File: ch10, Chapter 10: Monitoring and Information Systems

RV James Changes October 2005

Revised Dwayne Whitten Sep 2008

Multiple Choice

1.    Monitoring, as an activity, should be kept distinct from ________, which uses data supplied by
monitoring to bring actual performance into approximate congruence with planned performance.
a) Auditing
b) Controlling
c) Evaluation
d) Verifying

2.    Monitoring, as an activity, should be kept distinct from ________, which is the process of making
judgments about the quality and effectiveness of project performance.
a) Planning
b) Controlling
c) Evaluation
d) Estimating

3.    Secondary uses for monitoring include ________.

a) Auditing, learning from experience, and reporting progress and status
b) Exercising effective control over the project
c) Evaluating current status of the project
d) Fixing the blame when things go wrong

4.    According to the authors, the key items to be planned, monitored, and controlled are ________.
a) Time, cost, and resources
b) Time, quality, performance, and customer satisfaction
c) Schedule and budget
d) Time, cost, and performance

5.    According to the authors, in the planning -- monitoring -- controlling cycle, the directions of the flows
indicate that ________.
a) Information flows from the top to bottom and authority flows from the bottom to the top
b) Information flows from the bottom to the top and authority flows from the top to the bottom
c) Authority flows from the top down
d) Information flows from the top down

6.    The first step in setting up a monitoring system is to ________.

a) Collect existing data to see what data is relevant and available
b) Collect every available piece of information so it can be analyzed
c) Use whatever information is available
d) Identify the key factors to be controlled

7.    For each factor to be measured during monitoring; performance criteria, standards, and ________
must be established.
a) Data collection procedures
b) Mechanized systems
c) Automated systems
d) Audit checks

8.    The criteria and data collection procedures used during monitoring are usually set up for the life of
the project.    But ________ may not be constant over the project's life because they can be changed by the
parent organization, the client, or the community.
a) Criteria
b) Audit checks
c) Standards
d) The PMIS

9.    The most common mistake made when monitoring data is to gather information that is clearly related
to project performance but ________.
a) Is so volatile that trends cannot be detected
b) Has little or no probability of changing significantly between collection periods
c) Is too unusual to use
d) Cannot be captured in the mechanized PMIS

10.    In monitoring systems, bias finding and correcting activities are worthwhile ________.
a) In all situations
b) Only if data with less or no bias are required
c) Only if the bias in the data is not significant
d) Is never justified because multiple measures can detect the bias

11. According to the authors the project manager can tolerate almost any kind of behavior except:
a) Tardiness
b) Dishonesty
c) Disruptive behavior
d) Negative attitude

12. A large proportion of all data collected takes one of the following forms except:
a) Objective numeric ratings
b) Verbal measures
c) Raw numbers
d) Indicators
13.    In earned value analysis, the 50-50 rule assumes that ________.
a) 50 percent is earned when the task is half done and 50 percent is earned at completion
b) 50 percent is earned when the task begins and 50 percent is earned at completion
c) 50 percent is earned when the task begins and 50 percent is earned after completion
d) 50 percent is earned when the project is planned and 50 percent is earned when the project is over

14.    In earned value analysis, the 0 - 100 percent rule allows ________.
a) 0 percent credit prior to starting work and 100 percent credit once work begins
b) 0 percent credit when work begins and 100 percent credit when the project is over
c) 0 percent credit when work begins and 100 percent credit at completion of the activity
d) 0 percent credit at completion of the activity and 100 percent credit at formal acceptance during scope
verification

15.    In earned value analysis, if the cost variance is ($10,000), ________.

a) The cost overrun is favorable
b) The cost overrun is unfavorable
c) The cost avoidance is favorable
d) The cost avoidance is unfavorable

16.    If CPI = 1.05, then ________ is favorable.

a) Time variance
b) Schedule variance
c) Cost variance
d) Performance variance

17. ETC - AC = ________.

a) Earned value
b) CPI
c) SPI
d) EAC

18. ________ is when individuals are overwhelmed with too many reports, too much detail, and too much
data.
a) information overload
b) PMIS verification
c) project isolation
d) computer paralysis

19. Microsoft’s PMIS product is referred to as

a) Project Planner
b) Excel
c) Project
d) Access

20. Which of the following is not a common difficulty in the design of project reports?
a) too much detail
b) too many interface modules
c) poor interface between the project information system and parent firm’s information system
d) poor correspondence between the planning and monitoring systems

Short Answer

21. The project ________ describes what is being done, when and the planned level of resource usage for
each task, work-package or element in the project.

Ans: action plan

Response: section 10.1 designing the monitoring system
Level: easy

22. The best sources of items to be monitored are the project action plan and the _____________.

Ans: risk management plan

Response: section 10.1 designing the monitoring system
Level: easy

23. In general data are _________ by those who report then advertently or inadvertently.

Ans: biased
Response: section 10.1 how to collect data
Level: easy

24. ________ is collecting, recording, and reporting information concerning any and all aspects of project
performance that the project manager or others in the organization wish to know.

Ans: monitoring
Response: Refer to chapter 10, introduction.
Level: easy

25. The project control process should be viewed as a ________, with revised plans and schedules (if
warranted) following corrective actions.    The project control process should run continuously until the
project is completed.

