Project Manager Interview Questions And Answers | PMP Certification Training Videos | Simplilearn

• As per the PMI’s PMBOK 6th edition, a project is a
temporary endeavor to create a unique product,
service, or result. The transient nature of projects
indicates that a project has a definite beginning and end
• Projects can be simple or complex and may be
managed by a single person or a group
• Projects are often broken into small tasks to utilize team
strengths and increase productivity
1 How do you define a project?

2 What is a project charter?
• Project charter is a short document that explains
the entire project.
• It includes the project's objectives, how they will
be carried out, the stakeholders, identification of
risks, advantages of the project, and the budget
• Project charter plays an integral role in planning
the project, as a plan is used in all the phases of
the project life cycle.

3 What is meant by the scope of the project?
Checking feasibility
• Project scope is an essential part of project planning
that helps determine the list of specific project goals
or deliverables
• It helps in the identification of the features, functions,
and tasks that a project should fulfill

3 What is meant by the scope of the project?
• Project scope is an essential part of project planning
that helps determine the list of specific project goals
or deliverables
• It helps in the identification of the features, functions,
and tasks that a project should fulfill
• Project scope further includes the documentation of
project milestones and milestone deliverables
• It provides everything that is to be achieved by the
project Measuring worth

4 What is project life cycle?
The project life cycle involves series of stages / phases that a project undergoes from the time it begins
to the time it is delivered. There are five phases in a project life cycle
2
3 4
Planning
Execution Monitoring
Closure
5
1
Initiation

2
3 4
Planning
Closure
5
1
Initiation
During the initiation phase, the creation of project charter, the appointment of a project
manager, and identification of key stakeholders will be made. This can be the initiation
of the project as a whole or a stage/phase

3 4
Closure
5
1
Initiation
The Planning phase involves the processes for creating the plan for achieving the
project’s objectives
2
Planning

4
Monitoring
Closure
5
1
Initiation
2
Planning
The Executing process group involves the project management processes for
identification; allocation & management of resources required for executing the project
deliverables
3
Execution

Closure
5
1
Initiation
2
Planning
3
Execution
The Monitoring & Controlling phase involves the Project Manager to monitor and
control the project
4
Monitoring

1
Initiation
2
Planning
3
Execution
4
Monitoring
The closing phase involves the process required for formally closing the project, where
everything, including what went wrong and what went right all through the project is
summed up
Closure
5

5
Process groups are a set of processes that apply to various stages of a project. Each of the methods
has a defined set of inputs and produce defined outputs by using a set of tools and techniques on the
input
The Initiation process group involves the
processes needed to initiate the project,
developing the project charter, and identifying
the stakeholders. The project charter will be
handed over to the project manager, and
formal declaration of appointment of project
manager will be done
1
What is the importance of process groups?

5
input
2
The Planning process group defines the
project's detailed plan, which involves the
planning for scope, time, cost, quality,
resource, risk, procurement, stakeholder,
communication, and integration of all these
subsidiary plans

5
input
3
The Execution process group involves the
processes to direct and manage the project
works. The team’s active involvement is seen,
performing their tasks to execute the project
works

5 What is the importance of process groups?
input
4
The Monitoring and Controlling process
group refers to tracking and reviewing the
progress and performance of the project. The
process of Monitoring and Controlling is
continually performed throughout the project
life cycle

5
input
5
The Closing process group involves
assembling a report of all the procedures
throughout the project life cycle. The Closing
process group marks the formal closure of the
project & completion of its deliverables

6 Name ten knowledge areas as mentioned in the PMBOK
The ten knowledge areas are:

6 Name ten knowledge areas as mentioned in the PMBOK
The ten knowledge areas are:
1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Schedule Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10.Project Stakeholder Management

7
Why is project planning considered as the most significant step in
project lifecycle?
Project Planning is crucial in a Project as it provides the baselines for project execution
and sufficient validation
Project Charter,
Scope
Project
Schedule
Project
Resource
Project Budget
& cost
Project Quality
Project Risk
Project
Communication
Project
Planning

