Lecture 3

Question 1

What skill is required to resolve most conflicts?

Answer 1

Negotiation

Question 2

______ is the process which begins when one party perceives that the other has frustrated some concern of his

Answer 2

Conflict

Question 3

What is any individual, group, or entity who can affect/affected by the project process or the project outcomes?

Answer 3

Stakeholders

Question 4

Why is it important to be aware of the roles stakeholders play?

Answer 4

• Projects require contributions
• Stakeholder Resistance may negatively affect the project
• Stakeholders are affected in unanticipated ways
• Stakeholders have their own criteria for evaluating “success”

Question 5

In a general sense, when does conflict start?

Answer 5

When one party perceives that the other has frustrated, or is about to frustrate, some concern

Question 6

How do you identify stakeholders?

Answer 6

• Through expert judgement of Project Manager
• Stakeholder Register
• Stakeholder Issue Log

Question 7

How do you analyze stakeholders?

Answer 7

• Update Stakeholder Register
• Use Power-Interest Grid
• Commitment Assessment Matrix

Question 8

What are the two axes in a quadrant Power-Interest Grid?

Answer 8

Y-axis: Power Level (How much a group has power over the project)

X-axis: Interest Level (How much a group has interest over parts of a project)

Question 9

How do you manage stakeholder engagement?

Answer 9

• Obtain and Conform Stakeholder Commitment
• Communicate with Stakeholders
• Proactively Address Concerns
• Resolve Issues in Timely Fashion

Question 10

What are the four steps in a project life cycle?

Answer 10

1) Conceptualization
2) Planning
3) Execution
4) Termination

Question 11

What are the categories of conflict?

Answer 11

1) Different Goals & Expectations
2) Uncertainty about Authority
3) Interpersonal Conflict

Question 12

What does conflict center around?

Answer 12

The confusion of starting a new project

Question 13

In the project front end, is conflict avoidable?

Answer 13

It cannot be avoided in this phase.

Question 14

Why would there be confusion of starting a new project?

Answer 14

1) Policies & Procedures not formed
2) Objectives are not finalized

Question 15

In the project front end, is having conflict good or bad?

Answer 15

Good conflict

Question 16

The four fundamental issues to handle the project formation are…

Answer 16

1) Technical Objectives Set
2) Senior Managers & Line Managers Must Commit
3) Set Project Priories
4) Established Organizational Structure

Question 17

During the execution of the project, what is a major source of conflict?

Answer 17

Scheduling (Some tasks will be late, schedules must be adjusted)

Question 18

In the project’s execution, are conflicts tend to be technical or non-technical?

Answer 18

Technical

Question 19

The more complex the project, the more ________ it is to trace the sources of conflict

Answer 19

Difficult

Question 20

At project closure, what is a major source of conflict?

Answer 20

Deadlines

Question 21

At project closure, technical problems are _____.

Answer 21

Rare

Question 22

What type of conflicts will be apparent during the project closure phase?

Answer 22

Personality conflicts (mostly due to time pressures)

Question 23

In what two dimensions do people deal with conflicts?

Answer 23

1) Assertiveness (Assertive –> Unassertive)
2) Cooperation (Cooperative –> Uncooperative)

Question 24

What are the five strategies to deal with conflict?

Answer 24

1) Competing
2) Avoiding
3) Collaborating
4) Accommodating
5) Compromising

Question 25

The nature of negotiation is the process of two or more parties seek an ___________________________ for items they own or control

Answer 25

Acceptable rate of exchange

Question 26

Parties to a negotiation often see themselves as.....

Answer 26

....Opponents "if they win, I lose"

Question 27

What are the four types of principled negation?

Answer 27

1) Separate the people from the problem 2) Focus on interests, not positions 3) Invent mutual gains 4) Use Objective Criteria

Question 28

What are the three common situations that call for negotiating skills?

Answer 28

1) Use of Subcontractors 2) Use of input from 2+ functional units 3) Management of Change

Question 29

Project firm and subcontractors are...

Answer 29

At odds on a project

Question 30

In terms of partnering, what do project firms want?

Answer 30

High Quality, Low Cost

Question 31

In terms of partnering, what do Subcontractors want?

Answer 31

High Profits, Maximum Flexibility

Question 32

What is project partnering?

Answer 32

A method of transforming contractual relationships into a cohesive, cooperative project team

Question 33

What are the steps for project partnering?

Answer 33

1) Joint evaluation of projects progress 2) Method of resolving problems/disagreements 3) Accept goal of continuous improvement 4) Support from senior management

Question 34

What are some problems with partnering?

Answer 34

1) Requires strong support from senior management 2) Continuous support of project objectives & partner agreements 3) Open and honest communication

Question 35

What is a project charter?

Answer 35

Written agreement that outlines the specifics of a project Contains expected deliverables and resource commitments