Coursera Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project

Coursera – Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project

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You will learn how the program is structured, what project management is and what a project manager does, how to apply your skills from previous work experience to project management roles, what types of project management roles you could pursue after completing this certificate, and how to search for those positions.

Week 1

Practice Quiz: Reflection: Project initiation and key components

In this exercise, you will read a scenario and identify the six key components of project initiation:

  • Goals
  • Scope
  • Project deliverables
  • Success criteria
  • Stakeholders
  • Resources
  • Start by reading the scenario:

Imagine you are a project manager at an educational software company. You’re assigned a new project to develop a digital grading platform for a local high school. Before beginning the project, you meet with teachers, school administrators, the school IT department, and the district superintendent to discuss the project and get their input.

During these meetings, you organized your thoughts by writing down project key components that the stakeholders have requested. Your notes on the key components are:

  • $150,000 maximum budget
  • Team: can add one member from the school IT department
  • Platform should allow teachers to enter grades and allow students/parents to view grades
  • Need full teacher buy-in at high school: 100% adoption within next nine months
  • Project should focus only on the digital grading platform and NOT impact other digital platforms (ex. attendance, school lunch payments)
  • Overall, the school is seeking a platform for digital grading

The next step in the project is to organize the key components into a project charter. You will then present the charter to the individuals involved with the project. The project charter ensures everyone is aligned before planning and then executing the project.

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

Answer To develop a digital grading platform that allows teachers to enter grades and allow students/parents to view grades

Note: 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?

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

Answer To develop a platform that allows teachers to enter grades and allow students/parents to view grades with the help of one member from the school IT department

Note: 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.

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

Answer A digital grading platform that allows teachers to enter grades and allow students/parents to view grades

Note: 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.

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

Answer Develop the project within the budget that allows teachers to grade online and students and parents can view these grades.

Note: 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?

Question Who are the project stakeholders? Write one sentence.

Answer Teachers, school administrators, the school IT department, district superintendent, parents, and students

Note: 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.

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

Answer $150,000 budget, the member from the school IT department

Note: 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.

Weekly Challenge 1

Question 2 Why is it important to initiate a project? Select all that apply.

Answer Provide a strong foundation and set the stage for success, Solidify the scope of a project,

Help the project manager establish a good reputation.

Question 2 Why is it important to perform a cost-benefit analysis during the initiation phase? Select all that apply.

Answer To add up the expected value, or benefits, of a project, To compare the project benefits to the costs Correct

Question 3 Which of the following are key components of project initiation? Select all that apply.

Answer Deliverables, Goals, Success criteria, Scope, ResourcesCorrect

Question 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?

Answer Goals

Question 5 What term refers to the budget, people, materials, and other items necessary to complete a project?

Answer Resources

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

Answer Sets up a framework for what project work the team needs to do, Helps project managers communicate project details to others, Allows project managers to get organized

Question 7 Which of the following could be considered intangible benefits? Select all that apply.

Answer Brand perception, Customer satisfaction, Employee satisfaction

Question 8 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?1 / 1 point

Answer (12,000 – 5,600) ÷ 5,600 = 114%

Week 2

Peer-graded Assignment: Activity: Define and determine SMART project goals

Practice Quiz: Identifying project goals

Question 1 Which of the following three questions should you ask yourself to make a goal specific?

Answer Where should it be delivered?, When writing a goal, you may want to include where exactly the goal will be delivered., Who is involved or is the recipient?

Question 2 Which of the following is an example of a measurable goal? Select all that apply.

Answer Increase product revenue by 5%, Achieve a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction ratings based on post-support survey results

Question 3 What’s a strategy to determine if a goal is attainable?

Answer Break down the goal into smaller parts

Question 4 What can you do to determine if a goal is relevant?

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

Question 5 Which of the following are examples of key results? Select all that apply.

Answer Successfully process 50 online orders, Increase the number of website visitors by 25%

Question 6 Which of the following are objectives and key results (OKRs) development best practices? Select all that apply.

Answer Objectives should be motivational and inspiring., OKRs are a resource that should be hyperlinked to the project plan., Key results should be tactical and specific.

Weekly Challenge 2

Question 1 As a project manager, you’re using the SMART criteria to craft goals for your team. During the process, you ask yourself if a goal is aligned to the organization or the company’s goals. Which SMART criteria does this question represent?

Answer Attainable

Question 2 Which of the following scenarios best represents a project that is going out-of-scope?

Answer During the project weekly meeting, the project sponsor adds a new deliverable requirement that costs $10,000 USD. This addition surpasses the budget by $5,000 USD.

Question 3 Consider the following scenario:

The Janco Car Company is about to deliver new cars to its affiliate dealerships. Right before shipping, several dealerships say they cannot receive the cars because of showroom schedules. Janco had not planned for the various dealerships’ showroom schedules. The dealerships ask for Janco to reorganize the car shipping schedule, costing Janco hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Which of the following steps could Janco have taken to help prevent scope creep?

Answer Include product delivery scheduling in the project scope.

Question 4 Fill in the blank: Deliverables help project managers, team members, and stakeholders _ and realize the impact of the project.

Answer quantify

Question 5 Once a team launches a project, there’s still work to be done. Which of the following scenarios would occur in the landing phase? Select all that apply.

Answer Gather the project team to discuss what they learned during the project and how to improve the process.

Check that forms and processes are collecting the necessary data to evaluate project success.

Question 6 Consider the following scenario: The Director of Product requests a project cost reduction of 25%. However, they also state that the product’s final result needs to look and function as originally agreed with no additions to project workload.

Using the triple constraint model, what trade-off could the project manager use to meet the Director of Product’s request?

