Q:	Q: I’m still not clear on the difference between a project coordinator and a project expediter.
A:	A: They’re actually pretty similar. A project expediter is somebody who keeps track of status but has no decision-making authority on a project at all. A project coordinator is someone who does pretty much the same thing, but does get to make some of the minor decisions on the project without having to run them by the functional manager. Coordinators usually report to somebody who is pretty high up in the organization, while expediters are more like assistants to the functional manager. Both of them usually exist in weak-matrix or functional organizations.
Q:	Q: What’s the difference between the way teams are run in a functional organization and a projectized one?
A:	A: Think of a major bookkeeping project being run by the Admin department. Usually the head of Admin is the one who is ultimately responsible for what happens to it. If a project manager is called in to help out, she’s just there to keep things straight for the Admin department manager. The team is made up of people who already report to the Admin manager, so nobody questions his authority. That’s an example of a functional organization. Contrast that with the way the bookkeeping project would be run if a consulting company that specialized in bookkeeping were contracted to do it. The company would assemble a team of bookkeepers and assign a project manager to lead them. When the project was over, the team would dissolve, and the team members would go join other teams working for other project managers. That’s how a projectized organization works. The team is organized around a project and not around a job function.
Q:	Q: Can I be an effective PM in a functional organization?
A:	A: Since project managers don’t have much authority in a functional organization, it’s hard to have as much impact in a functional organization as you would in a matrixed or projectized one. Of course, you can be good at your job in any kind of organization. But, for your company to really get the most out of having project managers on staff, it really pays for it to look into changing the way it balances power. The project managers who are accountable for project success or failure should also have the chance to influence the team, budget, and schedule for those projects.
Q:	Q: Does the PMP exam favor any kind of organization?
A:	A: When you’re taking the PMP exam, if you see a question that mentions a PM, then you should assume that the question is asking about a matrix organization if it doesn’t say up front which kind of organization is being described. Functional organizations are usually painted in a negative light because they tend to give less authority to project managers.

Q:	Q: I’ve heard project constraints referred to as the triple constraint. But there are six of them here. What gives?
A:	A: Some project managers focus on Cost, Scope, and Time as the main constraints of a project. But just thinking about those three constraints doesn’t give a clear picture of all of the constraints you need to account for when planning a project. The important thing here is to understand that Cost, Time, Scope, Quality, Risk, and Resources are all related to each other. You need to pay attention to all of them and if you manage your project in favor of one of them, it will affect the others.
Q:	Q: I’ve heard of an old saying: “Faster, cheaper, better—pick two,” but doesn’t that mean that there are only two constraints that you can manage at any given time?
A:	A: No, that’s an old (and somewhat cynical) project management saying. When a project manager says it to a customer or stakeholder, what he is saying is that there’s no way to reduce cost, shorten the schedule, and increase quality all at the same time. At least one of those things absolutely has to give... but the saying is a little disingenuous! We already know that all six of the constraints are related to each other, and there’s almost never an easy, obvious trade-off where you can sacrifice one to improve the others.
Q:	Q: What if I know that a change will impact just scope, but not schedule or cost or any of the other constraints. Can I go ahead and make it?
A:	A: Whenever you are making a change that affects the project constraints, you need to be sure that the change is acceptable to your stakeholders. They’re the people who will be impacted by your project. The term applies to your team, your customer, your sponsor, and anybody else who is affected by the change. A lot of project management is about evaluating what a change is going to do to your project constraints, and using that impact analysis to help stakeholders make choices about what to do when changes come up. Sometimes a change that affects the quality of your product is completely unacceptable to your stakeholders, and they would rather delay the project than sacrifice the product’s quality.
Q:	Q: In my organization, we have some projects that would sound like they’re functional and some that are fully projectized. Where does that kind of organization fit in?
A:	A: Sometimes a company that mostly runs their projects in a functional way will create a special team that gives the project manager more authority. When a company manages using many different types of organizational structure, it’s called a composite organization.
Q:	Q: I don’t quite get this whole negative stakeholder thing. Why do I care about people who aren’t helping me with my project?
A:	A: Think of it this way: sometimes a project might have really good overall outcome for your company, but it might make some of the people who are impacted by it uncomfortable. (Here’s a quick example: think about another project manager who won’t get to use the resources he planned on because they’re taken up by your project.) Change can be really hard for people to adapt to, and sometimes your stakeholders are not going to be happy about changes that your project is making. It’s important to know how negative stakeholders feel, and understand why they’re resistant to your project. You need to identify and manage the expectations of all of the stakeholders who have influence over your project if you’re going to succeed. So don’t take it personally if there are people out there who aren’t as enthusiastic about your project as you are. Use it as an opportunity to find out what your project can do to get buy-in from the negative stakeholders out there.
Q:	Q: You mentioned that it’s possible to “turn around” a negative stakeholder. How does that work?
A:	A: Today’s negative stakeholders can become tomorrow’s advocates if you make sure their needs are met. By listening to them, taking their needs into account, and making changes to your project so that those needs are satisfied, those previously negative stakeholders will feel good about what you’re doing... and they’ll often become your closest allies in the future.

Q:	1. Which of the following is NOT a Project Constraint? Quality Scale Time Cost
Q:	2. A project manager is running a data center installation project. He finds that his stakeholder is angry because he’s run over his budget because the staff turned out to be more expensive than planned. The stakeholder’s unhappy that when the project is over, the servers won’t have as much drive space as he needs. Which of the following constraints was not affected by this problem? Quality Resource Time Cost
Q:	3. Which of the following is NOT an example of operational work? Building a purchase order system for accounts payable Submitting weekly purchase orders through a purchase order system Deploying weekly anti-virus software updates Yearly staff performance evaluations
Q:	4. You’re managing a project to build a new accounting system. One of the accountants in another department really likes the current system and is refusing to be trained on the new one. What is the BEST way to handle this situation? Refuse to work with him because he’s being difficult Appeal to the accountant’s manager and ask to have him required to take training Get a special dispensation so that the accountant doesn’t have to go to the training Work with him to understand his concerns and do what you can to help alleviate them without compromising your project
Q:	5. Which of the following is used for identifying people who are impacted by the project? Resource List Stakeholder Register Enterprise Environmental Factors Project Plan
Q:	6. Your manager asks you where to find a list of projects that should be managed together. What is the BEST place to find this information? Project Plan Project Charter Portfolio Charter Program Charter
Q:	7. You want to know specifically which business goal a group of projects and programs are going to accomplish. Which is the best place to look for this information? Project Plan Project Charter Portfolio Charter Program Charter
Q:	8. A project coordinator is having trouble securing programmers for her project. Every time she asks her boss to give a resource to the project he says that they are too busy to help out with her project. Which type of organization is she working in? Functional Weak Matrix Strong Matrix Projectized
Q:	9. A project manager is having trouble securing programmers for her project. Every time she asks the programming manager for resources for her project, he says they’re all assigned to other work. So she is constantly having to go over his head to overrule him. Which type of organization is she working for? Functional Weak Matrix Strong Matrix Projectized
Q:	10. The project manager for a construction project discovers that a new water line is being created in the neighborhood where he’s managing a project. Company policy requires that a series of forms for city environmental changes need to be filled out before his team can continue work on the project. This is an example of: A portfolio A program An enterprise environmental factor A project