Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Week 1 Quiz Answers

Quiz 1: Reflection: Project initiation and key components

Q1. 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.

—–

Have you read the scenario?

I have!

Q2. Which of the key components is the project’s goal? Write one sentence.

Q3. Which key component outlines the project’s scope? Write one sentence.

Q4. Which key component is the project deliverable? Write one sentence.

Q5. Which key component outlines the project’s success criteria? Write one sentence.

Q6. Who are the project stakeholders? Write one sentence.

Q7. Which key components outline the resources you will have at your disposal for the project?

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Weekly Challenge 1 Answers

Q1. What are two potential consequences of a project manager failing to properly initiate a project?

Stakeholders might not agree on what success looks like.
Resources can be underestimated.
New dependencies can arise.
External risks can affect project success.

Q2. What two s can a project manager ask to determine a project’s costs?

How will the user experience be improved?
What value will the project create?
What are the ongoing project costs?
How much time will people have to spend on the project?

Q3. Which of the following are key components of project initiation? Select all that apply.

Scope
Success criteria
Deliverables
Resources
Documentation
Goals
Project charter
Planning

Q4. Imagine you’re the project manager of a new grocery delivery service. You meet with stakeholders to set an overarching framework of what is and is not included in the project statement of work and deliverables. Which project initiation component are you trying to determine?

Resources
Scope
Success criteria
Project charter

Q5. Imagine that the main supplier for a construction project runs out of steel girders and needs to obtain more to complete the order. Which key component of project initiation does this scenario concern?

Deliverables
Resources
Goals
Scope

Q6. What is the purpose of a project charter?

Determines project roles and assign associated tasks
Outlines how to mitigate potential risks
Establishes communication channels and record preferred methods
Defines the project and its goals and outline what is needed to accomplish them

Q7. Fill in the blank: _____ are gains that are not quantifiable.

Intangible benefits
Yearly profits
Ongoing costs
Quarterly income

Q8. 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?

(12,000 – 5,600) ÷ 5,000 = 128%
(12,000 – 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = 140%
(12,000 – 5,600) ÷ 5,600 = 114%
(5,600 – 5,000) ÷ 12,000 = 5%

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Week 2 Quiz Answers

Quiz 1: Optional Activity: Create OKRs for your project

Q1. To pass this practice quiz, you must receive 100%, or 1 out of 1 point, by completing the activity below. You can learn more about the graded and practice items in the Course Overview.

Activity Overview

In this activity, you will practice creating OKRs (objectives and key results) for a project. OKRs combine a goal and a metric to determine a measurable outcome. Objectives define what needs to be achieved and describe a desired outcome, while key results define how you will measure that outcome.

As a project manager, creating OKRs can help you clarify both your overall project goals and the deliverables you’ll need to accomplish those goals. You can also create project-level OKRs to help motivate your team.

Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.

Scenario

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

Wonder City is a mid-sized city where increasing growth and traffic are impacting quality of life. According to a recent market assessment, the region’s population is expected to double in the next five years. Job growth is also expected to increase by 48%. This growth will impact street networks, parking and mobility.

Wonder City has several city-wide objectives related to reducing traffic congestion and improving the city’s infrastructure. In order to support these city-wide objectives, the Wonder City Transportation Authority (WCTA) will be launching five new bus lines. This initiative has been nicknamed Project Move It.

You have been hired as the project manager for this initiative. As the project manager, you will set OKRs to help clarify the project goals and define what needs to be done in order to deliver a successful project.

Here is some additional information about the project:

The project needs to be completed within two years.
Community member buy-in and support for the locations of the new bus lines will be required.
The project must adhere to all government regulations.
Stops along the new bus lines must connect neighboring suburbs to downtown and public resource facilities.
Bus lines must service at least 50% of the most densely-populated areas of Wonder City.
The project is intended to help improve wait times and increase ridership.
The plan includes a marketing campaign to promote the new lines.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers Step 1: Access the template

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.” Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers

Link to template: Project Move It OKRs

If you don’t have a Google account, download the template directly from the attachment below.Activity Template_ Project Move It OKRsDOCX FileDownload file Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers

Step 2: Draft your first objective

A list of objectives for Project Move It have been provided for you below. Select one and add it next to “O1” on the first line of the OKR card.

Potential objectives for Project Move It:

Actively and meaningfully engage the public to generate buy-in and project support.
Make it easy to get around the greater Wonder City area via public transportation.
Promote public transportation as a convenient alternative to driving.
Provide a reliable and consistent public transportation service.

Or, if you prefer, you may draft your own objective based on the scenario.