7
project lifecycle?
Project planning is considered the most significant due to the following reasons:
Provides visibility
Project planning ensures better
visibility of project deliverables,
processes & activities

7
project lifecycle?
Increases employee satisfaction
Project planning focuses on
engaging the team for greater
project performance
Provides visibility
Project planning ensures better
visibility of project deliverables,
processes & activities

7
project lifecycle?
Quality Assurance & control
Project planning considers &
defines, the timely audits & testing
to ensure accomplishing
compliance and deliverables

7
project lifecycle?
Reduces project riskQuality Assurance & control
Project planning considers &
defines, the timely audits & testing
to ensure accomplishing
compliance and deliverables
Project planning helps in analysing,
prioritizing and having an
appropriate plan for all the risks

8 When is stakeholder analysis performed?
• Stakeholder maybe anyone who is affected because
of the project. Stakeholder analysis plays an
important role in identifying and analyzing their
needs

needs
• The analysis is generally performed whenever there
is a need for any clarification over quantitative and
qualitative data

needs
• The analysis is generally performed whenever there
is a need for any clarification over quantitative and
qualitative data.
• The clarification helps in understanding the interests
of the stakeholder, which plays a vital role in the
success of the project

9 What is the role of a stakeholder in project management?
Stakeholders refer to any organization or entity that can have any positive or negative
effect because of the project
Because their interests are the most important,
their positive impacts need to be kept in mind. In
contrast, any adverse effects need to be
minimized while planning or executing any
activity during a project.

10
What are some essential features to keep in mind while choosing a
project management tool?
Let’s have a look at some essential features required
in project management tools:
• Risk management: A great project management
tool should be able to assist with identifying and
managing risks
• Native mobile app: A mobile application would
make it easier track to tasks, milestones, and
deadlines

10
• Dependencies, Milestones, and Critical Path:
The tool needs to have a function to define all the
development stages of a project, providing task
dependencies. Milestones can also be set to mark
specific points in the project, to ensure it’s moving
in the right direction
• Effective time tracking: This feature would
improve how the plan works, proving greater
accuracy and precision

10
• Third party integration: The tool must be able to
take and share data with other applications. The
tool must check on the possibility of integrating with
popular apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
• Agile workflow system: This function would be
able to increase flexibility and transparency and
help teens to be more productive

10
• Boards to manage projects: This feature would
ensure a steady flow of tasks sequentially,
speeding up task delivery
• Ease of use: The tool must have a minimalistic
design with a simple drag-drop interface. It should
provide easy functionality and smooth maintenance
and support

10
• Customizable workflows: The tool should be able
to adapt to a unique process to track work
progression
• Resource management: A resource management
function in the tool would be able to calculate
expenditures and distribute them among tasks

10
• Collaborate easily: The tool should enable users
to share documents, files, status, timelines, and
tasks with ease and quickly with many people
• Delegate tasks easily: The tool should be able to
delegate tasks, assign roles and ensure they have
access to the right information

11
What do you think is the difference between projects,
programs and a portfolio?
Definition
Project Program Portfolio
It’s a temporary endeavor that
is taken-up to create a unique
product, service or result
A collection of projects
managed as a group to achieve
efficiency
A collection of projects,
programs, and other related
work

11
Managers
Project managers expect
change and implements
processes to manage and
control them
A program manager expects
changes from inside and
outside the program to provide
strategic benefits
A portfolio manager monitors
changes in the overall context
of the strategic plan of the
organization

11
Management
Project managers manage and
co-ordinate the team to ensure
success
The program manager
manages the program staff and
the project manager, providing
leadership and vision
The portfolio manager may co-
ordinate or manage the portfolio
management staff

11
Monitoring
A project manager monitors and
controls tasks to produce the
products, results or services of
the project
A program manager monitors
the progress of the components
to lead the program to success
A portfolio manager manages
the aggregated portfolio
performance and value
indicators

