Exam questions Flashcards
List and describe five differences between projects and business as usual
Projects are unique/business as usual (BAU) is repetitive
Projects deliver products/BAU uses products
Projects are more risky than BAU
Projects need their time managing/BAU optimises time
Projects need costs managing/BAU optimises cost
Explain five distinct benefits to be gained from managing groups of projects as a programme rather than as individual, unconnected initiatives.
Better prioritisation of projects in line with overall business strategy
Improved resource management and utilisation
More holistic risk management.
Increased consistency in application of project management processes
Increased shared learning across the projects within the programme
List and describe five responsibilities of a programme manager throughout the programme lifecycle
Delivery of the programme outcome/capability
Initiation and termination of projects in the programme
Managing key processes at programme level (e.g. risk, issues, changes etc)
Act as project(s) sponsor
Coordination of the projects
Explain five benefits of portfolio management.
Managing the portfolio ensures that all of the project and programmes within it are aligned with the strategic aims and objectives of the organisation
Managing the portfolio ensures that there is better resource management across the organisation
Portfolio management can also provide an overall view of the risks that the organisation is exposed to.
Portfolio management ensures that existing projects and programmes continue to contribute to the aims and objectives of the organisation
Portfolio management ensures that the organisation can monitor through the ‘big picture’ how well it is achieving its aims and objectives and add projects and programmes where necessary.
Explain the term project context
Project context describes the broader environment (external to the project) in which the project exists. Projects do not operate in isolation to the world around them and external factors/influences such as economics, technology, sociology, legal, environment and politics make up its context. These factors can often affect its success much more then internal issues. I
four examples of project context
Political economical sociological technological legislative environmental
List and describe five responsibilities of a project sponsor throughout the project lifecycle
Owner of the business case
Appointing and supporting the project manager
Key decision maker
Authorises project through its gates
Authorises project closure and reviews the benefits
List and describe five responsibilities of a Project Office
Support the project manager Manage lessons learned Owner of project methodology Provides professional development of project personnel Manage project management resources
List five typical success factors and describe why each one is important
Effective sponsorship Effective communication The right resources Motivated team Clear aims and objectives
Explain five uses of project success criteria and/or key performance indicators (KPIs) during the lifetime of a project
Clear success targets at the start monitoring project progress Focus of detailed planning Assessing success at the end. Change impact assessments
Explain five elements of a stakeholder analysis process.
Identify the stakeholders(all must be identified)
Gather information( to understand attitudes towards the project)
Analyse and map.
Develop a strategy.( create a communications plan)
Implement the strategy ( deliver information from communications plan)
List and describe five policies which may be mentioned in a Project Management Plan
information management policy
HSE policy
HR policy, (impact on project on training recruitment, clearances)
Procurement policy (required suppliers, tendering,sourcing of good, labour)
Quality policy
Explain five fundamental components of a Project Management Plan
What? - a clear statement of the project’s requirements and objectives as well as the scope of delivery, It is important that there is also a link to the business case The scope of the project will be developed and documented using diagrams such as a Product and/or Work Breakdown Structures
When? -The schedule answers this question by showing the various activities, milestones and deliverable against time – usually in the form of a Gantt chart.
How? – This is probably the largest section in the PMP and covers many specific subjects. An example of this would be the Project Quality Plan. This would typically describe how the customer’s quality expectations would be delivered. It might cover things such as standards to be used, roles and responsibilities, acceptance criteria and testing methods. Other subjects in this section might be Change Control, Health and Safety, Information Management.
Who? – It is important that the project management team is clearly documented and this section should show the team structure and how each role relates to the others. In addition, this section should also document the specific responsibilities of each of the identified roles in the team. This provides clarity and is the basis for individual commitment to the project.
How Much? – It is vital that the project budget is documented and the costs controlled as they form a key success criteria in most projects. This section would include such things as the estimates – Resources, Quantity & Cost (Consideration of the ‘class’ of estimate e.g. accuracy tolerance), Contingency amounts and how contingency will be released and managed, estimate phasing – commitment profiles, cash flow profiles and earned value projections.
