Chap 09 Human Resources Management

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Project Human Resource Management

Practice Exam

8. The MOST common cause of conflict on a project are schedule, project priorities, and:

A. Personalities.

B. resources.

C. cost.D. management

9. What conflict resolution technique is a project manager using when he says , I cannot

Deal with this issue now!

A. Problem solving.

B. B. Forcing.C. Withdrawal

D. Compromising.

10. What does a resource histogram shows that a responsibility assignment matix does

not?

A. Time

B .ActivityC. Interrelationships

D. The person in charge of each activity.

11. You have just been assigned as project manager for a large telecommunications

project. This one year project is about halfway done.The project team cosists of five

sellers and 20 of your company s employees.You want to understand who is responsible

for doing what on the project. Where would you find such information?A.Resposibility assignment matrix

B.Resource histogram

C.Bar ChatD.project organization chat

12. During project planning in matix organization, the project manager determine thatadditional Human resources are needed.From whom would he request these resources?

A. Project manager

B. Functional manager

C. TeamD. project sponsor

13. A project manager must publish a project schedule. Activities, start/end times andresources are identified. What should the project manager do NEXT?

A. Distribute the project schedule according to the communication management plan.B. Confirm the availability of the resource.

C. Refine the project management plan to reflect more accurate costing information.D. Publish a bar chart illustrating the timeline.

14. During every project team meeting, the project manager asks each team member todescribe the work he or she is doing, and the project manager assigns new activities to

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team members. The length of the meeting has increased because there are many different

activities to assign. This could be happening for all the following reasons. EXCEPT?

A. Lack of WBSB.Lack of a responsibility assignment matrix

C.Lack of resource leveling

D.Lack of tea involvement in project planning

15. You are project manager leading a cross-functional project team in aweak matrix

environment none of project team members report to you functionally and you not have

the ability directly reward their performance. The projsct is difficult involving tight dateconstraints and challenging Quality standards. Which of the following typesof project

managemaent power will likely be the MOST effective in this circumtances?

A. ReferentB. Expert

C. Penalty

D. Formal

16. A team member is not performing well on the project because she is inexpereiced insystem development work. What is the BEST solution for the project manager?

A. Consult with functional manager to determine project completion incentivesfor the team member.

B. Obtain a new source more skilled in development work.

C. Arrange for the team member to get training.D. Allocate some of the project schedule reseve.

17. A project manager has just found out that major subcontractor for project is

consistently late delivery work. The project team member responsible for this part of theproject does not get along with sub-contractor. To resolve the problem the project

manager says, You both will have to give up something to solve this problem.Whatconflict resolution method is she using?

A. Confrontation

B Compromise

C. SmoothingD. Communicating

18. A project has several teams. Team C has repeatedly missed deadline in the past. This

has caused team D to have to crash the critical path several times. As the team leader forteam D, you receive word that the next deadline may also be missed. You should meet

with the:

A. manage of team DB. project manager alone.

C. project manager and management

D. project manager and the leader of team C

19. The new project is exciting to both the project managers and the team this is the

project manager s first assignment as project manager.The team has feeling that they

will be able to complete work that has never been tried before. There are 29 people

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contributing to the product description and the team consists of nine highly experienced

experts in their field

Part of the way through planning, three highly technical team members aredisagreeing about the scope of two of the deliverables.One is pointing to the draft WBS

and saying that two additional work packages should be added. Another is saying that a

particular worl should not even be done.The third team member agrees with both of themHow should the project manager BEST deal with conflict ?

A. He should listen to the differences of opinioni, determine the best choice.

B. He should postpone further discussions, meet with each individual and anddetermine

the best approach

C. He should listen to the difference of opinions, encourage logical discussions, and

facilitate an agreement.D.He should help the team focus on agreeable aspects of their opinions and build unity

by using relaxation techniques and common focus team building.

