1. As a project manager, you’re using the SMART criteria to craft goals for your team. During the process, you ask yourself if a goal is aligned to the organization or the company’s goals. Which SMART criteria does this question represent?
- Measurable
- Time-bound
- Specific
- Attainable
- Relevant
Explanation: The feature of the SMART criterion known as "Relevance" is represented by the question "Is the goal aligned to the organization or the company's goals?" Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound are the components that make up the SMART framework. The letter "R" stands for "R." Ensuring that a goal is relevant to the larger strategic direction and purpose of the firm may be accomplished by determining whether or not it is in alignment with the general aims and objectives of the organization. By doing so, it guarantees that the efforts of the team will contribute significantly to the accomplishments of the business.
2. Which of the following demonstrates a project manager keeping the project in scope? Select all that apply.
- The key stakeholder and the project manager clearly define the project scope in the initial planning stage. The project manager documents all the details to be referred to throughout the project life cycle.
- The key stakeholder clearly states the project needs to be completed in six months and must stay within scope. The project manager has not been able to keep the project on schedule and has yet to inform the key stakeholder of the delay.
- The key stakeholder has had to meet with the project manager several times to define the project scope. The project manager is delaying meetings and is unclear about project tasks.
- The key stakeholder meets with the project manager to set the scope and deliverable agreements in writing. The project manager keeps the key stakeholder informed while communicating with project team members.
3. Fill in the blank: The goal of a project helps to determine the _____.
- stakeholders
- deliverables
- presentation
- culture
Explanation: One of the factors that helps to decide the direction and priorities of a project is the aim of the project. Throughout the whole of the project's lifespan, the project aim acts as a guiding principle, affecting decision-making, resource allocation, and the overall focus of the project team.
4. What is part of a project launch?
- Defining and managing the project scope.
- Presenting the final deliverable to the client.
- Measuring the success of the project.
- Budgeting the deliverables for success.
5. Consider the following scenario: The Director of Product requests a project cost reduction of 25%. However, they also state that the product’s final result needs to look and function as originally agreed with no additions to project workload.
Using the triple constraint model, what trade-off could the project manager use to meet the Director of Product’s request?
- Change the timeline
- Change the project goal
- Change the team
- Change the project scope
Explanation: Time, money, and scope are the three most important aspects that have to be considered in the triple constraint model. In light of the fact that the Director of Product is demanding a reduction in project costs of twenty-five percent without affecting the final look or functioning of the product, the project manager can take into consideration modifying the scope in order to achieve the desired reduction in pricing.
The trade-off in this case entails lowering the price of the project (the cost constraint) by maybe eliminating or modifying specific features, functions, or deliverables that are included within the scope that was initially agreed upon (the scope constraint). When the project manager takes this course of action, they are able to fulfill the request for a decrease in costs without sacrificing the overall look or functioning of the finished product. Nevertheless, it is of the utmost importance to communicate any modifications to the stakeholders and to make certain that the updated scope continues to correspond with the overall aims and objectives of the project being undertaken.
6. Define success criteria.
- The process to determine if tasks are in-scope or out-of-scope.
- The standards by which the project will be judged once it’s been delivered to customers.
- The availability of funds for the project.
- The use of the triple constraint to manage project restrictions.
Explanation: When referring to a project, activity, or effort, the term "success criteria" refers to particular and quantifiable benchmarks or standards that are used to assess the success or efficacy of the endeavor. A project's goals and objectives are stated at the beginning of the project, and these criteria serve as a reference for determining whether or not the project has accomplished its goals and intentions.
7. Which of the following is an adoption metric?
- An increase in customer satisfaction score.
- A 20% increase in the amount of tasks completed.
- A 35% increase in first-time customers.
- Double the amount of time participating within an app.
8. A project manager launches a project to streamline a local city’s school bus route schedule to reduce the amount of time students are on the bus by 30%. What scenario below demonstrates that the project manager landed at the intended goal?
