Module 1: Beginning the planning phase
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In this post, I provide complete, accurate, and detailed explanations for the answers to Module 1: Beginning the planning phase of Course 3: Project Planning: Putting It All Together – Google Project Management: Professional Certificate.
Whether you’re preparing for quizzes or brushing up on your knowledge, these insights will help you master the concepts effectively. Let’s dive into the correct answers and detailed explanations for each question!
Reflection: Project planning considerations
Practice Quiz
1. In this exercise, you will read a scenario and answer questions about a project's schedule, budget, and potential risks. Start by reading the scenario:
Imagine that you’re a project manager helping a restaurant owner launch an updated menu with a few new food items at 15 locations. The owner would like you to oversee the redesign of the menu and distribution to all locations.
You're preparing for your project’s eventual kickoff meeting. Right now, you’re thinking through the three main planning activities: building the schedule, assessing the budget, and considering potential risks.
Have you read the scenario?
I have
2. Write 2-3 sentences addressing what you should consider when forming the tentative project schedule.
When forming the project schedule, consider the key milestones, such as designing the new menu, printing, and distributing it to all 15 locations. Factor in the time required for stakeholder approvals and potential delays in material procurement or logistics. It’s also crucial to ensure the schedule aligns with the restaurant’s operational needs, such as avoiding disruptions during peak business hours.
3. Write 2-3 sentences about what you should consider when creating a project budget.
When creating the project budget, include costs for menu design, printing, and distribution to all 15 locations. Consider additional expenses for consultations, contingency funds for unforeseen issues, and any costs associated with training staff on the new menu items. Ensure the budget aligns with the restaurant owner’s financial constraints.
4. Write 2-3 sentences on what you should consider when listing potential risks.
When listing potential risks, consider delays in the menu redesign or printing process, supply chain issues that may impact distribution, and unforeseen cost overruns. Additionally, evaluate the risk of customer dissatisfaction or operational disruptions if the new menu rollout is not well-coordinated.
Test your knowledge: The planning phase components
Practice Quiz
5. Which three of the following are benefits of project planning?
- It helps you brainstorm preliminary goals for the project.
- It helps you map out the full project. ✅
- It helps individuals assigned to your project become a strong team by working together.
- It gives you time to identify and prepare for risks that could impact your project. ✅
Explanation:
Project planning provides outline the project’s structure, and prepare for potential risks. While teamwork is essential, forming a strong team is more of an ongoing process during the project execution phase rather than a direct benefit of planning.
6. What are three major project components that are worked out during the planning phase?
- Project tracking, quality management, and retrospectives
- Schedule, budget, and risk management plan ✅
- Scope, goals, and deliverables
- Success criteria, stakeholders, and resources
Explanation:
During the planning phase, project managers focus on creating a clear schedule, determining the budget, and developing a risk management plan to ensure the project stays on track. While scope, goals, and deliverables are important, they are typically outlined during the initiation phase. Similarly, project tracking and quality management occur during execution and monitoring.
7. During the kickoff meeting, which agenda item involves discussing how the project came to be and why the project matters?
- Collaboration
- Roles
- Goals and scope
- Background ✅
Explanation:
The background agenda item focuses on providing context for the project, including how it originated, the problem it aims to solve, and why it is important. This helps all stakeholders understand the purpose and significance of the project.
8. Which of the following are best practices when you are leading a kickoff meeting? Select all that apply.
- Take your own thorough notes.
- Share the agenda. ✅
- Follow up after the meeting. ✅
- Set the right time. ✅
Explanation:
Sharing the agenda ensures that participants are informed and prepared. Setting the right time allows all stakeholders to attend and engage effectively. Following up after the meeting helps clarify any ambiguities and ensures alignment on next steps. While taking notes is important, assigning a note-taker rather than leading the meeting and taking notes simultaneously is usually more efficient.
Activity: Use a WBS to create milestones and project tasks - Part 2
Practice Quiz
9. How do your WBS diagram and spreadsheet help you to develop and launch the Operations and Training program for Plant Pals?
