Course 3 Week 2 Building a project plan

Course 3 – Project Planning: Putting It All Together QUIZ ANSWERS

Week 2: Building A Project Plan

Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Building A Project Plan INTRODUCTION

The Google Project Management: Professional Certificate offered through Coursera provides an excellent way to learn the fundamentals of building a project plan. This week, you will explore why a project plan is necessary, its components, and how to create accurate time estimates for your projects, and also learn the difference between effort estimation and time estimation. You’ll also investigate which tools and best practices you can use to build a comprehensive project plan that meets your stakeholders’ needs. By the end of this week, you will be well-equipped to start constructing an effective project plan that reflects your organization’s or team’s goal and vision.

​​​​​To get started on building a robust project plan, sign up for Google Project Management: Professional Certificate on Coursera today! ​​​​​​

Learning Objectives

  • Examine tools and best practices to build a project plan.
  • Learn how to make accurate time estimates and describe techniques for acquiring them from team members.
  • Explain why a project plan is necessary and what components it contains.

PRACTICE QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: GETTING STARTED WITH A PROJECT PLAN

1. Which of the following is true of project plans? Select all that apply.

  • They contain an explanation of why a project may not meet its goals.
  • They are a compilation of a project’s documents that the project team uses to carry out project activities. (CORRECT)
  • They are a living artifact that serves as a roadmap for your team throughout the project. (CORRECT)
  • Their central component is a project schedule. (CORRECT)

Correct: A project plan contains links to all of a project’s documentation and serves as a roadmap for the team throughout the project. The central artifact in a project plan is the project schedule.

Correct: A project plan is a living artifact that helps you document the scope, tasks, milestones, and overall activities of the project. It serves as a roadmap for your team. The schedule is the central piece of a project plan.

Correct: At the center of the project plan is the project schedule. The project schedule helps you estimate the amount of time it will take to complete the project and provides the team with a way to track the project’s progress against its goals. A project plan also contains links to all of a project’s documentation and serves as a roadmap for the team throughout the project.

2. What are the basic elements that make up a project plan?

  • Tasks, milestones, people, documentation, and time (CORRECT)
  • Stakeholder information, project proposal, tools, and resources 
  • Initiation, planning, managing, and execution
  • Time estimation, effort estimation, buffer, and sub-tasks

Correct: What goes into a project plan may vary from company to company, but most plans contain these five basic elements.

3. As a project manager, you create a project plan. In the plan are tasks with clear descriptions, owners, and due dates. In which section of the project plan do these tasks reside?

  • Work breakdown structure (WBS) (CORRECT)
  • Scope and goals
  • Management plans
  • Budget

Correct: The WBS allows the project manager and teammates to understand who is responsible for which tasks. It also indicates when the project manager expects each task to be completed.

4. As a project manager, you create a project plan. In the plan are documents that help keep a project organized and on track, particularly if a risk arises or a change occurs. In which section of the project plan are these documents linked?

  • Project scope and goals
  • Work breakdown structure (WBS)
  • Budget
  • Management plans (CORRECT)

Correct: These documents, such as the change management plan, risk management plan, and communication plan, are integral parts of a project plan. They serve as your team’s roadmap throughout the project.

5. Fill in the blank: For tasks that are difficult to complete or have an element of unpredictability, a project manager should add a(n) _____.

  • sub-task
  • effort estimation
  • dependency
  • task buffer (CORRECT)

Correct: Project managers need to make sure they don’t add too many task buffers, as they could lengthen the project schedule.

6. Which of the following explains why a project plan is necessary?

  • Meets the standard criteria used across many businesses and industries to demonstrate new developments
  • Ensures the project won’t fail by planning out all the tasks the team will do throughout the project
  • Compares and contrasts the best tools the team can use for project success
  • Contains the timeline, team roles, tasks, milestones, and documents of the project to track project progress against its goals. (CORRECT)

Correct: A project manager adds these components for projects both big and small.

7. Which of the following are relevant documents the project manager may include in the project plan? Select all that apply.

  • Project charter (CORRECT)
  • Retrospective notes
  • Budget (COORECT)
  • RACI chart (CORRECT)

Correct: The project charter defines the project and outlines the details the team needs to reach the project’s goals.