- The project manager hands over the project to the client with all of the plans and documents and considers the project a success.
- The project manager reviews the data in 3 months to determine if they reduced the amount of time students spend on the bus by at least 30%.
- The project manager completes the research and development required for the plan and adds another county to compare success rates for the project.
- The project manager surveys the team members to ask how they feel about the project success; their feedback is reviewed and determines the next team.
Explanation: A comprehensive study is carried out by the project manager after the implementation of the simplified bus route schedule. The results of this analysis reveal that the average amount of time that students spend riding the bus has been decreased by thirty percent. Positive comments have been received from both parents and school administration about the effectiveness of the new timetable, and there has been a discernible improvement in the overall transportation experience for children.
In this particular case, the aim of the project manager was to cut the amount of time that children spend riding the bus by thirty percent, and the result is consistent with this purpose. The favorable feedback received from stakeholders is additional evidence that the project was successful in accomplishing the purpose that it was designed to achieve.
9. Suppose as a project manager you’re receiving requests from stakeholders to add new features to the product you’re developing. How would you deal with this external scope creep?
- Agree on who can make formal requests and how your team will evaluate and act on those requests.
- Ignore the requests because the project is already underway.
- Take a team vote to decide if the team should add the new feature to the product.
- Implement the initial stakeholders’ requests and then ban all future requests.
10. Fill in the blank: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) combine both a goal and a _______ to determine a measurable outcome.
- consensus
- vision
- metric
- budget
Explanation: When determining a measurable outcome, objectives and key results (OKRs) combine a goal with a set of measurable outcomes to establish the outcome that can be measured. The Key Results, which are the measurable results, provide a quantitative method for evaluating the progress that has been made and the level of success that has been achieved in the pursuit of the overall aim or objective.
11. Consider the following scenario:
The Janco Car Company is about to deliver new cars to its affiliate dealerships. Right before shipping, several dealerships say they cannot receive the cars because of showroom schedules. Janco had not planned for the various dealerships’ showroom schedules. The dealerships ask for Janco to reorganize the car shipping schedule, costing Janco hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Which of the following steps could Janco have taken to help prevent scope creep?
- Send the shipping schedule to all of the dealerships after it’s finalized.
- Use legal avenues to make the dealerships alter showroom schedules.
- Include product delivery scheduling in the project scope.
- Move the cars via airlines to keep the timelines in place.
12. Fill in the blank: The difference between a goal and a deliverable is that the goal is the desired outcome of the project and the deliverable is a _____ of the project.
- SMART method
- success criteria
- tangible outcome
- progress
Explanation: It is important to note that a goal is the intended objective of the project, but a deliverable is a concrete result or output of the project. The distinction between the two is that the goal is the desired outcome of the project. Deliverables are the precise objects, goods, or results that the project intends to generate in order to accomplish its general goals and objectives within the scope of the project.
13. Which of the following scenarios best represents project launch?
- The website development team researches a specific audience through sales data analysis.
- The project manager works with stakeholders to develop project goals and deliverables.
- The project team releases a new product.
- The client agrees to the initial timeline and budget.
Explanation: Following many months of preparation, the project manager convenes the project team for a meeting to officially begin the project. During the meeting, they will present the general project plan, as well as the aims and objectives of the project, as well as the members of the team. A presentation is made of the project charter, which details the project's scope, timetable, and important milestones. There are tasks and duties that have been allocated to the team, and the project manager stresses the need of working together and communicating well. The project plan has been formally put into action, which marks the beginning of the period in which the project is meant to be executed.
14. Consider the following scenario: The Director of Product requests the project manager to add a new product feature. However, they also state that the team cannot push back the project delivery date.
Using the triple constraint model, what trade-off could the project manager use to meet the Director of Product’s request?
- Change the timeline
- Change the budget.
- Change the team
- Change the project goal
Explanation: Time, money, and scope are the three most important aspects that have to be considered in the triple constraint model. Due to the fact that the Director of Product has requested the inclusion of a new product feature without extending the delivery date of the project, the project manager may need to consider altering the scope in order to accommodate this request.
