File: ch03; Chapter 3: The Project Manager

Concept Check Questions (based on “Practice Quizzes”)

[By nature, all questions are coded as Difficulty: Easy and AACSB: Reflective Thinking]

Learning Objectives:
3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project managers.
3.2Examine special demands on the project manager.
3.3 Identify the attributes of effective project managers.
3.4 Discuss the challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome them as a project
manager.

Concept Check: Section 3.1

1. Which of the following is the most important for success of the project?
a. The Project Manager has support of top management
b. Sufficient financial resources
c. A competent team
d. Good working environment

Ans: a
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.

2. Successful Project Managers (PMs) must havewhich of the following skills?

a. Following specifications
b. Satisfying customers
c. Good negotiation skills
d. Staying within budget, within time constraints, andwithin scope

Ans: d
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.

3. As compared to the functional manager, the project manager should more often use what
approach to solving problems?
a. An analytical approach
b. His or her positional power
c. A systems approach
d. A departmental approach

Ans: c
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.

4. Under normal business conditions, when the functional manager takes over control of
important details of the project, this is _________________________.
a. beneficial for project success
b. micromanagement, and usually not beneficial
c. ensuring good results
d. guaranteeing the plans

Ans: b
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.

5. Senior managers must be informed of potential problems and the PM must:

a. never allow senior management to be surprised.
b. hold daily team meetings.
c. consult with upper management regarding daily operations.
d. present a positive report on project progress.

Ans: a
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.

6. Project manager’s responsibilities are broad and fall into three separate areas. Which of the
following lists the correct areas?

a. To the parent organization, to the project and the client, to the members of the project
team
b. To the parent organization, to the project and the client, to the board members
c. To the parent organization, to the client, to the board members
d. To the partner organization, to the project and the client, to the members of the project
team

Ans: a
Section: 3.1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.1 Compare and contrast the many roles and responsibilities of project
managers.
Concept Check: Section 3.2

1. What should a PM do to ensure adequate resources are available for project success?
a. Be good friends with upper management
b. Make deals with other PMs for exchanging resources
c. Be ready to negotiate resource tradeoffs, such as subcontracting, if necessary
d. Request an extension of the project due date

Ans: c
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective 3.2Examine special demands on the project manager.

2. Acquiring and focusing personnel for work on the Project Team (PT) is generally difficult
because of:
a. the high visibility of the project.
b. lazy workers.
c. lack of top management commitment to the project.
d. team members’ dual responsibility to the project and their functional departments.

Ans: d
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective 3.2Examine special demands on the project manager.

3. Which of the following choices represent the best mix of skills and attributes for Project Team
Members (PTMs)?
a. High technical skills, problem-solving ability, political sensitivity, goal orientation, high
self-esteem
b. High technical skills, willingness to take orders from PM, self-control
c. Problem-solving ability, technical skills, modest opinion of self
d. Ability to take orders, good work habits, individual contributor

Ans: a
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective 3.2Examine special demands on the project manager.

4. Effective, longtime Project Managers expect which of the following regarding their Project
Teams (PTs)?
a. From the start, the PT will be in harmony and work together to finish on time
b. Initial PT conflict, then cohesiveness and teamwork, and finally disbanding when project is
complete
c. Consistent good attitudes and hard work toward project goals, with successful on-time
finish
 d. Teamwork, following orders from PM, working overtime to complete tasks per schedule,
and strongsupport from functional managers

Ans: b
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective 3.2Examine special demands on the project manager.

5. It is recommended that when a PM is directing two or more projects at the same time, care
should be taken to ensure that:

a. the stages of the project life cycles are occurring at the same time.
b. the stages of the project life cycles are occurring at the different times.
c. the life cycles of the different projects be ignored.
d. the new project employees only enter the project at the beginning of a life cycle stage.

Ans: b
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.2 Examine special demands on the project manager.

6. Most of the PM’s time is _______________.

a. wasted
b. overtime
c. spent communicating
d. spent planning

Ans: c
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.2 Examine special demands on the project manager.

7. It is important that PMs understand or have experience with all of the following except:

a. why the project exists.

b. experience with failed projects.
c. have the support of top management.
d. international labor laws.

Ans: d
Section: 3.2
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.2 Examine special demands on the project manager.
Concept Check: Section 3.3

1. Attributes of successful project managers generally include which of the following?

a. Prior successes, no failures, honesty, pride in their work, connections at top levels of
organization
b. Strong management background, friends in upper management, little technical skills, good
negotiating skills
c. Flexibility, friendliness, good schedule management, friends at top of organization
d. Good technical skills, tough management approach, good terms with senior management,
broad background including mostly success & few failures, working well under
pressure/stress, positive attitude & consensus building

Ans: d
Section: 3.3
Bloom’s: Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.3Identify the attributes of effective project managers.

2. The project manager needs ________ credibility.

[Link] and personal

[Link] and personal
[Link] and administrative
[Link] and financial

Ans: c
Section: 3.3
Bloom’s: Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.3Identify the attributes of effective project managers.

3. _________ is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the
achievement of a goal.

a. Management
b. Ethics
c. Leadership
d. Administration

Ans: c
Section: 3.3
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.3 Identify the attributes of effective project managers.
Concept Check: Section 3.4

1. The Project Manager’s job includes which of the following?

a. Reducing conflict and stress between different types of Project Team members by
promoting understanding and appreciation
b. Learning about foreign people and their national customs
c. Keeping employees from different cultures and backgrounds off important project teams to
reduce friction and internal team conflict
d. Taking team members to cultural events to increase appreciation of each other

Ans: a
Section: 3.4
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.4Discuss the challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome them
as a project manager.

2. How can effective, lasting business relationships be built across different cultures?
a. By filing lawsuits when people do not perform as expected
b. By threatening to cancel contracts if multinationals will not agree to terms
c. By selecting business partners only if they have proof of existing strong US ties
d. When disagreements occur, by meeting together in an atmosphere of trust and
negotiation to resolve problems

Ans: d
Section: 3.4
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.4Discuss the challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome them
as a project manager.

3. Culture includes:

a. food, institutions, language, and arts.

b. technology, institutions, language, and arts.
c. food, institutions, language, and arts.
d. technology, institutions, language, and education.

Ans: b
Section: 3.4
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.4 Discuss the challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome them
as a project manager.

4. National culture:
 a. can affect projects in many ways.
b. doesn’t have an effect on projects.
c. is the same as corporate culture.
d. should be ignored when you follow good project management principles.

Ans: a
Section: 3.4
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Learning Objective: 3.4 Discuss the challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome them
as a project manager.