You're the Project Manager!
A team member is unsure which tasks they are responsible for completing. Before work continues, the project manager should do this.
What is Clarify Roles and Responsibilities?
Two team members disagree over a minor issue that has little effect on the project. The manager temporarily postpones the discussion. This strategy is being used.
What is Avoiding?
A team member wants to start installing equipment before the required electrical work is finished. The project manager should first verify this.
What are Task Dependencies?
A team meeting repeatedly runs overtime because members discuss unrelated topics. The project manager should prepare and follow this.
What is a Meeting Agenda?
A client refuses to approve a completed project because an agreed-upon requirement is missing. The project manager should do this before requesting acceptance again.
What is Correct the Missing Requirement?
A team member consistently finishes assignments early while another struggles to meet deadlines. The project manager should evaluate this before redistributing work.
What are Team Members' Skills, Workloads, and Availability?
Two team members disagree about how to complete a task. The project manager encourages them to work together to find a solution that fully addresses both concerns.
What is Collaboration?
A project is behind schedule, and the manager wants to see which tasks are delayed compared with their planned start and finish dates. This visual tool would be most useful.
What is a Gantt Chart?
A team member misses a meeting and needs to know what decisions were made and which tasks were assigned. The project manager should provide this document.
What are Meeting Minutes?
A team repeatedly makes the same mistake because its written instructions are unclear. The project manager should improve this to prevent future errors.
What are Quality Assurance Processes and Procedures?
A virtual team repeatedly misses deadlines because members work in different time zones. The project manager should establish this to improve coordination.
What is a Communication Schedule with Clear Deadlines?
Two departments want the same meeting room. Each agrees to use it for half the available time. This conflict strategy is being used.
What is Compromise?
A task is scheduled to finish on Day 8 but can finish on Day 11 without delaying the project. The project manager can allow this much float time.
What is 3 Days of Float?
A client requests a change that will increase the project cost. Before making the change, the project manager should follow this formal process.
What is Change Control?
A project is finished, but several team members want to immediately move on to new assignments. Before releasing the team, the project manager should capture this information.
What are Lessons Learned?
A highly skilled team member disagrees with the project manager's decision and offers an alternative solution. The project manager should do this before making a final decision.
What is Listen to and Evaluate the Team Member's Suggestion?
Two employees are arguing about a minor difference in work styles. The manager emphasizes their shared goals and points of agreement to reduce tension.
What is Smoothing?
A task requires a three-day waiting period after materials are delivered before installation can begin. The project manager should include this scheduling adjustment.
What is Lag Time?
A project manager discovers that a stakeholder misunderstood an important project deadline. Rather than simply sending another email, the manager should do this.
What is Clarify the Deadline Through Two-Way Communication and Confirm Understanding?
A completed product passes the team's internal checks, but the client says it does not meet the original requirements. The project manager should compare the product against these.
What are the Agreed-Upon Acceptance Criteria?
A project manager must assign a critical task, but no current team member has the necessary technical skills. The best action is to do this.
What is Identify and Obtain Qualified Resources or Training?
A safety violation requires immediate action, but several team members disagree with the decision. The project manager uses their authority to enforce the safety requirement.
What is Forcing?
A critical project task is delayed, threatening the final deadline. The project manager should examine the critical path and take this action before changing the schedule.
What is Evaluate Recovery Options and Their Impact on Cost, Resources, and Quality?
During a status meeting, a team member reports a problem that threatens the deadline and requires approval beyond the project manager's authority. The manager should take this action.
What is Escalate the Issue to the Appropriate Decision-Maker?
A project has been delivered and accepted, but contracts remain open, final payments are outstanding, and project records have not been archived. The project manager should complete these activities before formally ending the project.
What are Project Closure Procedures?