Maintaining the original delivery timeframe for the project (a time restriction) while adding the new product feature within the project scope (a scope constraint) is the trade-off that is involved in this situation. Nevertheless, it is of the utmost importance for the project manager to evaluate the effect that this change will have on other areas of the project and to convey to stakeholders any possible trade-offs that may arise. In order to fulfill the Director of Product's request without extending the overall timeframe of the project, it is possible to make adjustments to the scope of the project while maintaining the same delivery date.
15. Which of the following indicate whether a project manager accomplishes what they set out to do?
- Accuracy standard
- Success criteria
- Launch standard.
- Deviation criteria
16. Which of the following is an engagement metric?
- Double the amount of initial orders.
- Number of new customer sign-ups for a subscription.
- A 20% increase of participation time within an app.
- A 35% increase of first-time customers.
17. How will you quantify if you’re landing a project at its intended goal?
- Check if the project meets the initial success criteria.
- Send out feedback surveys to team members
- Solicit stakeholders for their opinions
- Ask the clients if they’re happy with the result
18. Suppose as a project manager you receive a request from a team member to change a process they believe will make their work more efficient. However, you know that the change may increase the workload for other team members and extend the project’s completion date. How do you best address this potential internal scope creep?
- Remind the team that any process changes will change project scope and may create unknown risks for the project.
- Request from stakeholders an additional team member to take on the additional work.
- Try it out as a test because the team member making the request has seniority.
- Ask the team member who requested the change to take on the additional work from affected team members.
19. Consider the following scenario: A new company project isn’t going well. The company hires outside evaluators to review the project. The evaluators tell the company that its plan has too many delays and that the company won’t be able to complete the project on time. They also identify one issue causing a delay is the company and the investors (stakeholders) have different expectations of what the completed project should be.
- What step could the company have taken to avoid scope creep?
- Have stakeholder involvement before the project begins.
- Make the investors adopt the company’s project expectations.
- Hire a different organization to review the project.
- Require more detailed bids from the evaluators in writing.
20. As project manager, you approve a team member’s request to change the order of their tasks because they think it will be more efficient. However, this change disrupts another team member’s work process: they need to do two additional tasks not related to the project’s goal. What is happening on this project?
- The project is becoming more efficient.
- The project is iterating.
- The project is staying in-scope.
- The project is going out-of-scope.
21. Once a team launches a project, there’s still work to be done. Which of the following scenarios would occur in the landing phase? Select all that apply.
- Work with stakeholders on the prioritization and documentation before building a new product.
- Check that forms and processes are collecting the necessary data to evaluate project success.
- Gather the project team to discuss what they learned during the project and how to improve the process.
- Decide how to deliver an organization-wide announcement and campaign for the project.
Explanation: In the context of a project, the phrase "landing phase" is not commonly recognized, and its meaning might vary depending on the language used by a person or an organization. On the other hand, if we take into account the time period after the start of the project during which the team is actively working towards the project objectives.
22. What’s a main difference between the adoption and engagement metrics?
- Adoption replaces a business metric. Engagement compliments other business metrics.
- Adoption requires more expensive tools. Engagement requires less expensive tools.
- Adoption is generally a one-time occurrence. Engagement is ongoing.
- Adoption is an external metric. Engagement is an internal metric.
23. Which scenario demonstrates project landing?
- The car company Janco launches a new car series called the Cruiser ST. The launch is successful and all the dealerships request more models.
- The project manager considers positive feedback from the project sponsor as enough evidence to assume success and reports the project complete.
- The project manager checks back on the project in five years to see if the training program produces a 20% increase in the county’s recycling rate.
- The Director of Product requests to reduce the budget by 25% but the final outcome still needs to look and function as originally agreed.
