Control Testing of Employees - Assignment Example

Man241 Test # 3 Shenia Ivey and Jeff Phillips Test is due 5/11/09 Questions 25 2pts each, Questions 26-35 5pts each, Questions 36&37 Extra Credit 5pts each. Student: ___________________________________________________________________________ 1. When you begin to lose confidence in your abilities to communicate and work effectively in the different culture, you are in which of the following stages of culture shock?  A. Honeymoon B. Gradual adjustment C. Irritability and hostility D. Repatriation E. Adaptation  2.  Usually status reports should take place every ____ 1 to 4 ____ weeks to be useful and allow for proactive correction.   ________________________________________   3. Because of their easy-to-understand visual format, ___visual scheduler___ are the most favored, used, and understandable tool used to report project status.  ________________________________________  4. Control charts are frequently used to monitor progress toward ___ milestones _____, which mark events and as such have zero duration.  ________________________________________   5. The ____ Cost Variance ____ is the difference between the earned value and the actual costs for the work completed to date.  ________________________________________   6. _____Earned value __ is simply the percent complete, times the original budget.  ________________________________________   7. A positive variance in SV or CV indicates a ___ desirable condition.  ________________________________________   8. The units of measure for SV or CV is in terms of ___dollarized value_____.  ________________________________________  9. ____Post____ project audits occur after a project is completed and tend to include more detail and depth than audits of projects that are not complete.  ________________________________________   10. In the traditional content model for a project audit, the project __team______ perspective is developed by team members along with persons independent of the project to ensure the evaluation is objective.  ________________________________________   11. The ___ recommendation___ section of the project audit serves as a reminder of mistakes easily avoided and actions easily taken to ensure success for future projects.  ________________________________________   12. The ____ Lessons learned ____ section of the project audit documents major corrective actions that should take place as well as positive successes that should be continued.  ________________________________________   13. A project closure is considered ___changed priority_____ if it never seems to end due to constant "add-ons" in attempt to improve the project outcome.  ________________________________________   14. The single most reported reason for project failure is unclear ___goals/ objectives____.  ________________________________________   15. Project auditing includes ___assessment/evaluation_____ of the project team, individual team members, and the project manager.  ________________________________________   16. The degree to which local regulations favor local workers and suppliers is an example of the environmental factor termed __legal______.  ________________________________________   17. The need to hire tribal bodyguards in such places as Angola and Uzbekistan is an example of the environmental factor termed __security ______.  ________________________________________   18. Construction projects in Southeast Asia having to accommodate the monsoon season when rainfall can be as high as 50 inches per month is an example of the environmental factor termed ___geography_____.  ________________________________________   19. The requirement for women to cover head, arms, and legs and to be accompanied by another woman or man is an example of the environmental factor termed _____culture___.  ________________________________________  20. ___Americans ________ have a reputation for not being able to work effectively in foreign cultures.  ________________________________________   21. The natural psychological disorientation that most people suffer when they move into a different culture than their own is called ___culture shocks________.  ________________________________________   22. The _Project Office Management_________ is responsible for the continued support of consistent application of selection criteria, standards, processes, training, and general assistance to project managers.  ________________________________________   23. The use of ___delivering_______ provides an in-depth review of individuals projects at specific phases in the project life cycle.  ________________________________________   24. Phase 4 of the abridged, generic phase gated process is known as the __progress evaluation phase.  ________________________________________   25. The future for ___virtual_____ project management teams, in which members primarily interact electronically, may be limited in spite of the continuing evolution of telecommunications.  ________________________________________ 26. Identify the steps in creating a control process that measure and evaluate project performance.   Establishing a project baseline plan Measuring and monitoring progress and performance Comparing actual performance against plan Taking remedial actions.     27. Why are project audits important to an organization?  A project audit provides a chance to reveal the subjects, concerns and challenges that come across in the implementation of a project. It improves the organizational and individual changes. It can be used to grow success criteria for upcoming projects by providing a in-depth review. It also offers an opportunity to learn what elements of the task were effectively managed and which ones proved difficult. This will help the organization in recognizing what it requires to do so that errors should eliminate in future projects.    28. Identify the three steps in the project audit process.   Success Criteria and Questionnaire Development In-depth Research Report Development 29. Identify and briefly describe the most likely barrier to project success.  The most likely project barrier to project success is that the project is not defined clearly by the management. The objective and the goals of the project are not clear to the management itself, which ultimately becomes a hurdle in project completion and thus the project success.   