List five plans normally in a Project Management Plan and describe their purpose
The procurement plan is used to describe how the goods and services required by the project will be obtained. It describes the type of solution ( joint venture, make, buy etc.), the number and source of suppliers, the types of contract to be used, supplier relationship (prime contract, partnering etc.), the way suppliers be engaged (i.e. competitive tendering, single source) and the type of pricing/payment.
The risk management plan is used to show what risk management process is to followed throughout the project and will say who in the team is responsible for its various aspects. It will show how risks are to be scored, risk thresholds/tolerances, tools such as the format and use of the risk register and risk reporting requirements.
The quality plan is used to ensure that the customers quality expectations and acceptance criteria and processes to achieve them are understood and documented. It will describe any standards required, quality assurance and control activities and the roles and responsibilities of the team. The plan will also describe documentation and reporting requirements related to quality.
The information management plan describes how information will be managed through the life of the project and cover how, where and for how long information will be stored, levels of security required, archiving requirements and final destruction rules. It will also describe any tools and techniques that must be used together with the roles and responsibilities relating to information management.
The HSE plan describes how health and safety and environmental aspects of the project will be managed through the lifecycle and covers aspects such as policies and standards, and, required training of team members (such as working on site), It will describe any organisational interfaces and who is responsible for safety activities.
List and describe five ways of identifying project risks.
Brainstorming. A diverse group of people connected with the project are gathered together in a meeting to collectively suggest or ‘brainstorm’ a wide range of risks from their individual point of view and experience. The brainstorm will normally be structured using a series of risk areas and led by an experienced facilitator. The aim to get a wide range of risks and not to analyse them in any depth as this will be done later. This is a very creative forum for collecting risks.
Interviews. A more targeted way of identifying risks is to hold structured interviews with relevant stakeholders. They range from an informal discussion to a structured time bound interview with a set of pre-agreed questions. The interview has the advantage of being personal and can identify risks which individuals may be reluctant to suggest in a more open forum.
Checklists. This use a set series of statements or questions that an individual or a group can work their way through ticking of the ‘checks’ as they go after identifying any risks associated or suggested by the ‘check’ statement. For example: ‘does the project have any novel technology? ‘If yes what are the risks?’
Lessons Learned. This is a rich source of identifying risks. The past has a habit of repeating itself and seeing what risks were identified in previous projects and what issues occurred can help in populating a new risk register. The cause of the lesson and not just the effect should be considered so that risks can be fully understood and not just copied.
Questionnaires. These are similar to interviews but are remote and can be sent out to a wide range a stakeholders. The questions need to be carefully crafted and must be unambiguous and the responses collected and analysed so that the concerns of the responders and the associated risks can be understood
Explain what quality activities will be particularly relevant within a project life cycle, making five relevant points.
Quality planning is essential in the concept phase of a project in order to understand and document the customers quality expectations (CQE’s). This sets the scene for the rest of the project where products will be delivered against these established quality expectations. An example of this would be a customer expecting a conference to be run that appeals to an international market and attracts both high quality speakers and delegates. If this is not done, the next phase will have no aim or focus and may plan to deliver something the customer does not want.
Quality must be planned further in the definition phase. Here the CQE’s are developed and refined. Acceptance criteria must be added to ensure that they are both measureable and achievable. These acceptance criteria will be the basis for customer acceptance at the end of the project. Am example is that the conference venue must be 4 star or above and be within 20 miles of an international airport.
Quality control must be applied throughout the implementation phase of the project. The completed products must be tested and signed-off progressively to ensure confidence from the stakeholders and the team. At the end of each stage within the implementation phase the quality results should be reviewed to ensure that it is safe to proceed into the next stage and that any problems or trends can be addressed accordingly.
Quality assurance must be performed throughout the lifecycle to ensure that the project is following and complying with both its own plans and corporate standards and policy. This function will be carried out by a quality assurance team who will act independently from the project team. This ensures that the organisation maintains its integrity quality wise. Quality assurance activities may involve the use of project audits.
