Knowledge Area Test: Project Communications Management

Question 1

1. In a sender-receiver model for communication, information is sent and received between two parties, defined as the sender and the receiver. In such a model, anything that interferes with the transmission and understanding of the message is called:

Answer 1

Noise

In a sender-receiver model, the key components include: Encoding of thoughts or ideas, a message as the output of encoding, a medium to convey the message, and decoding of the message back into meaningful thoughts or ideas. Anything that interferes with the transmission and understanding of the message is termed noise (such as distance, for example). [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 372]

Question 2

2. You have been assigned several project resources from your company‘s office in another country. These resources are very knowledgeable about the project subject matter, but there will not be a common language that is spoken fluently by all members of your project team. What do you do?

Answer 2

Develop a communications management plan to ensure that everyone can communicate clearly with the entire team.

Developing a communications management plan to ensure clear communications between all the team members will prevent cultural and language differences from becoming problematic. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 366]

Question 3

3. Nate is the project manager for a research and development project. According to the project communication management plan, Nate has to call in weekly project progress update meetings. The last few meetings were a disaster since more time was spent in arguments and less on decisions. Which of the following techniques does Nate need to quickly acquire?

Answer 3

Meeting management techniques

Nate needs to acquire meeting management skills that includes preparing agenda, timekeeping, dealing with conflicts, and recording and distributing minutes etc. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 386]

Question 4

4. Your datacenter upgrade project is currently in delivery stage. You have a strict time table to follow that integrates all involved vendors’ and stakeholders’ activities together. A critical success factor to this project is effective and timely communications. Which of the following tools and techniques are not applicable while Managing Communications for this project?

Answer 4

Communication requirements analysis

The question is asking for a tool and technique that is not part of the Manage Communications process. Communication requirements analysis is a tool and technique of the Plan Communications Management process and not the Manage Communications process. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 379]

Question 5

5. Sheila is a project manager who manages a global project. She has stakeholders located in various parts of the globe. Due to the nature of the project, she also has large volumes of information she needs to share with the recipients. What type of communication method should she prefer for this purpose?

Answer 5

Pull communication

Pull communication is suited for this purpose. It is used for large volumes of information or for large audiences and requires the recipients to access communication content at their own discretion. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 374]

Question 6

6. You are working on a project with all the team members located in geographically different areas, and all communication is by email and chat. It is sometimes hard to infer the true meaning of these messages because you cannot see facial expressions or hear tones of voice. This is an example of:

Answer 6

Noise

Anything that interferes with the meaning of a message is considered noise. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 372]

Question 7

7. Each critical project communication requirement must be carefully analyzed. One good way is to use a communication model to design effective communications. What is the sequence of steps in a basic communication model?

Answer 7

Encode -> Transmit -> Decode -> Acknowledge -> Feedback

Encode -> Transmit -> Decode -> Acknowledge -> Feedback is the right sequence. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 371, 372]

Question 8

8. You work as an engineer for a large engineering firm. During this past week, you have corresponded with your department supervisor about the horizontal stabilizers required for the wings on a new aircraft you are designing. Which communication dimension does this represent?

Answer 8

Upward

In this case, your communication is with your supervisor who has a different level of responsibility and authority. This is an example of an upward dimension of communications. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 361]

Question 9

9. The methods used to transfer information among project stakeholders may vary significantly. A project team may apply different techniques and communication technologies to ensure effective and efficient communications. Which of the following must not be a factor to consider while choosing a communication technology?

Answer 9

Cheapest available technology

While cost is always a consideration for any project decision, merely considering the cheapest available technology can compromise the purpose of the project. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 370]

Question 10

10. There are several communication methods used to share and distribute information to stakeholders, team members, and management. Which of the following communication methods is used when you notify the public about environmental effects from your project after implementation by posting reports on the project’s website?

Answer 10

Pull communication

Push communication is used to send information to specific recipients who need to know. Push communication is done using letters, faxes, memos, etc. Pull communication is used for large volumes of information. The methods for this type of communication include internet sites and blogs. Since you want to notify the general public about environmental effects by posting reports on the project’s website, this is an example of pull communication methods. [PMBOK® Guide 6th edition, Page 374]