Chapter 3 – Managing Systems Projects
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following are metrics of a successful project ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
late completion
completion with the same personnel as were on the team at the outset
completion over budget
delivery of a product that satisfies users
2. A project manager’s planning _____.
a.
b.
involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team’s workload
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
3. A project manager’s scheduling function _____.
a.
b.
involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team’s workload
includes monitoring the progress of the project, evaluating results, and taking corrective action when
necessary to stay on target
c.
involves staffing, which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team
members
d.
includes identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs
4. For a project manager, monitoring _____.
a.
requires guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team’s workload
b.
involves controlling capital
c.
consists of staffing, which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team
members
d.
includes identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs
5. For a project manager, reporting _____.
a.
involves controlling capital
b. includes informing management, users, and the project team about the progress of the project
c.
consists of staffing, which includes selecting the project team and assigning specific tasks to team
members
d.
includes identifying and arranging project tasks and estimating completion times and costs
6. Effective project reporting requires ____.
a. strong communication skills
b. staffing the project team
c. creating Gantt charts
d. assigning specific tasks to team members
7. The accompanying figure shows task ____, which simplify a complex task by combining several
activities.
a. Groups
b. Clusters
c. aggregates
d. links
8. PERT/CPM is called a(n) ____ technique, because it analyzes a large, complex project as a series of
individual tasks.
a. top-down
b. bottom-up
c. indexed
d. cataloging
9. The first step in the creation of a PERT/CPM chart is to ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
determine the logical order of project tasks
identify the graphical planning aids to use
identify all the project tasks
determine the status of all tasks
10. Many project managers find ____ charts more helpful for scheduling, monitoring, and controlling
projects.
a. Gantt
b. PERT/CPM
c. index
d. task
11. A(n) ____ chart displays complex task patterns and relationships.
a. Gantt
b. Index
c. PERT/CPM
d. task
12. The first step in creating a WBS is to ____.
a. mark all recognizable events
b. determine time requirements
c. identify all tasks
d. estimate task completion time and cost
13. A event is a recognizable reference point that you can use to ____.
a. monitor progress
b. assign people
c. manage time
d. allocate money
14. In addition to tasks, every project has ____, which are reference points used to monitor progress and
manage the project.
a. Targets
b. Milestones
c. members
d. workloads
15. A ____ might involve maximums for one or more resources.
a. successor task
b. task group
c. constraint
d. bottom-up technique
16. In a PERT/CPM chart, each task has which of the following ____.
a. references to successor tasks
b. references to predecessor tasks
c. start day/date
d. resources allocated
17. When several tasks can start at the same time, each is called a(n) ____ task.
a. Synchronous
b. Asynchronous
c. baseline
d. concurrent
18. Two or more concurrent tasks often depend on a single prior task, which is called a(n) ____ task.
a. Predecessor
b. a priori
c. antecedent
d. ancestor
19. When two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, the concurrent tasks are called ____
tasks.
a. Descendent
b. Successor
c. children
d. antecedent
20. A ____ path includes all tasks that are vital to the project schedule.
a. Vital
b. Baseline
c. critical
d. foundational
21. Project managers always must be aware of the ____ path, so they can monitor the vital tasks and keep
the project on track.
a. Vital
b. Baseline
c. foundational
d. critical
22. When maintaining schedules, if enough ____ and frequent checkpoints exist, problems will be
detected rapidly.
a. success indices
b. critical paths
c. milestones
d. all of the above
23. ____ is open-source software that is supported by a community of users and developers.
a. GanttProject
b. Microsoft Project Standard
c. Microsoft Project Professional
d. Both b and c
24. GanttProject can open files created with ____.
a. Apptivo
b. HTML
c. Microsoft Word
d. Microsoft Project
25. The Apptivo ____ is free of charge with unlimited duration.
a. Full Plan
b. Enhanced Plan
c. Expanded Plan
d. Standard Plan
26. _____ is a full-featured program that holds the dominant share of the project management software
market.
