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72 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Exam Essential
Be able to define the initiating process What does the initiating process start with? What is the primary output of this process group? |
Initiation authorizes the project to begin
A project request that outlines the high-level requirements (i.e. product description) The Project Charter |
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Exam Essential
Understand the three categories of requirements |
Functional
Define how the user will interact with the system Business The big picture of what the business wants from the system Technical Define what the system does to perform the functional requirements |
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What are some common technical requirements?
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• Usability requirements
• Maintainability requirements • Legal requirements • Performance requirements • Operational requirements • Security requirements Industry or corporate standards may also impact technical requirements if you are developing an application the interfaces to existing systems. |
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Exam Essential
Be able to define a project sponsor and the stakeholders common to most projects. |
Project Sponsor
An executive in the organization who has the authority to allocate dollars and resources to the project. Serve as final decision makers on the project and signs and approves the project charter Stakeholder Organization or individual who has a vested interest (something to lose or gain) in the project Common Stakeholders • Sponsor • Project manager • Project team members • Functional managers • Customers • End users • Others with an interest in the project |
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What are the typical responsibilities of the project sponsor?
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• Provide or obtain financial resources
• Authorize assignment of human resources to the project • Assign the project manager and state their level of authority • Serve as final decision maker for all project issues • Negotiate support from key stakeholders • Monitor delivery of major milestones • Run interference and remove roadblocks • Provide political coaching to the project manager |
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What is the project charter the basis for?
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The project charter becomes the basis for more detailed project planning.
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Key Terms
Assumptions |
Factors that are believed to be true and affect project planning. Assumptions may impact risk and should always be documented and validated.
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Key Terms
Business requirements |
The conditions that the product must meet to support the high-level processes and needs of the business.
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Key Terms
Closing |
A process that documents the final delivery and acceptance of the project and is where hand-off occurs to the operational unit.
Documenting lessons learned are performed during this process, and project team members are released. |
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Key Terms
Customer |
The recipient of service or product that the project created. Also known as client in some organizations
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Key Terms
Decomposition |
Breaking the project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components.
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Key Terms
Deliverables |
Deliverables are:
• Measureable outcomes, • Measureable results, or • Specific items. That must be produced to consider the project complete. |
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Key Terms
End user |
The person or group who will use the product produced by the project.
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Key Terms
Enterprise project |
A project that will be used by users throughout the enterprise
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Key Terms
Executing |
This project process group is where the work of the project is performed
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Key Terms
Fast tracking What is the benefit of fast-tracking? |
A schedule compression technique where two activities that were previously scheduled to start sequentially start at the same time.
Fast-tracking reduces schedule duration. |
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Key Terms
Functional Requirements |
Conditions that the product must meet to support how the end users will interact with the product.
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Key Terms
High-level requirements |
An explanation of the major characteristics of the product including an explanation of why the product meets the business needs.
Also known as product description. |
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Key Terms
Initiating Process Group What is included in this process group |
Formal authorization of a new project or for an existing project to continue.
All the activities that lead up to the final authorization to begin the project. |
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Key Terms
Monitoring & Controlling |
The project process group where activities are performed to monitor the progress of the project and determine whether there are variances from the project plan.
Corrective actions are taken during this process to get the project back on course. |
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Key Terms
Planning What is the primary result of this process? |
The process group where the project goals, objectives, and deliverables are refined and broken down into manageable units of work.
Managers create time and cost estimates and determine resource requirements for each activity The Project Plan. |
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Key Terms
Product description |
An explanation of the major characteristics of the product including an explanation of why the product meets the business needs. Also known as high-level requirements.
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Key Terms
Project champion |
An individual, who believes in, understands and supports the project.
Usually one of the key stakeholders, they spread the great news about the benefits of the project and act as a cheerleader of sorts, generating enthusiasm and support. An individual, who believes in, understands and supports the project. Usually one of the key stakeholders, they spread the great news about the benefits of the project and act as a cheerleader of sorts, generating enthusiasm and support. |
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Key Terms
Project charter |
A document that is created in the initiation phase that provides direction about the project’s objectives and management and authorizes the project to begin. Also known as a project initiation document.