Ans: closed loop system

Response: Refer to section 10.1.
Level: intermediate
26.    A ________ is a simple tally of the occurrence of an event.    This type of measure is easy to collect
and is often reported as events per unit of time or reported as events as a percent of a standard number.

Ans: frequency count

Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: easy

27.    When collecting raw project data, it is important to make sure that all data are collected from sources
that operate on the same ________ and with the same rules for data collection.

Ans: time intervals

Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: easy

28.    Ordinal rankings of performance are an example of a ________ type of measure.

Ans: subjective numeric rating

Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: intermediate

29.    An ________ type of measure is used when some aspect of system performance cannot be measured
directly.

Ans: indicator
Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: intermediate

30.    A ________ is a statistical quality control technique that can often give the project manager an early
warning of potential problems in a project.

Ans: time series analysis

Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: advanced

31.    An ________ is used to deal with issues of honesty related to the monitoring system.

Ans: internal audit

Response: Refer to section 10.1, how to collect data.
Level: intermediate
32.  The earned value rule that divides the actual task time-to-date by the scheduled time for the task to
calculate percent complete is called the ________ rule.
 
Ans: proportionality
Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations
Level: easy

33.    In earned value analysis, EAC refers to the ________.

Ans: estimated cost at completion

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

34.    In earned value analysis, BAC refers to the ________.

Ans: budget at completion

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

35.    In earned value analysis, the ________ is computed as the earned value minus the actual cost of
work performed.

Ans: cost variance

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

36. EV – PV = ________.

Ans: SV or the schedule variance

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

37.    If EV = $500, AC = $450, PV = $475; SV = $________.

Ans: $25
Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy
38.    If EV = $500, AC = $450, PV = $475; CPI = ________.

Ans: 1.11
Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

39. In earned value analysis, (CPI) * (SPI) = ________.

Ans: CSI or the cost-schedule index

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: intermediate

40.    If CSI is less than 1, it is indicative of a ________.

Ans: problem
Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

41. Conceptually, EAC represents the amount spent to date plus ________.

Ans: ETC or the estimated cost to complete

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: intermediate

42. (BAC – EV) / CPI = ________.

Ans: ETC or estimated cost to complete

Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations.
Level: easy

43.    Excessive computer involvement with computer activity replacing project management; loss of
touch with the project and its realities, is referred to as ________.

Ans: computer paralysis

Response: Refer to section 10.4, current software
Level: easy

Essay
44.    Identify some of the benefits when timely reports are delivered to the proper people by the project
management information system.

Ans: Benefits of timely reporting to the proper people include: mutual understanding of project goals,
awareness of progress and problems associated with coordinating activities, understanding of
relationships between tasks in the overall project, early warning signals of potential problems and delays
in the project, reduced confusion associated with changes in the project because the effects of the changes
have been promptly communicated, quicker responsiveness to unacceptable or inappropriate work, higher
visibility for the project and its results, managing stakeholder perceptions and expectations related to
project results.
Response: Refer to section 10.2.
Level: easy

45.    Identify the main complaints associated with meetings.

Ans: The main complaints are that meetings are interminably long, come to no conclusions, and waste
everyone's time.
Response: Refer to section 10.2, meetings.
Level: easy

46.    Suggest some practical measures that can be used to improve the perception about the benefits of
meetings.

Ans: The following rules can help remove most of the onus associated with project meetings.    Use
meetings for making group decisions or getting input for important problems.    Avoid show-and-tell
meetings that function as status and review meetings.    Have a written agenda with preset starting and
stopping times.    Make sure that attendees have done their homework prior to the meeting.    If you chair
the meeting, take your own minutes.    Distribute the minutes as soon as possible after the meeting.   
Avoid attributing remarks or viewpoints to individuals in the minutes.    Do not report votes on
controversial matters.    Avoid overly formal rules of procedure.    If a serious problem or crisis arises, call
a meeting for the purpose of dealing with that issue only.
Response: Refer to section 10.2, meetings.
Level: intermediate

47.    Describe the three common difficulties in the design of project reports.

Ans: First, there is usually too much detail, both in the reports themselves and in the input being solicited
from workers.    Unnecessary detail usually results in the report not being read.    It also makes it difficult
to find needed information quickly.    Moreover, the demand for large quantities of highly detailed input
information often results in careless preparation of the data, thereby casting doubt on the validity of
reports based on such data.    Second, there may be a poor interface between the project information
system and the parent firm’s information system.    In many respects, the project manager will be expected
to report costs and resource usage in a manner compatible with the parent firm's information system.   
Third, there may be poor correspondence between the planning and the monitoring systems.    If the
monitoring system is not tracking information directly related to the project’s plans, control is
meaningless.
Response: Refer to section 10.2, common reporting problems.
Level: intermediate

48.    When using earned value analysis, identify the three conditions that can exist with respect to the
completion of activity in a project.

Ans: At a specified point in the project lifecycle, some work units have been finished and are 100 percent
complete.    At the same point in time, some work units have yet to be started and are 0 percent complete. 
The remaining work units have been started but are not complete.    For this group of work units, it is
possible to estimate a percent completion.
Response: Refer to section 10.3, the earned value chart and calculations
Level: intermediate