a. Apptivo
b. GanttProject
c. Microsoft Project
d. OpenProject
27. A _____ cannot be started until one or more other tasks are completed.
a. dependent task
b. concurrent task
c. predecessor task
d. all of the above
28. A ____ is an event that could affect a project negatively.
a. Menace
b. Threat
c. doubt
d. risk
29. A risk management plan includes a review of ____.
a. employees
c. program code
b. project scope
d. open source
30. Most risk identifications include a brief description of ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
the team member who might cause a risk to occur
who would be responsible for responding to a given risk
the project manager most vulnerable to a given risk
the team member most vulnerable to a given risk
31. A(n) ____ chart can be used to display the qualitative risk analysis matrix.
a. pie
b. XY
c. bar
d. line
32. A risk ____ plan is a proactive effort to anticipate a risk and describe an action plan to deal with it.
a. identification
b. management
c. response
d. balancing
33. A continuous risk-tracking process can ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
identify new risks
prevent human resource turnover issues
increase employee satisfaction
encourage team building
34. Microsoft claims that Microsoft Project has the capability of ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
linking risks with specific vendors
assign ownership of risks
eliminating risk
preventing fraud
35. Microsoft’s risk management model includes ____.
a. category, which specifies the risk type
b. probability, which indicates the degree of adverse effect should the risk occur, on a scale of 1
to 10
c. impact plan, which identifies plans to control or limit the risk
d. contingency, which identifies a condition that would initiate the contingency plan
36. When an information system does not meet business requirements, causes might include ____.
a. identified requirements
c. imprecise targets
b. adequately defined scope
d. sufficient testing
37. ____ is a possible cause of cost overruns related to human resource issues.
a. unrealistic estimates
b. poor monitoring of progress
c. inaccurate TCO forecast
d. turnover
38. Problems with timetables and project milestones can indicate ____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
recognition of task dependencies
continuity of project personnel
good control methods
personality conflicts among team members
39. When a project manager first recognizes that a project is in trouble, the options available to her include
____.
a. expanding the project requirements
b. delaying the project deadline
c. reducing the project resources
d. eliminating controls and procedures
40. A project triangle shows three legs: _____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
project cost, scope, and time
project cost, size, and scope
project size, scope, and time
project size, cost, and time
MULTIPLE RESPONSE
Modified Multiple Choice
1. In the end, every successful information system must ____.
a. support business requirements
c. be completed on time
d. not have any errors
b. stay within budget
2. Project managers typically perform the tasks of ____.
a. project planning
c. project scheduling
b. project reconciliation
d. project monitoring
3. Which of the following is an example of an event?
c. project creep
a. the start of user training
b. conversion of system data
d. completion of interviews
4. ____ is a time estimate the project manager makes for a task.
a. The weight
c. The best-case estimate
b. The worst-case estimate
d. The probable-case estimate
5. Structured walk-throughs take place throughout the SDLC and are called ____ reviews, depending on
the phase in which they occur.
a. technical
c. design
b. code
d. testing
Chapter 3 – Managing Systems Projects
MODIFIED TRUE/FALSE
1. A PERT/CPM chart does not show the project as a network diagram with tasks connected
by arrows.
ANSWER:
F, does show
2. Critical time is the amount of time that a task would be late without pushing back the completion date
of the entire project. _________________________
ANSWER:
F, Slack
3. Gantt charts often are included in progress reports to show project status graphically.
_________________________
ANSWER:
TRUE
4. Quantitative risk analysis evaluates each risk by estimating the probability that it will occur and the
degree of impact. _________________________
ANSWER:
F, Qualitative
5. The purpose of quantitative risk analysis is to understand the actual impact in terms of dollars, time,
project scope, or quality. _________________________
ANSWER:
TRUE
TRUE/FALSE
1. System developers can initiate a formal project as early as the preliminary investigation stage, or later
on, as analysis, design, and implementation activities occur.
