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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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1. If there were 4 people on the project team and 9 more are added, how many additional channels of communication does this create?
A. 6 B. 30 C. 36 D. 72 |
D
If you tried to take a shortcut here, chances are you missed this one and guessed 'C'. If there were 4 people, there would have been 6 communication channels. 9 more would create 13, which equals 78 communications channels. The question is asking how many additional channels were created, so the answer is 78 - 6 = 72. |
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2. The process to create a plan showing how all project communication will be conducted is known as:
A. Communications Modeling B. Plan Communications C. Information Method D. Communication Distribution Planning |
B
Plan Communications is the process for determining how the overall communication process will be carried out. It is the general plan for communications. None of the other three answers were terms used in this book, but the real giveaway was that only one answer 'B' was even the name of a process. |
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3. The responsibility of decoding the message rests with:
A. The sender B. The receiver C. The communications management plan D. The communications model |
B
In the communication model, it is the sender that encodes, and the receiver decodes the message. |
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4. Which of the following is FALSE regarding Distribute Information?
A. Distribute Information is an executing process B. Distribute Information ends when the product has been accepted C. Distribute Information may involve unexpected requests from stakeholders D. Distribute Information carries out the communications management plan |
B
Did you get tricked by this one? Distribute Information doesn't always end when acceptance has occurred, so this is the answer that doesn't fit. Some stakeholders will need information distributed on the closure of the contracts and projects. 'A' is true, because Distribute Information is an executing process. 'C' is true because Distribute Information carries out predetermined communication, but also will be used to respond to unplanned requests from stakeholders. 'D' is true because Distribute Information is the process that executes the communications management plan. |
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5. Your latest review of the project status shows it to be more than three weeks behind schedule. You are required to communicate this to the customer. This message should be:
A. Formal and written B. Informal and written C. Formal and verbal D. Informal and verbal |
A
Communication on schedule slippage, cost overruns, and other major project statuses should be formal and in writing. That doesn't mean you can't pick up the phone to soften the blow, but the formal and written aspects of the communication are what count here. |
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6. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding issues?
A. All issues must be resolved in order for the project to be closed B. The issue log is a tool for stakeholders to manage project issues C. Each issue should be assigned to a single owner D. Issue management may be treated as a sub-project on larger, more complex projects |
C
Each issue should be assigned to an owner and be assigned a target completion date. 'A' is incorrect since a project could be closed (successfully) and still have outstanding issues. Sometimes the issues are out of the project manager's control. 'B' is incorrect since the issue log is not for the stakeholders - it is for the project manager to use to manage issues. 'D' is incorrect because issues are managed wirhin the context of a project. If you were even considering creating a separate project to manage issues, your project is probably beyond hope. |
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7. The majority of a person's communication is:
A. Verbal B. Nonverbal C. Documented D. Unnecessary |
B
Most of a person's communication takes place nonverbally. It is body language that carries much of the message. 'A' is the opposite of the correct answer. 'C' is incorrect since most of the communication is nonverbal, but not written (documented). 'D' may well be true for some people, but it is not the right answer here. |
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8. Which of the following communication techniques is the most effective
for resolving conflict ? A. Instant messaging B. Conference calls C. Formal written communication D. Face-to-face communication |
D
Face-to-face communication is the most effective means of resolving conflict. This fits an overall theme that direct, clear, and personal communication is favored for project managers. If you guessed 'A', go find a place to hide in shame, or at least go sit in time out for a few minutes. 'B' and 'C' might seem like appropriate choices in some situations, but face-to-face is still more effective. |
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9. Communication skills would be used most
during which of the following processes? A. Distribute Information B. Status Meetings C. Report Performance D. Communications Change Control |
A
Your communications skills are used as a tool in Distribute Information. You should have eliminated 'B' and 'D' because they were not real processes. 'C' might have been tricky for you, but it is incorrect because the process of Report Performance mainly produces the performance reports, which factually state the status of the project, while Distribute Information, which can cover many more topics, requires more in the way of skill and communication ability. |
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10. The communications management plan typically
contains all of the following EXCEPT: A. The expected stakeholder response to the communication B. The stakeholder communication requirements C. What technology will be used to communicate information D. A glossary of terms |
A
The expected response you will receive is not part of the communications management plan. The communications management plan focuses on how you will communicate to stakeholders and not how they will communicate to you. 'B', 'C', and 'D' are all typically part of the communications management plan. |