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Key Terms
Project description |
Documents the key characteristics of the product or service that will be created by the project.
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Key Terms
Project life cycle |
The required phases to develop the product.
Encompasses all the work of the project and can be represented on a timeline. |
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Key Terms
Request for Proposal (RFP) |
A document provided to a prospective vendor requesting a proposal for work and or products to be provided.
Also known as Invitation for Bid (IFB). |
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Key Terms
Sponsor |
An executive in the organization who can assign resources and can make final decisions on the project.
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Key Terms
Stakeholder |
An individual or organization that affects or is affected by the project.
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Key Terms
Statement of Work (SOW) |
A document that outlines the details and requirements of the product or service being procured (from a vendor).
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Key Terms
Technical Requirements |
The product characteristics required for the product to perform the functional requirements.
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What are the five (5) process groups of project management?
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1. Initiating
2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring and Controlling 5. Closing |
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Key Term
Deliverable |
Outcome or product that is produced to complete a work package or project
Must be completed and approved before moving to the next phase of the project or before you can declare the project complete. |
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At a high-level what should all project life-cycles describe?
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1. The deliverables for each phase and list the categories of resources involved.
2. A high-level timeline for the phase might be constructed as well 3. How the output of the project will be incorporated into the organization’s operational business upon completion |
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What must is a project managers first step after receiving a project request?
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Meeting with the requestor to clarify and further define:
1. The project needs 2. Identify the functional and technical requirements 3. Document the high-level requirements |
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How does clarifying the problem upfront help the project requestor?
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It will give the client (requestor) a better starting point for identifying the functional and technical requirements.
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What is the high-level requirements document?
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Part of the formal request for project approval.
It is also the basis for defining: • Project scope • Estimating the cost of the project • Identifying resources required • Developing the schedule |
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What information should be included in the High-Level Requirement Document?
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1. Problem Statement
2. Objectives 3. Strategic Value 4. Requirements 5. Timing 6. Historical Data |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Problem Statement |
Problem Statement
• What issue or problem generated this request? • What is the specific business need that the client wants to address? |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Objectives |
Objectives
• How do you define project success? • What is the end result? • What are the deliverables leading to the end result? • What are the goals? • How are the goals measured? |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Strategic Value |
Strategic Value
• How does this product fir the strategic vision of the corp? • Is there a link to other proposed or ongoing projects |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Requirements |
Requirements
• What work functions are required? • Are there interfaces to existing systems? • What are the performance criteria? • What are the support requirements? |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Timing |
Timing
• When does the customer need to project completed? • Are there market windows involved? • Are there significant business expenses to be incurred if the project is not complete? • Is there an impact to corporate revenue if the project is delayed? |
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When completing the High-Level Requirement Document, what questions should you ask to complete the:
Historical Data |
Historical Data
• Have there been similar projects in the past? • Were they successful? • Can pieces of previous projects be reused for this project? |
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Define: Political Stakeholders
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Influential people in the organization who have expressed a desire to be involved in the project, without a direct or obvious connection.
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When should you use a stakeholder matrix?
What information should be included on a stakeholder matrix? |
you have a large project with multiple stakeholders.
• Name • Notes for your own reference • Department • Level of involvement on the project • Contact Information • Level of influence over the project • Role on the project • Needs, concerns, and interests regarding the project |
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Define: COTS
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Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) application
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What is the most important aspect of multiple business unit projects?
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Gaining consensus
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Software Developers |
Specialize in writing software or web-based programs that provide computer-related solutions to:
• business problems, • productivity issues, • entertainment, • and more. |
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Server Administrators |
Responsible for configuring and supporting the server that will host your project
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Database Administrators (DBAs) |
Responsible for creating the database schema and their associated requirements
They also plan the backup and recovery methodologies for the data |
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Internetworking specialists |
Handle the routers, switches, LAN cabling, and WAN connections
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Telephony specialists |
Manage the company’s telephone equipment and operations
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Systems Analysts |
Operate at the functional level of taking the system requirements and breaking them down into a system design specifications that the system developers can use to build the project.