Answer Change the timeline

Question 7 Which of the following indicate whether a project manager accomplishes what they set out to do?

Answer Success criteria

Question 8 Which of the following is an engagement metric?

Answer A 20% increase of participation time within an app.

Question 9 Which scenario demonstrates project landing?

Answer The project manager checks back on the project in five years to see if the training program produces a 20% increase in the county’s recycling rate.

Question 10 Suppose as a project manager you receive a request from a team member to change a process they believe will make their work more efficient. However, you know that the change may increase the workload for other team members and extend the project’s completion date. How do you best address this potential internal scope creep?

Answer Remind the team that any process changes will change project scope and may create unknown risks for the project.

Question 11 Which of the following is true about Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)?

Answer Adoption and engagement are often used as metrics to measure results.

Week 3*

Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Understanding the project life cycle

Question 1 What are some potential consequences of rushing through the initiation phase of a project? Select all that apply.

Answer Impact to the timeline, Impact to quality, Impact to the budget

Question 2 Imagine that a project manager has just begun working on a project for a trucking logistics company. The customer wants to see a proposal as soon as possible, but it is taking the project manager longer than expected because he needs more input from stakeholders and the project team. What should the project manager do to turn the project into a success?

Answer Ask the customer for more time to consult with stakeholders and the project team to deliver an accurate cost and timeline proposal.

Question 3 What are the main phases of the project life cycle? Select all that apply.

Answer Initiate the project, Make a plan, Execute and complete tasks, Close the project

Question 4 What are some of the benefits of closing a project? Select all that apply.

Answer Share the team’s accomplishments with people outside the team, Evaluate what worked and what didn’t work, Celebrate the team’s success

Weekly Challenge 3

Question 1 Which of the following are phases of the project life cycle? Select all that apply.

Answer Execute and complete tasks, Initiate the project, Close the project

Question 2 Why is it important to initiate a project (phase one) before making a plan (phase two)?

Answer Because understanding scope, cost, and timeline is crucial to creating a budget, setting a schedule, and determining roles and responsibilities

Question 3 What is the term for a set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project through its life cycle?

Answer Project management methodology

Question 4 Which project management methodology is organized in sequential phases (including initiating, planning, executing, and closing)?

Answer Waterfall methodology

Question 5 What is the main advantage of the Agile approach over the Waterfall methodology?

Answer Agile takes a flexible approach, letting teams make adjustments as they go.

Question 6 Which project management approach includes the following phases: define, measure, analyze, improve, control.

Answer Lean Six Sigma methodology

Question 7 Fill in the blank: Before moving into the planning phase, a project manager needs to receive _ from the decision maker(s).

Answer project approval

Question 8 Which of the following are project manager responsibilities during the closing phase? Select all that apply.

Answer Ensure all tasks are complete, Reflect on lessons learned, Confirm acceptance of the project outcome

Question 9 In which project plan phase does the project manager celebrate successes and release the team to support other projects within the company?

Answer Close the project

Question 10 Which project management approach is an Agile framework that delivers products through an iterative process?

Answer Scrum

Week 4

Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Understanding organizational structure

Question 1 Which of the following scenarios best describes a Classic structure?

Answer Imagine you are managing an important project at a company that requires all orders to go through its shipping department. However, your project is on a tight schedule, and the shipping department has a backlog of orders. You decide to meet with your direct manager to ask for approval to place the order through a third-party vendor. Ultimately, your direct manager has to meet with a vice president to get final approval.

Question 2 Why is it important for a project manager in a Matrix organization to clearly define roles and responsibilities? Select all that apply.

Answer Because project managers can have the same level of authority as functional managers, Because employees may report to more than one person and have multiple responsibilities across teams

Question 3 What are some ways that organizational structure can impact the role of a project manager? Select all that apply.

Answer Their level of authority, Their access to resources, Their approach to getting approvals

Question 4 What are some key functions of a Project Management Office (PMO)? Select all that apply.

Answer Strategic planning and governance, Implementing project management best practices, Creating project documentation, archives, and tools

Weekly Challenge 4

Question 1 Define organizational structure.

Answer How a company is arranged, how job tasks are divided and coordinated, and how members of the organization relate to one another

Question 2 Which answer best describes a Classic organizational structure?

Answer It refers to the traditional, top-down reporting structure with a clear chain of command.

Question 3 How does a company’s organizational structure impact project management?

Answer It affects the project manager’s authority and the availability of resources.

Question 4 Define organizational culture.

Answer A company’s shared values, mission, and history

Question 5 Why should project managers learn about organizational culture? Select all that apply.
Answer So they can manage change effectively, So they can demonstrate how a project supports the company’s mission and values, So they can communicate more effectively with teams

Question 6 Which of the following statements is true of the change management process? Select all that apply.

Answer It includes the successful delivery and adoption of a completed project.,
It requires effective communication from the project manager.

Question 7 What tools can a project manager incorporate to assist in project adoption? Select all that apply.

Answer Flowcharts to illustrate the project’s development process, Culture mapping to illustrate how the company’s values, norms, and employees behavior may be affected by the project, Feedback mechanisms, such as surveys, to capture stakeholder input

Question 8 As someone interviewing for a project management role, you ask questions about sick days and vacation, working from home, and if the company supports employees sharing their identity in the workplace. Which part of a company’s culture do these questions help you learn more about?

Answer Policies

Question 9 As a project manager, you want to integrate change management into your project. To prepare for the adoption of your recommended changes and to gather information, you incorporate surveys, flowcharts, and culture mapping. These actions represent which change management best practice?

Answer Use tools

Question 10 Fill in the blank: Project governance covers _.

Answer decisions such as policies, regulations, functions, processes, and procedures

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