consequences of a project manager failing

COURSE 2- PROJECT INITIATION: STARTING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT QUIZ ANSWERS

Week 1: Fundamentals of Project Initiation

Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

Coursera Answers & Study Guide

Fundamentals of Project Initiation INTRODUCTION

The Coursera Google Project Management: Professional Certificate program provides learners with project initiation, management, and closure fundamentals. It focuses on common organizational structures and how they impact project management, organizational culture and its effects on project management, and how a project manager contributes to the change management process. Learners will also explore best practices for stakeholder engagement, communication strategies between team members, risk analysis techniques, budgeting processes, and resource allocation models.

In addition to these topics being taught in-depth throughout the course material, learners are encouraged to develop their strategic plans for career advancement as part of their job search preparation.

Coursera offers assistance through mentorship programs that allow students to connect with practitioners from different industries and fields of expertise. The course also provides learners with resources to help build their professional networks, hone their communication skills, and develop negotiation strategies.

Learning Objectives

  • Define change management and summarize its relationship to the project management role.
  • Define organizational culture and explain how it impacts project management.
  • Identify common types of organizational structures.
  • Define organizational structure and explain how it impacts project management.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: PROJECT INITIATION AND KEY COMPONENTS

1. Which of the key components is the project’s goal? Write one sentence.

  • The amount of money and the resources needed (CORRECT)

Correct: Thank you for your response. The project’s goal is what you’ve been asked to do and what you’re trying to achieve. The goals are often determined by senior leaders at an organization or company. Did you consider the goal as: To launch a digital grading platform for the high school and get full teacher adoption?

2. Which key component outlines the project’s scope? Write one sentence.

  • Overall the school is seeking a digital platform for grading. (CORRECT)

Correct: Project managers use scope as a boundary—what should or shouldn’t be included in the project. In the scenario above, the project scope is: Creating the digital grading platform and not updating other digital platforms the school uses such as attendance or meal payments.

3. Which key component is the project deliverable? Write one sentence.

  • Able to access the grades form a digital platform (CORRECT)

Correct: A deliverable is the tangible and intangible outcomes of a project. The deliverables in the examples are: A platform for teachers to enter grades and students to view their grades.

4. Which key component outlines the project’s success criteria? Write one sentence.

  • Having all teachers in to sample the product before the reopening of school (CORRECT)

Correct: The success criteria are the standards by which you measure how successful a project is in reaching its goals. Did you consider: 100% of teachers adopt the digital grading platform within the next nine months?

5. Who are the project stakeholders? Write one sentence.

  • Teachers from the it department, students and administrative staff (CORRECT)

Correct: Stakeholders are people who have an interest in, or are affected by, the completion of a successful project: teachers, students, parents, school administrators, school IT department, and the district superintendent.

6. Which key components outline the resources you will have at your disposal for the project?

  • IT staff and students (CORRECT)

Correct: Resources generally refer to the budget, people, and materials available to complete the project. In the scenario, it’s the budget of $150,000 and the member from the school’s IT department.

7. What are some of the project manager’s responsibilities during the initiation phase? Select all that apply.

  • Identify project goals (CORRECT)
  • Determine the criteria for project success with stakeholders (CORRECT)
  • Identify project resources (CORRECT)
  • Make the project plan

Correct: Having a clear idea of project success helps keep stakeholders aligned.

Correct: Communicating clearly with stakeholders during the initiation phase saves time and effort later.

Correct: Knowing what resources are available can help keep projects from going over budget.

8. What questions can a project manager ask to determine a project’s benefits? Select all that apply.

  • How much money can this project save our organization? (CORRECT)
  • What can cause the project to fail?
  • How much time will this project save customers? (CORRECT)
  • Has the company announced a public launch date for the project?

Correct: Knowing how much money the project can save tells project managers if the amount offsets the overall cost.

Correct: Knowing how much time a project can save customers demonstrates to stakeholders the project’s benefit.

9. Which of the following are key components of project initiation?

  • Timeline
  • Scope (CORRECT)
  • Goals (CORRECT)
  • Resources (CORRECT)
  • Deliverables (CORRECT)

Correct: The scope of the process defines the work that needs to happen to complete the project.

Correct: The goal is what you’ve been asked to do and what you’re trying to achieve.

Correct: Resources generally refer to the budget, people, and materials you’ll have at your disposal.

Correct: The deliverables are the products or services that you will create for your customer, client, or project sponsor.

GOOGLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSERA ANSWERS AND STUDY GUIDE

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Weekly Breakdown | Google Study Guides | Back to Top

PROJECT INITIATION: STARTING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT WEEKLY CHALLENGE 1

1. What are two potential consequences of a project manager failing to properly initiate a project?

  • Stakeholders might not agree on what success looks like. (CORRECT)
  • Resources can be underestimated. (CORRECT)
  • New dependencies can arise.
  • External risks can affect project success.

2. Fill in the blank: A cost-benefit analysis weighs the potential value of a project against money, resources, and _____ required.

  • policies
  • expectations
  • competitors
  • time (CORRECT)

3. Fill in the blank: _____ are the first thing a project manager needs to consider during the initiation phase.

  • Goals (CORRECT)
  • Resources
  • Planning
  • Success criteria

4. Imagine you’re the project manager of a new grocery delivery service. You meet with the owners to discuss what outcomes they’d like to ultimately achieve with the project. Which project initiation component are you trying to determine?