11
Planning
A project manager develops,
monitors and controls project
plans throughout the project
lifecycle
A program manager develops
the program plan and performs
high-level planning to guide
component level planning
A portfolio manager performs
planning at a portfolio level

11
Scope
The scope is developed,
monitored and controlled
throughout the lifecycle of the
project
A program has a wider scope
aimed at meeting the benefits of
the goals of the organization
A portfolio has a scope that
changes with change in the
strategic plan and goals of the
organization

11
Success
The project's success is based
on the time taken to finish the
project, budget, scope, and
customer satisfaction
Success of a program is
measured in terms of the
benefit delivery expected from
the program
The success of the portfolio is
the aggregated performance of
all its components: programs
and projects

12
Effective communication
skills
What are the skills a project manager must possess?
Good leadership skills Strong team management
skills

12
Effective
negotiation skills
What are the skills a project manager must possess?
Critical thinking Risk management skills

13 What will be involved in Project Scope Management?
Project Scope Management ensures that a project includes all the necessary steps to meet the
project objectives
Let’s have a look at the different processes:
• Project scope management: It describes the project scope
and documents how it will be designed, validated and
controlled throughout the project lifecycle
• Collect requirements:
It is the process of defining and documenting the needs of
the stakeholders. The document of collecting requirements is
made in the project planning state

project objectives
• Define scope:
In this process, a detailed description of the project and
product is developed. A list is created that includes all the
requirements
• Creating a work breakdown structure:
This is done using a technique called decomposition/
breakdown. Project work and deliverables into smaller, more
manageable components

project objectives
• Validate scope:
This process involves reviewing deliverables with the
customer or sponsors to ensure successful completion and
formal acceptance of deliverables
• Control scope:
In this process, the status of the project and product scope is
monitored. Changes to the scope baseline also need to be
managed

14 Tell us about some project management tools
Some of the most common and popular project management tools are:

15
The M & C involves tracking the project’s performance alongside the planned project
management activities
What is the significance of Monitoring and Controlling in the project
lifecycle?
This also focuses on:
• Comparing actual and planned performance
• Ensuring an accurate information base
• Providing information to support status reporting,
measuring progress and forecasting
• Adding forecasts to update cost and current schedule
information
• Making sure approved changes are being implemented

15
The M & C involves tracking the project’s performance alongside the planned project
management activities
What is the significance of Monitoring and Controlling in the project
lifecycle?
Upon successfully performing M & C following are
the possible outcomes:
• Change requests
• Work performance reports
• Project management plan update
• Project document update

16
What’s the key difference in the roles of the project and program
manager?
Program Manager Project Manager
Plans program level activities and the schedule of
projects
Planning a project based on dependencies and the
interfaces given by the project manager
Defines terms of reference for projects Works within the defined TOR
Starts, stops and monitors the progress of constituent
projects
Runs a project, reports to a program manager
Manages program level risks and issues Manages project risks and issues, and escalates
them to program manager if required
Setting up policies and procedures for projects Runs projects according to policies and procedures
Resolving resource conflicts Uses resources assigned to him/ her
Determining program standards Delivers products that satisfy the defined standards

17 What are the types of risks involved in a project?
Some of the common types of project risks are as
follows:
• Cost risk
• Schedule risk
• Performance risk
• Technical risk
• Strategic risk
• Legal risk
• Market risk
• Risks related to external hazards

18
What is the difference between a risk and an issue in context of project
management?
Risk Issue
1. Focused on the future
2. May be positive or negative
3. Response will be in accordance to
the “risk response planning”
4. Documented in “Risk register
1. Focused on the present
2. Always negative
3. Response will be in accordance to
the “issue work - around”
4. Documented in “Issue register

19 How does project scheduling help in project execution?
• Project scheduling makes sure there is a sequence
of how all the tasks will be performed. After the
resources are estimated, and the plan is made, the
schedule plays a very important role.
• The sequence defines what activities must be
carried out first and what should follow.
• The optimized scheduling of tasks provides the best
possible output, with the allocated resources and
within the deadlines

