Week 2 Identifying project goals & Scope creep

Which three questions should you ask yourself to make a goal specific? Select all that apply.

• Where should it be delivered?

• Who is involved?

• What do I want to accomplish?

• Can it be reasonably reached?

Answer explanation

D. This is a question you would ask to determine if the goal is attainable.

Which of the following is an example of a measurable goal? Select all that apply.

• Increase market reach

• Achieve a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction ratings based on post-support survey results

• Reduce employee turnover

• Increase product revenue by 5%

Answer explanation

B.  Measurable goals allow you to assess the success of your project based on quantifiable or tangible metrics, such as dollar amounts, percentages, number of outputs, and quantities. 

D. Measurable goals generally include metrics, like figures and numbers, that help the project team determine when the objective is met.

What’s a strategy to determine if a goal is attainable? (1 correct answer)

• Post the goal on a project management forum for feedback

• Ask the stakeholders

• Hire a goal-setting coach

• Break down the goal into smaller parts

Answer explanation

D. Taking a complicated goal and breaking it down into smaller, achievable steps can help you determine if it seems reasonable for your team to accomplish.

What can you do to determine if a goal is relevant? (1 correct answer)

• Compare it to the project goals of the organization’s three closest competitors.

• Consider if the goal matches the organization’s other needs and priorities.

• Compare it to goals the organization set in previous years.

• Ask a project manager on another team.

Answer explanation

B. The goal needs to align with the organization’s other goals, priorities, and values. Everyone involved should feel like the goal is worth supporting.

Which of the following are examples of key results? Select all that apply.

• Increase the number of website visitors by 25% by the end of the year

• Implement online ordering

• Successfully process 50 online orders by month's end

• Launch a website redesign

Which of the following are objectives and key results (OKRs) development best practices? Select all that apply.

• OKRs are a resource that should be linked to the project plan.

• Objectives should be motivational and inspiring.

• Key results should be tactical and specific.

• Each key result should have 2-3 objectives

Answer explanation

A select: The project manager should document all OKRs and link them to in the project plan for visibility.

B select: Project objectives should be aspirational, aligned with organizational goals, action-oriented, concrete, and significant.

C select: Key results should challenge the project manager and the team to stretch their abilities and achieve more

D do not select: Project managers should aim to create 2–3 key results for each objective.

Which of the following best describes the difference between in-scope and out-of-scope? (1 correct answer)

• Problems the project manager can easily recognize and problems the project managers cannot recognize

• Goals you believe your team needs to meet and goals the stakeholders believe the team needs to meet

• Items within the project boundaries that are contributing to the project’s overall goal and items that are not

• Tasks you believe your team should complete first and tasks the team believes they should complete first

Answer explanation

C. It’s your job as a project manager to set firm boundaries for the project so the team can stay on track.

Which of the following best describes scope creep? (1 correct answer)

• Changing a project before it begins

• Changing a project after it begins

• Cancelling a project after it has begun

• Adding members to a project team

Answer explanation

B. Scope creep refers to changes, growth, and uncontrolled factors that affect a project scope at any point after the project begins.

What are some tactics to handle external scope creep? Select all that apply.

• Limit communication outside the team once the project begins

• Suggest alternative solutions to your customer's or stakeholder's proposed changes.

• Define the project’s requirements.

• Tell team members to ignore outside requests that will add project tasks.

Answer explanation

B. Providing alternative solutions to your customer or stakeholder might result in their deciding against their proposed changes. You can also help them consider how their proposed changes might create additional risks, and perform a cost-benefit analysis, if necessary.

C. To ensure the project team agrees on the  project’s goal, ask stakeholders for feedback on what the project will produce, what resources are necessary, what costs are involved, and how long the project will take. Then, document these requirements.

A designer on your project team suggests making changes to the product’s logo just before launch. What’s a strategy that could help avoid this internal scope creep? (1 correct answer)

• Remind the designer about the project’s scope and the effects of internal scope creep.

• Push back the product’s launch date to allow time for the design to implement changes to the logo.

• Have the designer begin to implement the logo design changes immediately.

• Assign some of the designer’s tasks to someone else so they can begin working on the logo changes.

Answer explanation

A. Any changes to the product or processes can affect the bottom line or schedule and risk successfully completing the project.