PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IIBM MBA EXAM ANSWER SHEET
Project
Management in Information Technology
Part One:
Multiple forms:
1. „Enterprise project management
software (EPMS)‟ integrates information from a single project to
show
the status.(T/F)
Ans-
True
2.
Gantt chart is used for the___________
Ans:
Scheduling generic resources
3. In Adaptive approach for
software development the focus is on___________
a. Time based cycles to meet the
target dates
b. No time based cycles
c. Although time based but no
target date
d.
None
Ans:
C. Although time based but no target date
4. IEEE standard_____________
describes the contents of software project management plan.
a. 1058 – 1997
b. 1058 – 1998
c. 1058 – 1999
d.
1058 – 1996
Ans:
B. 1058-1998
5. Scope creep means________
a. The tendency for project scope
to shrink
b. The tendency for project scope
to grow bigger and bigger
c. The tendency for project scope
to collapse completely
d.
None
Ans:
B. The tendency for project scope to grow bigger and bigger
6. Slack or float is the amount
of time an activity may be delayed without delaying succeeding
activity.(T/F)
Ans:
True
7.
„PERT‟ stands for_________
8. “Murphy‟ law states_________
a. If something can go wrong, it
can be corrected.
b. If something can go
wrong , it will
c. If something can no
go wrong , it will
d. None
Ans: B. If something
can go wrong, it will
9. Project that use Six Sigma
principles for quality control normally follows a 5 phase improvement
process called DMAIC, here A
stands for_______
a. Art
b. Analyze
c. Allies
d. None
Ans: B. Analyze
10. Fishbone diagram is also
called_______
a. Gantt diagram
b. Murphy diagram
c. Parkinson diagram
d. Ishikawa diagram
Ans: D. Ishikawa
diagram
Part Two:
1.
Write
a note on „Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)..
A work breakdown structure (WBS), in project management and systems engineering, is a deliverable-oriented
decomposition of a project into smaller components.
A work breakdown structure
element may be a product, data, service, or any combination thereof. A WBS also
provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and control along
with providing guidance for schedule development and control
Example
for a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)..
WBS
is a hierarchical and incremental decomposition of the project into phases,
deliverables and work packages. It is a tree
structure, which
shows a subdivision of effort required to achieve an objective; for example a program, project, and contract. In a project or contract, the WBS
is developed by starting with the end objective and successively subdividing it
into manageable components in terms of size, duration, and responsibility
(e.g., systems, subsystems, components, tasks, subtasks, and work packages)
which include all steps necessary to achieve the objective.
The
work breakdown structure provides a common framework for the natural
development of the overall planning and control of a contract and is the basis
for dividing work into definable increments from which the statement of work can be developed and technical, schedule, cost, and labor
hour reporting can be established.
A
work breakdown structure permits summing of subordinate costs for tasks,
materials, etc., into their successively higher level “parent” tasks,
materials, etc. For each element of the work breakdown structure, a description
of the task to be performed is generated. This technique (sometimes called a system breakdown structure) is used
to define and organize the total scope of a project.
The
WBS is organized around the primary products of the project (or planned
outcomes) instead of the work needed to produce the products (planned actions).
Since the planned outcomes are the desired ends of the project, they form a
relatively stable set of categories in which the costs of the planned actions
needed to achieve them can be collected. A well-designed WBS makes it easy to
assign each project activity to one and only one terminal element of the WBS.
In addition to its function in cost accounting, the WBS also helps map
requirements from one level of system specification to another, for example a
requirements cross reference matrix mapping functional requirements to high
level or low level design documents.
2.
Define
the Earned value?
Current performance is the best
indicator of future performance, and therefore using trend data, it is possible
to forecast cost or schedule overruns at an early stage in a project. The most
comprehensive trend analysis technique is the Earned Value method.
In a nutshell, Earned Value is an
approach where you monitor the project plan, actual work, and work-completed
value to see if a project is on track. Earned Value shows how much of the
budget and time should have been spent, with regard to the amount of work done
so far.
Here are five other definitions:
- Englert and Associates, Inc
define it as, "A method for measuring project performance. It
compares the amount of work that was planned with what was actually
accomplished to determine if cost and schedule performance is as
planned."
- Project Magazine defines it as,
"A methodology used to measure and communicate the real physical
progress of a project taking into account the work complete, the time taken
and the costs incurred to complete that work."
- The user guide for Microsoft
Project 2003 defines Earned Value as, "A method for measuring project
performance. It indicates how much of the budget should have been spent,
in view of the amount of work done so far and the baseline cost for the
task, assignment, or resources."
- Field Operative defines it as,
"The physical work accomplished plus the authorised budget for this
work. The sum of the approved cost estimates, (which may include overhead
allocation), for activities, (or portions of activities), completed during
a given period, usually project-to-date."
- NASA defines it as, "An
integrated management control system for assessing, understanding and
quantifying what a contractor or field activity is achieving with program
dollars. EVM provides project management with objective, accurate and
timely data for effective decision making."
Earned Value differs from the usual
budget verses actual costs incurred model, in that it requires the cost of work
in progress to be quantified. This allows the project manager to compare how
much work has been completed, against how much he expected to be completed at a
given point.
3.
Explain
the Kichoff meeting?
The Kickoff Meeting is the first meeting with the project team and the client
of the project.
This meeting would follow definition of the base elements for the project and
other project planning activities. This meeting
introduces the members of the project team and the client and provides the
opportunity to discuss the role of each team member. Other base elements in the
project that involve the client may also be discussed at this meeting
(Schedule, Status Reporting, etc.)..
The basic format of a kickoff
meeting includes the roles of and contributions from the stakeholders. It also
mentions the risks and issues involved, particularly those that may affect
project schedules and lead to decreased customer satisfaction. This is the
point at which help needed from stakeholders is explicitly mentioned.
If there are any new team
members, the process to be followed is explained so as to maintain quality
standards of the organization. Clarity is given by the project lead if there
exists any ambiguity in the process implementations....
There is a special discussion on
the legalities involved in the project. For example, the design team
interacting with the testing team may want a car to be tested on city roads. If
the legal permissions are not mentioned by the concerned stakeholder during
kickoff, the test may get modified later to comply with local traffic laws
(this causes unplanned delay in project implementation). So, it was best to
have a discussion about it in the kickoff meeting and follow it up separately,
than to assume stuff and later be forced to replan test procedures.
The kickoff meeting is an
enthusiasm-generator for the customer and displays a full summary of the
project so far. By displaying a thorough knowledge of the goal and steps on how
to reach it, the customer gains confidence in the team's ability to deliver the
work.
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