20 What do you understand by quality control?
• Quality control refers to the activities needed to
evaluate if the project meets all the requirements with
respect to the scope of the project planning
• Project managers define the standards that a project
must fulfill to be successful
• Quality control includes validating the deliverables,
satisfying the stakeholders' requirements, identifying
the cause of poor project quality, and taking necessary
actions to eliminate problems

21 Explain the “forming” in team dynamics
• The team forming happens when the team first
meets each other.
• In the first meeting, they get introduces to each
other and get to know their backgrounds,
experience, and area of expertise.
• The team members discuss the project, consider
the project objectives and begin to think about their
role in the project

22
What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and how does it affect the
work estimates of tasks/activities?
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchal
replica of all the work in the project
• WBS helps in organizing the team’s work into
manageable sections
• The structure includes additional details that help
define the tasks and helps in more accurate
estimation of time and effort

23 What is meant by the term SPI?
According to PMBOK Guide, the
Schedule Performance Index or SPI is a
measure of schedule efficiency
expressed as the ratio of earned value
to planned value
SPI = EV/PV

24 What is the significance of Agile Project Management?
Agile Project Management has been adopted by several types of industries, such as software
companies, product development, marketing campaigns, and even in construction companies
Some of the reasons that encourage
industries to take up the Agile
methodology are:
High product quality

methodology are:
High customer satisfaction

methodology are:
Reduced risk

methodology are:
Better and faster ROI

Agile Project Management frameworks involve continuous planning and testing. There are
different frameworks each of them having their own unique qualities
The most popular Agile frameworks are:
Kanban framework
Kanban framework is used to implement agile
software development and requires real-time
communication. Work items are represented on a
Kanban board, allowing team members to see the
state of each work at any time

Scrum framework
Scrum framework helps in dealing with complex
problems and making it possible to deliver high-
quality products at the same time. It helps in
managing complex, advanced work with a little
emphasis on software development

Hybrid framework
Hybrid framework is a combination of Agile methods
with non-Agile methods. Hybrid can handle
requirement changes, and it can deliver product in
stages. In hybrid, planning is done using a waterfall
approach, while the agile approach handles
execution and delivery
H
Y
B
R
I
D

Lean framework
The lean framework works on the concept of
maximizing customer value with fewer resources and
zero waste. Hence, lean focuses on the flow of
products and services instead of focusing on separate
technologies. Companies can act upon with changing
customer needs and requirements
Empower
the team
Deliver
Fast
Optimize
the whole
process
Build
Quality
Defer
Decisions
Amplify
Learnings
Lean
Eliminate
waste

26 Why does a Project Manager need to be proactive?
A proactive project manager is actively
able to determine the several
communication needs of the
stakeholders
A proactive project manager is able to
identify the risks in the early stages of
the project

27 What does a critical path method imply?
• Critical Path Method (CPM) is a crucial
tool for determining the progress of the
project to ensure that the project is on
schedule
• Critical Path Method helps in determining
the essential or critical path by finding out
the longest stretch of dependent tasks

28 What does a critical path method imply?
• Critical Path Method (CPM) is a crucial
tool for determining the progress of the
project to ensure that the project is on
schedule
• Critical Path Method helps in determining
the essential or critical path by finding out
the longest stretch of dependent tasks

28 Define planned value, actual cost and earned value.
Planned Value
• Planned Value is the approved value of the work that
needs to be completed within a period
• It serves as a baseline and needs to be calculated before
work can be started
• It is also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled
• Formula:
• PV = (Planned percentage of work completed)
x project budget

Actual Cost
• Actual cost is the value of the total expenses that you
have incurred for the work done till date
• It is also knowns as the Actual Cost of Work Performed
• It is used to calculate cost variance and cost
performance index