Explanation: "The project team has now arrived at the last phase of the project, which has been the result of months of preparation and execution. Every single one of the project's goals and objectives has been accomplished, and all of the deliverables have been finished. A comprehensive evaluation is carried out by the team in order to guarantee that all of the criteria have been completed and that the stakeholders are pleased with the outcomes. The final paperwork is being developed, which includes a detailed review of the project, conclusions drawn from the lessons learned, and suggestions for future initiatives. A closing meeting is led by the project manager, who expresses gratitude to the team for their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment. The stakeholders are provided with a formal project closing report, which serves as an official declaration that the project has been successfully completed.
24. Which of the following is true about Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)?
- There are typically 2–3 objectives for every key result.
- OKRs are rarely used to determine a project’s success criteria.
- OKRs are mainly for team-based metrics and not for individuals.
- Adoption and engagement are often used as metrics to measure results.
25. Which of the following scenarios best represents a project that is going out-of-scope?
- The deliverable to present your project’s pre-launch event at a three-day, in-person conference is now an online conference. The switch reduces the costs associated with event space, travel, and people resource time.
- During the project weekly meeting, the project sponsor adds a new deliverable requirement that costs $10,000 USD. This addition surpasses the budget by $5,000 USD.
- The manufacturer of one of the project deliverables just lost power after a large storm. They don’t expect to be in production for one week, delaying the project timeline.
- During the project weekly meeting, the project manager learns the main vendor will increase the cost of raw materials by 20% due to an international shortage.
Explanation: As the project moves along, the stakeholders make repeated requests for new features and functions that were not initially included into the project plan. The team working on the project starts incorporating these modifications without first going through the appropriate review and approval procedures, which ultimately results in an increase of the project's scope. As a result of the ongoing inclusion of new needs, the project manager has seen that the timetable is in danger of being prolonged, and the budget is under pressure as a result of the situation. Since the team is having trouble keeping up with the ever-expanding scope of the project, there is a possibility that the project could lose its focus on its initial aims.
26. Consider this Office Green scenario: A member of the marketing team suggests allowing customers to choose from an additional three plant colors.
- What can help prevent project scope creep in this scenario? Select all that apply.
- Get clarity on project requirements.
- Go along with the member’s suggestion.
- Create a plan for dealing with out-of-scope requests.
- Make project plans visible.
27. Fill in the blank: Deliverables help project managers, team members, and stakeholders _____ and realize the impact of the project.
- Quantify
- compare
- rank
- adjust
Explanation: Project managers, members of the team, and stakeholders are able to better visualize progress and understand the effect of the project with the assistance of deliverables.
28. Consider the following scenario: The Director of Product requests that the project manager do what they can to finish the project early. However, the Director also states that they cannot spend any additional funds.
Using the triple constraint model, what trade-off could the project manager use to meet the Director of Product’s request?
- Change the team
- Change the budget
- Change the project scope
- Change the project goal
Explanation: Time, money, and scope are the three most important aspects that have to be considered in the triple constraint model. Taking into consideration the situation in which the Director of Product wants that the project be completed early without incurring any extra costs, the project manager can take into consideration modifying the scope of the project as a compromise in order to fulfill this request.
By possibly narrowing the scope of the project, the trade-off entails preserving the initial project timetable (which is a time limitation) and budget (which is a cost constraint). Specifically, this refers to the delivery of a fraction of the features or functions that were initially envisaged within the limits of the time and money that are now in place.
By making changes to the project's scope, the project manager has the ability to work toward finishing the project sooner without incurring any further extra expenditures. Nevertheless, it is of the utmost importance to explain any modifications to the stakeholders, to carefully manage their expectations, and to make certain that the decreased scope is still in accordance with the main aims and objectives of the project.
29. Which two of the following are examples of success criteria?
- Meet company-wide objective of $50M in revenues.
- Deliver training to all appropriate teams to ensure at least 98% of the teams are using the new tool.
- Create a new product feature that will satisfy customers.
- Implement a training service to meet company objectives.