30. What guidelines should a project manager follow in conducting performance reviews?  A performance appraisal is the evaluation of the individual or team’s performance. It is whether they have fulfilled their responsibilities and that the performance standards are known by every individual of the team. The focus should not be on individual criticism rather on specific behaviors    31. What is a 360-degree feedback and how is it used?  360 Degree Feedback is an assessment system in which workers get confidential, unidentified feedback from the individuals who work around them. This generally includes the manager, colleagues, and direct reports. About eight to twelve individuals fill out an anonymous online feedback form that asks questions regarding various workplace aspects. It can also be taken form the internal and the external customers of the project. The two ways in which the companies use the 360 degree feedback are: As a developmental tool to assist employees in recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and develop into a more effective workforce It is also used as a performance appraisal, that is, to measure the performance of the employee.    32. Identify and briefly describe the six environmental factors affecting international projects.  Political instability results in alterations and changes in economic policies, regulations and factors governing the business sector of the country. As a result businesses are faced with time consuming and expensive switches in business processes faced as a result of the implications of policies imposed by each recent political regime. International businesses are affected the most as they have problems adjusting to host environment and business environment as apposed to changes imposed. Security is a major concern to international businesses for not are they only unfamiliar with the surrounding environment, security threats impose further risks for expatriates working abroad. Problems of national security even cause hurdles in the government of business activities for strikes and uncertain security threats impose problems in day to day activities. Geography is a very essential factor the international businesses need to look at before locating a business setup. All factors need to be considered such as location, ease of transportation, climatic conditions and nearby facilities such as airport and housing for expatriate and employees. Economic factors of a country need to be looked upon by international businesses. This is primarily because the GDP, GNP, inflation rate, interest etc all basic economic factors impact and affect business activities directly and indirectly. International businesses therefore need to put these factors under consideration. Infrastructure of a country is very essential for any business activities. This is primarily because factors such as telecommunication services, power and transportation directly impact business activities and processes. Lack of adequate infrastructure constitutes problems in regulation of business activities. Culture is a subjective factor that international businesses need to consider before venturing into an international project. This is primarily because international businesses unknown to values and custom could unintentionally end up hurting the sentiments and philosophies of local. Therefore, to employ a successful strategy, international businesses must be familiar with culture of a country before setting up a business. 33. Identify and discuss three guidelines/cautions in working with Chinese on projects.  Once they made their decisions they stick to them. They tend to be less vivacious then the Americans. They avoid open display of friendliness and physical contact; they are more quiet and reticent than the Americans. They place less worth on the importance of time and often get Americans to admit concession by stalling. 34. Identify the major areas in which project professionals assigned to foreign countries should have a minimal understanding.  Dress code Religion Education system Daily eating patterns Holidays Business protocols Equal opportunity Social custom 35. Conducting an earned value analysis requires three data elements. Identify the acronyms for each and describe what they are.  Data Budgeted cost of the work scheduled (PV) Budgeted cost of the work completed (EV) Actual cost of the work completed (AC)       36. What is scope creep and why should a project manager be concerned about it?  Scope creep, which is also known as focus creep, requirement creep or feature creep refers to the uncontrolled alterations in the project scope in project management. This can occur when the objectives of the projects are not clearly defined or controlled. It is the tendency for the project deliverables to increase over time. The scope generally increases when a new product or a feature of an already existing and approved design is added without corresponding with the expansion in the schedule, budget or resources. Consequently, the project might mislead in the wrong direction, that is, away from its original objective and purpose. As the scope of the project grows, more chores must be completed within the same amount of resources and budget as initially designed. Therefore, scope creep can lead the project to overrun its initial schedule and budget. It is divided into two types; the business scope creep and the feature (technology) scope creep. The significance of scope creep to project management is that it results in effective project management. The projects are to be strictly submitted on the deadline with restraint resources. Furthermore, the unapproved alternations may effects the project success.   37. Identify and briefly describe the differences between an in-process project audit and a post-project audit.  In-process project audits allow for corrective alterations if conditions have changed and for concentration on project progress and performance. In-process audits need to be conducted carefully also keep the human sensitivity in mind. Whereas, post-project audits take a broader and longer-term view of the project’s role in the organization and emphasize improving the management of future projects. WORKS CITED Kerzner, Harold. “Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling.” Ed.9. United Kingdom: John Wiley and Sons, 2005. Read More