Earned Value
• Earned Value represents the value produced by a
project
• It is also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Performed
• Formula:
Earned Value = (Percentage of work completed)
x Project budget

29 What is the purpose of a procurement management plan?
• The procurement management plan defines the
procurement requirements and how it can be managed,
from developing a procurement documentation through
to contract closure
• The plan identifies and defines the items that need to be
procured, the contracts that need to be used for
supporting the project, how the contract is approved and
criteria for decisions to be made

29 What is the purpose of a procurement management plan?
• The plan also includes other items including
considerations for procurement risks and procurement
risk management, deciding how costs need to be
determined, standard procurement documentation usage
and constraints to procurement

30
• A project post-mortem or project retrospective refers to a
process that’s performed at the conclusion of a phase (for
a multi-stage project)
• These aim to help identify process improvements that can
prevent future risks and to ensure best practices are
repeated
When is post-mortem analysis performed in project management?

30
• Post-mortems involve a combination of quantitative and
qualitative data.
• It also includes qualitative data like end-user, stakeholder
and team satisfaction, potential for reuse, and the quality
of end-deliverable that is perceived
When is post-mortem analysis performed in project management?

31
• A risk register is tool that is used to document risks, and
the actions taken to handle each one of them.
• The management of risk is an ongoing process that has
the project team raising risks with the risk manager/
project manager, who then logs the risk and determines
an appropriate course of action to handle the risk
What is the purpose of a risk register?

31
• The risk register also needs to reviewed regularly to
ensure the appropriate actions are performed. It could
be reviewed in every project team meeting, or at the
end of each phase of the project lifecycle
What is the purpose of a risk register?

32
• A Gantt chart is a visual view of tasks scheduled over a
period. A Gantt chart is useful for outlining all the tasks
involved in a project, along with their order shown
against a timescale.
• It provides an overview of a project, its associated
tasks and when they need to be finished
When do we use a Gantt Chart?

32
• A Gantt chart is helpful because:
• It provides a detailed view of all tasks, and
ensures you can create a workable schedule, and
that the right people are assigned to right task
• It can be used to determine the practical aspects
of the project
• It enables you to keep your team and sponsors
informed about your progress
When do we use a Gantt Chart?

33
• CPM or Critical Path Method is a tool that’s used to
schedule project activities
• CPM is used to create a model that includes:
• Tasks required to complete the project
• Dependencies between tasks
• The duration required to complete an activity
• The critical path is the longest path in all the available
paths in a project and the duration of the critical path will
be the minimum time required by the project.
What’s the significance of the critical path method?

34
What are some tools required for arriving at improvement
in processes?
Process improvement comprises a set of actions implemented by a company to enhance
performance, cost reduction, increasing profits, etc.
Here are some tools some companies can use to
implement a successful process improvement
strategy:
• Comparing and baselining a project: With
this we can get an overview of how the
process is performing in comparison to other
similar processes

34
in processes?
• Flow charting: It helps them segregate the
processes, activities, events, etc.
• Value stream mapping: It helps clearly
understand the workflow and helps
organization identify waste

34
in processes?
• Cause and effect analysis: These help
organizations determine the root cause of any
problem
• Hypothesis testing: Testing to determine
whether a hypothesis would be favorable to
the organization or not

35 How do you work with the three-point estimation method?
The three-point estimation method is a tool that
can be used to help increase the accuracy of
cost and time estimates.
There are three parts with different estimates:
• Optimistic estimate: It is the amount of time
required to complete the project (assuming it
goes according to plan)

35 How do you work with the three-point estimation method?
• The pessimistic estimate: It’s the worst-case
scenario and is an estimate given if everything
goes wrong
• Most likely estimate: It’s what is most likely to
happen and falls between the pessimistic and
optimistic estimates

36 What do you understand by RAID?
A RAID log is a project management tool that tracks risks, actions, issues and decisions.
It provides a simple way to organize this information
Here are some the main advantages of a RAID
log:
• It enables you to think in an organized and
strategic way
• The RAID log has all the questions that could
be asked by stakeholders
• The data is easily accessible and acts as a
measure for how well your plans are being
carried out