Correct: The budget is the estimated monetary resources needed to achieve the project’s goals and objectives.

Correct: The RACI chart helps define roles and responsibilities for individuals on a team.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: UTILIZING TOOLS TO BUILD A PROJECT PLAN

1. Gantt charts give project teams a visual representation of project tasks. What else do Gantt charts include?

  • Resources, deliverables, and success metrics
  • Stakeholder contact information and budget items
  • Due dates, durations, and milestones (CORRECT)
  • Roles and responsibilities

Correct: A Gantt chart provides a visual breakdown of project requirements and project completion dates.

2. What tool can a project manager use for organizing all aspects of a complex project?

  • A calendar
  • Email
  • Work management software (CORRECT)
  • A digital document

Correct: Work management software like Asana and JIRA allow collaboration and communication at the task level. These tools help streamline management of complex projects.

3. Which project management tool uses cards to track and visualize task progress?

  • A spreadsheet
  • A Gantt chart
  • Smartsheet
  • A Kanban board (CORRECT)

Correct: Kanban boards are used to manage tasks and workflows. Project managers can create Kanban boards on whiteboards, magnetic boards, poster boards, and computer programs.

4. When creating cards for a Kanban board, which items should go on the front of the card? Select all that apply.

  • Title and unique identifier (CORRECT)
  • Who is assigned to the task (CORRECT)
  • Blocked days
  • Description of work (CORRECT)

Correct: These enable you to have a quick reference for tasks and ID numbers. The front of the card should also contain a description of the work, an estimation of the effort required to complete it, and who is assigned to the task.

Correct: This indicates who is responsible for completing the task; ideally, one person per card. The front of the card should also contain a title and unique identifier, a description of the work, and an estimation of the effort required to complete it.

Correct: This briefly describes the task to be accomplished. The front of the card should also contain a title and unique identifier, an estimation of the effort required to complete the task, and the person assigned to it.

5. Fill in the blank: Capacity planning can ensure your team has enough _____ to complete your project on time. Select all that apply.

  • Resources (CORRECT)
  • Information
  • People (CORRECT)
  • Meetings

Correct: Capacity planning ensures you have the right resources.

Correct: Capacity planning can ensure you have enough people to complete your project on time.

6. If Task A is a dependency for Task B, the two tasks should happen:

  • On the critical path
  • Sequentially (CORRECT)
  • Simultaneously
  • In parallel

Correct: Task A needs to happen before Task B.

7. Why do people working in project management find a Gantt chart useful? Select all that apply.

  • It offers a highly visual representation of project tasks. (CORRECT)
  • It presents clear breakdowns of who is responsible for work and when those tasks are due. (CORRECT)
  • It uses cards to track and visualize the progress of a project’s tasks.
  • It uses a series of linked documents to centralize components of the project plan.

Correct: A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that maps out a project schedule. Gantt charts display a highly visual representation of project tasks, who is responsible for what work, and when tasks are due.

Correct: A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that offers an overview of the project schedule. This visual format makes it easy to understand what team members need to do and when. It also helps clarify how an individual team member’s tasks connect to other project tasks.

Correct: This briefly describes the task to be accomplished. The front of the card should also contain a title and unique identifier, an estimation of the effort required to complete the task, and the person assigned to it.

8. Which strategies can help your team get a realistic sense of how long the project will take? Select all that apply.

  • Stakeholder buy-in
  • Project retrospective
  • Effort estimation (CORRECT)
  • Capacity planning (CORRECT)

Correct: When creating a project plan, it’s important to get a sense of how long the project will take. To do that, project managers use effort estimation and capacity planning. These strategies help the team understand project duration and when they will reach project milestones.

Correct: It’s important to assess what the team can and cannot accomplish within a certain time frame. That’s where effort estimation and capacity planning can help. These strategies offer the team a sense of how long a project will take and when the team will reach its milestones.

GOOGLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSERA ANSWERS AND STUDY GUIDE

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Project Planning: Putting It All Together WEEKLY CHALLENGE 2

1. Which of the following are included in the project plan? Select all that apply.

  • Documentation (CORRECT)
  • Tasks (CORRECT)
  • Time (CORRECT)
  • People (CORRECT)
  • Retrospectives

2. Fill in the blank: Time estimation predicts the total amount of time required to complete a task, while the actual time it takes to complete a task _____.