  • Goals (CORRECT)
  • Budget
  • Scope
  • Resources

5. Imagine that the main supplier for a construction project runs out of steel girders and needs to obtain more to complete the order. Which key component of project initiation does this scenario concern?

  • Scope
  • Resources (CORRECT)
  • Deliverables
  • Goals

6. A project charter adds value to projects in what three ways?

  • Includes a plan to mitigate potential risks
  • Allows project managers to get organized (CORRECT)
  • Sets up a framework for what project work the team needs to do (CORRECT)
  • Helps project managers communicate project details to others (CORRECT)

7. When calculating a cost-benefit analysis for a project, what do you call gains that are not quantifiable?

  • Yearly profits
  • Ongoing costs
  • Quarterly income
  • Intangible benefits (CORRECT)

8. You expect that a project will bring in $25,000 USD in revenue per year. You estimate it will cost $12,000 up front. You also estimate costs of $200 per month for the first 12 months, which equals $2,400 per year. Using the formula (G-C) ÷ C = ROI, how would you calculate the project’s return on investment (ROI) after the first 12 months?

  • (25,000 – 14,400) ÷ 12,000 = 88%
  • (25,000 – 12,000) ÷ 14,400 = 90%
  • (25,000 – 12,000) ÷ 12,000 = 108%
  • (25,000 – 14,400) ÷ 14,400 = 74% (CORRECT)

9. Why is it important to initiate a project? Select all that apply.

  • Determine if the project’s benefits outweigh the costs (CORRECT)
  • Solidify the scope of a project (CORRECT)
  • Help the project manager establish a good reputation
  • Provide a strong foundation and set the stage for success (CORRECT)

10. What two questions can a project manager ask to determine a project’s costs?

  • What are the ongoing project costs? (CORRECT)
  • How much time will people have to spend on the project? (CORRECT)
  • What value will the project create?
  • How will the user experience be improved?

11. Imagine you’re the project manager of a new grocery delivery service. You meet with stakeholders to decide how to measure project success. Which project initiation component are you trying to determine?

  • Goals
  • Resources
  • Success criteria (CORRECT)
  • Scope

12. Imagine that a university hires a construction company to build a new library. Before starting, the project manager outlines the building materials the project needs. They also outline the roles and amount of workers to hire. Which key component of project initiation does this scenario concern?

  • Deliverables
  • Resources (CORRECT)
  • Success criteria
  • Scope

13. What is the purpose of a project charter?

  • Determines project roles and assign associated tasks
  • Establishes communication channels and record preferred methods
  • Defines the project and its goals and outline what is needed to accomplish them (CORRECT)
  • Outlines how to mitigate potential risks

14. Fill in the blank: _____ are gains that are not quantifiable.

  • Ongoing costs
  • Quarterly income
  • Intangible benefits (CORRECT)
  • Yearly profits

15. You expect that a project will bring in $12,000 USD in revenue per year. You estimate it will cost $5,000 up front. You also estimate costs of $50 per month for the first 12 months, which equals $600 per year. Using the formula (G-C) ÷ C = ROI, how would you calculate the project’s return on investment (ROI) after the first 12 months?

  • (5,600 – 5,000) ÷ 12,000 = 5%
  • (12,000 – 5,600) ÷ 5,000 = 128%
  • (12,000 – 5,600) ÷ 5,600 = 114% (CORRECT)
  • (12,000 – 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = 140%

16. Why is it important to perform a cost-benefit analysis during the initiation phase? Select all that apply.

  • To compare the project benefits to the costs (CORRECT)
  • To add up the expected value, or benefits, of a project (CORRECT)
  • To outline project goals and how to accomplish them
  • To set up a framework for what project work the team needs to do

17. Fill in the blank: A _____ is a document that defines project goals and outlines what is needed to accomplish them.

  • project charter (CORRECT)
  • risk analysis
  • cost-benefit analysis
  • project schedule

18. Which of the following could be considered intangible benefits? Select all that apply.

  • Employee satisfaction (CORRECT)
  • Income earned
  • Customer satisfaction (CORRECT)
  • Brand perception (CORRECT)

19. Fill in the blank: Project initiation includes determining resources, documenting key components, and _____.

  • solidifying scope (CORRECT)
  • onboarding the team
  • finalizing budgets
  • establishing a schedule

20. What are the key components of project initiation?

  • Goals, scope, planning, documentation, success criteria, and resources
  • Goals, scope, deliverables, success criteria, stakeholders, and resources (CORRECT)
  • Findings, scope, deliverables, monitoring progress, stakeholders, and resources
  • Findings, scope, planning, deliverables, success criteria, and resources

21. Imagine you’re the project manager of a new grocery delivery service. You meet with stakeholders to set an overarching framework of what is and is not included in the project statement of work and deliverables. Which project initiation component are you trying to determine?

  • Success criteria
  • Project charter
  • Resources
  • Scope (CORRECT)

22. What term refers to the budget, people, materials, and other items necessary to complete a project?

  • Resources (CORRECT)
  • Scope
  • Success criteria
  • Deliverables

Fundamentals of Project Initiation CONCLUSION

In sum, you have learned about common organizational structures and how they impact project management, how organizational culture impacts project management, and how a project manager contributes to the change management process. These are all important considerations for any potential employer during your job search.

If you found this information valuable and would like to learn more, consider joining us in Coursera.org where we offer courses on these topics and many others related to project management.