I am Rohit Singla and I am from Punjab which is northern part of the India.

My father is a
government officer and Mother is a retired government employee. I have younger
brother who is running a rice business in Punjab. My wife is a software developer
and working as a Dot net developer.

I have done my schooling from my hometown and done engineering & MBA from
Thapar University. I got my first job in Paxcel Technologies as a Business Analyst and
later I was leading the projects. Due to shifting of my wife, I moved to Bangalore and
Joined Amadeus Labs where I worked as a Project Lead and then I moved to
Herbalife Nutrition because shifting of the project from Bangalore to Nice(France)

I have 9 years of experience and serving global clientele in the IT industry, which
includes experience in Project Management, Product Management and Business
Analysis. I have been part of 6 projects and biggest was developing the Loyalty
program for United, Korea and PR region for Herbalife Nutrition.

I have a domain experience of Ecommerce, Travel, Loyalty & Wellness programs and
Master data management solutions.

My last project was developing the loyalty program for Herbalife Distributors where
need to build a application where we give points to Retail customer for every
purchase and they could redeem the rewards from the catalogue store by
accumulated points.

We have created a high level PAR document for the project where we list
Stakeholder Involved(Project Sponsors, Delivery heads) High level description,
Problem Statement, Scope Statement, Assumptions, Constraints, High Level Budget.

I found out who the key stakeholders were and got their input on the project's
different parts. Then, I outlined the major milestones that would be involved in
completing the project, and worked backwards to break down the work that would
need to be done at each stage. We have divided into major Features, Epic and user
stories. We have executed the project in the scrum framework.

I created a list of all possible risks that might stop us from reaching those
milestones(Development Phase 1 &2 , Testing Phase, UAT ,Release, Post Release
Activities) and I then added some extra time to the schedule in case anything
unexpected came up. I also made sure that my role and responsibilities in the
project were as clear as possible so I knew exactly what I had to do. The project was
completed on time, but looking back, I realize there were some problems that could
have been avoided.

For example, I would have changed "Z" in order to avoid some of the minor
scheduling problems we ran into. Having said that, it's always easier to see what the
learnings are after a project has been completed, and I now know what I'd do
differently the next time.
 
Act as a liaison between stakeholders and others involved in the project
 Planning projects by working with other higher-level professionals as well as team
members.
 Creating a timeline and schedule in which the project will be completed.
 Create and manage each project's budget
 Oversee and/or execute each phase of the project plan.
 Keep team members motivated to follow through on project tasks from start to
finish
 Control time management in association with each project.
 Analyzing the risks a project may pose and formulation solutions.
 Preparing reports and other documentation associated with the project.

 I login to project management software & start checking project management KPIs related
to project progress, update risks, delegate issues. Prepare To-Do list and see which all
meeting I need to attend, which one I can skip, if there is any customer issue that needs to
be addressed ASAP
 Stand-up meeting with the team; check progress made on yesterday’s activities, what is
today’s plan & how I can help you
 Meeting to address the blockers or we need to contact any dependent teams
 Respond to my emails and reply to emails
 Brainstorming meetings with team on requirements
 Check with Dev , QA leads if we are good with the sprint release.
 Cross-Functional meetings with PMO, IT security and other compliance teams.
 Take Interviews
 Meeting with Program Manager and share the status of the ongoing projects.
 Update my team if there is a change from client
 Re-check my to list and schedule meeting for tomorrow.
 I like to write article for project management or product management on Linkedin so I draft
some thoughts to contribute in the field.
Project manager interview questions (with example
answers)
Let’s look at a few common interview questions for project managers with examples
of how you could answer them. When preparing for your interview, think about a few
scenarios of questions you may be asked depending on your industry.

1. What is the most important thing a project manager does?

This is a question where you can demonstrate the knowledge you have gained as a
project manager. Think about what you spend the most time doing and some of your
key responsibilities.

Example:  “I have found that communication is one of the most crucial elements of
this role. There are typically many moving parts involved in complex projects, each
contributing toward a certain portion of the goal. For everyone to be able to do their
jobs efficiently and well, it is important that we are all on the same page. It is also
important that the progress of the project is communicated to clients and other key
stakeholders. Ultimately, communication is what makes a project flow smoothly.”

2. Have you ever had a project that did not meet the deadline or
budget?

Missing the deadline or budget are two common issues that project managers
encounter. Here, you can show how you handle project setbacks. You can use
the STAR method to answer this question: 

 Situation: Explain the issue in a positive, constructive way.

 Task: Explain your role in the situation.
 Action: Explain what you did to resolve or address the situation.
 Result: Explain how your solution had a positive impact. 

The STAR method allows you to clearly explain a real-life situation and how you
overcame it. 
Example: “I was working on a project with a client, and they wanted to add include
seven elaven transactions to the loyalty software that would put them over the
allocated time. As the project manager, I needed to decide whether we should add
this feature and miss our deadline or spend less time on another part of the project.

I met with my team to understand how much time it would take to add the feature.
Once I had a very thorough answer for the client, I presented them with the options.
They decided that they would accept a later deadline for the feature. We ended up
delivering the finished product a month later than the original deadline, but the client
was happy with the outcome.”

3. What does a typical relationship with your project sponsor look

like?

Project sponsors are individuals who are directly responsible for the success of the
project. As a project manager, you should keep your sponsor informed of any issues
that will slow or stop the project's success. Your answer should describe how often
you contact your sponsor and why. To answer this question, try to think about your
interactions with project sponsors and when you talk to them.