ANSWER:
TRUE
2. A project manager, or project leader, usually is a senior systems analyst or an IT department manager
if the project is large.
ANSWER:
TRUE
3. Although a Gantt chart provides more detailed information about a project, a PERT/CPM chart offers
a rapid overview that graphically displays the timing, duration, and progress of each task.
ANSWER:
FALSE
4. PERT/CPM and Gantt charts are mutually exclusive techniques.
ANSWER:
FALSE
5. Gantt charts are an ideal tool for controlling a complex project because they provide plenty of detailed
information.
ANSWER:
FALSE
6. Using a WBS allows you to manage a project as one large task.
ANSWER:
FALSE
7. If it will take one person 20 days to perform a particular task, it is true that two people could complete
the same task in 10 days or that 10 people could perform the task in two days.
ANSWER:
FALSE
8. In most systems analysis tasks, time and people are interchangeable.
ANSWER:
FALSE
9. If you do not have previous experience to measure a project in a given environment, you could design
a prototype or pilot system to gain technical and cost estimating experience.
ANSWER:
TRUE
10. Using prior experience to make time and cost estimates works best for large projects.
ANSWER:
FALSE
11. In a PERT/CPM chart, each rectangular box, called a task box, has five sections that contain important
information about a task.
ANSWER:
TRUE
12. In any project, large or small, tasks depend on each other and must be performed in a sequence.
ANSWER:
TRUE
13. When tasks must be completed one after another, they are called concurrent tasks.
ANSWER:
FALSE
14. When several tasks can take place at the same time, each is called a sequential task.
ANSWER:
FALSE
15. Often, two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, which is called a successor task.
ANSWER:
FALSE
16. When two or more concurrent tasks depend on a single prior task, each of the concurrent tasks is called
a predecessor task.
ANSWER:
FALSE
17. Project management software can highlight the series of tasks that form the critical path.
ANSWER:
TRUE
18. If any task along the critical path falls behind schedule, the entire project is delayed.
ANSWER:
TRUE
19. Generally, systems analysts review the work of other systems analysts, and programmers review the
work of other programmers, as a form of peer review, in structured walk-throughs.
ANSWER:
TRUE
20. Tasks that are not on the critical path cannot be ignored.
ANSWER:
TRUE
21. Project status meetings give project managers an opportunity to seek input and conduct brainstorming
sessions.
ANSWER:
TRUE
22. Most managers recognize that problems do occur on most projects; it is better to alert management
sooner rather than later.
ANSWER:
TRUE
23. In GanttProject, unlike in Microsoft Project, you create tasks and durations, indicate dependencies, and
assign resources.
ANSWER:
FALSE
24. Project management is dynamic and challenging, regardless of which software you use..
ANSWER:
TRUE
25. If team members lack experience with certain aspects of the required technology, temporary help
might be obtained from IT consultants or part-time staff.
ANSWER:
TRUE
Chapter 3 – Managing Systems Projects
COMPLETION
1. 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.
ANS: project coordinator
PTS: 1
REF: 103
2. To schedule a project, a project manager can use a(n) ____________________ like the
one in the accompanying figure, which is a horizontal bar chart that represents a series of
tasks.
ANS: Gantt chart
PTS: 1
REF: 104
3. To simplify a Gantt chart for a large project, a project manager can combine related
activities into ____________________ that represent several activities.
ANS: task groups
PTS: 1
REF: 104
4. Over time, the distinctions between the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)
and the Critical Path Method (CPM) have disappeared, and today the scheduling
technique is called ____________________, as represented in the accompanying figure.
ANS:
PERT/CPM
PERT
CPM
PTS: 1
REF: 105
5. The chart in the accompanying figure represents a bottom-up technique, because it
analyzes a large, complex project as a series of individual ____________________.
