Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1. What Is A Process?

Answer :

It is a set of structured and related activities which are performed to achieve a specific business goal.

They can be categorized into 3 sub categories:

• Management processes
• Operational processes
• Supporting processes

Question 2. What Is Software Project Planning?

Answer :

It is a set of activities that are collectively called project planning.

In project planning a software company considers the following points:

• Scope of the project.
• Feasibility analysis.
• Deadline of the project.
• Estimation of resource cost and schedule.
• Risk analysis.
• Overall Budget.

Question 3. What Is The Meaning Of Scope Of The Project?

Answer :

The functions and features that are to be delivered to the customer is called the scope of the project. Performance, user interface design, and constraints should meet the customer requirement. Software scope is can be developed after communication with all members those are directly or indirectly involved in the project.

Question 4. What Are The Different Project Scheduling Techniques?

Answer :

Program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and the critical path method (CPM) are two project scheduling methods that can be applied to software development. CPM provides critical path to analyze project and duration. PERT uses

TE = (O + 4M + P) / 6 formula for the expected completion time. Where

O=optimistic time

P=pessimistic time

M=most likely time

TE =expected time

Describe the risk in software engineering.

Risk is a potential problem, it may come or it may not come while developing the software. Risks are uncertain. It is a good idea to analysis the risk, what is the chance to occur the risk, what will be the impact on the project and what are the positive planes to overcome of these risks is. There are two types of risk strategies: Reactive risk strategies and proactive risk strategies. In reactive risk strategies software team come in action when something goes wrong. A proactive risk strategy starts with long before technical work is initiated. Potential risks are identified and their impacts are analyzed. Then, the software team establishes a plan for managing risk.

Question 5. What Are The Different Types Of Software Risks?

Answer :

The different types of risks are as follows:

Project risks: This type of risk can destroy your project plan. The release date of project may postpone further and cost will increase.

Technical risks: Due to technical risk implementation may become difficult or impossible. Technical risks identify different types of problem such as design, implementation, interface, verification, and maintenance problems.

Business risks: There are different types of business risk such as market risk, strategic risk, sales risk, management risk, budget risk.

Question 6. What Are The Different Software Reengineering Activities?

Answer :

Different software activities are as follows: 

Inventory analysis: The inventory is nothing but a type of spreadsheet model that contain detailed description of every active application. It should be updated in regular time period. 

Document restructuring: Legacy system can have poor documentation or there is no documentation. Organization prepared documentation for better understand of system but is very time consuming. 

Reverse engineering: It is used to extract design information from source code. We can understand the system by using reverse engineering. 

Code restructuring: In legacy system some module have very poor coding pattern so it is very difficult to understand, test and maintain. In such cases, those module have coding problem, can be restructured. 

Data restructuring: When data structure is weak, the data are reengineered. A program with weak data structure will be difficult to accept and enhance. 

Forward engineering: Forward engineering is used to recovers design information from existing software and uses this information to change the existing system. It will improve the overall quality of the system.

Question 7. Describe Capability Maturity Model (cmm)?

Answer :

Every organization has some process to develop the software.

Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has developed a model that provides the different levels of process maturity. In this model, in every level there are some key activities required at different levels of process maturity.

There are five level of capability maturity model (CMM):

1. Level 1: Initial.
2. Level 2: Repeatable.
3. Level 3: Defined.
4. Level 4: Managed.
5. Level 5: Optimizing.

Question 8. How Does A Project Manager Can Avoid The Above Given Ten Points For The Success Of Project?

Answer :

Reel suggests these five-part commonsense approaches to software projects:

• Start on the right foot.
• Maintain momentum.
• Track progress.
• Make smart decisions.
• Conduct a postmortem analysis.

Question 9. Describe The 4 P’s In Software Project Management?

Answer :

Software project management focuses on the four P’s: people, product, process, and project.

The People: For success of any type of project, the most important factor is the skilled people. These people participated actively for the success of project.

Software Engineering Institute has developed a people management capability maturity model (PM-CMM), that guides the organization for improve the capability of people and how to tackle complex applications.

The people management maturity model focus on the following key practice areas for software people: recruiting, selection, performance management, training, compensation, career development, organization and work design development. An organization that follows PM-CMM in the people management area has a higher success rate of software.

The Product: Before developing any software product objectives and scope should be properly defined. The software analyst and customer must meet to define product objectives and scope.

The Process: There are different types of model available that are used to develop the software.

• Linear sequential model
• Prototyping model
• RAD model
• Incremental model
• Spiral model
• WINWIN spiral model
• Component-based development model.

We can choose any model according to the need of software development and need of customer.

The Project: For the success of any project we must understand the risk/problem that may or may not come in future.

According to John Reel the following ten points indicate that an information systems project is in trouble:

1. Software people don’t understand their customer’s needs.
2. The product scope is poorly defined.
3. Changes are managed poorly.
4. The chosen technology changes.
5. Business needs change or are ill-defined.
6. Deadlines are unrealistic.
7. Users are resistant.
8. Sponsorship is lost or was never properly obtained.
9. The project team lacks people with appropriate skills.
10. Managers [and practitioners]

Question 10. What Are The Csfs In The Software Project Management ?

Answer :

The CSFs (critical success factors) for a successful software project management are listed blow:

• Change management is very essential.
• Leadership & motivating employees for giving direction.
• Team Orientation is crucial.
• Cultural & ethnic diversity is also needed for maintaing a cordial environment.As different companies around the world is having the EEo(equal employability opportunity) foe their employees.
• The cost evaluation must be done diligently in the given time frame.
• Lucidity in communication is very essential.