Week 2: Becoming an Effective Project Manager

1. Suppose that as a project manager, you speak with stakeholders to determine which tasks the team should complete first. What project management value does this represent?

Effective communication
Delegation
Optimism
Prioritization

Explanation: In the context of project management, this is an example of the value known as "Prioritization" or "Prioritizing Stakeholder Needs." By actively prioritizing activities based on the needs and expectations of the stakeholders, you are actively prioritizing tasks by consulting with stakeholders to establish which tasks the team should finish first. One of the most crucial aspects of successful project management is the ability to prioritize work in order to guarantee that the most important and vital tasks are completed first.

2. When budgeting a project, what is the responsibility of a project manager?

Controlling costs to ensure more money isn’t spent than what key stakeholders approved
Using a productivity tool to share information across the team
Creating a schedule so team members know when their task should be complete
Setting a period of time for a team member to complete an activity

3. As a project manager, you choose the best project management methodology for your team and ensure they adhere to it throughout the project. What project management responsibility does this represent?

Help teammates adopt the right workflows and project management styles.
Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible.
Hold all team members accountable for their assigned tasks.
Collaborate with other teams at the organization.

4. What is an example of measuring progress for a cross-functional team?

Setting up effective tools so the team can easily work together
Learning what makes team members feel supported and giving positive feedback
Defining key items and encouraging team members to ask questions
Recording milestones and documenting when tasks are completed

Explanation: An example of how to measure success for a cross-functional team might entail the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are in accordance with the objectives of the team as well as the overall goals of the project. Imagine that you have a team that is responsible for designing and delivering a software product. One that is cross-functional. In this context, progress may be monitored using a variety of key performance indicators (KPIs) that are adapted to the particular objectives of the team.

5. You’re a project manager on a team that is improving a product. How can you enable your teammates to make decisions?

Limit communication with stakeholders to avoid their input until product launch.
Provide data and feedback about how customers interact with the product.
Require teammates to include stakeholders during brainstorming sessions.
Keep the task schedule vague and allow flexibility on deadlines.

6. As a project manager, you learn that the stakeholders are changing the nature of the project and the team’s deliverables will change as a result. You aren’t sure how this will affect the team’s tasks. How will you handle this ambiguity and deliver the news to the team?

Tell them you’re upset with the changes and you didn’t make the decision
Tell them there’s nothing you can do because the stakeholders fund the project
Tell them the vague updates from stakeholders so they know all the information that you do
Tell them you care about the challenges they are facing and are there to support them

7. Suppose you have two teammates who disagree on the best way to complete a task. Which interpersonal skill can you use to help them resolve their disagreement?

Conflict mediation
Negotiation
Positive attitude
Understanding motivations

Explanation: In a circumstance like this, one of the most useful skills to deploy is active listening. You will be able to get a more profound comprehension of their issues and thoughts if you listen to both points of view with careful comprehension. This makes it possible for you to locate areas of agreement and to encourage a productive dialog in order to arrive at a solution that takes into account the characteristics that are beneficial to both approaches.

8. As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to break down barriers to help your team succeed. Which of the following would a project manager do to break down barriers?

Keep the project within the budget approved by leadership.
Encourage stakeholders to provide feedback on new product features.
Write clear goals for the project in the project’s documentation.
Provide support for the team as they try new approaches to find solutions.

Explanation: In order to tear down barriers, a project manager could promote open communication and collaboration. Collaboration is essential, thus this step is important. Through the cultivation of an atmosphere in which members of the team are at ease expressing their opinions and concerns, it is possible to confront prospective challenges and come up with solutions that are successful together. In order to break down barriers within a team, it is also very important to establish a culture of trust and mutual respect among the members of the team.

9. Fill in the blank: In project management, a _____ is a person or an organization that defines the project requirements. They also may set important guidelines, such as the budget and deadlines.

teammate
competitor
customer
vendor

Explanation: It is a person or an organization that determines the needs of the project that is referred to as a "stakeholder" in the field of project management. In addition to this, they could establish significant parameters, such as the budget and the deadlines.

10. Fill in the blank: _____ is when a project manager supports each individual on their team to meet expectations and exceed their own sense of personal potential.

Communicating
Planning
Promoting
Mentoring

Explanation: The term "empowerment" refers to the process by which a project manager encourages every member of their team to perform to the best of their abilities and beyond their own personal potential potential.

11. Which of the following is true of an effective project manager in an organization?

Must know all of the specific details of the project
Have the necessary skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques for the project
Have had a previous role in the organization sponsoring the project
Have personally met the project’s stakeholders

Explanation: An individual who displays great leadership qualities is someone who may be considered a good project manager in a company. In order to exercise leadership, one must be able to guide and motivate the team, as well as make strategic choices and ensure that the project is in line with the organization's overall objectives. A project manager is required to communicate information in a clear and concise manner, listen attentively, and encourage cooperation among the members of the team. Communication skills are also quite important. In addition, the capacity to adapt to new circumstances and find solutions to problems is necessary in order to successfully traverse the obstacles and changes that may occur over the course of a project.

12. As a project manager, you direct the activities your team needs to accomplish within a set period of time. You also control the team’s workload to ensure the activities are getting done on time. Which project management responsibility does this represent?