30. What is the project management term for delivering the final result of your project to the client or user?
- Kickoff
- Launch
- Landing
Explanation: The phrase "project delivery" or "project implementation" will be used in the field of project management to refer to the process of providing the final result of your project to the customer or user. The actual handover of the finished project deliverables to the customer or end-users is the activity that takes place during this phase, which marks the climax of the project's execution. Activities like as turning over paperwork, providing training sessions, and ensuring that the client or users can properly utilize and manage the project's outputs are often included in this process.
31. What is the project management term for meeting the success criteria you establish at the beginning of the project?
- Kickoff
- Landing
- Feedback
Explanation: "Project success" is the phrase used in project management to describe the accomplishment of attaining the success criteria that were specified at the beginning of the project. When a project is successful, it is regarded to have accomplished the particular goals, objectives, and success criteria that were established at the beginning of the project. The success criteria are the quantitative benchmarks that show whether the project has accomplished its intended objective. The achievement of these success criteria indicates that the project has been successful in its whole.
32. Which of the following terms tells you whether or not the project is successful?
- Success standards
- Success criteria
- Deviation criteria
Explanation: You can determine whether or not the project was successful by referring to the phrase "Success Criteria." The success criteria of a project are precise benchmarks or circumstances that can be measured and that show whether or not the project's goals and objectives have been met. A determination of whether or not the project has achieved its intended objective and may be regarded as successful can be made by the stakeholders of the project via the evaluation of the success criteria. These criteria provide a transparent benchmark against which the results of the project are evaluated.
33. Which two terms are customer-related metrics to consider for success criteria?
- Product defects and delays
- Adoption and engagement
- Production and output
34. Who will ultimately judge if the project meets its goals, deliverables, requirements, and other success criteria?
- Stakeholders and customers
- Production team
- Project sponsor
Explanation: The stakeholders of the project are often the ones who make the final decision about whether or not the project satisfies its objectives, deliverables, requirements, and other success criteria. The persons or organizations that have an interest in the project and have the ability to affect or be impacted by its results are referred to as project stakeholders. These individuals may include consumers, clients, end-users, sponsors of the project, members of the team, and any other parties that are pertinent.
The expectations of the stakeholders and the degree to which they are satisfied are important variables in determining the overall success of the project. Stakeholders have a significant role in the process of setting success criteria. Throughout the whole of the project lifecycle, project managers maintain tight relationships with stakeholders in order to get an understanding of their requirements, collect feedback, and guarantee that the project is in accordance with the expectations of the stakeholders.
At the end of the day, the determination of whether or not a project was successful is a collaborative decision that takes into account the input and evaluation of a wide range of stakeholders. The primary concern is whether or not the project was successful in accomplishing its goals and providing value to those who were engaged.
35. Which of the following define success criteria? Select all that apply.
- Outlines specific details of project goals, deliverables, requirements, and expectations
- Indicates whether or not the project is successful
- Specifies the scope, time, and cost restriction of a project
- Sets the standards by which stakeholders and customers can judge the project once it’s delivered
36. What’s a main difference between the adoption and engagement metrics?
- Adoption requires more expensive tools. Engagement requires less expensive tools
- Adoption is an external metric. Engagement is an internal metric
- Adoption is generally a one-time occurrence. Engagement is ongoing
- Adoption replaces a business metric. Engagement compliments other business metrics.
37. Consider the following scenario:
The Janco car company is about to deliver new cars to its affiliate dealerships. right before shipping, several dealerships say they cannot receive the cars because of showroom schedules. Janco had not planned for the various dealerships’ showroom schedules. the dealerships ask for Janco to reorganize the car shipping schedule, costing Janco hundreds of thousands of dollars. which of the following steps could Janco have taken to help prevent scope creep?
- Include product delivery scheduling in the project scope.
- Move the cars via airlines to keep the timeline in place.
- Use legal avenues to make the dealerships alter showroom schedules
- Send the shipping schedule to all of the dealerships after it’s finalized.