Quiz 3 Chapter 3

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. All of the following are metrics of a successful project EXCEPT ____.
a. on-time completion
b. completion with the same personnel as were on the team at the outset
c. completion within budget
d. delivery of a quality product that satisfies users
____ 2. In addition to tasks, every project has ____, which are reference points used to monitor progress and
manage the project.
a. targets c. members
b. milestones d. workloads
____ 3. A project managers planning _____.
a. involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project teams workload
b. includes monitoring the progress of the project, evaluating results, and taking corrective
action when necessary to stay on target
c. consists of staffing, which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks
to team members
d. includes identifying project tasks and estimating completion times and costs
____ 4. In developing time and cost estimates, project managers must consider _____.
a. project size and scope
b. IT resources
c. prior experience with similar projects or systems
d. all of the above

True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

____ 5. A project manager, or project leader, usually is a senior systems analyst or an IT department manager if
the project is large.

____ 6. Gantt charts are an ideal tool for controlling a complex project because they provide plenty of detailed
information.

____ 7. In a PERT/CPM chart, each rectangular box, called a task box, has five sections that contain important
information about a task.

____ 8. PERT/CPM and Gantt charts are mutually exclusive techniques.

Completion
Complete each statement.
 9. The ____________________ handles administrative responsibilities for a project development team and
negotiates with users who might have conflicting requirements or want changes that would require
additional time or expense.

10. In Microsoft Project, a(n) ____________________ is similar to a PERT chart.

Quiz 3 Chapter 3
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 98

2. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 99
3. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 99
4. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 102

TRUE/FALSE

5. ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 98

6. ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 105
7. ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 106
8. ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 111

COMPLETION

9. ANS: project coordinator

PTS: 1 REF: 98
10. ANS: network diagram

PTS: 1 REF: 117

t/f

1. (T/F) A successful project must be completed on time,within budget, and deliver a

quality product that satisfies users and meets requirements.

True

2. (T/F) You must decide what is most important to you because the work is not
going to be good and fast and cheap.
 True

3. (T/F) Most successful project managers rely on personal experience,

communication ability, and resourcefulness.

True

4. (T/F) Gantt charts can present an overview of the project's status, but they do not
provide enough detailed information, which is necessary when managing a
complex project. Most project managers find that PERT/CPM charts are better
tools for managing large projects.

True

5. (T/F) Although a Gantt chart offers a valuable snapshot view of the project, PERT
charts are more useful for scheduling, monitoring, and controlling the actual work.
With a PERT chart, a project manager can convert task start and finish times to
actual dates by laying out the entire project on a calendar.

True

6. (T/F) A PERT chart displays complex task patterns and relationships. This
information is valuable to a manager who is trying to address high priority issues.

True

7. (T/F) Task patterns can involve dependent tasks, multiple successor tasks, and
multiple predecessor tasks. In larger projects, these patterns can be very complex,
and an analyst must study the logical flow carefully.

True

Comp
1. A ______, or ________, is any work that has a beginning and an end and requires
the use of company resources such as people, time, or money.

task , activity

2. An ______, or ________,is a recognizable reference point that you can use to

monitor progress.

event , milestone

3. __________ must be completed before another task can start.

Predecessor tasks

4. A ________ represents the work that one person can complete in one day.

person-day

1. The ___________ was developed by the U.S.Navy to manage very complex

projects, such as the construction of nuclear submarines.

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)

2. The ____________ was developed by private industry to meet similar project

management needs.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

3. PERT is a _______ because it analyzes a large, complex project as a series of

individual tasks.

bottom-up technique

1. A _______ shows three legs: project cost, scope, and time.

project triangle

4. In a systems project, the ________, or ________, usually is a senior systems

analyst or an IT department manager if the project is large. They typically perform
four activities, or functions: planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting.
 project manager or project leader

5. An ___________ might manage smaller projects.

analyst or a programmer/analyst

6. A __________ handles administrative responsibilities for the team and negotiates

with users who might have conflicting requirements or want changes that would
require additional time or expense.

Project coordinator

7. _________ includes identifying all project tasks and estimating the completion
time and cost of each.

Project planning

8. __________ involves the creation of a specific timetable, usually in the form of

charts that show tasks, task dependencies, and critical tasks that might delay the
project. It also involves selecting and staffing the project team and assigning
specific tasks to team members and uses Gantt charts and PERT/CPM charts.

Project scheduling

9. ________ requires guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team's

workload. The project manager must monitor the progress, evaluate the results,
and take corrective action when necessary to control the project and stay on target.