Example: “Since I believe communication is the most important part of my job, I try

to keep my sponsor updated as much as possible. I try to have a weekly meeting
with a project sponsor to deliver updates. Should there be an occurrence outside of
this meeting that requires their input, I will contact them. The relationship depends
on the sponsor, too. Sometimes I work with sponsors that are busy and less
involved. Others enjoy adding input and directly helping the project.

Of course, it also depends on the project. Sponsors for large, extended projects are
very invested in the process. If I have a smaller project, I may only want to have the
sponsor present for client meetings or if I encounter any major issues.”

4. What was your most successful project?

This question is a way to demonstrate that you know the steps you can take to be
successful. Think about your most successful project and why you had a positive
outcome. Use the STAR method to give a brief outline of the project from start to
finish. 

Example: “My most successful project was to create an advisor portal our client
could use to manage customers' assets. I had an internal kickoff where I worked with
my team to develop a reasonable timeline, budget and detailed steps we would take
to complete the portal. Afterward, we had a meeting with the client.

This is where we had a minor issue. The client was not happy with our original
timeline. They wanted the portal three weeks earlier than what we proposed. I
explained that in order to complete it earlier, we would have to increase the budget
so we could use more resources. They were hesitant at first but ended up agreeing
to a slight increase in budget.
After that, I had a daily standup with my team and weekly status calls with the client
to give them updates and ensure the deliverable looked and worked as expected.
We delivered the portal on time and within the budget. The client was so pleased
with the user-friendly interface and functionality that they had us create phone and
tablet applications, too. They key to success was constant communication and
managing expectations throughout the project."

Read more: Interview Question: “What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?”

5. What sort of project management tools do you use?

Each company will have a different set of project management software. Explaining
the tools you have used will demonstrate your software experience, especially if you
have advanced technical skills with a certain platform. Check to see if the job listing
includes the tools they use and whether you have relevant experience with them. If
not, discuss the programs you are most familiar with and explain your eagerness to
learn. 

Example: “I have primarily used Microsoft Project in the past, but my last
organization used Basecamp, which was great for team collaboration. Each
stakeholder was able to add ideas to the online board and select the best to address
the issue or challenge at hand. I also use Trello for managing the team's time and
assign tasks."

6. What escalation paths do you use?

An escalation path is how you handle a project issue when it arises. Your answer
should demonstrate your critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. You can answer
with a specific time you encountered a problem while working on a project and how
you handled it.

Example: “If I have the resources, knowledge and time to solve a problem with my
immediate team, that is my first course of action. If I feel the issue involves a
sensitive matter, requires high-level approval or I simply need additional input on my
decided course of action, it is important for me to work with my sponsor on solving
the issue. No matter the problem, I feel it is always best for the team and for my own
professional development to use every resource available to get as far as I can in
solving the issue before bringing in others.

I was once working on a project where the sales team promised the client a feature
our program could not support. Ultimately, I had to involve the project sponsor. She
agreed that it was impossible to deliver the feature.

It was a difficult conversation with the client, but we managed to reach a

compromise. We started working on a way to support the feature, and will offer it to
the client free of charge once it is ready.”

7. What project management methods do you use?

There are several project management styles, like Scrum and Waterfall, that
companies use based on the project. Your style will determine how you will best fit
the company's current methods. You should talk about the style you use or if you use
a variety depending on the project. 

Example: “Since I have worked primarily in the software industry, I have found the
Agile method works best for my projects. With Agile, I can create shorter delivery
cycles so the client can see my team's work and give us constructive feedback. It
creates a more collaborative environment where I can work to create goals with my
team based on their feedback.

I have also studied the Lean method in my own time and tried to incorporate some of
it into my style. I try to eliminate waste in time and budget in all of my projects and
always find ways to improve the process.”

8. How do you deal with "scope creep"?

An essential part of project management is making sure a project stays within the
original budget and deadline. Scope creep includes anything that changes within the
project that could cause you to miss your targets. Your answer will help the
interviewer gain insight into the way you manage resources and handle obstacles.
You can use an example of how you were able to manage scope creep in one of
your projects. 

Example: “Scope creep is one thing that I watch for daily. I once had a massive
project that included building an entire website, plus applications that would work on
all phone and tablet operating systems. We needed to deliver everything in a year,
and it was a multimillion dollar project.

I decided to split the project up into small portions that we could work on month by
month. I planned weeks ahead as we approached a new month based on client
feedback from what we had already presented to them. The project constantly
changed based on needs and feedback, and it could have easily gone far over
budget and time. With strict time management and communication, we were able to
deliver a complete project in 12 months.”

9. How do you handle team conflicts?

Managing a team is an important part of project management. You must ensure your
team can work together to deliver a product or service. Try to answer this question
with an example of how you were able to successfully handle a conflict. 

Example: “I always encourage my team to try to resolve conflicts on their own first.
Letting my team work things out together helps them build up their relationships and
improves their communication. Sometimes it is necessary for me to intervene.

I once managed a team where a business analyst and developer were having
trouble agreeing on a solution to a problem. I had a meeting with just the three of us
where we spent about 30 minutes discussing the solutions and how they would
affect the project. Eventually, we decided to go with the business analyst's solution
since it would take the least amount of time and money. It is important to both
communicate and actively listen when resolving conflicts.”