Final sign-off and acceptance of the project’s outputs is crucial and this will be completed in accordance with the quality plan. Sign-off and acceptance may be performed by both the users and the customer/sponsor. Quality records will be collated and stored to ensure that there is appropriate traceability should there be any quality issues in te future.
Explain the importance of robust requirements and describe four steps in the process
Following robust requirement management
process gives confidence to the stakeholders that their requirements are understood and their needs and expectations will be met within the final product. Requirements management is a key process that should be carried out at the early stages of the project life cycle (definition stage) in order to avoid expensive changes at later stages of the project. For example, project requirements for sewage project will be in accordance with the end user specifications and design guides.
Requirements capture is the first step in the requirements management process. During that
stage, efforts are exerted to collect information about stakeholders’ requirements either through meetings with their representatives, retrieving information from
previous similar projects, doing surveys, collecting latest specifications, design guide lines and regulations. That is important in order to avoid
being surprised at the end of the project by one or more ignored requirements that require very exhausting changes to accommodate. For example, 15m deep sewage pipeline is proposed while end users specification limit the maximum depth
to only 10 meters.
Requirements analysis / Evaluation is the second step in requirements management process. It includes analysis and evaluation of the collected requirements according to their value in the market, time required for their achievement (i.e. deadlines) and the procedures that will be followed for their achievement. That process is important as it allows narrowing down the list of requirements captured during the capture stage. For example, deadline is determined for the completion of the access roads to the sports city since Olympic Games will take place there.
Requirements justification /prioritisation is the key stage in the requirements management process. It includes categorising the requirements to Must be available (i.e. product cannot be delivered without them), Should be available (i.e. important for project delivery, but can be temporarily compensated for), Could be available (i.e. product can be released without them, and they will follow), without (i.e. products shall go without them, since these are not required). That prioritisation is important as it clarifies / gives understanding to the flexibility in meeting the requirements. For example, new mobile phone could be launched to market, and followed by the update of the software once it is completed.
Requirements Documentation is the final stage in the requirements management process. During this phase requirements are listed and agreed with stakeholders. PM will then clearly identify project requirements in the PMP and will incorporate them to define the scope of works. PM will get these approved by the project Sponsor, once approved these will the baseline requirements and will not be further changed without
applying formal change request. That is important to secure the base lines for the project and protect the project from scope creep. For example, stakeholders changed the specifications during the middle stages of the project and request incorporating the changes to the project which will have impact on the cost and time for completing the works.
Explain the overall aim of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 1974. (10 marks)
The aim of the Health and Safety at Work (HSWA) is to make provision for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work and for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of persons at work. It also covers the controlling, the keeping and use of dangerous substances, and for controlling certain emissions into the atmosphere. One example of this is that manufacturers must ensure that the products they design and construct are safe when being used, maintained and being disposed of. The Act ensures that both employers and employees understand their responsibilities regarding health and safety.
Explain four specific duties of employers or employees regarding (HSWA).
- Employees must take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions at work. Breaches of this duty could include things such as removing machinery guards, taking short cuts through hazardous environments, not checking equipment is safe before giving it to others and acting in a foolish and reckless manner and endangering the safety of others including those outside of the workplace. Everyone is responsible and this cannot be abdicated.
Employees must comply and cooperate with the duties and requirements imposed on them by the employer regarding the Act so that they can be performed accordingly. There will be many rules and regulations put in place by the employer to keep everyone safe and it is a duty of the employee to follow these. An example of this is where the employer had stipulated that personal protective equipment must be worn such as hard hats and steel toe capped footwear in specific environments. Failure to comply will put people in jeopardy and may encourage others to ‘break the rules’.
Employers must provide plant and systems of work that are as far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health. This would include things such as electrical equipment that has been tested and certified as safe, machines with effective guards in place and processes that have been hazard assessed and tested. Employees rely on the equipment given to them and the procedures they must follow to do their job, but if these are unsafe in any way, injury and even death can and sometimes does result.