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11. You are about to attend a bi-weekly status meeting with your program
manager when she calls and asks you to be certain to include earned value analysis in this and future meetings. Why is earned value analysis important to the communications process? A. It communicates the project's long term success B. It communicates how the project is doing against the plan C. It communicates the date the project deviated from the plan D. It communicates the value-to-cost ratio |
B
Earned value analysis is a communication tool, and it's all about how the project is doing against the plan. |
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12. You receive a last minute status report from a senior member of the
project team that you believe is incorrect. It shows tasks as complete that you are almost certain are no more than 60% complete, and it documents deliverables as having been turned over to the customer that you do not believe are even finished yet. You are walking into a communication meeting with key stakeholders. What is the BEST way to handle this problem? A. Ask the team member who wrote the report to sign the bottom of it B. Ask the stakeholders to wait a few minutes while you try to verify the information C. Summon the project team to the meeting and get to the bottom of the discrepancy D. Do nothing with this status and provide an amended repon at the next meeting with the stakeholders |
B
This is a hard question, but be prepared for questions like this on the PMP! The reasoning behind it is this: a project manager should always communicate good information and should always report the truth, 'A' is wrong because it isn't about getting your team member to sign off. Accurate information is more important than accountability, 'C' is incorrect because it is not the team's job to go to these meetings. They should be doing the work on the project. 'D' is incorrect because waiting only postpones the situation and delays getting accurate information to the stakeholders. Choice 'B' is best in this case because it is the only one that gets accurate information to the stakeholders as quickly as possible. |
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13. The MOST important skill for a project manager to have is:
A. Good administrative skills B. Good planning skills C. Good client-facing skills D. Good communication skills |
D
Good communication skills are the most important skills a project manager can have! Project managers spend more time communicating than anything else. |
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14. The best definition of noise is:
A. Any unsupportable information that finds its way onto written or verbal project communications B. Anything that interferes with transmission and understanding of a message C. Any communication that takes place through unofficial project channels D. A communications acronym for Normal Operational Informing of Select project Entities |
B
Noise is anything that interferes with the transmission and understanding of a message. If you guessed 'D', then you were indeed guessing. |
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15. A project manager is holding a meeting with stakeholders related to the status of a large project for constructing a new runway at a major airport.
The runway project has a CPI of 1.2 and an SPI of 1.25, and the manager is going to have to deliver the message to the stakeholders that a crucial quality test has failed. What kind of communication does this meeting represent? A. Formal verbal B. Informal verbal C. Paralingual D. Nonverbal |
B
Many people incorrectly guess 'A' for this question, but meetings are classified as informal verbal - even when the subject matter is important! |
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16. You have just taken over as the project manager for a new runway for
a major airport. The project is already in progress, and there are over 200 identified stakeholders on the project. You want to know how to communicate with these stakeholders. Where should you be able to find this information? A. It depends on the type of project B. The stakeholder management plan C. The communications management plan D. Communication requirements |
C
The stakeholder's communication needs are all contained in the communications management plan. |
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17. Mary is using fore casting to determine her project's estimate at complete.
What would be the most likely place to include this information? A. The communications management plan B. The project activity report C. The performance reports D. The stakeholder management report |
C
Report Performance uses the tool of forecasting and produces the performance reports. These performance reports often contain the estimate at complete and the estimate to complete, as well as the cost and schedule performance indexes. 'A' was the only other answer that contained a term that is used in this book, and it is not an appropriate match for this question. |
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18. Marie is a project manager who is involved in a meeting with the
customer. After the customer makes a statement, Marie carefully reformulates and restates the message back to them. What is Marie practicing in this case? A. Listening skills B. Project communications management C. Professional courtesy D. Passive listening |
A
Marie is practicing good listening skills to make sure she communicates well with her customer. |
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19. Lessons learned should contain:
A. The collective wisdom of the team B. Feedback from the customer as to what you could have done better C. Information to be used as an input into administrative closure D. Analysis of the variances that occurred from the project's baseline |
D
This is important! Lessons learned focus on variances from the plan and what would be done differently in the future in order to avoid those variances. |
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20. In which process would earned value analysis be used?
A. Plan Communications B. Distribute Information C. Report Performance D. Report Project Value |
C
Earned value analysis is a tool of Report Performance, since earned value analysis factors in the difference between what was planned and the work that was actually accomplished. This information can then be distributed out to the appropriate stakeholders. |