Read more: Conflict Resolution Skills: Definition and Examples

10. How do you handle underperforming team members?

If a team is struggling, it is the project manager's responsibility to help. This question

is an opportunity to demonstrate your management and leadership skills. You can
show how you are committed to the success of your team. 

Example: “There was a time when my integration developer was having a hard time
extracting data from a client website. I tried to give him time to work on a solution,
but eventually, we started missing deadlines. I scheduled a meeting with him so we
could discuss what was going on. Since I am not an expert developer, I had one of
our senior integration developers join us. Instead of doing the part herself, the senior
member helped my developer work out a plan to extract the data so he could learn
the process. He ended up completing the task the next day and never had issues
with it again.”

11. What was your last project like?

Your last project will show what you have learned as a project manager. You can talk
about any setbacks and achievements you experienced. 

Example: “Overall, my last project was a success in that the client was happy with
the product, but we had a setback. One of my key team members had an
unexpected illness and had to take an extended leave of absence, which led to us
almost missing our deadline. I learned that I should always have an alternate plan
that includes re-delegating the tasks of any team members who cannot complete
them to make sure we complete the project on time and in full."

Project Management is the discipline that helps in organizing and managing the

objectives of a project in a controlled manner to produce unique outcomes. The
profession of the project manager traces back to the early 19th Century, but was
not recognized as a distinct profession until the late 20th century. But in today’s
market, it is recognized as one of the most reputed professions offering a
lucrative salary. But grasping it is definitely not a piece of cake, where you will
have to compete with others across the globe. In this Top 30 Project Manager
Interview Questions article, I will help you in gearing up for your interview and
ace it.

You can also, check out our PMP® Certification Training if you want to ensure
your job as a project manager because certifications like PMP, Prince2 etc. help
in beefing up your resume and are preferred by employers globally.

So, let’s get started with our project manager interview questions.
 Project Manager Interview Questions

1. What is the difference between Project,

Program, and Portfolio?

Project Program Portfolio

A collection of projects
An endeavor undertaken A group of interrelated
and operations managed
to produce a unique projects that are
under one group to
product or solution managed together
achieve a strategic goal
Permanent in nature that
Temporary in nature
Temporary in nature but keeps on changing and is
with defined start and
lasts longer than project aligned with the strategic
end point
planning
Follows the ongoing
Follows the project-level
Follows the high-level processes that prioritize
plans with the main
plans that are backed up and align the portfolio to
focus on detailed
by detailed plans achieve strategic
delivery
objectives
Has the widest scope
Has a narrow and Has a wide scope can
with the strategic
defined scope with no change with time-based
perspective of the whole
changes on client requirements
organization

2. What is your understanding of Project

Management?

 
                            6 P’s of Project management – Project Manager Interview Questions
Project management is the discipline that helps in implementing various
processes, methods, knowledge, skills, and experience for achieving the
objectives of a unique project. Project management is nothing like the usual
management. One key factor which differentiates these two is that project
management has a final deliverable and a definite timeline whereas
management is an ongoing process. A project manager must always follow
the 6P rule of project management which is Proper Planning Prevents Poor
Project Performance.

3. Elaborate on the Project Management Life

Cycle process?

              Life Cycle – Project

Manager Interview Questions
The Project Management Life Cycle is a series of various activities/tasks that are
crucial for accomplishing project objectives or targets. This helps in structuring
the efforts and simplifying them into a series of logical and manageable
steps. The Project Management Life Cycle consists of four simple phases which
are listed below:

PMP Certification Training Course

Explore Curriculum

1. Initiation
It’s the first and most vital step in the life-cycle of your project where the
initial scope of the project gets defined and resources are committed. This
process group ensures the success of your project.
2. Planning
In this process group, an appropriate level of detail is jotted for the project
 to plan time, cost and resources. It estimates the work needed and
manage risk effectively.
3. Executing
This process group consists of the processes which are used to complete
the work defined in the project management plan. It’s about achieving the
project’s objectives. It also involves tracking, reviewing and regulating the
performance of the project. Also, you need to identify potential problems
quickly and take corrective actions.
4. Closure
This process group is an important part of project management,
performed to finalize all project activities to complete the project. This
means finishing all activities across all the process groups, disbanding the
project team and signing off the project with the customer using the
project closure report.

4. What are the most important skills that a

Project Manager should possess?
Most important skills that a Project manager must possess are:

1. Communication
2. Leadership
3. Team Management
4. Negotiation Power
5. Personal Organization
6. Risk Management

5. How will you start your job as a new project

manager?
When you start your job a project manager first few things that you need to take
care of are:

 Listen, observe and learn

 Understand your client’s needs and wants
 Know your team and their personalities
 Take the opportunity to learn some new skills
 Help out around the workplace
 Try to master the tools your company possesses

6. How will prioritize tasks in your project?

Prioritizing tasks in a project is very important and especially if it is an extensive
one. It helps in ensuring successful and timely completion of your project. In
order to prioritize the tasks you should follow the below pointers:

1. List the tasks and responsibilities

2. Distinguish between urgent and important
3. Assess the value of each task
4. Order the tasks by estimated efforts
5. Stay flexible and ready to adapt
6. Know when to say NO

7. What is your leadership style?

Leadership is a quality that every project manager must possess. Every leader
has his own leadership style to guide his team. The leadership style refers to
a leader’s characteristic behavior while directing, motivating, guiding, and
managing his team to bring the best out of them. In a project, they hold the
responsibility to motivate others for better performance, creation, and
innovation.