ANS: tasks
PTS: 1
REF: 105
6. In the project planning process, a(n) ____________________ is any work that has a
beginning and an end and requires the use of company resources.
ANS:
task
activity
PTS: 1
REF: 106
7. A(n) ____________________ is a recognizable reference point that can be used to
monitor progress and manage a project.
ANS:
event
milestone
PTS: 1
REF: 106
8. Instead of training a project as one large task, you break the project down into a series of
smaller tasks, called a(n) ____________________.
ANS:
WBS
work breakdown structure
work breakdown structure (WBS)
WBS (work breakdown structure)
PTS: 1
REF: 106
9. A(n) ____________________ represents the amount of work that one person can
complete in one day.
ANS: person-day
PTS: 1
REF: 107
10. When estimating the duration of a task, the project manager makes three time estimates
for the task and then assigns a(n) ____________________, which is an importance value,
to each estimate.
ANS: weight
PTS: 1
REF: 107
11. ____________________ can involve dependent tasks, multiple successor tasks, and
multiple predecessor tasks.
ANS: Task patterns
PTS: 1
REF: 110
12. The ____________________ is the time that a task is scheduled to begin.
ANS: start day/date
PTS: 1
REF: 110
13. A project is based on a pattern of ____________________.
ANS: tasks
PTS: 1
REF: 110
14. The ____________________ is the time that a task is scheduled to be completed.
ANS: finish day/date
PTS: 1
REF: 110
15. A(n) ____________________ is a review of a project team member’s work by other
members of the team.
ANS: structured walk-through
PTS: 1
REF: 114
16. ____________________ is software that can assist in project planning, estimating,
scheduling, monitoring, and reporting.
ANS: Project management software
PTS: 1
REF: 118
17. In Microsoft Project, a(n) ____________________ is similar to a PERT chart.
ANS: network diagram
PTS: 1
REF: 119
18. Projects with general scope definitions are risky, because they tend to expand gradually,
without specific authorization, in a process called ____________________.
ANS: project creep
PTS: 1
REF: 123
19. According to the concept called ____________________, adding manpower to a late
software project only makes it later.
ANS: Brooks’ Law
PTS: 1
REF: 124
20. A(n) ____________________ is a series of tasks with no slack time.
ANS: critical path
PTS: 1
REF: 126
MATCHING
Identify the letter of the choice that best matches the phrase or definition.
a. project management
f. weight
b. project coordinator
g. bottom-up technique
c. project leader
h. dependent
d. milestone
i. concurrent
e. constraint
j. predecessor
1. Usually a senior systems analyst or an IT department manager, if the project is large.
2. A condition, restriction, or requirement that the system must satisfy.
3. The process of planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting upon the development of
an information system.
4. Handles the administrative responsibilities for the development team.
5. An importance value assigned to an estimate.
6. PERT/CPM is an example.
7. The kind of tasks that must be completed one after another.
8. A recognizable reference point that can be used to monitor progress and manage the
project.
9. Tasks that can start at the same time are this kind of task.
10. The kind of task upon which other tasks depend.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
ANS:
C
E
A
B
F
G
H
D
I
J
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
PTS:
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
REF:
103
108
102
103
107
105
111
106
111
111
ESSAY
1. Project managers typically perform four main tasks. Identify these and explain what they
are.
ANS:
• Project planning includes identifying project tasks and estimating completion time and
costs.
• Project scheduling 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.
Scheduling also involves selecting and staffing the project team and assigning specific
tasks to team members. Project scheduling uses Gantt charts and PERT/CPM charts.
• Project monitoring requires guiding, supervising, and coordinating the project team’s
workload. The project manager must monitor the project’s progress, evaluate the results,
and take corrective action when necessary to control the project and stay on target.
• Project reporting tasks include 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.
PTS: 1
REF: 103
TOP: Critical Thinking
2. As you enter the start and finish times for tasks in the process of transforming a task list
into a PERT/CPM chart, you move through the tasks, adding the task duration for each
task to its start time to determine its finish time. As you move through the tasks, there are
three important rules to keep in mind. What are they?
