Ch 1-3 (GST) Exam Review

What is happening to demand for project management skills?
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Terms in this set (74)
What is happening to demand for project management skills?
It is increasing
Who should provide project management training (ideally)?
Managers
Do project managers ever have to serve in a liaison role?
Yes, between customers and members (OFTEN)
Is project management an art, a science, or both?
BOTH
How have projects been linked to strategy in the past (in general)?
Projects are linked to strategy by integrating them into the strategic plan. Keeping the strong linkage between the strategic plan and the projects designed to achieve it is a constant challenge for managers at all levels of the organization.
Emergency projects
Rebuilding something destroyed - must do
-rebuilding hotel destroyed by fire
Compliance Projects
involve implementing change within an organization or social setting to confirm to rules, laws, policies and standards of governance that may be imposed by regulatory bodies and government agencies.
Scoring models
A selection method that assigns
categories and corresponding values to
measure project's worthiness of investment. It is the result of a scorecard card. Their extensive knowledge and experience allows them to decide which elements actually influence the outcome and assign a score to each element based on its value.
Weighted scoring models
Is an objective technique: the project selection committee lists relevant criteria, weighs them according to their importance and their priorities, then adds the weighted values. Multiply the raw scores by the weights to get the weighted scores for each criterion on each project. Once the scoring of these projects is completed, the project with the highest score is chosen.
Is there an interface between a project and its host organization?
Yes, and must be defined in terms of: Authority, Allocation of Resources, and Eventual Integration of Project Outcomes into Mainstream Operations
Does functional area or cultural differences ever affect projects?YES, through negotiating, communicating, and decision makingDoes a project manager have to recognize differences in cultureYes, it is important in order to be successfulWhat effect does reaction to crisis have on organizational cultureWhich scanning modes are more active and take more resourcesHow to determine if a factor is systemic or environmentalWhen to use environmental scanning and when to use control systemsThe ways we can deal with problems that are less than well-structuredThe importance of understanding relationships in systemsThe difference between mechanistic organizations and organic onesThe determinants of complexity and how each one affects complexityThat control must exist within the systems boundary to be successfulThe types of inputs and the types of outputs found in systemsHow different types of inputs can have different effects on the systemThe difference between defining attributes and accompanying attributesThe importance of defining a focal systemThe general laws/principles that apply to general systems theoryThe names of the levels of the organizational pyramidThe most important consideration in environmental scanningCharacteristics of the ideal project managerThe most important consideration in a control subsystemWhat do project managers and project team members need to knowWhat are the phases or stages of project teams (in-class activity)How does an RFP and an RFQ differ and what are the essential components of an RFP?What are the four project management structures, how is each commonly used, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?What is the value of creating a systems diagram and what diagramming conventions should be followed in creating one?What is the difference between a project and a program and how does the management of each differ?Is it important to link projects to organizational strategy, and if so, why? How can such linkages be accomplished, managed, and maintained?Why is project management becoming increasingly important in today's world?What are the benefits (and challenges) of project portfolio management?What are the various types of models or approaches used in the selection of projects and be able to give two examples of each?What are the "Seven Factors" influencing the choice of project management structure in an organization (from Hobbs and Menard)?What are the primary characteristics that capture the essence of an organization's culture?Can states of a system be managed directly or must they be managed by identifying and managing the rates that affect the states? Provide a detailed description of an example.What is the difference between Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety and Churchman's Principle of Primacy?What types of organizations project management can be used inWhether the phases of the project life cycle are linear or iterativeDo project managers need to manage expectations of clientsThe difference between feasible and reasonable (in a project)The categories for classifying projects in portfolio managementBalancing project portfolios for riskBalancing needs of the project and the parent organizationWhether there is an interface between a project and its host organization Whether projects ever span functional boundariesWhat is a "projectized organization"What is the advantage of multiple perspectives in scanningWhich (scanning) modes are surveillance and which are searchDefinition of a control system (or control subsystem)Parts of a control subsystem and what each one doesThe information needs of the various organizational levelsInformation Needs of Managers by Organizational LevelStrategic (SP): Long-run focus, high range of aggregation, Management Control (MC): medium-range focus, moderate aggregation, Operational Control (OC): short-range focus, low aggregation, Operations (OP): Immediate focus, short-term, detailed, no aggregation,Attributes that can be properties of objects or relationshipsProperties of both objects and relationships which show the qualitative features of the object or relationship. Defining: essential to the identity of the object or relationship Ex: wheels to a car Accompanying: non-essential to the identity of the object or relationship Ex: interior air temperature to a carThe types of objects found in systemsInputs: classified by origin or entry location Processes: transformation activity that takes inputs and changes them into outputs Outputs: the results of systems operations for the purpose that the system existsWhen we should use (apply) the systems approachMost common way to classify a systems environmentdegree of change: Stable Dynamic Turbulent"whole" or "wholeness" in systems theoryOperationally, it can be complete/whole structurally or functionally.The role of feedback in control and in growthreintroduction of the output of the focal system back into that same focal system. Output re-enters the focal system as an input.The types of relationships that can exist in a systemSymbiotic: the connected systems cannot function alone (can be unipolar or bipolar) Ex: the heart and brain Synergistic: total output of two systems is greater than the sum of the outputs of the individual systems. Ex. team in sports that is better than its players. Redundant: relationships that duplicate existing relationships. They provide greater system reliability. Ex: emergency brakes with regular breaks.Subsystemssystems that are smaller than and are contained by the focal systemSuprasystemsystems that are larger than and contain the focal systemNegative Feedbackincreasing the cause, decreases the effectPositive Feedbackincreasing the cause, increases the effectThe phases/stages (in order) of the project life cycle1. Defining Stage: specifications defined, objectives established, teams formed, and major responsibilities assigned 2. Planning Stage: plans to determine what project will entail, when it will be scheduled, whom it will benefit, what quality level should be maintained, and what the budget will be 3. Executing Stage: 4. Delivering Stage: delivering finished product to customersProject requirements types (cost, time, performance specs)A project isa complex, nonroutine, (generally) one-time effort limited by time, budget, resources, and performance specifications designed to meet customer/stakeholder needsCharacteristics of a projectAn established objective A defined life span with a beginning and an end Usually, the involvement of several departments and professionals Typically, doing something that has never been done before Specific time, cost, and performance requirements