Remember that effective objectives are:

Aspirational: Is the objective challenging and inspiring?
Aligned with company goals: Does the objective support company and/or departmental OKRs?
Action-oriented: Does the objective motivate the team to take initiative?
Concrete: Can the project team easily grasp the objective?
Significant: Will achieving the objective make a meaningful impact or change from where you are currently?

For example, if the objective of an educational technology company was to provide products that consistently meet new educational standards, a project objective might be: “Successfully launch version 2.0 of our early learning app in time for the national curriculum conference.”

Step 3: Add key results

Next, write at least three key results for your objective next to “KR1,” “KR2,” and “KR3.” (You may add up to five key results for each objective, but only three are required for this activity.)

Each key result should address the following questions:

Does the key result help define success for your team?
Can it be measured to prove that you’ve achieved your objective?
Is it specific and time-bound?
Is it ambitious yet realistic?

Your key results should build on the scenario and additional project information, but it’s up to you to determine your success criteria. As an example, let’s return to the objective, “Successfully launch version 2.0 of our early learning app.” If you knew that a successful launch meant getting new users to download the app, you could create any of the following key results for the objective:

15,000 new downloads within first quarter post launch
75,000 new downloads within first year post launch
25% of monthly downloads from new customers

Remember: OKRs are never set in stone–they can and should be revised as you make progress, so it’s okay if you need to adjust your key results later on.

Step 4: Write 1-3 more OKRs

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for a second, third and fourth objective to fill up the template.

Pro Tip: Save the template

Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the OKR template you used to complete this activity. You can use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. These templates will be useful as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to work through your thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.

What to Include in Your Response

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Coursera Quiz Answers Be sure to address the following criteria in your completed OKR card:

The objective defines what needs to be achieved and describes a desired outcome
The key results are ambitious, specific, measurable, and define success for the objective

Did you complete this activity?

Yes
No

Quiz 2: Test your knowledge: Identifying project goals

Q1. Which three s should you ask yourself to make a goal specific?

Who is involved?
Where should it be delivered?
What do I want to accomplish?
Can it be reasonably reached?

Q2. Which of the following is an example of a measurable goal? Select all that apply.

Achieve a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction ratings based on post-support survey results
Increase product revenue by 5%
Reduce employee turnover
Increase market reach

Q3. What’s a strategy to determine if a goal is attainable?

Break down the goal into smaller parts
Hire a goal-setting coach
Post the goal on a project management forum for feedback
Ask the stakeholders

Q4. What can you do to determine if a goal is relevant?

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.
Ask a project manager on another team.
Compare it to goals the organization set in previous years.

Q5. Which of the following are examples of key results? Select all that apply.

Increase the number of website visitors by 25%
Implement online ordering
Launch a website redesign
Successfully process 50 online orders

Q6. Which of the following are objectives and key results (OKRs) development best practices? Select all that apply.

Key results should be tactical and specific.
OKRs are a resource that should be linked to the project plan.
Each key result should have 2-3 objectives
Objectives should be motivational and inspiring.

Quiz 3: Test your knowledge: Defining project scope

Q1. Which of the following best describes the difference between in-scope and out-of-scope?

Items within the project boundaries that are contributing to the project’s overall goal and items that are not
Goals you believe your team needs to meet and goals the stakeholders believe the team needs to meet
Problems the project manager can easily recognize and problems the project managers cannot recognize
Tasks you believe your team should complete first and tasks the team believes they should complete first

Q2. Which of the following best describes scope creep?

Cancelling a project after it has begun
Changing a project before it begins
Changing a project after it begins
Adding members to a project team

Q3. What are some tactics to handle external scope creep? Select all that apply.

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.
Limit communication outside the team once the project begins

Q4. A designer on your project team suggests making changes to the product’s logo just prior to launch. What’s a strategy that could help avoid this internal scope creep?

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

Quiz 4: Reflection: Applying the Triple Constraint

Q1. In this quiz, you will practice applying the Triple Constraint (budget, time, scope) to the following project scenario:

Imagine you are a User Experience (UX) Program Manager at a small design agency. You are asked to manage an 8-week project for $800,000 USD. The project includes conducting field research and synthesizing results. As the final deliverable, your agency will create a research report and facilitate a 3-day workshop. You need to align with the client’s Vice President (VP) of Design, Ria. Luckily, you have a team of five teammates to work on this project together!

For the three situations below, describe how you would apply the Triple Constraint model. Provide examples to help illustrate your explanations. Are you ready?

I’m ready!

