COMPLETION
1. A(n) _____ is an overall model for thinking about things as sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose.
ANS: systems philosophy
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.45
OBJ: LO: 2-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: A Systems View of Project Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
2. _____ are sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose.
ANS: Systems
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.45
OBJ: LO: 2-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: A Systems View of Project Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
3. _____ addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and making a change to a system.
ANS: Systems management
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.45
OBJ: LO: 2-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: A Systems View of Project Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
4. The three spheres of systems management are
business, organization, and _____.
ANS: technology
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.46
OBJ: LO: 2-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: A Systems View of Project Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
5. The _____ frame of the organization is the one that is usually depicted in an organizational chart.
ANS: structural
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.47
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's:
Knowledge
6. The _____ frame of an organization relates to the company’s culture.
ANS: symbolic
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.48
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension
7. Three general classifications of organizational structures are _____, project, and matrix.
ANS: functional
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p. 49
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding
Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
8. In a(n) _____ organizational structure, project managers have little or no authority.
ANS: functional
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.50
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
9. _____ refers to the degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to oversee employee behavior.
ANS: Control
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.52
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
10. _____ refers to the degree to which work activities are organized around teams, rather than individuals.
ANS: Group emphasis
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.52
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
11. Some projects have a senior manager called a(n)_____ who acts as a key proponent for a
project.
ANS: champion
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.54
OBJ: LO: 2-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic TOP: Stakeholder Management
KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
12. A major element of good practice concerns _____ , which addresses the authority and control for key IT activities in organizations, including IT infrastructure, IT use, and project management.
ANS: IT governance
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.55
OBJ: LO: 2-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology TOP: Stakeholder Management
KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
13. A(n) _____ refers to a product or service, such as a report, a training session, a piece of hardware, or a segment of software code, produced or provided as part of a project.
ANS: deliverable
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.56
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Project
Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
14. In the _____ phase of the project life cycle, the work is completed, and customers should accept the entire project.
ANS: close-out
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.59
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
15. A(n) _____ is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing information systems.
ANS:
SDLC
systems development life cycle
systems development life cycle (SDLC)
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.59
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology
TOP: Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
16. _____ life cycle models of systems development assume that the scope of the project can be articulated clearly and the schedule and cost can be predicted accurately.
ANS: Predictive
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.60
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology
TOP: Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
17. The term _____ describes new approaches that focus on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts.
ANS: agile software development
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p. 61
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology
TOP: Project
Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
18. _____ is an organization’s acquisition of goods and services from an outside source. .
ANS: Outsourcing
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Easy REF: p.61
OBJ: LO: 2-6 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology
TOP: Recent Trends Affecting Information Technology Project Management
KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
ESSAY
1. Describe the concept of a systems approach.
ANS:
The term systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex problems that includes using a systems philosophy, systems analysis, and systems management. A systems philosophy is an overall model for thinking about things as systems. Systems are sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose. For example, the human body is a system composed of many subsystems—the nervous system, the skeletal system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, and so on. Systems analysis is a problem-solving approach that requires defining the scope of the system, dividing it into its components, and then identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs. Once this is completed, the systems analyst then examines alternative solutions for improving the current situation, identifies an optimum, or at least satisfactory, solution or action plan, and examines that plan against the entire system. Systems management addresses the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system.
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.45
OBJ: LO: 2-1 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: A Systems View of Project Management KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
2. What are the four frames of organizations? Describe each frame.
ANS:
The structural frame deals with how the organization is structured (usually depicted in an organizational chart) and focuses on different groups’ roles and responsibilities in order to meet the goals and policies set by top management. This frame is very rational and focuses on coordination and control. For example, within the structural frame, a key information technology issue is whether a company should centralize the information technology personnel in one department or decentralize across several departments.
The human resources frame focuses on producing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of the people. It recognizes that there are often mismatches between the needs of the organization and the needs of individuals and groups and works to resolve any potential problems. For example, many projects might be more efficient for the organization if personnel worked 80 or more hours a week for several months. This work schedule would probably conflict with the personal lives of those people. Important issues in information technology related to the human resources frame are the shortage of skilled information technology workers within the organization and unrealistic schedules imposed on many projects.
The political frame addresses organizational and personal politics. Politics in organizations take the form of competition among groups or individuals for power and leadership. The political frame assumes that organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Often, important decisions need to be made based on the allocation of scarce resources. Competition for scarce resources makes conflict a central issue in organizations, and power improves the ability to obtain scarce resources. Project managers must pay attention to politics and power if they are to be effective. It is important to know who opposes your projects as well as who supports them. Important issues in information technology related to the political frame are the power shifts from central functions to operating units or from functional managers to project managers.
