The three types of project control processes are:
Easily understood because they have stayed the same for many years
Easily understood by all levels in the project team.
Cybernetic, go/no-go, and postcontrol
Not well-understood.
The project manager’s primary function includes managing human resources and:
Following orders from top management.
Project Management software.
Guarding physical and financial assets of the company
Charting and graphing project task completion.
Because project milestones may not occur at periodic intervals, go/no-go controls should be linked to the __________; not simply to the calendar.
corporate budgeting process
actual plans and to the occurrence of real events
capital budgeting process
portfolio management review process
Go/no-go controls operate __________.
only at phase gate reviews
only when exceptions are detected
only when and if the controller uses them
continuously
Identify the item that is NOT one of the three types of control processes described by the authors.
cybernetic control
robotic control
postcontrol
go/no-go control
In order to control creative projects the project manager must adopt one or some combination of three general approaches to the problem. Which of the following is NOT one of these approaches?
creativity check
personnel reassignments
process review
control of input resources
Control is focused on three elements of a project. They are __________.
scope, quality, and customer satisfaction
scope, cost, and time
cost, time, and customer satisfaction
performance, delivery, and cost
The two fundamental objectives of control are the regulation of results and the __________.
refurbishing of organizational assets
distribution of organizational assets
procurement of organizational assets
stewardship of organizational assets
An automatic control system containing a negative feedback loop is referred to as
cybernetic
go/no-go
critical ratio
Cybernetic control is reported to be the most common type of control system, and consists of:
Upper management weekly approvals
Automated reports to top management when the project goes out of control
An automatic adjustment of processes when deviations are detected
Cybernetic loops of feedback to the PM.
Project control systems are very valuable to successful projects, and the typical cost of the control systems is in the range of _________ percent of total project cost.
10 to 15%
5 to 10%
15-20%
1 – 5%
Cybernetic control systems are:
Positive feedback loops
Negative feedback loops
Very difficult to implement
Relatively expensive and difficult to use.
The stewardship of human resources requires __________ the growth and development of people.
mandating
controlling and maintaining
demolition
flattening
When a client wants to increase the scope or functionality of a project, what should the project design engineer reply?
Of course it’s OK. The client is always right.
Upper management will decide.
We can probably do that for you, and I can prepare a new schedule and cost analysis to fit your new plan/goals.
OK and it will not cost you any more.
The most common reason for scope creep is:
Natural tendency of the client and project team to try to improve the original plan.
Engineering’s natural tendency to be perfectionists
Client’s unrealistic expectations for the design
Errors and omissions in the original project design
Project Management control of physical assets includes
Scheduling of maintenance and repair of all project equipment
PMs do not control physical assets, they schedule work.
Scheduling of maintenance, repair, and/or replacement of project equipment
Planning, scheduling, and graphing of project tasks & equipment
Control systems commonly become out of balance because of:
Too many project managers
Too few workers
Putting too much weight on easy-to-measure factors
Overemphasizing the seriousness of cost overruns
In a cybernetic control system using a negative feedback loop, the speed or force with which the control operates is, in general, __________ to the size of the deviation from standard
double
customary
reciprocal
proportional
In order to gain user acceptance, the control system should appear to be __________.
sensible
firm
enforced with sanctions
lenient
When performing control, project managers need to be attentive to __________.
avoiding directive behaviors
regulation and conservation equally
regulation more than conservation
maintaining laissez faire leadership