- Let customers know what to expect from the new service
- Lay out the project’s costs in detail, so you don’t exceed your budget
- Clarify the tasks the team needs to accomplish to achieve project milestones ✅
- Help you recruit team members with the right skills for the project
Explanation:
A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) diagram and its accompanying spreadsheet are tools used to break down a project into smaller, manageable tasks. These tools help to clearly define the tasks, assign responsibilities, and monitor progress to ensure that milestones are achieved. They are less focused on budgeting or recruiting, which are handled separately.
10. Which team member did you assign to own the task, “supervise vendor installation of fulfillment equipment”?
- The HR Specialist
- The Training Manager
- The Fulfillment Director ✅
- The Financial Analyst
Explanation:
The task of supervising vendor installation of fulfillment equipment falls under the responsibilities of the Fulfillment Director, as this role typically involves overseeing logistical and operational aspects related to fulfillment processes.
11. Which team member did you assign to own the task, “train employees to use the software and equipment”?
- The HR Specialist
- The Training Manager ✅
- The Quality Assurance Tester
- The Fulfillment Director
Explanation:
The Training Manager is responsible for educating employees and ensuring they are well-prepared to use new tools or systems effectively. This role is explicitly geared toward training and development within the team.
12. Which of the following additional tasks are appropriate for the “establish a plant delivery and logistics plan” milestone? Select all that apply.
- Hire warehouse employees to pack shipments ✅
- Set customer service protocols
- Source a vendor for additional types of plants
- Purchase delivery trucks ✅
Explanation:
The milestone “establish a plant delivery and logistics plan” focuses on logistics and fulfillment processes. Hiring warehouse employees and purchasing delivery trucks are directly related to creating a functional delivery and logistics plan. Setting customer service protocols and sourcing additional plant vendors, while important, do not fall directly under logistics planning for delivery.
Module 1 Challenge
Graded Quiz
13. Fill in the blank: _____ is the method where a project manager reviews all individual tasks and rolls the tasks into manageable chunks that lead to a milestone.
- Team scheduling
- Bottom-up scheduling ✅
- Top-down scheduling
- Goal scheduling
14. Fill in the blank: _____ is the method where a project manager reviews all individual tasks and rolls the tasks into manageable chunks that lead to a milestone.
- Risk management ✅
- Budgets ✅
- Customer feedback
- Schedules ✅
15. What four items do stakeholders need to approve before the planning phase can begin
- Project charter ✅
- Project deliverables ✅
- Project name
- Project goals ✅
- Project scope ✅
16. Suppose as a project manager, you notice that a new government regulation may add additional tasks to the project. You bring your concern about this new regulation to the stakeholders for a discussion on how to mitigate its impacts. What component of the planning phase does this situation represent?
- Schedule
- Budget
- Task management
- Risk management ✅
17. Suppose that as a project manager, you’re running a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, you give examples of tasks that you consider part of the project, and tasks you consider not part of the project. What agenda section does this represent?
- Roles
- Background
- Questions
Goals and scope ✅
18. Suppose as a project manager, you’re running a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, you present the shared project tools and documents. You also tell the team they will communicate through a team chatroom and will receive daily email updates. What agenda item does this represent?
- Scope
- Intended outcome
- Collabration ✅
- Project purpose
19. Which of the following would you consider a project milestone?
- Project manager reviews mock-ups
- Web designer creates a proposal
- Client approves website design ✅
- Web designer implements feedback
20. Suppose that as a project manager you had a goal of publishing a report. Which of the following would you consider the milestone for this goal?
- Draft sections of the report
- Interview a writer
- Complete first draft of report ✅
- Conduct research
21. As a project manager, what is your first step when setting milestones?
- Consider the needs of your stakeholders
- Review the project as a whole ✅
- Assign deadlines
- Have a team meeting
22. When assigning tasks to team members, what two factors should you mainly consider?
- Project timeline ✅
- Task interest
- Task novelty
- Overall workload ✅
23. Generally, how long should a kick-off meeting last?
- About one hour ✅
- Less than 20 minutes
- One full work day
- Two-hours, and extend if attendees have questions
Explanation:
Kick-off meetings are intended to set expectations, introduce the team, and outline goals. An hour is typically sufficient to cover the agenda without overburdening attendees.
