysis PTS: 2

REF: p267

12. The point in time at which dollar benefits offset the dollar costs is called the _______ .

ANS: break-even point break even point PTS: 2

REF: p268

13. What is the term that describes the time period after which the dollar benefits have offset the dollar costs?

ANS: payback period pay back period pay-back period Payback period Pay Back Period Pay-back Period PTS: 2

REF: p267

14. An increased level of customer satisfaction is an example of a(n) _______ benefit.

ANS: intangible PTS: 2

REF: p269

15. The hierarchical list of activities of a project that is used to create work schedule is called the _____.

ANS: work breakdown structure

WBS work breakdown structure (WBS) PTS: 2

REF: p278

16. A bar chart that portrays the schedule by the length of horizontal bars is called a _______.

ANS: Gantt chart PTS: 2

REF: p279

17. The sequence of tasks in a schedule that cannot be delayed without delaying the project is called the _______ .

ANS: critical path PTS: 2

REF: p279

18. The meeting held at the end of an iteration to determine what was successful and what can be improved is called what?

ANS: Retrospective retrospective A retrospective PTS: 2

REF: p281

ESSAY 1. List several (at least four) reasons why projects fail as determined by the CHAOS report.

ANS: 1. Undefined project management practices 2. Poor IT management and poor IT procedures 3. Inadequate executive support 4. Inexperienced project managers 5. Unclear business objectives 6. Inadequate user involvement PTS: 5

REF: p256

2. List several (at least four) of the internal responsibilities of a project manager.

ANS: 1. Develop the project schedule 2. Recruit and train team members 3. Assign work to teams and team members 4. Assess project risks 5. Monitor and control project deliverables and milestones PTS: 5

REF: p25

3. List the three major external responsibilities of a project manager.

ANS: 1. Report the projects progress and status 2. Work with the client and other stakeholders 3. Identify resource needs and obtain resources PTS: 5

REF: p257

4. List the nine areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge.

ANS: Project Scope Management Project Time Management Project Cost Management Project Quality Management Project Human Resource Management Project Communication Management Project Risk Management Project Procurement Management Project Integration Management PTS: 5

REF: p259

5. List the four activities of the first core process: Identify the problem and obtain approval.

ANS: 1. Identify the problem 2. Quantify project approval factors 3. Perform risk and feasibility analysis 4. Review with the client and obtain approval PTS: 5

REF: p262

6. List the three primary reasons for initiating a software development project.

ANS: 1. To respond to an opportunity 2. To resolve a problem 3. To respond to an external directive PTS: 5

REF: p262

7. List three primary criteria to obtain approval for a project. These criteria are often three key questions asked by the client before giving approval.

ANS: 1. How long will it take? (What is the estimated time) 2. How much will it cost? (What is the estimated cost) 3. What will it do for us? (What are the estimated benefits.)

PTS: 5

REF: p265

8. List four primary areas that are considered in risk and feasibility analysis.

ANS: 1. Organizational risk and feasibility 2. Technological risk and feasibility 3. Resource risk and feasibility (usually people resources) 4. Schedule risks and feasibility PTS: 5

REF: p269

9. List the five activities of the second core process: Plan and monitor the project.

ANS: 1. Establish the work environment.

2. Schedule the work.

3. Staff and allocate resources.

4. Evaluate work processes.

5. Monitor progress and make corrections.

PTS: 5

REF: p271

10. List the three steps required to develop a detailed schedule of the work to be done within an iteration.

ANS: 1. Develop a work breakdown structure.

2. Estimate effort and identify dependencies 3. Create the schedule with a Gantt chart.

PTS: 5

REF: p277