1. What do you mean by a project?

A project is a set of activities undertaken to make a product, services or outcomes. These are
provisional, meaning that they do not schedule the work like construction activity, but most
often one time set of activities undertaken.

2. State the difference between programs, projects, and a portfolio?

Projects are undertaken for a set of linked purposes. A program is a set of projects managed
in a synchronized way to attain diverse parts of an in general goal.  A portfolio is a
compilation of projects, programs and even other portfolios that help an association attain
some ordinary high-level business purpose.

3. Can you define stakeholder?

A stakeholder is any individual, social group, organization, or civilization at large that has a
stake in the business. It can be internal or external to the company.

4. What is your view regarding project management?

Project management includes applying the information & skills of the project team members
counting the project manager, application of tools and techniques obtainable to make sure the
distinct tasks are finished correctly. Proper conclusion means implies the attainment of results
within given charge and time constraints.
 5. How will you prefer to start your job as a new project manager?

There are things that you need to consider:

 Help out around the workplace.

 Listen, observe and learn.
 Try to master the tools your company possess
 Take the opportunity to gain some new skills.
 Understand your client’s needs and wants 

6. How to prioritize tasks in your project?

Prioritizing tasks in a project is very significant, and particularly if it is a widespread one. It

helps in ensuring winning and timely conclusion of your project. In order to prioritize the
task, you should follow:

 Jot down the tasks and responsibilities

 Differentiate between urgent and important
 Charge the value of each task 
 Order the tasks by predictable efforts
 Stay elastic and ready to adapt.
 Know when to say NO

7. Name the tools used for improving the process activities?

The tools used in the industry are:

 Cause and effect analysis

 Flowcharting
 Value stream mapping 
 Hypothesis testing 
 Comparing and baselining a method

8. Tell the process of calculating the three-point estimating method?

There are two ways to calculate:

 Beta or PERT Distribution

E = (P+4M+O)/6
 Triangular Distribution E = (P+M+O)/3

Where P = pessimist, O = Optimist, M = most possible.

9. How to make sure that the project is always on track?

Explain how you verify in with your team throughout a project. For example, you may want
to spot out that you consider effective and regular communication is input to ensuring that a
project stays on track.
 10. Define the team forming process?

After the members are together as a project team, there is turmoil before everything settles
down. This is known as the forming-storming-norming-the stage process. The group people
discuss a storming of relations when before deciding to the assigned role. Over time they get
used to the arrangement of the relationship, that is the norming phase. It is after everybody
has completed into their new roles that the team starts performing.

11. What does the procurement administrator involve?

To keep monitoring and make sure that all open procurement contracts are moving ahead as
expected.

12. Define time & material contracts?

In this type of contracts, the outworking gets paid for time utilized on the project, and
operating cost for material used and others decided upon expenses.

13. What do you mean by risk impact and probability?

When assessing risks, the project team also try to resolve the chance of the risk happening
and the crash it will have on the project when it does.

14. Do you think is there any positive aspects of the risk identification process?

The risk recognition procedure may be able to come up with some opportunities too.

15. Explain the risk register?

This is a document that contains all the acknowledged risks of a project. List of events of
potential actions is also incorporated.

16. What’s the need for process improvement tools?

A cornerstone of A is that processes are improved continuously. Process improvements help

mistakes in operations and thus help get better quality.

17. What do you mean by quality control?

QC measures include inspections to make sure quality necessities are being met.

18. How is the project time schedule represented most often?

Activity preparation network diagram is the most ordinary form of the symbol for the project
schedule. Bar charts and a milestone chart often accompany this.

19. How the activity time estimates are done?

Parametric estimates, three-point estimates and parallel estimates are the techniques used for
estimating activity time estimates.
 20. Define two areas in your present project; where there is a high level of
uncertainty, how do you tackle these uncertainties?

No project goes without a catch, and people wait for that. What your interviewer wants to
observe is how you grip anything that can result in a possible setback. An effectual project
manager should always have a few actions up to his or her sleeve.

21. Why a project manager needs to be proactive?

Proactive Managers have superior chances of finding out the risks and implementing
solutions in order to reduce them. They can keep a healthier track of all tasks and issues to
work towards implementing little changes and improvements for advanced productivity and
efficiency. Organizes everyday meetings for developers to talk about their troubles,
brainstorm solutions, share greatest practices etc. 

22. Which communication style do you choose in your projects?

Types of communication style that a project manager uses are:

 Responsive
 Written
 Electronic
 Face to Face

23. Name some techniques used for defining scope?

Product collapse, system examination, systems engineering, worth engineering, value

analysis and alternatives analysis. Alternatives analysis can be assisted by brainstorming,
cross thinking and pair-wise comparisons, etc.

24. Define Milestone?

Milestone is a position in project timetable when some objective, a part of a result of a part of
the designed services planned is achieved.

25. What does scope management include?

This procedure involves collecting requirements, essential scope, creating WBS, verifying
scope and calculating the scope. The project scope statement, WBS and WBS vocabulary
define the scope baseline. Controlling the scope procedure must diminish scope creep.

So, these are the following interview questions & answers for the project manager job,
candidates should go through it and search more to prepare well for his or her job interview.
1. Tell me about your favorite project that you’ve managed and what you
enjoyed about it

What they’re asking: Expect a fair share of behavioral interview questions—these are
questions that ask you to recall and explain specific examples and experiences—during your
project manager interview. This question, in particular, is a way for the interviewer to gauge
what sort of project management experience you have under your belt, what sorts of projects
you excel at managing and how much passion you have for the role.