36 What do you understand by RAID?
A RAID log is a project management tool that tracks risks, actions, issues and decisions.
It provides a simple way to organize this information
• The RAID log makes the process of decision-
making more consistent. It provides a place
where all decisions made can be captured

37 What are some techniques used for defining scope?
Here are some tools and techniques to define
scope:
• Expert judgement: It requires you to bring in
experts on the domain
• Product analysis: You need to break down
your final deliverable into smaller components
to ensure all the steps are being taken

37 What are some techniques used for defining scope?
• Alternative generation: You need to brainstorm
for the best and most effective way to created
your product
• Facilitated workshops: These allow different
people with different ideas to find common
ground for a project

38 What is waterfall model?
• Waterfall model is a project management approach
in which a project is completed in several phases
• A big plan is executed linearly expecting there
would not be any changes in the plan
• Waterfall model in contrast to Agile model does not
respond well to frequent changes

39
On what basis would you decide if a particular risk should be avoided or
mitigated?
• The risks which are having high impact (negative) to
the business are avoided by the organizations usually.
• Considering something which will have high negative
impact may not be worthwhile to take up.
• Once the organization considers to take up after
identifying and analysing the risks, then organization
would work on risk responses plan, for the risks
identified

40 What is EVM, earned value management?
• Earned value management (EVM) is a project
management technique that is used to measure the
project progress
• It calculates the project performance and progress
by combining constraints like time, scope, and
costs

41
What is the difference in Product life cycle and Project life cycle?
Project life cycle refers to sequence of
phases that a project undergoes in the from
its initiation to its closure
There five process groups defines the
process to be followed in project life cycle
1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Monitoring and controlling
5. Closure
Product life cycle includes all the phases
that define the growth of a product
There are four phases:
1. Market Introduction
2. Market Growth
3. Market Maturity
4. Decline and Saturation Stage

42 Define CMM (Capability Maturity Model)
• Capability Maturity Model or CMM is an approach
to improve or refine development processes in an
organization.
• It is an elaborated structure of elements that help in
defining the features of an effective process.

43
What do you know about triple constraint triangle in project
management?
The triple constraint theory in project management
states that each project has certain boundaries of
time, cost, and scope. A change in any of the factor
will affect the other two factors

44
What is a Decision Support System (DSS)?
• Decision support system is an information system
used in decision making activities in an
organization or a business.
• It analyzes data sets and extracts information that
may be used to solve complex problems and take
decisions

45
How many types of DSS are there?
There are several types of DSS:
1. Data-driven
2. Model-driven
3. Knowledge-driven
4. Document-driven

46
Productivity: Units of Input/ Units of output
Actual cost: Total cost per time period x Time
period
Cost variance: Budgeted cost of work – actual
cost of work
What are some general metrics that are used to calculate if a project is
progressing on track?

46
Schedule variance: Budgeted cost of work
performed – budgeted cost of work scheduled
Cost performance Index: Earned value/ actual
costs
What are some general metrics that are used to calculate if a project is
progressing on track?

47
• A project milestone provides a way to observe,
measure and monitor the performance/
progress of a project
• These represent intermediate stages that
need to be fulfilled before getting to the final
objective or goal
• Milestones can provide a basis on which
progress can be monitored
What is meant by a milestone in a project?

47
• They can also proof for explanation while
reporting on the project’s status
• It can be used to provide course corrections
and learning experiences
• It can also be used to maintain accountability
and motivate staff
What is meant by a milestone in a project?

48
• The activity time or duration refers to the
process of evaluating the number of work
periods required to finish individual activities
with the resources available
• These help achieve the project objectives on
set dates and delivery schedules decided by
project management team and key
stakeholders
How can you estimate the “Activity Time” of a project?