20. The project is just starting out and consists of people from 14 different departments.The project charter was signed by one person and contains over 30 major requirements

that must be met on the project .The sponsor has informed the project manager that theSPI must be kept between 0.95 and 1.1.A few minutes of investigation resulted in the

identification of 34 stake holders,and the schedule objectives on the project are

constrained. A project has just been hired .Which of the following types of project

manager gain the co-operation of others?A. Formal

B. Referent

C. PenaltyD. Expert

21. A project manager is trying to settle a dispute between two team members .One saysthe systems should be integrated before testing and the other maintains each systemshould be tested before integration. The project involves over 30 people, and 12 systems

need to be integrated. The sponsor is demanding that integration happen on time.What is

the BEST statement the project manager can make to resolve the conflict?A. Do it my way.

B. Lets calm down and the job done

C. Lets deal with this again next week after we all calm down.D. Lets do limited testing before implementation and finish testing after

implementation.

22. A project is in the middle of the executing process when a stakeholder suggests amajor change. This change will cause the third major overhaul of the project. At the same

time, the project manager discovers that major work package was not completed because

a team members boss moved him to anther project that had high priority .Whichfollowing is the best person for the project manager to address the issues with?

A. Team

B. Senior managementC. Customer

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D. Sponsor

23. Work on a project is ongoing when the project manager overhears two workersarguing over what a set of instruction mean. The project manager investigates and

discovers that the instructions for the construction of the concrete footing currently being

poured were poorly translated between the different languages in use on the project.Which of the following is the BEST thing for the project manager to do FIRST?

A. Get the instruction translated by a more experienced party.

B. Looking for quality impacts of the poor translation of the instructions for thefooting.

C. Bring the issue to attention of the team and ask them to look for other translation

problems.

D. Inform the sponsor of the problem in the next project report.

24. Conflict resolution techniques that may be used on a project includes confronting,

smoothing, Forcing and;

A. withdrawingB.directing

C. organizingD.controlling

25. The installation project has a CPI of 1.03 and SPI of 1.0.There are 14 team members

and each team member had input into the final project management plan.The customershas accepted the three deliverables completed so far without complaint and the

responsibility assignment matrix has not changed since the project began .The project is

being completed in a matrix environment and there are no contracts needed for theproject.

Though the sponsor is happy with status of the project, one of the team members is

always complaining about how much time his project work is taking. Which of thefollowing would be the BEST thing for the project manager to do?

A. Review the reward system for the project.

B. Try to improve schedule performance of the project.C. Meet with the customer to try to extend the schedule

D. Gain formal acceptance in writing from the customer.

26. The project has been challenging to manager. Everyone has been on edge tocomplete the project on time .unfortunately, the tension has grown the point when team

meetings have become shouting matches and little work is accomplished during the

meetings.One team member asks to be excused from future team meetings,as all theshouting upset him.Meanwhile the sponsor has ask to attend team meetings in order to

better understand how the project is going and the issues involved in completing the

project, and the customer has started discussions about adding scope to the project. In thissituation, it would best for the project manager to:

A. ask the sponsor if the information needed could be send in a report rather than

have him attend the meeting.

B. inform the team member who asked to be excused from the meetings of the value

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of communication in such meetings.

C. create new ground rules for the meetings and introduce them to the team.D. hold a team building exercise that involves all the team members.

27. Project performance appraisals are different from team performance assessments inthat project performance appraisals focus on:

A. how an individual team member performing on the project.

B. an evaluation of the project teams effectivenessC. a team building effort

D. reducing the staff turnover rate.

28. A project manager had a complex problem to solve and made a decision about whatneeded to be done. A few months later, the problem resurfaced. What did the project

manager most likely NOT do?

A. Proper risk analysis

B. Confirm that the decision solved the problem.C.Have the project sponsor validate the decision

D.Use an Ishikam diagram

29. The project CPI is 1.02, the benefit cost ratio is 1.7 and the latest round performance

reviews identified few needed adjustments. The project team was co-located into a new

building when the project started .Everyone commented on how excited they were tohave all new facilities. The sponsor is providing adequate support for the project and few

unidentified risks have occurred.