  • shouldn’t change
  • may vary depending on overlooked potential risks (CORRECT)
  • depends on stakeholder input
  • is not relevant

3. A project manager is leading an initiative that includes changing an organization’s logo and slogan. What mandatory tasks should be part of the critical path? Select all that apply.

  • Get employees to respond positively in a survey
  • Determine a new slogan (CORRECT)
  • Receive sponsor approval (CORRECT)
  • Set a budget (CORRECT)

4. Which examples below demonstrate a project manager asking an open-ended question? Select all that apply.

  • What are the steps in your customer feedback review process and what factors do you include in your report of this review? (CORRECT)
  • What are the issues I need to be aware of regarding the current project timeline? (CORRECT)
  • Will you be able to have the transportation plan for the launch of the new truck series to dealerships ready by next week?
  • Can you have this web design proposal completed and back to me by close of business Friday?

5. Which of the following should you include in a project plan that are essential for project success? Select all that apply.

  • Links to tasks in previously successful projects
  • Specifically who are completing what tasks (CORRECT)
  • All project tasks (CORRECT)
  • A timeline of when the team will complete the tasks (CORRECT)

6. Which of the following strategies follow project plan best practices? Select all that apply.

  • Ask your team members daily if they are able to meet the deadlines they have for their tasks
  • Ask yourself if the information in your plan is clear enough for stakeholders to understand (CORRECT)
  • Ask your team members to identify risks that will most likely occur and create plans to prevent or mitigate those risks (CORRECT)
  • Ask team members questions about their work to gain deeper insights into their tasks for the project (CORRECT)

7. Which of the following is a best practice when estimating the project timeline? Select all that apply.

  • Be thorough during the planning process. (CORRECT)
  • Work quickly through the planning process to get the project started.
  • Prove competency by trying to resolve timeline concerns without input.
  • Escalate any timeline concerns to stakeholders. (CORRECT)

8. Fill in the blank: The _____ is the tendency to underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete a task.

  • planning fallacy (CORRECT)
  • feedback fallacy
  • anchoring bias
  • confirmation bias

9. Imagine you’re a project manager creating a critical path. Your stakeholders request the earliest and latest start dates for each task. What is a strategy to make this time estimate?

  • Develop a RACI chart.
  • Review the project goals.
  • Create a list of dependencies.
  • Use the forward pass or backward pass method. (CORRECT)

10. Fill in the blank: A Kanban board utilizes cards placed in columns to _____.

  • set the timeline
  • organize documents
  • estimate the budget
  • manage tasks (CORRECT)

11. Which of the following are relevant project documents you should link to in your project plan? Select all that apply.

  • Daily review emails and messages between the stakeholders, project manager, and project team
  • The organization chart that depicts everyone who works in the company with their contact information
  • The project charter that defines the project and outlines project goal details (CORRECT)
  • RACI charts that define roles and responsibilities for individuals on a team (CORRECT)

12. Fill in the blank: The main difference between effort estimation and time estimation is that time estimation includes _____.

  • marketing time
  • vendor time
  • stakeholder time
  • inactive time (CORRECT)

13. Fill in the blank: To determine the _____ of a project, list the milestones you must reach in order to meet the project goal on schedule.

  • dependencies
  • capacity planning details
  • critical path (CORRECT)
  • float time

14. Which examples below demonstrate a project manager asking an open-ended question? Select all that apply.

  • What are the issues I need to be aware of regarding the current project timeline? (CORRECT)
  • Will you be able to have the transportation plan for the launch of the new truck series to dealerships ready by next week?
  • What are the steps in your customer feedback review process and what factors do you include in your report of this review? (CORRECT)
  • Can you have this web design proposal completed and back to me by close of business Friday?

15. Tools like Gantt charts and Kanban boards help benefit team members in what three ways?

  • They can illustrate when they need to complete their individual tasks. (CORRECT)
  • They provide clear context about work project details. (CORRECT)
  • They can translate project contracts like the statement of work (SOW) into number and dollar amounts.
  • They can demonstrate how their individual tasks connect to other tasks in the project. (CORRECT)

16. As a project manager, you’re the main supporter of your project plan. You explain to teammates why it benefits them to stay on top of the plan. You hope that this persuades the team to support the plan and update it regularly. What project plan best practice does this represent?