How to answer: With any sort of behavioral interview question, you want to be as specific as
possible. You don’t need to go into painstaking detail, but you should be prepared to
elaborate with real situations and explanations. Try something like this:

"I really enjoyed managing the implementation of [new software program] at my last
company. It gave me an opportunity to evaluate and refine any processes that weren’t really
working for us. Additionally, I enjoyed being able to collaborate with every department in
our office to ensure their needs were being met. It was challenging but definitely rewarding!"

2. What communication style do you use with a team that you’re managing?

What they’re asking: Being a strong communicator is one of the most important skills a
project manager can possess, and that’s exactly what this question is getting at. At the center
of everything a project manager does, there’s communication. From formal presentations and
casual brainstorming sessions to in-person discussions and online collaboration, successful
project managers need to know how to tailor their communication to effectively get a point
across.

How to answer: This can be a tricky question to answer, especially when different
circumstances require different communication styles. Start by recognizing that you
understand the importance of successful communication, as well as how different styles are
beneficial in different situations. For example:

"I think strong communication skills is one of the most critical qualities of a project
manager. My communication style can vary greatly depending on the situation. During a
conflict, for example, I tend to be more direct and assertive. But, during a team meeting, I
prefer to sit back and be more of a facilitator of collaboration. I believe a strong project
manager is able to adjust his or her communication style when necessary, and that’s
something I excel at."

3. How do you set project goals? How do you monitor the progress of those
goals?

What they’re asking: A project won’t get done without clear goals. And, typically, it’s up to
the project manager to establish those objectives and keep a finger on the pulse of progress as
well. This question is pretty straightforward. The interviewer wants to know how you handle
those two important tasks -- setting SMART goals and monitoring progress toward those
goals.

How to answer: As mentioned above, questions like this -- that relate directly to what skills
and qualifications you bring to the table -- deserve a thoughtful, detailed and tactical
response. Don’t just skate over your approach. Dive into any frameworks or tools you use to
make this process more streamlined for you and your project team. Try something like this:

"I’m a big believer in setting SMART goals. Ensuring that the project team’s goals are
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound helps to confirm that we’re setting
ourselves up for success. I also make sure to sit down with the project team when setting
goals in order to incorporate their own thoughts and opinions on where we should be
headed. I find that’s important for increasing excitement around the goal while also
maintaining realistic objectives. As far as monitoring progress, I use a combination of
smaller milestones to keep an eye on progress, regular check-ins, and the always helpful
Gantt Chart to ensure we’re moving in the right direction."

4. How do you deal with team conflict?

What they’re asking: Like it or not, conflict is pretty much inevitable on a project team.
And, it’s the project manager’s job to make sure things get resolved in an efficient and
effective manner. Understandably, the interviewer wants to know how you’ll fix the issue—
and that you won’t just sweep things under the rug.

How to answer: Chances are, you have some experience dealing with conflict already. Think
about how you’ve approached those situations in the past, and then use that to inform your
answer:

"I’ve heard that there are three main approaches to conflict resolution: avoidance, defusion
and confrontation. Typically, I utilize a combination of defusion and confrontation. First and
foremost, I limit the interaction between the conflicting parties in order to get some
separation and identify the root cause. Then, I facilitate one-on-one conversations in order to
identify if there’s a certain task or stressor that’s causing the issue. At this point, the
confrontation comes into play. I’ll facilitate a problem-solving meeting where the conflicting
members can talk about the issues, reach a compromise, and move forward. I also make sure
to continuously check in on that matter moving forward, to ensure that the root issue has
been addressed, resentment has been eradicated and a new conflict isn’t brewing."

5. How do you ensure that your project is on schedule to meet the deadline?
What they’re asking: You need to live and breathe deadlines—you know that much. The
employer’s goal with this question is simple: They want to confirm that you’re someone who
can deliver a project on time and on budget.

How to answer: Start by recognizing that even the best-laid plans experience a curveball
every now and then—every realistic project manager knows that. Then, explain in detail your
typical approach to ensure that projects run smoothly. Try something like this:

"Meeting deadlines involves a balance of scope management and schedule management.

First and foremost, I ensure that the team has a solid grasp of the scope of the project.
Everybody needs to understand what needs to be done before it can be done on time. Then, I
move on to schedule management, including time management processes required to
complete the project by the deadline. I think it’s important to make sure these processes and
a detailed schedule are somewhere that the entire project team can easily access, so there’s
no confusion or question about when pieces need to be delivered. Of course, this schedule is
flexible and will likely change as circumstances arise. But, that’s why I also think it’s
important to frequently check in on progress and roadblocks to make sure things are coming
together in accordance with the process and timeline."

6. Tell me about a recent challenge you encountered and how you overcame it

What they’re asking: Even the best, most thoughtful project managers will admit that
sometimes things get sticky. Problems and surprises are inevitable, and the employer wants to
be sure that they find someone who can roll with the punches and continue leading the team
forward.

How to answer: This pesky behavioral interview question requires you to detail a real-world
example. No project is flawless, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to think of a time when you
ran into an issue. Ideally, you’ll want to talk about a challenge that resulted in a big win
because of your clever self. Your answer could look something like this:

"I was tasked with overseeing the entire redesign and redevelopment of our company
website. The engineering team and the design team were at a standstill about how to layout a
specific page on the website, and it was slowing down the entire project. To shut down the
various personal conversations and back-and-forth emails, I facilitated an entire team sit-
down where everybody could voice their suggestions. We reached a compromise, and moved
forward with the project, delivering it before the deadline."