48
Here are some tools and techniques to calculate
activity durations:
• Expert judgement
• Analogous estimation
• PERT method
• Three-point estimates
• Parametric estimating
• Alternative analysis
• Published estimating data
• Vendor bid analysis
How can you estimate the “Activity Time” of a project?

49 What do you think about CSF in project management?
CSF or Critical Success Factors are found in the project management plan and can
define what can be defined as success for the project
Some characteristics of CSF:
• Time: Was the project completed within the given
time period?
• Cost: Did it stay within the budgeted cost?
• Quality: Did it meet the specification level?
• Stakeholder: Was the result acceptable by the
end users?
• Project changes: Were scope changes minimal
and/ or agreed upon?
• Performing Organization: Did it effect the
corporate culture?

Here are 8 critical success factors:
• Commitment is required from team members,
clients, top management and all stakeholders
• Goals must be SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, Time bound)
• There must be a process for quick identification
and resolution of conflict
• Good project leadership is to be established
• Risk management policies have to be established

• There must be proper project planning that needs
to be done
• Best practices need to be applied at all stages
• Proper communication must take place to ensure
information is passed across

50 What do you understand by the term ‘SOW’?
SOW or Statement of Work, is document that includes and defines each aspect of the
project. It is the foundation for the project plan
• Intro
• Purpose
• Scope
• Where
• Tasks
• Milestones
• Deliverable
• Schedule
• Standards
• Success
• Requirements
• Others
• Close
Before planning an executing, the SOW lays down
the entire landscape of the project
A SOW consists of:

50 What do you understand by the term ‘SOW’?
SOW or Statement of Work, is document that includes and defines each aspect of the
project. It is the foundation for the project plan
A SOW can be of 3 categories:
• Design/ Detail
• Level of effort/ time and materials: Defines an
hourly service and the materials required to
perform the tasks
• Performance based:
Focuses on the purpose of the project,
resources and quality expected from the
output

51 What is a fishbone diagram and when is it used?
A fishbone diagram, also called Ishikawa diagram is a visualization tool that’s used to categorize
potential causes (problems) for an issue, to identify their root causes
• It is used in product development and
troubleshooting processes,
• The team brainstorms for potential causes,
and then represents them in the diagram
based on their degrees of importance
Goal/ Problem

51 What is a fishbone diagram and when is it used?
Here’s when the diagram is used:
• To identify the possible causes of an issue
• To develop a product that can address
issues with current market offerings
• To reveal areas of weakness or bottlenecks
in the business process
• To handle reoccurring issues or employees
burning out
• To ensure any correction will resolve the
issue
Goal/ Problem
A fishbone diagram, also called Ishikawa diagram is a visualization tool that’s used to categorize
potential causes (problems) for an issue, to identify their root causes

52 What is the Pareto principle or 80/20 principle?
• The pareto principle states that 80% of consequences
come from 20% of the causes, indicating an unequal
relationships between inputs and outputs
• It can be applied to a range of areas like manufacturing,
management and human resources
• It is usually focused on businesses that are client-based
20
80

52 What is the Pareto principle or 80/20 principle?
• Some of the advantages of the pareto principle are:
• Increase productivity
• Increased profitability
• Identify and fix problems
• Improved customer service
20
80

53 Can you tell us about your past projects?
Discuss the following points:
• Objective of the project
• Project deliverables
• Your roles & responsibilities in the project & what
have you achieved.
• What was accomplished..! (what went well and what
did not)
• Project duration, budget, actual cost
This question is open and generic in nature, while answering such questions following points has
to be considered;

54
If the customer is not happy with the project, what will you do as a
project manager?
One has to ensure:
• Understanding the reason for dissatisfaction
• Are all the requirements fulfilled
• Was customer involved in all decision making
activities etc.,
Note: Before customer is dissatisfied, it is very
important to be with customer to understand the
customer pulse and handling the stakeholder
accordingly.
Customer satisfaction is very important to ensure the success of a project. In the scenario where
customer express their dissatisfaction;