Managing tasks
Managing the budget
Utilizing productivity tools
Removing unforeseen barriers

Explanation: In terms of project management, this is the obligation that falls under the heading of "Scheduling and Workload Management." In your role as a project manager, you are accountable for the planning and organization of the tasks that the team will be doing, the distribution of resources, and the maintenance of the project's timeline. Monitoring the progress of the team, making modifications as required, and resolving any problems that may occur in order to guarantee that project tasks are completed on schedule are all part of the process of controlling the workload they are responsible for.

13. As a project manager, you establish “escalation paths.” These allow you to quickly communicate task hindrances, also called roadblocks, to the right people. When escalating a roadblock, you document it and make sure everyone that needs to know is aware of the challenge. What project management responsibility does this represent?

Ensure that issues and risks are tracked and visible.
Help teammates adopt the right workflows and project management styles.
Hold all team members accountable for their assigned tasks.
Collaborate with other teams at the organization

Explanation: "Issue Escalation and Resolution" is the duty that falls within the purview of project management responsibilities. In order to effectively handle and communicate any obstacles or barriers that may arise throughout the course of a project, it is essential for a project manager to build escalation pathways. You may guarantee that issues are escalated to the right level for resolution by recording them and contacting the necessary stakeholders. This will assist to sustain the pace of the project and overcome hurdles in a timely way.

14. What can a project manager do to recognize individuals’ efforts on a team?

Define key items and encourage team members to ask questions.
Learn what makes team members feel supported and provide positive feedback.
Ensure team members have the correct skill sets for each project function.
Set up effective tools so the team can easily work together.

15. You’re a project manager on a team that is improving a product. How can you enable your teammates to make decisions?

Keep the task schedule vague and allow flexibility on deadlines.
Provide data and feedback about how customers interact with the product.
Limit communication with stakeholders to avoid their input until product launch.
Require teammates to include stakeholders during brainstorming sessions.

16. A project manager forgets to assess how national holidays and team member vacations will affect the project’s completion date. Now, because of team member time off, the project delivery will be two weeks late. What flexible planning strategy could the project manager have used to avoid the delay?

Use collaboration tools
Enable decision-making
Escalate to stakeholders
Assessing external constraints

Explanation: One of the flexible planning strategies that may have been used to minimize the delay that was caused by national holidays and vacations taken by members of the team is known as "buffering." It would have been possible for the project manager to include time buffers or contingency periods into the project plan in order to accommodate unanticipated occurrences, such as family vacations or absences from team members.

By including buffer time, the project manager creates a cushion for any delays. This cushion enables the team to absorb the effect of unforeseen occurrences without putting the overall timing of the project in jeopardy. This preventative method of planning helps to reduce the likelihood of potential hazards and guarantees that the project will continue to go as planned, even in the face of unanticipated obstacles.

17. Suppose that unless a teammate receives additional resources, they are going to complete an activity past a deadline. You know that the stakeholders are reluctant to provide additional resources. Which interpersonal skill can you use to strike a middle ground between both the teammate’s and stakeholders’ needs?

Negotiation
Conflict mediation
Understanding motivations
Positive attitude

Explanation: Skill in the art of negotiation would be essential in this circumstance. You may work toward finding a medium ground that fulfills both the needs of the colleague for greater resources and the worries of the stakeholders over the limitations of the budget if you engage in successful negotiation. Communicating actively, gaining a knowledge of the interests and goals of both parties, and working together to investigate different solutions that satisfy the needs of the project while adhering to the limits that have been established are all necessary steps in this process. Negotiation that is successful helps to find a compromise that strikes a balance between the requirements of the team and those of the stakeholders.

18. As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to effectively manage the project. Which of the following would a project manager do to effectively manage the project? Select all that apply.

Frequently communicate the larger project goal to the team.
Understand the impact of each process within the project.
Check in with the team as little as possible to increase productivity.
Change the project end goal to meet the needs of project tasks.

19. Fill in the blank: In project management, a _____ is a person or an organization that defines the project requirements. They also may set important guidelines, such as the budget and deadlines. 1 / 1 point

teammate
customer
vendor
competitor

20. Fill in the blank: _____ is when a project manager supports each individual on their team to meet expectations and exceed their own sense of personal potential.

Mentoring
Planning
Communicating
Promoting

21. Which of the following is necessary to be an effective project manager?

You must have been in the project’s industry for at least two years.
You must know all of the technical details of a project before starting.
You must trust team members on the technical aspects of a project.
You must have a college degree in management.

22. As a project manager, you learn that the stakeholders are changing the nature of the project and the team’s deliverables will change as a result. You aren’t sure how this will affect the team’s tasks. How will you handle this ambiguity and deliver the news to the team?

Tell them you’re upset with the changes and you didn’t make the decision
Tell them you care about the challenges they are facing and are there to support them
Tell them the vague updates from stakeholders so they know all the information that you do
Tell them there’s nothing you can do because the stakeholders fund the project.

23. As a project manager impacting an organization, you want to build a great team. Which of the following would a project manager do to build a great team? Select all that apply.

Allow the team members to have input and ask questions.
Address the team’s needs whenever it’s most convenient for the project manager’s schedule.
Take the time to understand each team member’s motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.
Understand the customer’s requirements to better shape the skills needed for the team.