7. What three skills do you think are most important to be an effective project
manager?

What it’s asking: Of course, the employer has specific skills that they’re looking for in their
next project manager. But, they want to hear from you about what you think are the most
important competencies that you bring to the table.

How to answer: As you might suspect, you’re going to want to pick skills that are not only
important to being a project manager, but also skills that you actually possess. You don’t
want to plant seeds that undermine your qualifications, after all. You can even mention the
“Talent Triangle” -- which are three skills required to get your PM certification -- to
demonstrate your knowledge of the area.
"Of course, strong communication skills, excellent organization capabilities, and a keen
ability to manage time are all crucial for being an effective and respected project manager.
But, when looking at the overarching qualities that are necessary to be a strong project
manager, I think the ‘Talent Triangle’ is the perfect breakdown. The combination of
technical project management, leadership, and strategic and business management makes for
a well-rounded project manager who’s willing to work and manage in a variety of business
functions."

Question: - How will you manage one of your over-confident team member who always wants to
move out for higher responsibilites but not so good in taking up those? Important thing being he is
bit critical in the current position.

Answers: - First thing I need to create a back-up plan for his current role and work to deal with any
eventualities. Second thing I speak to him one to one and tell him the importance of his current work
and the contributions he has made. I also sit with him to make a plan to take up the positions he
wants to take. Tell him the areas where he has to sharpen his skills before he can jump into.

Question: - What would you do if someone in your project fell ill and there is an important client
deliverable that was needed the next day.

Answers:- Being as project manager you always should anticipate the risk.team member falling sick
just one day before milestone deliverable is risk which should have been taken care with proper
contingency plan.In this case having back up resource in place and developing multiple skills among
the team

Questions: -how agile will fit into a service oriented organisation

Agile is a methodology which is useful in case where there is no long term visibility or customer itself
is not very clear with the requirements. So one can plan for shorter scrum cycles (2 weeks is the
minimum). Also it will be helpful for the conroling the changing requirements.

Project details, challenges, risks roles and responsibilities as PM What was your role in responding to
RFP Team Management Project Metrics How do you estimates for project technology which you
dont have experience What are your accomplishment How do you identify risk, example of risks How
do you track project cost, How do you tackle the activities in critical path Situational Questions in
project manager

How do you measure the success of your project?

Customer satisfaction is my project success

Given a scenario where Scope, Budget and Timeline is fixed how will you execute the project in Agile
way

So with that in mind, I'd ask a different question than Ian, with the same intent. If quality If the
Quality of each increment is fixed, because the Cost, Schedule and Scope are fixed, where is there
room for agile to add value? Isn't your delivered value always going to be fixed?

That's not to say firm projects aren't able to benefit from agile practices; a daily Scrum or test-driven
development can still improve the efficiency of the team and help bring things in under cost or under
schedule. But I'm not sure full-on adoption of an agile framework in such a tightly controlled project
would work.

Doing Agile Vs. Being Agile

As stated, doing agile and being agile are two different things.

Doing agile simply means that you are following the principles, policies, techniques and the
framework of the agile methodology. It further highlights that you aren't adept in the agile mindset,
and all that you do is remain trapped within the walls of the outlining agile tactics. When
organizations are in the domain of doing agile, they lay their focus on what should be done to attain
agility. The search space is confined and employs only predetermined principles.

On the contrary, being agile means having the agile mindset, one that thinks more about the quality,
the performance, and the team. The ones that are agile lay their focus on behavior, attitude, and
values. When organizations are in the scope of being agile, they lay their focus on what to do to be
agile. This suggests that the ones that strive to be agile; they are more about the thoughts and the
behavior that fosters agility.

Collaboration Techniques for Large Distributed Agile Projects

 Maintain healthy product backlog with clear separation and ownership by each team.
 Have a clear architecture and design guidelines across teams, especially for teams working
on same codebase/repositories.
 Choose right tool for the right purpose. Sometime existing tools do not fit the distributed
nature of project. Push back and convince people to get the right tool in place from day one.
 Build a trusted environment across teams, with clear and honest communication. A healthy
environment allows people to share thoughts openly without any fear of repercussions.
Take feedback positively and give feedback sensitively.
 Run online meetings effectively, with visual aids, and good equipment, since it is not easy to
find out if other are following or not.
 Adapt practices and meetings with distributed and large team in mind, and don’t be afraid to
experiment to see what works for your team.

 Also, it is equally important to give individual teams the full freedom to operate in their own
space within a team e.g having physical wall, retrospectives using stickies, huddles and

discussions on whiteboards.

Which is Vital for any Project?

Project Charter ( It has got high level budget, timelines, scope and quality metrics)

My experience/challenges faced in client engagement in earlier projects.

I had to substantiate my experience with instances and challenges that cameup. every time I
quoted challenges , the panel asked technical questions on reasons for the decision and why
I did not opt for other options. It was a very exhaustive discussion.

