How will you handle the failure of a project?
Being a project manager, one should have the quality to handle both successes and failures. While informing about the failure of a project, one should always ensure that it doesn’t impact the morale of the team and work pace.
Suppose the project has gone off the rails. What steps would you take to get it back on track?
Once you realize a project is not going as per the pre-planned time, budget, scope or goals, the next top priority is to get it back on the track. The project manager should be efficient enough to take the necessary steps to resolve the discrepancy between actual progress and planned progress. Your answer for this project management interview question may include re-adjusting resource management, finding the real cause of off-tracking, putting in extra effort, and more.
How tall are the pyramids in Egypt?
Talk about not being prepared. Who is going into a job interview with this information in their head? You don’t really want an accurate answer to this question, but you do want to see how the project manager deals critically and seriously with the question. Because, during the project they will be sidelined with unexpected challenges and questions.
What do you understand by time & material contract?
It is a type of contract that is a hybrid contractual arrangement containing aspects of both cost-reimbursable and fixed-price contracts. Time and material contracts resemble the cost-reimbursable type arrangements where they have no definitive end. This contract is generally used in projects whose accurate project size can’t be estimated or when it is expected that the project requirements would most likely change.
What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBD) and how does it affect the work estimates of tasks/activities?
WBD is the process of decomposition of a project into deliverable-oriented components. This helps the project manager to oversee the project more effectively.
How should changes controlled?
Through the integrated change control process. Requested changes will have to be reviewed by a change control board. Only the approved changes shall be included in the document changes guiding project execution.
What are time & material contracts?
In this type of contracts the contractor gets paid for time used on the project and expenses for material used and other agreed upon expenses.
How do you monitor and review the delegated responsibilities?
This is an extension of the question on how you ensure that your team members meet deadlines. Talk about clearly defining the responsibilities, arranging regular meetings, empowering the team members to approach if there is any concern and constant updates on the progress of the work.
What’s the need for process improvement plans?
A cornerstone of A is that processes are continuously improved. Process improvements help mistakes in processes and thus help improve quality.
Can you describe some of the projects that you handled in your previous job?
They don’t want the entire list. Pick some examples based on the following criteria:
How recently have you worked on it? (Don’t talk about a project that happened years ago)
Has it been successful? (Don’t talk about the one in which failed. For obvious reasons, it doesn’t help)
Is it relevant to the job you are applying for?
The whole point of this question is to test your approach and your work ethic. So, make sure that answer reflects those. Most people get carried away by this question and rattle off a lot of details. Please be concise and give only relevant details.