ANS:
• If a successor task has more than one predecessor task, use the latest finish time of the
predecessor tasks to determine the start time for the successor task.
• If a predecessor task has more than one successor task, use the predecessor task’s finish
time to determine the start time for all successor tasks.
• Continuing from left to right, add the task duration for each task to its start time to
determine and enter its finish time. Again, be very careful not to add too many days. For
example, if a task starts on Day 10 and has a duration of 5 days, then the finish would be
Day 14 — not Day 15.
PTS: 1
REF: 117
TOP: Critical Thinking
3. What would a basic list of risk management steps include?
ANS:
• Develop a risk management plan. A risk management plan includes a review of the
project’s scope, stakeholders, budget, schedule, and any other internal or external factors
that might affect the project. The plan should define project roles and responsibilities,
risk management methods and procedures, categories of risks, and contingency plans.
• Identify the risks. Risk identification lists each risk and assesses the likelihood that it
could affect the project. The details would depend on the specific project, but most lists
would include a means of identification, and a brief description of the risk, what might
cause it to occur, who would be responsible for responding, and the potential impact of
the risk.
• Analyze the risks. This typically is a two-step process: Qualitative risk analysis and
quantitative risk analysis. Qualitative risk analysis evaluates each risk by estimating the
probability that it will occur and the degree of impact. Project managers can use a
formula to weigh risk and impact values, or they can display the results in a two-axis
grid. For example, a Microsoft Excel XY chart can be used to display the matrix. In the
chart, notice the various combinations of risk and impact ratings for the five sample
values. This tool can help a project manager focus on the most critical areas, where risk
probability and potential impact are high.
PTS: 1
REF: 121
TOP: Critical Thinking
CASE
Critical Thinking Questions
Case 3-1
Mauricio needs to develop a project plan for a new software release that he and his team
will develop. He turns to you for assistance in developing the plan.
1. You begin by reviewing some of the key points of project planning. Which of the
following is NOT a true statement about the process of developing a project plan?
a. You should break the project down into a series of smaller tasks, called a work
breakdown structure.
b. Projects with general scope definitions tend to expand gradually in a process called
project creep.
c. A project that is twice as large as another project will typically be twice as
complex.
d. Adding manpower to a late software project only makes it later.
ANS:
C
PTS: 1
REF: 104|123|124 TOP: Critical Thinking
2. You show Mauricio the formula that project managers often use for estimating the
duration of a task. Which of the following is NOT one of factors in that formula?
a. the best-case estimate
b. the initial-case estimate
c. the worst-case estimate
d. the probable-case estimate
ANS:
B
PTS: 1
REF: 107
TOP: Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking Questions
Case 3-2
Alicia needs to develop a schedule for a project that her team of software engineers is
about to begin. You suggest that she consider one of the graphical planning aids that can
help a project manager in the scheduling process, and you give her a description of two of
those tools.
3. Which of the following is NOT a true statement about Gantt charts?
a. It is a horizontal bar chart that represents a series of tasks.
b. The position of a bar shows the planned start and end of the task, and the length of
the bar indicates its duration.
c. They can show task status in several ways, including the use of a vertical line to
represent the current date.
d. They provide the detailed information that is necessary when managing a complex
project.
ANS:
D
PTS: 1
REF: 104-105
TOP: Critical Thinking
4. In discussing PERT/CPM charts, you discuss the types of task patterns that can occur in a
project schedule. You give an example of two tasks, A and B, that can both begin as soon
as task C is finished. Which of the following is NOT a true statement about tasks A and
B?
a. They are predecessor tasks of each other.
b. They are concurrent tasks.
c. They each depend on task C.
d. They are multiple successor tasks of task C.
ANS:
A
PTS: 1
REF: 111
TOP: Critical Thinking