The symbolic frame focuses on symbols and meanings. What is most important about any event in an organization is not what actually happened, but what it means. Was it a good sign that the CEO came to a kickoff meeting for a project, or was it a threat? The symbolic frame also relates to the company’s culture. How do people dress? How many hours do they work? How do they run meetings? Many information technology projects are international and include stakeholders from various cultures. Understanding those cultures is also a crucial part of the symbolic frame.
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.47-48
OBJ: LO: 2-2 NAT: BUSPROG: Technology
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
3. Describe each of the three major types of organizational structure.
ANS:
A functional organizational structure is the hierarchy most people think of when picturing an organizational chart. Functional managers or vice presidents in specialties such as engineering, manufacturing, information technology (IT), and human resources (HR) report to the chief executive officer (CEO). Their staffs have specialized skills in their respective disciplines. For example, most colleges and universities have very strong functional organizations. Only faculty in the Business department teach business courses; faculty in the History department teach history; faculty in the Art department teach art, and so on.
A project organizational structure also has a hierarchical structure, but instead of functional managers or vice presidents reporting to the CEO, program managers report to the CEO. Their staffs have a variety of skills needed to complete the projects within their programs. An organization that uses this structure earns their revenue primarily from performing projects for other groups under contract. For example, many defense, architectural, engineering, and consulting companies use a project organizational structure. These companies often hire people specifically to work on particular projects.
A matrix organizational structure represents the middle ground between functional and project structures. Personnel often report to both a functional manager and one or more project managers. For example, information technology personnel at many companies often split their time between two or more projects, but they report to their manager in the Information Technology department. Project managers in matrix organizations have staff from various functional areas working on their projects. Matrix organizational structures can be strong, weak, or balanced, based on the amount of control exerted by the project managers.
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p.49-51
OBJ: LO: 2-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Understanding Organizations KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
4. Why is top management commitment crucial for project managers?
ANS:
Project managers need adequate resources. The best way to kill a project is to withhold the required money, human resources, and visibility for the project. If project managers have top management commitment, they will also have adequate resources and not be distracted by events that do not affect their specific projects.
Project managers often require approval for unique project needs in a timely manner. For example, on large information technology projects, top management must understand that unexpected problems may result from the nature of the products being produced and the specific skills of the people on the project team. For example, the team might need additional hardware and software halfway through the project for proper testing, or the project manager might need to offer special pay and benefits to attract and retain key project personnel. With top management commitment, project managers can meet these specific needs in a timely manner.
Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization. Since most information technology projects cut across functional areas, top management must help project managers deal with the political issues that often arise in these types of situations. If certain functional managers are not responding to project managers’ requests for necessary information, top management must step in to encourage functional managers to cooperate.
Project managers often need someone to mentor and coach them on leadership issues. Many information technology project managers come from technical positions and are inexperienced as managers. Senior managers should take the time to pass on advice on how to be good leaders. They should encourage new project managers to take classes to develop leadership skills and allocate the time and funds for them to do so.
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p. 54-55
OBJ: LO: 2-3 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic TOP: Stakeholder Management
KEY: Bloom's: Comprehension
5. What is a systems development life cycle? What are some of the predictive models associated with the systems development life cycle?
ANS:
A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing information systems. Some popular models of a systems development life cycle include the waterfall model, the spiral model, the incremental build model, the prototyping model, and the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model. These life cycle models are examples of a predictive life cycle, meaning that the scope of the project can be clearly articulated and the schedule and cost can be accurately predicted. The project team spends a large portion of the project effort attempting to clarify the requirements of the entire system and then producing a design. Users are often unable to see any tangible results in terms of working software for an extended period. Below are brief descriptions of several predictive SDLC models:
The waterfall life cycle model has well-defined, linear stages of systems development and support. This life cycle model assumes that requirements will remain stable after they are defined.
The spiral life cycle model was developed based on experience with various refinements of the waterfall model as applied to large government software projects. It recognizes the fact that most software is developed using an iterative or spiral approach rather than a linear approach.
The incremental build life cycle model provides for progressive development of operational software, with each release providing added capabilities.
The prototyping life cycle model is used for developing software prototypes to clarify user requirements for operational software. It requires heavy user involvement, and developers use a model to generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously. Developers can throw away or keep prototypes, depending on the project.
The Rapid Application Development (RAD) life cycle model uses an approach in which developers work with an evolving prototype. This life cycle model also requires heavy user involvement and helps produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality. Developers use RAD tools such as CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering), JRP (Joint Requirements Planning), and JAD (Joint Application Design) to facilitate rapid prototyping and code generation.
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficulty: Moderate REF: p. 60-61
OBJ: LO: 2-4 NAT: BUSPROG: Analytic
TOP: Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle KEY: Bloom's: Knowledge
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