24. Which of the following are important to understand during the planning phase? Select all that apply.
- Customer feedback
- Schedules ✅
- Risk management ✅
- Budgets ✅
25. As a project manager, you think about where your budget might exceed estimates and how the project might get off track. Which project planning component are you implementing?
- Project schedule
- Risk management plan ✅
- Risk reviews
- Project budget plan
26. You review the tasks for the project and set dates to begin the project, site launch, and gather user feedback. Which of the following components of the planning phase does this update?
- Task management
- Risk management
- Schedule ✅
- Budget
27. Which of the following would be considered tasks for opening a new cafe? Select all that apply.
- Host a grand opening
- Create marketing content ✅
- Research new locations ✅
- Create a new staff team
- Research equipment ✅
28. What are the benefits of setting milestones? Select all that apply.
- Breaking down information into milestones gives you a better idea of the amount of work that needs to be done. ✅
- Setting milestones encourages you to take time away from the project for new ideas.
- Setting milestones helps you keep your project on track with clear deadlines for when to complete deliverables. ✅
- Setting milestones helps you to figure out if you need to adjust your scope, timelines, or resources to meet your goals. ✅
Explanation:
Milestones act as checkpoints, making it easier to manage scope, deadlines, and resources while tracking progress.
29. Project managers should follow which three best practices when assigning tasks to complete milestones? Select all that apply.
- Assign deadlines to tasks, but not milestones.
- Balance the workload of tasks between teammates. ✅
- Add an assignee and due date to each task. ✅
- Consider teammates’ familiarity with the tasks. ✅
30. What are the benefits of making a work breakdown structure (WBS)? Select all that apply.
- You have a visualization tool that assists in assigning tasks. ✅
- You can get a sense of each stakeholder’s workload.
- You can assign tasks to two or more team members.
- You and your teammates can easily identify the tasks you assigned to each milestone. ✅
31. When creating a work breakdown structure (WBS), a project manager should focus on _____ rather than actions.
- timeline
- teammate strengths
- stakeholder needs
- deliverables ✅
32. In the project planning phase, you create a timeline that includes the start and end date, as well as dates for events in between. What is this timeline called?
- Time management assessment
- Schedule ✅
- Staging document
- Calendar
33. As a project manager, you try to take all the right steps to prepare for the project. What steps should you take? Select all that apply.
- Understand the work the team needs to do to achieve their goals. ✅
- Identify and prepare for risks that could impact the project. ✅
- Form the project plan with the team so they have a shared understanding of the project. ✅
- Coordinate the current budget to match other project budgets.
34. As a project manager, you facilitate a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, you introduce the shared vision of the project and why it matters. Where on the agenda should this be?
- Roles
- Background ✅
- Goals and scope
- Questions
35. As a project manager, you facilitate a kick-off meeting. What is a step you can take to ensure all the details are stated in your notes?
- Ask team members to repeat parts of what you missed in your notes.
- Ask a team member to take notes on key points and action items. ✅
- Take notes to the best of your ability and capture what you can in the summary.
- Ask team members to speak more slowly so you can write down all notes.
36. Fill in the blank: Reaching a project milestone is an important point within the project schedule. It indicates progress and usually signifies the _____ of a deliverable or phase of the project.
- time
- scope
- completion ✅
- goals
37. What steps should you take to set proper deadlines for your milestones?
- Assign as many tasks as you can for each milestone to impress stakeholders.
- Schedule deadlines for the milestones to account for the budget.
- Connect with teammates to discuss the tasks required for the milestone. ✅
- Assign milestones to be completed in week-long increments.
Explanation:
Engaging with teammates ensures deadlines are realistic and align with the work required to achieve the milestone.
38. You assign new tasks to team members. You have reviewed the project timeline for the milestones. What else should you consider when assigning tasks?
- Team member seniority
- Task interest
- Task novelty
- Overall workload ✅
39. Which of the following is a primary benefit of planning in project management?
- It allows stakeholders to pick and choose team members they want to work with.
- It helps the project manager understand the work needed to achieve the goal. ✅
- It helps team members decide the budget of the project.
- It allows stakeholders to add more features and tasks.
40. You are in the planning phase and need to track the start date with web designers, web developers, and vendors. What component contains this information?