  • Staying curious
  • Recognizing and planning for the inevitable
  • Championing your plan (CORRECT)
  • Giving yourself time to plan

17. As a project manager, you realize that with the current timeline, it’s unlikely you will meet the project deadline. Which of the following strategies could help you meet the deadline? Select all that apply.

  • Eliminate any unnecessary tasks. (CORRECT)
  • Revise the project schedule without stakeholder approval.
  • Identify tasks that can be done in parallel.
  • Request more resources, such as an additional team member. (CORRECT)

18. What two steps can a project manager take to overcome the planning fallacy?

  • Consider all risks and carefully examine them. (CORRECT)
  • Meet with teammates to uncover potential risks. (CORRECT)
  • Expand the project’s scope.
  • Increase the project’s budget.

19. When creating a critical path, what does a network diagram help visualize? Select all that apply.

  • The path of work from the start to the end of the project (CORRECT)
  • The tasks that can be performed in parallel (CORRECT)
  • Which skilled teammate can work on each task
  • Which non-essential tasks are not on the critical path (CORRECT)

20. Which of the following is a visual tool a project manager can use to manage tasks and workflows?

  • Project charter
  • RACI chart
  • Kanban board (CORRECT)
  • Stakeholder power grid

21. What is capacity in project management?

  • The prediction of the amount of budget to be allocated to complete the project tasks.
  • The estimated length of time it’ll take for the project team to complete project milestones
  • The amount of work that people assigned to the project can reasonably complete in a set period of time (CORRECT)
  • The total number of people involved in the project

22. As a project manager, the project is your number one priority. However, you have team members with competing priorities from other projects. You want to influence them to make your project their priority. To do this, you bridge the high-level goals of the project and the day-to-day perspective of the team. You collaborate to find an outcome that works for everyone. What interpersonal skill did you mainly use in this scenario?

  • Practice patience
  • Build trust
  • Negotiate effectively (CORTRECT)
  • Ask the right questions

23. Imagine you’re a project manager helping a car company with a new vehicle launch. Your project goal is to ensure vehicle delivery to dealerships. To achieve this, you speak with stakeholders and subject matter experts to understand the granular details of the project. This information helps you know what steps to take to best achieve the project goal. This example includes which project plan best practice?

  • Recognize and plan for the inevitable.
  • Give yourself time to plan.
  • Carefully understand project deliverables, milestones, and tasks. (CORRECT)
  • Achieve buy-in from your team members for your plan.

24. Which of the following are some steps to create a critical path? Select all that apply.

  • Set dependencies. (CORRECT)
  • Consult your main customer.
  • Make time estimates. (CORRECT)
  • Create a network diagram. (CORRECT)

25. Which of the following strategies could help a team meet a project deadline? Select all that apply.

  • Increase the team size (CORRECT)
  • Eliminate unnecessary tasks (CORRECT)
  • Streamline tasks (CORRECT)
  • Rush through task planning

26. Which of the following scenarios exemplify how a project manager can use interpersonal skills? Select all that apply.

  • The web designer on your project tells you that they’re not sure they can meet the deadline for all the mock up pages. You ask the designer some questions about the project, such as what amount of time they need for each page mock so you can help prioritize what is feasible. (CORRECT)
  • You’re managing a project with team members who are on multiple projects. You asked the team members to prioritize your project because you know there are many overlapping due dates.
  • The person on your team in charge of contracts now needs to split their work time with another team. You request a meeting with that team’s project manager to identify if any of their project deliverable dates are competing with your project’s timeline. (CORRECT)
  • The timeline is set for the Office Green project. You tell the web designer on Wednesday that you’ll need a complete mock up for the site by Friday.

27. When creating a project plan, you include important points within the schedule that indicate progress. Which project plan component does this represent?

  • Tasks
  • Milestones (CORRECT)
  • Relevant documentation
  • Time

Building A Project Plan CONCLUSION

A project plan is a powerful tool that can help you successfully complete your projects. In this Coursera course, you will learn why a project plan is necessary and what components it contains. You will also learn how to create accurate time estimates and why they are important.

Finally, you will learn about the tools and best practices for building a project plan. Join now in Coursera.org to get started on your journey to becoming a successful project manager today!

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