Project Management Interview Questions – Set 12

Which communication style do you prefer using in your projects?

Type of communication you use in your project will completely depend on the type of project you are working on and the type of team you have. Types of communication styles that a project manager uses:

  1. Written
  2. Electronic
  3. Face-to-Face
  4. Responsive

What does Scope management involve?

Typically this process involves collecting requirements, defining scope, creating WBS, verifying scope and controlling the scope. The project scope statement, WBS and WBS dictionary defines the scope baseline. Controlling the scope process must minimize scope creep.

What are fixed type contracts in procurement processes?

The seller must supply the contracted items at a fixed price determined at the time of contract.

What are fixed type contracts in procurement processes?

The seller must supply the contracted items at a fixed price determined at the time of contract.

How do you keep your team members motivated?

One of the important roles of a leader is to keep the morale of the team members high. Show the interviewer that you are team player and work collaboratively. Tell the interviewer that you would like your team members to look up to you for advice. Also, they should feel free to share their ideas and suggestions with you. Instead of imposing decisions, you allow the team members to contribute and make it a collective effort.

How do you estimate using three-point estimating methods?

It is the best technique to develop estimates for your project. There are three steps:

  • Identify the positive and negative risks involved in the project
  • Then make three estimates — Best Guess (BG), Pessimistic (P), and Optimistic (O) estimates
  • The final step is to calculate the mean and standard deviation using the formulas: (O+4BG+p)/6 and P – O/6 respectively.

What is quality control?

QC procedures include inspections to ensure quality requirements are being met

What is a Fishbone diagram and when to use it?

Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram is a visualisation tool to understand the potential causes of a problem to identify its root causes. It is used usually in brainstorming sessions so that the team’s conversation is focussed on the actual problem and not stray away towards only the symptoms.

How do you communicate bad news?

It’s likely you’ve had to deliver bad news in the past as a project manager, and your interviewer wants to see how, exactly, you go about doing so. They want to see that you’re considerate and upfront with everyone, that you have all of the facts first, and that you’ve thought about how this news will impact all of your team members—not just the person you’re delivering the bad news to directly.

How important is it for a project manager to be ‘proactive’?

By very nature, projects are unpredictable. Hence, it is essential that a manager anticipates problems that can occur and plans ahead. Your answer then has to reflect the importance you attach to proactive project management. Show the interviewer that you can handle risks and rise to the challenges that can occur during the course of the project.