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Business Analysts |
Understand the workflow processes and the needs of the business unit and are able to interface with the IT folks to help them understand what the business unit really wants
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
System Architects |
Draft the blueprint for infrastructure of the proposed system
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Security Analysts |
Makes certain that all security requirements for the project are implemented
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Describe the following IT stakeholder:
Technical Writers |
Responsible for writing all of the documentation for the system, including:
• training documents • user manuals • help-desk cheat sheets • job aids • other documentation |
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Exam Essential
Be able to describe a project charter and list the key components “DPs DOg CRAP SCAMS” |
A project charter provides formal approval for the project to begin and authorizes the project manager to apply resources to the project.
• Project goals and objectives • Project description • Problem statement • Key project deliverables • High-level milestones • High-level cost estimates • Stakeholders • High-level assumptions • High-level constraints • High-level risks • General project approach • PM and their authority level • Project sponsor • Other content |
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How should goals and objectives be outlines in the project charter?
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Goals and objectives should:
• Be a clear statement of the end result the project will produce • Include how success will be measured • Be quantifiable and measureable • Create a common understanding of the end result |
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Describe the project description as a part of the project charter.
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The project description documents the key characteristics of the product, service or result that will be created by the project.
This description needs to contain enough detail to be the foundation for the Planning process group, which begins once the charter is signed. |
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What questions does the problem statement answer in the project charter?
Where could you refer for help with the problem statement? |
• Why are we embarking on this project in the first place?
• What is it we hope to gain in undertaking this project? • What problem are we trying to solve? You can refer to the business case. |
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Define: Milestone
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The completion of a significant event or major deliverable used to measure project progress.
Milestones are used as checkpoint during the project to determine whether the project is on time and on schedule. |
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Describe how high-level costs are used in the project charter.
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For the purposes of the project charter you need to have a high-level estimate of the projects cost.
Use historical data from past projects that are similar in size, scope and complexity; you may also ask the vendor community to help with some high-level figures |
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Describe how stakeholders are identified in the project charter.
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There should be a fairly comprehensive understanding of who stakeholders are; you could include the stakeholder matrix.
More stakeholders may appear later in the project, but your chances of success increase when you take the time to discover who your stakeholders are. |
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What are assumptions?
How are assumptions used in the project charter? |
Assumptions are events, actions, concepts, or ideas you believe to be true.
It’s important to always document and validate your project assumptions. I.e. T&S will be able to produce the training in this short time period. |
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What are constraints?
How are high-level constraints used in the project charter? |
Constraints are anything that either restricts or dictates the actions of the project team (i.e. a hard date, like for a trade show)
Budgets, technology, scope, quality, and direct orders from upper management are all examples of constraints that could be included in the project charter. |
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What are the triple constraints according to CompTIA?
What do other industry experts refer to the triple constraints as? |
• Time
• Budget • Quality -OR- • Time • Budget • Scope All of which affect quality |
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What are risks?
What sort of risks should be included in the project charter? What is the difference between a risk and a constraint? |
Risks pose either opportunities or threats to the project.
• Process risks • Budget risks • Scheduling risks • Political risks • Legal risks • Management risks A constraint is a limitation that currently exists; a risk is a potential future event that could impact the project |
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What is the project approach section of the project charter used for?
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This section of the charter is where you formulate the approach you and your project team will take in bringing about the deliverables of the project.
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What other content might be included in the project charter?
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• Name of the project manager
• Name of the project sponsor • Team members you’ve already committed to serve time on the project team |
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What does issuing the project charter do to the project phase?
Who should receive a copy of the project charter? |
It moves the project from the initiating phase to the planning phase.
All stakeholders |