- The project schedule ✅
- The project budget plan
- The time management plan
- The team reviews
41. You have assessed the risks and created a schedule for an upcoming project. What is the final component to consider in the planning phase of this project?
- Budget ✅
- Task management
- Team Building
- Celebration
42. Suppose that as a project manager, you’re running a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, you spend about ten minutes to set expectations for the team and the next steps they should take. What agenda item does this represent?
- What comes next ✅
- Roles
- Background
- Introductions
Explanation:
This item outlines the team’s immediate tasks, upcoming deliverables, and expected outcomes, helping set clear directions after the meeting.
43. Which of the following would be considered a project milestone?
- Deliver a first draft of a manuscript ✅
- Fix a bug recorded from user testing
- Schedule time with the team to review tasks
- Write a paragraph for project proposal
44. When creating milestones as a project manager, what should you avoid? Select all that apply.
- Setting too many milestones because you want to appear ambitious to stakeholders ✅
- Having no milestones because tasks are all you need to complete the project ✅
- Using milestones as tasks because milestones should represent big moments in time and tasks are how to get there ✅
- Managing your milestones in one project management tool to stay organized
45. What is the outcome of creating a successful work breakdown structure (WBS)?
- A resource for stakeholders to choose their favorite milestone
- A set of project tasks that ladder up to each of your milestones ✅
- A set of project milestones that ladder up to each of your tasks
- A resource for team members to choose which tasks they will work on
46. Which of the following would be considered a project milestone?
- Write the initial introduction to the proposal
- Host an event for the product launch ✅
- Hire a writer to create content
- Research a location to host an event
47. What different components make up a work breakdown structure (WBS)?
- List of details on a project with team member feedback
- Milestones and tasks for the project organized in a hierarchy ✅
- One list of all the tasks to complete on a project
- A document of all the work assigned to team members along with stakeholders’ comments
Explanation:
A WBS visually breaks down the project into smaller components, showing the relationship between tasks, milestones, and deliverables in a structured format.
48. In the project planning phase, what type of meeting is the first meeting among the project team, stakeholders, and the project sponsor?
- A team reflection meeting
- A stakeholder approval meeting
- A milestone planning meeting
- A project kick-off meeting ✅
49. Fill in the blank: After the stakeholders assign the project manager, the goals of the project have to be approved, as well as the scope of the project and its _____.
- manager
- deliverables ✅
- vendors
- tools
50. What are the benefits of the project planning phase? Select all that apply.
- Keep teammates from communicating to avoid groupthink when brainstorming ideas.
- Identify and prepare for risks. ✅
- Understand the work the team needs to do to achieve their goals. ✅
- Coordinate efforts and timelines with other teams. ✅
Explanation:
The planning phase clarifies the scope of work, ensures alignment across teams, and prepares for potential risks, increasing the chances of success.
51. Suppose as a project manager, you’re running a kick-off meeting. You accurately define what work is and is not included in the project. What agenda item does this represent?
- Scope ✅
- Project purpose
- Roles
- Intended outcome
52. What are some consequences of missing a milestone in a project? Select all that apply.
- There can be a delay in the project schedule. ✅
- Team morale will increase because team members will be allowed to work more overtime hours.
- The number of tasks needed to achieve the milestone can increase.
- More resources may be needed to reach the deadline for the milestone. ✅
- The client could withhold payments due to the delay. ✅
53. In the project planning phase, you lay out higher-level milestones and break down the effort into project tasks. What type of methodology are you using?
- Bottom-up scheduling
- Top-down scheduling ✅
- Goal scheduling
- Team scheduling
54. Fill in the blank: During the planning phase of a project, you take steps that help you _____ to achieve your project goals.
- avoid stakeholder input
- depart from the current timeline
- analyze customer feedback
- understand the work you need to do ✅
55. During the project planning phase, which of the following occur?
- The client selects which vendors work on the project.
- The project manager creates the schedule, budget, and risk management plan. ✅
- The client reviews the project plans for approval.
- The project manager completes a plan, then puts it away until the project closing phase.
56. As a project manager, you facilitate a kick-off meeting. You introduce the target launch date and walk through the project milestones. Where on the agenda would this be?