Explain about the project, your roles and responsibilities Challenges & risks in your project
How do you estimate for technology project which you dont have working experience How
you handle team member in case of conflict? Situation questions on team management Are
you involved in responding to RFP, what was your role? What is end to end process for
bidding a project How do you track project progress? metrics collected?, Quality checkpoints
How do you deal with people having more experience VP Round Explain about your project
Challenges faces Accomplishment (technical / personal) Why are you looking for change

WBS and WBS Dictionary ? Float ? Free float vs Total Float ? Different types of risk and its
strategies ? Project life cycle ?

Top Down & Botton Up Approaches

The Top-down approach is practical for the initial stage of strategic decision-making and in
situations where the information required to develop accurate duration and costs estimates
is not available in the initial phase of the project. Hence, top-down estimates are used
initially until the tasks in WBS are defined clearly, which enable the development of well-
defined schedules and budget.
 Bottom-Up

The Bottom-up approach is typically more reliable and preferred for estimating because it
assesses each work package from the bottom, working up to a deliverable and phase. It is
practical to use when project schedules and budget from previous similar projects are
available for reference. Estimating duration and costs for each work package facilitates the
development of schedules and a time-phased budget, which are required to monitor and
control the project as it progresses.

How will you handle the technical issues in which you are not well equipped as a project
manager

A good Project Manager need to understand the nerve of the system and the problem
weather its technical or non technical it is not required to understand the issue technically
the impacts of the issue on the projects and how to reduce these impacts are responsibility
of the project manager. what steps are required to take up to make the implementation and
project execution smooth enough.

Which QA metrics would you define in your Project managemnt plans

Following would be some of the quality metrics that you can or would have already
incorporated in your planning 1. Time Performance 2. Budget control 3. Reliability 4. The
number of bugs found in the software 5. The number of items that fail inspection 6. The
number of changes

Outputs for the Project Closure

 summary of lessons learned

 resources re-assigned
 contract close-out
 closure report
 celebration
 solution implemented
 updated project and portfolio metrics
 transition to operations completed
 updated knowledge repository
 user acceptance sign off

How do you manager Risks in the project

We have a risk tracker, where we maintain any potential risks of the project, circulate that on a
regular basis with all the stakeholders, and keep a mitigation plan to address the risk. Regular
tracking of risks is very important to minimize last minute surprises

What is project management approach followed by you? 2 . What is your role as scrum master in the
project? What is your experience in managing agile projects 3.Do you have experience on CRM /
Loyalty solution? 4.What are 3 key challenges you have faced in terms of client interaction? 5. How
you are technical involved in the project? 6.How do you rate yourself in SQLs 7. Explain about your
product ? 2nd Round: 1. Case Study : I was given case study of 1 page that comprises of information
on custom development of CRM solution, deliverable, timelines etc 2. Develop project plan,
execution approach, resource planning, assumptions, governance model, deliverable for this case
study 3. One has to present your solution / approach to Sr director, who will ask question related to
your solution / project management approach. 4. Profile - Team management and challenges 5.
What are lessons learnt in managing team. What you think you could have done better in your
career? What is your plan for next 3 - 5 years 6. How can you contribute towards Epsilon 7. What is
current skills that you can map to current role being offered in Epsilon Result: 1.Passed first round
2.Second Round result - " We often have to make difficult choices between many capable candidates
as the hiring process has been competitive. " - Rejected Overall experience was good. I felt they are
looking for "ideal" candidate for this opening, who has vast experience in handling big projects ($B)
and expects to have thorough planning of case study in an hour time. Director was kind enough to
provide feedback instantly & overall experience was good enough so that I can prepare myself.
Questions that was asked by me: 1. This position or exactly similar one was opened for quite
sometime, more than year. Are you looking for ideal candidate for this role? What is kind of profile
that is hunted 2. How is your Epsilon different from other organization? 3. Do you follow PMI
standard practices, adhoc, loosely defined project management methodology - Ans Customer First
Approach, Depends!

Why is a RAID analysis important?

A RAID project management analysis is important because it helps teams sketch out a full picture of
the project’s limitations and potential issues from the start.

A RAID log is an essential project management document that can be used to keep track of these
issues and can be updated as needed over the course of the project. An accurate and up-to-date
RAID log allows project managers and stakeholders to act in time if potential roadblocks become
urgent issues.

How do you create a RAID document?

As a project manager, you may take it upon yourself to compile and store the risks, assumptions,
issues, and dependencies associated with your project. To create a RAID log after your RAID analysis,
you can use a basic spreadsheet that notes the risk and priority levels of each entry.

How will you handle architects who have a mood of their own?

You must have the capability to understand the different moods of the people whom you work with.
That demonstrates your efficiency and getting the work done by people.

Q.1 How would you define agile?

Agile is a project management methodology which uses sprints (also called short cycles) to
enable someone to focus on continuous improvement of a service or a product. Usually it
reduces the complexity that many months-long cycles have, by breaking them down into the
most crucial concepts to cash for the entire project. Such that the software developed delivers
features with the highest value first and with exact information; the process allows to tightly
manage time, cost and scope.

Q.2 According to you what are the popular agile methods used?

Some of the most popular agile methods used are - 1. Scrum - This methods does not include
a project manager. It guides the team and helps in prioritizing their tasks. It also helps in
removing all impediments to implementing their tasks. Ideally, it exposes the organization’s
impediments.

2. Kanban - This method that doesn’t require a lot of planning. It goes with issues that can’t
be planned upfront. With Kanban, the issues are updated as soon they are completed. It suits
projects where situations change on a daily basis.