Project monitoring

10. ________ includes regular progress reports to management, users, and the project
team itself. Effective reporting requires strong communication skills and a sense of
what others want and need to know about the project.

Project reporting

11. A __________ involves breaking a project down into a series of smaller tasks.

work breakdown structure (WBS)

12. A _______ is a horizontal bar chart that represents a set of tasks.

Gantt chart
8. Project tasks are shown as rectangular box, called a _______, and each have five
sections.

task box

13. Gantt charts were developed almost 100 yea rs ago by ________, a mechanical
engineer and management consultant. His goal was to design a chart that could
show planned and actual progress on a project.

Henry L. Gantt

14. A Gantt chart also can simplify a complex project by combining several activities
into a _______ that contains subsidiary tasks. This allows a complex project to be
viewed as a set of __________.

task group , integrated modules

9. A __________ is a condition, restriction, or requirement that the system must

satisfy.

constraint

10. Tasks in a work breakdown structure must be arranged in a logical sequence called
a _________.

task pattern

11. The ________ should be brief and descriptive, but it does not have to be unique in
the project.

task name

12. The _________ can be a number or code that provides unique identification.

task ID

13. The _______ is the amount of time it will take to complete a task. All tasks must
use the same time units, which can be hours, days, weeks, or months, depending
on the project.

(task) duration

14. The ________ is the time that a task is scheduled to begin.

 start day/date

15. The __________ is the time that a task is scheduled to be completed.

finish day/date

16. When tasks must be completed one after another, they are called _________
because one depends on the other.

dependent tasks

17. When several tasks can start at the same time,each is called a ___________.

concurrent task

18. Often, two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, which is called
a predecessor task. In this situation, each concurrent task is called a _________.

successor task

19. A ___________ is a series of tasks which, if delayed, would affect the completion
date of the overall project.

critical path

20. A _____________ is a review of a project team member's work by other members

of the team.

structured walk-through

21. Structured walk-throughs take place throughout the SDLC and are called
________, _________, or ___________ depending on the phase in which they
occur.

design reviews , code reviews , testing reviews

22. A ___________ displays the same information as the Gantt chart,including task
dependencies, but use task boxes to include much more detail.

network diagram

23. A ______________ includes a review of the project's scope, stakeholders, budget,

schedule, and any other internal or external factors that might affect the project.
 risk management plan

24. ___________ lists each risk and assesses the likelihood that it could affect the
project.

Risk identification

25. __________ evaluates each risk by estimating the probability that it will occur and
the degree of impact.

Qualitative risk analysis

26. A _________ is a proactive effort to anticipate a risk and describe an action plan
to deal with it.

risk response plan

27. Projects without clear scope definitions are risky because they tend to expand
gradually, without specific authorization, in a process called ____________.

project creep

28. In some situations, adding more people to a project actually might increase the
time necessary to complete the project because of a principle called _________.

Brooks' Law

mc

enume

1. The project manager first makes three time estimates for each task:
o optimistic, or best-case estimate (B)
o probable-case estimate (P),
o pessimistic,or worst-case estimate (W)
 2. When developing duration estimates, project managers consider four factors:
o Project size
o Human resources
o Experience with similar projects
o Constraints
3. Before creating work breakdown structures, you should understand two primary
chart types:
o Gantt charts
o PERT/CPM charts
4. Each section of the task box contains important information about the task,
including the:
o Task Name
o Task ID
o Task Duration
o Start Day/Date
o Finish Day/Date
5. A project is based on a pattern of tasks. In a large project the overall pattern would
be quite complex, but it can be broken down into three basic patterns:
o dependent tasks
o multiple successor tasks
o multiple predecessor tasks
o

factor

1. (Factor) A project manager must identify all project tasks, from initial fact-finding
to system implementation and must determine how much time will be needed to
perform each task.

Project Size

2. (Factor) A project manager must assemble and guide a development team that has
the skill and experience to handle the project. If necessary, additional systems
analysts or programmers must be hired or trained, and this must beaccomplished
within a specific time frame.

Human Resources

3. (Factor) A project manager can develop time and cost estimates based on the
resources used for similar, previously developed information systems. The
experience method works best for small- or medium-sized projects where the two
 systems are similar in size, basic content, and operating environment.In large
systems with more variables, the estimates are less reliable.

Experience with Similar Projects

29. (Factor)A project manager must define system requirements that can be achieved
realistically within the required constraints. In the absence of constraints, the
project manager simply calculates the resources needed. However, if constraints
are present, the project manager must adjust other resources or change the scope of
the project.

Constraints