Project Management Autumn 2010: Suggested exam questions (updated Dec.9)
Many very good suggestions for questions for the exam are suggested below. We have tried to
build on these when formulating the exam – although we have chosen to modify the questions
somewhat.
Please – remember that even if most questions may be answered by using a more general
knowledge, we will reward explicit links to the literature and seminars.
Describe why creating a project plan and team contract at the beginning (before the work on
project starts) is important.
Govindarajan and Gupta propose a three-step model that leads to an effective global business
team; what are those three steps and its underlying questions?
What are the most important project manager’s essential skills and tools?
In order to manage a project effective and efficiently it is important to use several tools and
techniques in the planning and scheduling phase. Name the three most important tools and
explain their individual characteristics?
Why is it so important to take into account all the stakeholders that are involved in a project?
Describe (and explain why) a project that you believe had a successful and rewarding structure.
Brown and Hyer describe ten Project Success Factors, describe four factors do you believe are
the most important for a project to succeed and why? (page 7)
What are the critical steps for evaluating whether to carry out a project or not?
As we know, the planning of a project is crucial for its successful achievement, but this is not the
only factor a project manager must take into account, the team constitution in charge of the
project is equally important. What should a project manager consider when building a most
effective project team?
What are the key components that define a successful project and what makes them so
important?
Mention three factors of uncertainty and explain why these may threaten a project.
What are the issues in success of Global Business Teams and how to overcome these issues?
What are the driving forces behind the success or failure of Global Business Teams?
What are the necessary factors in Managing a Team’s process?
Tradeoff between flexibility and control?
Describe some success factors in a Project, with examples how to achieve them’
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With regard to motivating team members, what intrinsic and extrinsic motivators could project
managers use? Do you think all the incentives should be based on team performance or some of
them should be based on individual performance? Explain your answer.
In chapter 6 of the book we dealt with project uncertainty. Why is it really important to consider
project uncertainties, what methods are available, explain one method that you used for your
project and give an example how uncertainties can affect the performance of a project
Provide a technique for handling uncertainties in a project and explain with the help of an
example how this could be applied in a real case scenario?
Give example of how you can motivate and involve employees to work towards the same goal?
What is most important when deciding on a project? Is it the financial prospects or the
nonfinancial benefits? Or something else?
How would you as a Project Manager try to motivate your project team and why is motivation
important?
What are the important aspects to consider when wrapping up a project?
What do you believe is the greatest challenge of a project manager, why so, and what tools and
approaches would you apply as a project manager to address that challenge? Also elaborate on
how and why your way of addressing the challenge is the appropriate way forward.
Conflicts could be viewed as constructive instead of destructive in organizing events or projects.
Discuss!
How can knowledge created during the project be institutionalized in terms of conflict
management, since each project is constellation from different actors and represents different
circumstances?
Describe how to deal uncertainties before project and during project execution, what are the
important factors to consider when dealing uncertainties? What tools can be used to deal with
uncertainties?
With regard to motivating team members, what intrinsic and extrinsic motivators could project
managers use? Do you think all the incentives should be based on team performance or some of
them should be based on individual performance? Explain your answer
Provide a case of project. Ask students to explain the project initiation phase by drawing
information from the case project as well as course literature
How is it possible to cultivate trust between group members from different countries/cultures?
What are the main challenges in global business teams, and what are the major differences
between global business teams and other business teams (both positive and negative factors)?
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For the exam we think it could be interesting to have reflection questions about our own
experiences and with that you have to link to theories and analyze the theory with practice.
Example: Describe a project group that you have been part of where the leadership did not work.
What could have been done differently to improve the project and the leadership?
In what ways does a project manager handle uncertainty?
Mahalingam and Levitt (Mahalingam & Levitt, 2007) talk about 3 main and 6 subcategories, that
pertained to cross-national challenges on global projects. Choose one of the main subcategories,
and explain it in detail.
Project as a working format is becoming increasingly common in practically every field of work,
and in every type of organization. Sometimes, it is however not particularly appropriate to apply
the Project format to deliver work and results. Give an example of such a situation, and the
factors contributing to why it would be inappropriate to use a Project in that scenario
What are the advantages and drawbacks of managing global projects?
Summarize the key controversial or debated issues related to project management
The article of Mahalingam and Levitt discuss potential challenges because of culture differences
that can be a problem within global projects. On question for the exam could be why and which
the challenges could be in cross-national and global projects.
Every project looks different from the last, even if it has the same project manager and the same
industry. There are still some general phases a project has to undergo, please name these and
give a brief description.
Describe how you could or not be an effective Project Manager, in terms of characteristics and
personality aspects.
In our literature the work break down structure has been introduced as a method to be applied
for project. Please briefly explained what WBS is, what different tools are available for
implementing WBS? Have you ever used any of those tools please give us your reflection upon
the method you used. How was the final outcome?
Describe how you would handle a situation where your project faced time and resource
constraints.
Why is it good for companys to have a ”feedback book” i projects?
What may be the most important aspects to consider when choosing the members of a project
team?
Why is planning so important in a project?
What challenges do you see for a global manager?
What are the core capabilities that a project manager should possess?
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According to you, which are the main issues raising in a transnational project management team
and what are the qualities a good team leader needs to resolve these specific issues?
“Plans are useless, planning is indispensable”, “no plan survives contact with reality” – the
famous and infamous quotes on the limited use of planning are many, however, in project
management as a discipline there are few artifacts which are more highly regarded. Elaborate
on the use of planning and the meaning of plans in an ever-changing environment where the
original assumptions and breakdowns are obsolete from day 1 in a project.
Trust is an important aspect in a work team; explain why and how can you develop it?
How can Project Manager face the typical HR challenges?
To what extension is it possible to plan for uncertainties?
What are the tools for assessment in the project selection and how are these tools used?
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Dec 8
Grp 1:
What are important to consider when evaluate successfulness of a project? How could the
evaluation of one project influence other projects in the organization?
Grp 2: No question
Grp 3: We have had different guest lecturers in our class from different industries, product
development, Event, Organizational project. Please describe how the nature of their projects
differed from each project. And imagine if you are supposed to be project managers in the
above mentioned field what skills or knowledge do you think you should carry with yourself
from the provided literature of your course and why?
Grp 4:
Provide and describe at least three different kinds of traits that is considered important for a
good Project Manager
Grp 5:
How does the gatekeeper’s model look like?
Grp 6:
How can conflicts affect a project?
Grp 7:
(We still feel that we would like some more guidance to what to focus on in the textbook, which
concepts are more important than others?)
Grp 8:
Which mayor factors should one consider when forming an international project group?
Grp 9:
Well-functioning HRM seems to be essential for efficient and effective project operations.
According to you, which are the main challenges in developing HRM to meet the
requirements of project operations?
Grp 10:
Movies can be a strong influence and a wealth of inspiration in the area of leadership, and
project management in the wider sense. Choose an example, a scene or character, from a
mainstream movie and apply an analysis of which project management aspects occur, and are
worth highlighting as important learning lessons and knowledge to be aware of in general
project management roles and situations.
Grp 11:
Explain how HRM is affected by an intensive project-based organization and give solutions for
dealing with these respective problems.
Grp 12:
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Grp 13:
What changes when a project is carried through on a global basis where several countries are
involved?
Grp 14:
What are the key factors of the team building process? How can project manager develop trust
and responsibilities through the entire team?
Grp 15:
Define and explain the steps of a project starting from a business case to project initiation
document.
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