Q2. Situation 1

During the scoping of this project, Ria says her budget maxes out at $650,000 USD—she can’t afford the $800,000 USD that this project will cost. What are some proposals you can provide to Ria to reduce the budget? Think of the Triple Constraint and remember that one constraint will always have the priority. So if the budget is a constraint, what areas might Ria adjust to reduce project costs? Write 2-3 sentences.

During the scoping of this project, Ria says her budget maxes out at $650,000 USD—she can’t afford the $800,000 USD that this project will cost. What are some proposals you can provide to Ria to reduce the budget? Think of the Triple Constraint and remember that one constraint will always have priority. So if the budget is a constraint, what areas might Ria adjust to reduce project costs? Write 2-3 sentences.

Q3. Situation 2

Recruiting for field research will take a week longer than expected. However, Ria told you that the project end date is a hard deadline. What can you do? Think of the triple constraint and remember that one of them will always have the priority. So if time is a constraint, what areas might Ria adjust to reduce the time in the project? Write 2-3 sentences

Q4. Situation 3

After the stakeholders agree on the project scope, Ria finds out that her CEO wants more information in the research report. She asks you to include details on the market opportunities for new product ideas, technical constraints, and design considerations. How do you manage this additional scope? Write 2-3 sentences.

Q5. As a reminder, if there are changes in time, budget, and scope, remember to notify your project sponsor and key stakeholder and make sure they’re aligned. In this specific example, you should notify the internal stakeholders, so that they can make decisions about what to do about the changes in the project, while considering the Triple Constraint.

Alright

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Weekly Challenge 2 Answers

Q1. 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 represent?

Specific
Measurable
Relevant
Time-bound
Attainable

Q2. Which of the following scenarios best represents a project that is going out-of-scope?

The manufacturer of one of the project deliverables just lost power after a large storm. They don’t expect to be in production for one week, delaying the project timeline.
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.
During the project weekly meeting, the project manager learns the main vendor will increase the cost of raw materials by 20% due to an international shortage.
The deliverable to present your project’s pre-launch event at a three-day, in-person conference is now an online conference. The switch reduces the costs associated with event space, travel, and people resource time.

Q3. Consider the following scenario:

A new company project isn’t going well. The company hires outside evaluators to review the project. The evaluators tell the company that its plan has too many delays and that the company won’t be able to complete the project on time. They also identify one issue causing a delay is the company and the investors (stakeholders) have different expectations of what the completed project should be.

What step could the company have taken to avoid scope creep?

Have stakeholder involvement before the project begins.
Hire a different organization to review the project.
Make the investors adopt the company’s project expectations.
Require more detailed bids from the evaluators in writing.

Q4. Fill in the blank: The difference between a goal and a deliverable is that the goal is the desired outcome of the project and the deliverable is a _____ of the project.

tangible outcome
progress
success criteria
SMART method

Q5. 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.

Gather the project team to discuss what they learned during the project and how to improve the process.
Work with stakeholders on the prioritization and documentation before building a new product.
Decide how to deliver an organization-wide announcement and campaign for the project.
Check that forms and processes are collecting the necessary data to evaluate project success.

Q6. Consider the following scenario: The Director of Product requests the project manager to add a new product feature. However, they also state that the team cannot push back the project delivery date.

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

Change the team
Change the project goal
Change the timeline
Change the budget

Q7. Which two of the following are examples of success criteria?

Meet company-wide objective of $50M in revenues.
Deliver training to all appropriate teams to ensure at least 98% of the teams are using the new tool.
Create a new product feature that will satisfy customers.
Implement a training service to meet company objectives.

Q8. Which of the following is an adoption metric?

A 20% increase in the amount of tasks completed.
A 35% increase in first-time customers.
An increase in customer satisfaction score.
Double the amount of time participating within an app.

Q9. How will you quantify if you’re landing a project at its intended goal?

Send out feedback surveys to team members
Check if the project meets the initial success criteria
Ask the clients if they’re happy with the result
Solicit stakeholders for their opinions

Q10. Suppose as a project manager you’re receiving requests from stakeholders to add new features to the product you’re developing. How would you deal with this external scope creep?

Implement the initial stakeholders requests and then ban all future requests.
Agree on who can make formal requests and how your team will evaluate and act on those requests.
Ignore the requests because the project is already underway.
Take a team vote to decide if the team should add the new feature to the product.

Q11. Fill in the blank: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) combine both a goal and a _______ to determine a measurable outcome.

consensus
metric
budget
vision

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project Week 3 Quiz Answers

Quiz 1: Activity: Complete a stakeholder analysis and power grid

Q1. To pass this practice quiz, you must receive 100%, or 1 out of 1 point, by completing the activity below. You can learn more about the graded and practice items in the Course Overview.