- Collaboration
- Roles
- Goals and Scope ✅
- Questions
57. Imagine that you are a project manager trying to complete a website design. What activities might be tasks that must be accomplished to complete the project? Select all that apply.
- Create initial mock-ups of the website.
- Test the website for usability. ✅
- Implement feedback by the designer. ✅
- Host a check-in meeting with the team.
58. You have identified all milestones for a specific project. What is the next step in setting milestones?
- Execute the project.
- Set a new budget based on milestones created.
- Assign the deadlines. ✅
- Assign tasks to team members.
59. As a project manager, you facilitate a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, you introduce what work each person on the team is responsible for. Where on the agenda should this be?
- Roles ✅
- Introduction
- Background
- Questions
60. As a project manager, you notice that a new government regulation may add additional tasks to the project. You bring your concern about the new regulation to the stakeholders for a discussion on how to lessen its impacts. What component of the planning phase does this situation represent?
- Risk management ✅
- Budget
- Task management
- Schedule
61. As a project manager, you notice a specific milestone has a high number of tasks that may cause the team to miss a deadline. What is a reasonable course of action to adjust the milestone?
- Meet with stakeholders to present the milestone and adjust the scope and tasks. ✅
- Meet with all team members to decide who can take on more tasks.
- Adjust the deadline of the project deliverables before reviewing them with team members.
- Monitor the timeline closely during the execution phase of the project.
62. You create a work breakdown structure. One of the major milestones is securing a venue for a conference. There are smaller jobs that must be done to reach each milestone. What are the smaller jobs known as?
- Roles and responsibilities
- Tasks and sub-tasks ✅
- Deliverables
- Checklist items
63. Before starting the planning phase, you complete the initiation phase. What steps do stakeholders or the clients take during the initiation phase?
- Stakeholders assign a project manager, review risk management tools, and approve the budget.
- Stakeholders assign a project manager, select the tools to manage the project, view meeting notes, and approve the budget.
- Stakeholders assign a project manager, approve goals, determine the scope and deliverables, and approve the project charter. ✅
- Stakeholders assign a project manager, determine the scope and deliverables, and select the team.
64. You are managing a project and notice a team member will be away during the execution phase. You bring your concern to the team and discuss adding extra resources to the project. Which of the following components of the planning phase does this update?
- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Risk management
- Task management
65. Which of the following would be considered a project milestone?
- Schedule time with the team to review tasks
- Fix a bug recorded from user testing
- Write a paragraph for project proposal
- Deliver a first draft of a manuscript ✅
Explanation:
Milestones represent significant progress points, such as delivering a draft, completing a phase, or achieving a key deliverable.
66. As a project manager in the planning phase, you have created a project schedule and accounted for the total costs. What is the third major planning component you will create?
- A feedback form
- A risk management plan ✅
- A work breakdown structure
- A team performance chart
Explanation:
A risk management plan identifies potential issues that could derail the project and outlines strategies to mitigate them. It’s essential to account for uncertainties during planning.
67. You are in the planning phase and need to track the cost of hiring a vendor and launching a new website. What component contains this information?
- The financial management plan
- The team reviews
- The project schedule
- The project budget ✅
Explanation:
The project budget contains all financial details, including vendor costs, resources, and other expenses related to the project.
68. Suppose as a project manager, you’re leading a kick-off meeting. One of the discussions is taking longer than expected. How do you get the meeting back on track?
- Tell specific team members they’ll have to wait until the next meeting to speak.
- Let the speaker finish and schedule another meeting without any discussions.
- Ask the speaker to finish their point and require everyone else to have a 60-second speaking limit.
- Remind attendees of the agenda and the meeting end time. ✅
Explanation:
Keeping the meeting on track requires reminding the team of the agenda and ensuring discussions stay within the allocated time.
Related contents:
Module 2: Building a project plan
Module 3: Managing budgeting and procurement
Module 4: Managing risks effectively
Module 5: Organizing communication and documentation
You might also like:
Course 1: Foundations of Project Management
Course 2: Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project
Course 4: Project Execution: Running the Project
Course 5: Agile Project Management
Course 6: Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World