In an attempt to improve performance, the project manager spends part of the projectbudget on new chairs for the team members and adds the term senior to each team

members job title.

Which of the following is the MOST correct thing that can be said of this project or theproject manager?

A. The project manager has misunderstood Herzbergs theory.

B. The project is slowly spending more money than it should. The project managershould begin to watch cost more carefully.

C. The performance review should be handled better to find more adjustments.

D. The project manager should use good judgment to determine which variances are

important

30. You just find out that a major subcontractor for your project consistently provides

deliverables late.The sub contractor approaches you and ask you to continue acceptinglate deliverables in exchange for a decrease project cost. This offer is an example of:

A. confronting

B. compromiseC. smoothing.

D. forcing.

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Human Resources Management Answer

1. Answer D

Explanation When someone is given the job of project manager, they will have formal,

reward and penalty power. But just having the position does not make the project managereither a technical or project management expert.

2. Answer DExplanation This question is asking which of the FOLLOWING is the highest. Self-

actualization is not listed, so the next best choice is esteem.

3. Answer CExplanation Just because a person is good in his technical field does not mean he will also

be a good project manager.

4. Answer BExplanation Team members are harder to motivate if their loyalty is to their functional

organization rather than to the project team.

5. Answer D

Explanation In a matrix organization, each team member reports to the project manager and

the functional manager. Team members may therefore be worried about choices A,B andC. Since the same fringe benefits are given to all employees no matter what work they do,

choice D is the exception.

6. Answer D

Explanation Problem solving normally takes more time, but it gets buy-in from everyone,

generating a more lasting solution.

7. Answer D

Explanation The key words here are cross-disciplinary. Cross-disciplinary means that theproject covers more than one department or technical area of expertise. In such a case, a

matrix organization is needed with representatives from each department or discipline.

8. Answer BExplanation Know the top four sources (schedule, project priorities, resources and

technical opinions), so you can answer questions such as this one. Dont be fooled because

personalities is on the list. It is last.

9. Answer C.

Explanation Delaying the issue is called withdrawal.

10. Answer A

Explanation Time is shown on a schedule or bar chart. The responsibility assignment matrix

maps specific resources against the work packages from the WBS. On a resource

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Histogram, the usage of resources is shown individually or by groups over time.

11. Answer A

Explanation The responsibility assignment matrix maps who will do the work. The

resource histogram (choice B) shows the number of resources used in each time period.In its pure form, a bar chart (choice C) shows only activity and calendar date. An

organizational chart (choice D) shows who reports to whom.

12. Answer B

Explanation Did you forget that in a matrix organization the functional manager controls

the resources?

13. Answer B

Explanation The project schedule remains preliminary until resource assignments are

confirmed.

14. Answer C

Explanation Resource leveling refers to the maintaining the same number of resources onthe project for each time period. Leveling has nothing to do with assigning activities or

managing meetings.

15. Answer BExplanation Reward and expert are the best sources of power. Reward is not listed as a

choice.

16. Answer C

Explanation The job of the project manager includes providing or obtaining project-specific

training for team members. This kind of training is a direct cost of the project.

17. Answer B.

Explanation The act of both parties giving something defines compromise.

18. Answer D

Explanation Those having the problem should resolve the problem. Having had to crash the

critical path several times implies that team D has already dealt with these problems. In thiscase, the two team leaders need to meet. The extent of this situation requires the project

managers involvement as well.

19. Answer C

Explanation Do not get confused by the wordiness of the question. Ask yourself what is the

best way to resolve any conflict and you can get the answer. Most of the situation is adistracter. Problem solving and compromising are the two most important conflict

resolution techniques. Conflict management is a key general management.

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20. Answer A

Explanation Generally, the best forms of power are reward or expert. The project managerhas not had time to become a recognized expert in the company (choice D) and reward is

not included as a choice here. This leaves formal power (choice A) as the only logical

answer.

