Systems Analysis Chapter 3 Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the first step you should take in a risk management process?

Develop a risk management plan.

Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.

Qualitative risk analysis assesses risks based on their impact and likelihood, while quantitative risk analysis uses numerical values to evaluate the impact of risks.

What does a risk response plan entail?

A risk response plan entails proactive efforts to anticipate risks and outline specific actions to address them.

What is the project triangle, and what are its three components?

The project triangle represents the balance between project cost, scope, and time. Signup and view all the answers

Why is understanding the critical path important in project management?

Understanding the critical path is important as it identifies tasks that could delay the overall project completion if they are not completed on time. Signup and view all the answers

What role does monitoring play in the risk management process?

Monitoring involves continuously assessing risks to ensure that the risk management plan remains effective and responds to any changes. Signup and view all the answers

List two common reasons why projects get derailed.

Common reasons include business issues and budget issues. Signup and view all the answers

What does creating a work breakdown structure involve?

Creating a work breakdown structure involves breaking down the project into smaller, manageable tasks. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristics define a task in a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

A task in a WBS has a clear beginning and end, requires resources, and should be small and manageable. Signup and view all the answers

What are events or milestones in the context of project management?

Events or milestones serve as recognizable reference points used to monitor progress within a project. Signup and view all the answers

What factors should be considered when estimating task duration?

Task duration estimates should consider best-case, probable-case, and worst-case scenarios. Signup and view all the answers

How do project managers assign a weight to each time estimate?

Project managers assign a weight by evaluating the likelihood of each scenario occurring before calculating the final task duration. Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to list tasks in a document during project management?

Listing tasks ensures that all necessary activities are accounted for and facilitates tracking and management. Signup and view all the answers

What role do questionnaires play in tracking project progress?

Questionnaires help to define a series of tasks and events that can be tracked to monitor progress. Signup and view all the answers

What types of resources are required for tasks in a Work Breakdown Structure?

Tasks require resources such as people, time, and money. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of having a manageable size for tasks in a WBS?

Having manageable task sizes allows for efficient tracking, easier delegation, and improved project control. Signup and view all the answers

What are the main responsibilities of a project manager?

A project manager is responsible for project planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

The purpose of creating a WBS is to break down a project into smaller, manageable tasks. Signup and view all the answers

How does a Gantt chart simplify complex projects?

A Gantt chart simplifies complex projects by visually representing tasks, their progress, and dependencies over time. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) focus on?

PERT focuses on scheduling, monitoring, and controlling projects by using a bottom-up approach. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes the Critical Path Method (CPM) from PERT?

CPM is utilized primarily by private industries, whereas PERT was developed by the U.S. Navy. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the role of project reporting in project management.

Project reporting involves creating regular progress reports for management, users, and the project team. Signup and view all the answers

What types of charts are commonly used for project monitoring?

Commonly used charts for project monitoring include Gantt charts and PERT/CPM charts. Signup and view all the answers

Why is task dependency important in project scheduling?

Task dependency is important in project scheduling because it helps identify which tasks must be completed before others can begin. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chapter 3: Managing Systems Projects

Systems Analysis and Design (12th Edition) is the book used for the chapter
Key learning objectives include illustrating project priorities, explaining planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting, creating work breakdown structures, identifying task patterns, calculating critical paths, describing monitoring and control techniques, reporting on project status, creating risk management plans, and understanding why projects fail.

Learning Objectives (1 of 2)

Students will be able to illustrate project priorities in the form of a project triangle.
Students will understand project planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting.
Students will create work breakdown structures.
Students will identify task patterns.
Students will calculate a project's critical path.
Students will be able to describe project monitoring and control techniques.

Learning Objectives (2 of 2)

Students will understand how project status is reported.
Students will describe project management software and its uses.
Students will create risk management plans
Students will be able to describe why projects sometimes fail.

Overview of Project Management (1 of 3)

Project management includes planning, scheduling, monitoring, controlling, and reporting on information system development.
Successful projects are completed on time, within budget, meeting requirements, and satisfying users.

Overview of Project Management (2 of 3)

A project triangle represents the optimal balance among cost, scope, and time.
Changes in one factor (cost, scope, or time) will affect the other factors in the project triangle.