55
What are the different kinds of projects you have
worked upon?
• Domains of the project
• Project deliverables
• Project’s nature & complexity
• Unique challenges in each different type of project
• Project duration, budget, actual cost
to be considered;

56
Did you ever face a situation where the project team was demotivated and
what did you do to bring them back on track?
Following points has to be kept in mind while dealing with
team:
• Team engagement (both formal & informal)
• Rewards & Recognition
• Conflict Management
• Performance evaluation & mentoring
• Education & Training Opportunities etc.,
Project team plays very important role in success of a project. It is very critical to keep them
motivated. The demotivation may happen for various reason.

57
If you get your dream job, and I assume this is your dream job, what
value you think you will be adding to the organization?
• Why the job is your dream job
• What would be your motivation point in this dream
job
• How this dream job can link to objectives of
organization & your profession
• Road map of that job role.
to be considered;

58
What challenges have you encountered while dealing
with other team members?
Some of the important changing scenarios would be:
• Team not collaborating
• Individual preferences and motivation
• Role preference and allocated role
• Performance Appraisal
• Communication gaps etc.,
Project team plays very important role in success of a project. Each team member comes with
the different skills, maturity mindsets & background which put across many challenges

59
Share from your experience the challenges you faced
while using project management tools
Some of the challenges one would face while using the
tools are:
• Selection of right tools for the given project
• Tools features and functionality
• Customization of tools
• The dashboards & reports
• Team’s ability to work with tools etc.,
The effective management of Project requires an efficient tool. Every tools has it’s own
uniqueness & has it’s own advantages & disadvantages

60
Can you tell me about the most difficult/ complex
project you have worked on?
• What was the complexity in the project?
• Why do you consider that project as complex or
difficult?
• What was the size of the project in terms of
deliverables, budget, geography, team, tool &
techniques etc.,
• Was that project successful or not!?
to be considered;

61 When do you know the project is off-track?
Following helps us to understand weather project is in track
of not;
• When SPI & CPI are < 1 (SPI is < 1, indicates, project
is behind the schedule, where as, CPI < 1, project is
over budget)
• Similarly, the results of audits & testing done as part of
quality management also reveals the details related to
compliance & off-specification which needs to be
corrected if they are not as expected.
Every project will have the set plans based on which project have to be completed successfully.
Due to various different scenarios project go of-track. Recognizing and correcting those is very
critical;

62
In the past, what metrics did you use to find out if the project was on track
or not? What did you do to rectify it?
Not required to answer this as it is
already covered in Q.61

63
How do you manage team members that aren’t working
to their full potential?

64 Have you managed remote teams and outsourced resources?
While managing the recourses who are remote or
outsourced;
• It is required to engage with the team more often
• The performance of the team member has to be well
known to the reporting manager & that needs to be
communicated regularly
This question comes from the scenario where you have to manage the team not reporting to you
directly & they are managed by different individual.
While having such resources the dynamics will be different.

65
If you could go to the past and do one thing differently as a project manager,
what would you do and why?
While answering this question following point has to be kept
in mind;
• What went well & what did not?
• Why do you think they happened and what would have
been the better solution?
• Why do you think it could have been done better?
• Why did you not do it earlier, the way you are thinking
the right way of doing it today.
Every Project manager who has managed several project earlier, will think of doing better which they have
done already. This is because of the experience they had while doing that project and the insight they
have today.

66
As a project manager, what is the most common
challenge that you face?
Following are the typical challenges;
• Not clearly defined scope.
• No proper sign off between customer and project
organization
• Deadlines / Schedules are not realistic
• Cost / Budget allocated is very low
• Team capability & skills
• Project Environment etc.,
Every project will have various challenges to deal with. Project manager has to prepare
themselves to handle those;

67
Can you describe a situation where the client was unhappy?
Why was he happy and how did you fix it?

68
Can you describe a situation where the client was unhappy?
Why was he happy and how did you fix it?

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