21. Answer D

Explanation Choice D is an example of compromising.

22. Answer D

Explanation It is the sponsors role to prevent unnecessary changes and to set priorities

between projects. The situation described in this question implies that such work is notbeing done and the project manager must therefore go to the rot of the problem; the

sponsor.

23. Answer BExplanation Though all of these choices are correctly things to do, the question asks what

to do first. What is the most immediate problem? Isnt it most urgent to find out whetherthe concrete footings meet your project requirements? Choice A could be done, but it does

not address the immediate concern. Choice C is excellent, and something many project

managers might never think of doing. However, it does not address the immediate problem.

Choice D is also not taking action to solve the problem. Are the concrete footingsadequate? Only choice B will help you answer that.

24. Answer AExplanation There is always the option to simply postpone dealing with the issue until

later. This is withdrawing.

25. Answer A

Explanation Improving schedule performance (choice B) relates to getting the project

completed sooner. Though it would seem to always be a good idea to improve scheduleperformance, this projects performance is fine. The schedule has been approved as it is. It

would be better for the project manager to spend more time controlling the project to make

sure it finishes according to plan than to improve schedule performance.

If you chose C, ask yourself why. There is nothing wrong with the scheduleperformance of the project that would require an extension. Did you think that the best way

to deal with the complaining stakeholder was to give him more time? How do you know

the team members activities are on the critical path?It is always important to gain formal acceptance from the customer, as it provides

an opportunity for the team to check if everything is going well. It is always good idea to

get such acceptance in writing. Choice D could be done, but there is a more importantproblem that takes precedence here. Read on.

The only thing glaringly wrong in this situation is that the team member is

complaining. If you read the situation completely, you will notice that the team member

was involved and approved the project management plan, including his own involvement in

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the project. Since the responsibility assignment matrix has not changed, the team member

has not even been assigned different duties since the project began. There must be

something else causing the team member to complain. The project manager shouldinvestigate and find out what part of the reward system is ineffective.

26. Answer CExplanation Here is a situation where all four choices could be done. Choice A could be

done, but does not solve the root cause of the problem described. Choice B merely dismisses

the concerns of the team member and might cause anger. A team building exercise would takeplanning and so could not be done right away. Remember, the sponsor might be attending the

next meeting and at least one team member might not attend because of past problems. The

best thing to do would be to set up new ground rules for the team governing behavior (choice

C) and then plan a team building exercise (choice D).

27. Answer A

Explanation Questions like this can drive one crazy on the exam because it is easy to get

confused. The best thing to do is to look at the two terms used here (project performanceappraisals and team performance assessment) and review in your mind what each means

BEFORE looking at the choices. Choices B, C and D list aspects of team performanceassessments. Only choice A is correct. Project performance appraisals deal with how each

team member is performing work, rather than how well the team is working together.

28. Answer BExplanation Notice the phrasing of this question, most likely NOT do. Expect to see

questions worded on the exam in ways that can cause you to misinterpret them. You will

also see questions about things we forget to do in the real world. Who has time, youmight say, to determine if each problem is really solved? One could respond with, Who

has time not to do this? Who has time to deal with the same problem twice? The final

steps of problem solving include: implement a decision, review it and confirm that thedecision solved the problem.

29. Answer AExplanation Choice B includes the concept of cost to trick you into selecting it if you are

unsure of the real answer. There is no indication that the costs are trending in any particular

direction. There is no reason to think that performance reviews should turn up more

adjustments (choice C). The project manager should always use good judgment (choice D)and nothing in this question talks about judgment regarding variances, so this cannot be the

best choice. In this situation, the project manager is making great working conditions

better. According to Herzbergs theory, fixing bed working conditions will help you tomotivate, but making good ones better will not improve motivation. You need to focus on

the motivating agents and not hygiene factors.

30. Answer B

Explanation Both parties are giving up something. This is a compromise.

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Chap 09 Human Resources Management