Employers must as far as is reasonably practicable, ensure that any place of work under their control is maintained in a condition that is safe and without risk to health. This includes the provision and maintenance of means of access and egress that are safe and without risks. Examples of this would include clearly marked exit (normal and emergency) routes that are free from obstruction and ladders/lifts to less accessible workplaces (such as cranes) that are in good and safe working order.
List and describe five different pieces of HSE legislation
The Health and Safety at Work (HSWA) makes provision for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work and for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of persons at work. Employers must provide plant and systems of work that are as far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health. Employees must take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions must comply and cooperate with the duties and requirements imposed on them by the employer regarding the Act.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. It is designed to prevent or reduce workersexposure to hazardous substances by risk assessment, control of exposure, health surveillance and incident planning.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations set specific legal requirements to ensure that employees undertaking manual handling operations at work avoid the risk of injury. They specify all factors employers must consider if they employ manual workers. These include whether manual tasks involve awkward movements, moving loads over long distances, holding goods that are difficult to grasp and the capabilities of the worker.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations place a duty on every employer to ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work. They cover such things as hard hats, eye protection, safety harnesses, life jackets and safety footwear.
Reporting of injuries, Diseases and dangerous Occurrences Regulations require “responsible persons” to report deaths at work, major injuries caused by accidents at work, injuries to persons not at work that require hospital treatment, injuries arising from accidents in hospitals, and dangerous occurrences. The employer, must keep records of reportable incidents and diseases, and other matters specified by the HSE to demonstrate compliance.
Explain the purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure making three relevant points.
- To primarily develop and document the scope of a project in terms of its activities. This is in the form of a hierarchical breakdown that allows activities to be grouped together appropriately so that all of the work/activity is understood before commencement. It ensures that nothing is forgotten or omitted.
To facilitate the allocation of work to teams and individuals. The WBS framework can be combined with the team organisational breakdown structure to produce a responsibility assignment matrix showing who will do which activity. This makes it clear who is responsible for each task avoiding confusion and wasted work.
To facilitate estimating. Because the WBS breaks down the overall project into individual elements or packages of work, estimates of time, cost and effort can allocated to those elements. These can then be progressively summated at each level to provide an overall project estimate.
List and describe five steps in the preparation of a schedule for a large and complex project. Include in your answer how you would continue to maintain the schedule after the start of the project.
Develop scope Create network diagram Estimate durations of tasks Produce schedule Refine schedule and baseline
The first task is to develop the scope of the project in terms of both its products and its activities. A product and/or work breakdown structure (PBS/WBS) is often used to do this breaking the project down into groups of products and then into tasks. This provides a visible description of the scope and will assist in ensuring that nothing has been omitted.
The next step is to structure the tasks at the lower level of the WBS into a logical network diagram which shows the ‘flow’ of the work and the dependencies between them. This will allow the critical path the be calculated and float understood. This step needs to be performed in conjunction with the following step.
The duration of each task in the network diagram (above) needs to be estimated in order for it to progressed to the next step. The addition of all of the task durations on the critical path allows the overall duration to be calculated. It may be useful at this stage to try modelling a number of variations on the estimates to see the effect on the overall duration, the critical path and the float.
The network can now be drawn to scale to produce the schedule or gantt chart. This shows the start and end of each task to scale and is useful for presentation. Resources will need to be added to the schedule to make it meaningful and be the basis for commitment to the project from the resource providers. A histogram can be produced to show the levels of resources required.
The resourced schedule will now need to be smoothed or levelled to ensure that it is achievable and the level of resources are optimised. This may involve moving activities within their float and extending the overall duration where possible. Once the optimum schedule is produced it must be agreed by the relevant authorities and baselined. From this point on the schedule must be maintained and updated. This will involve adding actual start and finish dates to planned activities, adding progress to date and adjusting the remaining tasks to show the anticipated outcome. The plan should be treated as a configuration item and subject to version control.