3. Lean (LN) - Lean software development is based mostly on the notions of eliminating all
unwanted waste that is of no value by focusing on concept to cash. It delivers high quality,
fast
Q.3 Differentiate between Agile and traditional project management (Waterfall)?
Agile tend to encourage little of everything, including design, development, and testing etc
which is done at the same time. On the other hand the traditional approach to projects closes
and completes one phase before the next begins. Such that agile encourages short, frequent
feedback loops and embraces changes to requirements. On the other hand Waterfall, feedback
is usually not collected until the very end of the project, and changes are discouraged.

Q.4 How would you define Sprint planning meeting?

The process of Sprint planning, involves the product owner presents the goal of the sprint and
discusses the high priority product backlog items. Such that the delivery team chooses the
amount of work for the next sprint.

Q.5 When should we use waterfall over Scrum?

We should use waterfall if the requirements are simple, predictable, fully defined and
understood, and will not change.
The Waterfall methodology prevails when the project is constrained by cost and/or time, and
the requirements and scope are well understood. In these cases, the Waterfall methodology
provides a set of processes that are built on the principle of approval of the previous phase.

The bottom line is that the Waterfall methodology does a better job at providing a well-
defined feature set within a constrained budget or timeline.

Q.6 What do you understand by a retrospective?

Retrospective is a meeting to inspect and adapt the process. The Agile methodology question
is seeking for the ways to conduct a retrospective—so it is important to explain one or two
formats.

 What went well in the Sprint

 What could be improved
 What will we commit to improve in the next Sprint

Q.7 What is the agile project management?

Agile Project Management (APM) is a continual approach to planning and guiding project
processes. Just as in Agile Software Development, an Agile project is completed in small
parts. These sections are called iteration. In Agile Software Development, for example: an
iteration refers to a single development cycle. In an agile project environment, the parts of a
project manager and a scrum master are:
A project manager focuses on processes and allocates tasks to the team members.
A scrum master assists to improve team dynamics and acts as a servant leader if required by
the project.

Q.8 What is Agile methodology in simple words?

Agile methodology is a process of software development where no requirements are fixed till
the end of the product development. This assist the developers to try out their creative side
and come up with project that is attractive and useful - both at the same time.

Q.9 What is Product backlog & Sprint Backlog?

Product backlog is managed by the project owner which consists every feature and
requirement of the product.
Sprint backlog can be treated as subset of product backlog which consists features and
requirements related to that particular sprint only.

Q.10 Explain Velocity in Agile?

Velocity is a metric that is computed by addition of all efforts estimates associated with user
stories completed in a iteration. It foretells how much work Agile can complete in a sprint
and how much time will it need to complete a project.

Q.11 Name some Agile quality strategies.

Some Agile quality strategies are:
Re-factoring
Small feedback cycles
Dynamic code analysis
Iteration

Q.12 What is an Agile manifesto?

Agile manifesto defines an iterative and people-centric approach to software development. It
has basically 4 key values and 12 principals.

Q.13 What is the right minute to use agile model?

There are certain methodologies and developments which can utilize agile like: lean software
development feature drove development, dynamic development and crystal methodologies.

Q.14 What do you mean by release candidate?

To make sure that during the last development stage there is no critical problem left behind a
code or version or a build is released which is known as a release candidate. This is
equivalent to final build and it is used for testing.

Q.15 What difference do agile testing methods hold from the other testing methods?
Provided agile testing methodology, the code that is used is divided into smaller branches. At
one particular minute, each particular branch of a code is tested. Also, continuous
communication is completed on it a part of the code. Agile process is more flexible and
focused.
Q.16 Is it attainable to use agile methodology another testing except computer code testing
and development testing?
The methodology of a file testing can be applied in case of biophysics, biochemistry,
biomedical and those places that have insufficient data and the project needs to complete with
a small team.

Q.17 How to apprehend that you're utilizing agile development?

When you are using time-boxed task board, test driven development, daily stand up meetings,
pair programming and many more, it's when you'll know that you're utilizing agile
development.

Q.18 What does story point mean in the scrum?

The unit that's used to estimate the whole effort that is required to end or do a specific work
or implementing a backlog is noted a story purpose in the scrum.

Q.19 What do you mean by the X and Y axis of the burndown chart?
In the burndown chart, the X-axis represents the working days and the Y axis stands for
showing the remaining efforts.

Q.20 What is Zero sprint in Agile?

It is often outlined as pre-step to the primary sprint. Things like putting in the event setting,
making ready backlog etc has to be done before beginning of the primary sprint and may be
treated as Sprint.

Q.21 What do you mean by product burndown chart?

Product burndown chart is the graphical representation of a description that exhibits the
implementation and the non-implemented product backlog.
Q.22 What do you mean by sprint burndown chart?
It is a graph that is used to define the number of non-implemented or implemented sprint in
scrum cycle.
Q.23 What do you understand by release burndown chart?
Release burndown chart represents the pending releases that were planned prior.
Q.24 What do you understand by defect burndown chart?
It is the rendition of a number of defects that are identified and then removed.
Q.25 Explain what is sprint planning meeting?
The meeting that's joined by all the entities like product owner, scrum master and the whole
scrum team is known as sprint planning meeting. It is done to debate the imperative feature of
the team and also the items of the product backlog.
Q.26 What do you mean by sprint retrospective meeting?
Sprint retrospective meeting is the last part of the sprint. It is probably completed after the
review meeting of a sprint. The whole groups along with scrum master participate in this
discussion and it lasts for 2 to 3 hours.