Overview of Project Management (3 of 3)

Project managers identify tasks, estimate completion times and costs.
Project scheduling involves creating timetables, outlining task dependencies, and identifying critical tasks.
Project monitoring and control involves guiding, supervising, and coordinating the team's workload and creating progress reports.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (1 of 8)

Breaking down a project into smaller tasks
Gantt charts—horizontal bar charts representing a set of tasks, showing planned and actual progress on a project. Simplifying complex projects using a task group.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (2 of 8)

PERT/CPM charts
Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) developed by the US Navy
Utilizes bottom-up techniques
Useful for scheduling, monitoring, and controlling actual work
Displays complex task patterns and relationships.
Critical Path Method (CPM) developed by the private industry.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (3 of 8)

FIGURE 3-4 shows a Gantt chart with 6 tasks and a PERT chart for the same project

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (4 of 8)

Identifying tasks in a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)
Tasks, or activities, need a beginning and end
Utilize company resources. (people, time, money)
Tasks should be small and manageable
Projects involve milestones and/or events as recognizable reference points to track progress.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (5 of 8)

Listing tasks
Tasks may be embedded in documents
Estimating task durations (hours, days, weeks)
Best-case, probable-case, and worst-case estimates by project managers
Assigning weights to estimates; Calculating task duration

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (6 of 8)

FIGURE 3-5 depicts how a questionnaire involves a series of tasks and milestones.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (7 of 8)

Factors affecting duration: project size, identifying all project tasks, considering time for events affecting productivity
Human resources: assembling and guiding the development team appropriately equipped with skills and experience and addressing schedule-affecting factors.

Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (8 of 8)

Experience with similar projects (time and cost estimates).
Constraints (defining realistic system requirements).

Task Patterns (1 of 6)

Arranging tasks in logical sequences.
Dependent tasks (one task starts after another completes.)
Multiple successor tasks
Multiple predecessor tasks

Task Patterns (2 of 6)

Using task boxes to create models
Each section includes important information about the task including Task Name, Task ID, Task Duration, Start Day/Date and Finish Day/Date.

Task Patterns (3 of 6)

Dependent tasks
One task can't start until a prior task is complete.

Task Patterns (4 of 6)

Multiple successor tasks
Tasks can be initiated simultaneously

Task Patterns (5 of 6)

Multiple predecessor tasks
Task initiation depends on completing two or more prior tasks

Task Patterns (6 of 6)

Working with complex task patterns
Task patterns that combine require careful attention to understand the logic and sequence.
Incorrect task patterns will result in inaccurate schedules.

The Critical Path (1 of 3)

Series of tasks whose delay affects overall project completion date
If a task on the critical path is behind schedule, the entire project is delayed.

The Critical Path (2 of 3)

Calculating the critical path involves reviewing patterns, determining start and finish dates

The Critical Path (3 of 3)

FIGURE 3-18 and 3-19, demonstrate PERT/CPM charts
A project has a duration of 95 days

Project Monitoring and Control (1 of 2)

Monitoring and control techniques: include structured walk-throughs.
Teams perform reviews of individual's work, known as design, code, or testing reviews depending on the phase in the SDLC.

Project Monitoring and Control (2 of 2)

Maintaining Schedule: projects face delays
Projects managers monitor and control work.
Anticipate, avoid, and minimize impacts of problems
Identifying potential solutions, choosing the best solution
Managing activities along the critical path.

Reporting

Project status meetings—regular meetings involving project managers who share project updates, discuss problems, and collect data.
Project Status Reporting—managers provide reports regarding the status to supervisors, upper management, or users.
Handling problems, deciding how to handle problems which could be challenging.

Project Management Software (1 of 2)

Project managers use software applications to plan, schedule, monitor, and report.
Programs offer features such as PERT/CPM charts, Gantt charts, resource scheduling, project calendars, and cost tracking.

Project Management Software (2 of 2)

Referencing Microsoft Project documentation for task summary examples, work breakdown structure, Gantt charts, network diagrams, and calendar views.

Risk Management

Steps in risk management: developing a plan, identifying risks, analyzing risks (qualitative and quantitative), creating a risk response plan, monitoring risks, anticipating those risks

Managing for Success

Project management is challenging.
Project managers must have technical competence and be resourceful.
Projects can fail due to business/budget/scheduling issues.

Summary (1 of 3)

Project management involves planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting on information system development.
Project triangle includes cost, scope, and time.

Summary (2 of 3)

Planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting occur within a larger development framework.
Creating a work breakdown structure
Identifying task patterns
Calculating the critical path
Task patterns establish the sequence of work in a project.

Summary (3 of 3)

Gantt chart—horizontal bar chart
Represents project schedules with time on the horizontal axis and tasks arranged vertically.
PERT/CPM chart—network diagram
Tasks connected by arrows
Most project managers use software to plan, schedule, and monitor projects.
Microsoft Project is a software option.

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Description

Test your understanding of project management concepts from Chapter 3 of 'Systems Analysis and Design'. This quiz covers essential learning objectives like project priorities, planning techniques, and work breakdown structures. Delve into critical path calculations and monitoring techniques essential for successful project execution.