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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management provides members with the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge around competencies in project management. This competitive event consists of an objective test.
Event Overview
Division: Collegiate
Event Type: Individual
Event Category: Objective Test, 100-multiple choice questions (breakdown of question by competencies below)
Objective Test Time: 50 minutes
Career Cluster Framework Connection: Management & Entrepreneurship
NACE Competency Alignment: Career & Self-Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Professionalism, Technology
Items Competitor Must Provide: Sharpened Pencil, Computer, Conference-provided nametag, Photo identification, Attire that meets the Florida FBLA Dress Code.
Items FBLA Must Provide: Test login information link & password.
Knowledge Areas
• Project Definition
• Project Plan Development
• Effective Project Management
• Risk Management
• Project Time and Cost Estimates
• Project Team Management
• Progress and Performance Measurement and Evaluation
• Project Audit and Closure
• Project selection
• Resource Scheduling
Test questions are based on the knowledge areas and objectives outlined for this event. Detailed objectives can be found in the study guide included in these guidelines.
State
Eligibility
· FBLA membership dues are paid by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 1st of the current program year.
· Members must be registered for the SLC and pay the state conference registration fee in order to participate in competitive events.
· Members must stay within the official FBLA housing block of the official FBLA hotel to be eligible to compete.
· Each chapter may submit six students in this event.
· On the state level, each member can compete in up to three different events in the following combinations: three objective tests OR two objective tests and one performance OR two objective tests and one production or one objective test and two production OR one objective test, one performance, and one production. Students may enter the Christopher Heider, Rob Kelleher, Who’s Who event, and one Chapter event (Community Service, State of the Chapter) in addition to their above chosen events.
· Picture identification (physical or digital: driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification, or school-issued identification) matching the conference nametag is required when checking in for competitive events.
· If competitors are late for an objective test, they may be either disqualified or permitted to begin late with no extension of the time as scheduled.
· Participants must adhere to the Florida FBLA dress code established by the Florida Board of Directors or they will not be permitted to participate in the competitive event.
Recognition
· The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum number of winners for each competitive event is 4.
Event Administration
· This event is an objective test administered prior to the SLC.
· No reference or study materials may be brought to the testing site.
· No calculators may be brought into the testing site; online calculators will be provided through the testing software.
Scoring
· Ties are broken by comparing the correct number of answers to the last 10 questions on the test. If a tie remains, answers to the last 20 questions on the test will be reviewed to determine the winner. If a tie remains, the competitor who completed the test in a shorter amount of time will place higher.
· Results announced at the State Leadership Conference are considered official and will not be changed after the conclusion of the State Leadership Conference.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
· FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to determine eligibility and appropriate support.
Penalty Points
· Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Competitive Event Guidelines or the Honor Code.
Electronic Devices
· Unless approved as part of a documented accommodation, all cell phones, smartwatches, electronic devices, and headphones must be turned off and stored away before the competition begins. Visible devices during the event will be considered a violation of the FBLA Honor Code.
National
If competing at the National level, be sure to see the National guidelines at https://www.fbla.org/collegiate/competitive-events/
Study Guide: Knowledge Areas and Objectives
A. Project Definition
1. Define project management and the context of modern project management.
2. Describe how to manage projects throughout the five major process groups.
3. Define the characteristics of a project.
4. Explain the project management knowledge areas.
5. Define a project life cycle.
6. Identify and define project stakeholders.
7. Explain the responsibilities, skills, and characteristics of an effective project manager.
8. Explain the relationship between program requirements and program scope.
9. Define the roles of the project manager, the project team member, and effectively communicate with the project team, clients, and customer.
10. Explain the trends and the need for project management.
B. Project Plan Development
1. Identify project sponsors and other stakeholders.
2. Identify and explain planning aids.
3. Describe the major implementation activities, responsibilities, and project constraints.
4. Specify influences of organizational structures on project management.
5. Define the total scope of a project and create the detail scope statement.
6. Describe the components of the plan and the functions of a good project plan.
7. Apply the sequential steps of the project management framework.
8. Explain the importance and function of project management and apply the project process of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the project.
9. Produce a statement of work (SOW) and decompose overall project goals.
10. Develop a work breakdown structure (WBS), using established tools and techniques, to achieve stated project objectives.
11. Produce a task flow network, using established tools and techniques, and analyze the contingencies, interrelationships, and critical paths of the work elements.
12. Explain the proposal preparation process and create a project plan.
13. Describe contract administration policies and procedures including vendor selection, contract negotiation, and administration.
14. Produce a Gantt chart, using established tools and techniques, to schedule the completion of all work elements.
C. Effective Project Management
1. Discuss ways for managing the scope, time (including slack time), cost, quality relationship in project management.
2. Explain methods for assuring quality through quality planning.
3. Discuss ways for handling and avoiding project pitfalls.
4. Explain utilizing Project Management Maturity Models.
5. Develop the major chart types used for project management.
6. Apply basic project scope management techniques, including introductory configuration management techniques.
7. Define the execution of the project plan.
8. Explain key indicators essential to effective project management.
9. Discuss techniques for change management and control.
10. Execute the project, control the project objects and manage changes in project.
11. Explain the importance of monitoring and controlling.
12. Establish performance milestones including “go” and “no-go” decision points.
13. Define the elements of project integration management, project quality management, project procurement management, and project human resource management.
14. Restate the role that project management plays in organizations.
15. List the features of the project management process including strategic views of the project life cycle.
16. Analyze the approaches to managing a project’s strategic issues.
17. Describe contract administration policies and procedures.
18. Describe reviewing computerized project management tools.
D. Risk Management
1. Define the elements of project risk management and identify the risk management process.
2. Describe techniques for identifying and categorizing risks.
3. Contrast qualitative risk analysis and quantitative risk analysis.
4. Identify risk response strategies and develop a risk response plan including risk monitoring and control strategies.
5. Describe risk consequences and contingencies.
6. Develop a risk management strategy/plan for a project.
7. Analyze the risk management process cycle within a company.
8. Define the role of risk management in overall project management.
9. Identify risk management activities throughout the project life cycle.
10. List the short cuts of risk management.
E. Project Time and Cost Estimates
1. Classify different types of costs and explain common cost benefit analysis.
2. Discuss methods of project budgeting and prepare budget plans.
3. Conduct a cost estimate through analogous estimating, bottom-up estimating, parametric estimating, and computerized estimating tools.
4. Calculate Present Value, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payback Period, Benefit Cost Ratio, and Opportunity Cost.
5. Determine variable cost, fixed costs, direct costs and indirect costs.
6. Explain Project Life Cycle Costing.
7. List considerations when making project cost estimates.
8. Develop cost summaries for tracking project expenditures to budgeted costs.
9. Develop cost forecasts to proactively control future planned expenditures.
10. Determine the project break-even point.
11. Calculate the impact of change on project cost and performance.
12. Estimate the duration of the project through the use of CPM, PER, and Monte Carlo.
13. Develop a schedule management plan and schedule control.
14. Define the elements and apply project time management concepts to the final project.
15. Determine critical path, non-critical paths, and earliest start and finish times.
F. Project Team Management
1. Clarify team expectations and accountability by role.
2. Describe the process of setting team goals.
3. Define operating processes to perform project tasks.
4. List the process of reporting and rewarding progress.
5. Describe the process of assessing team performance.
6. Organize project teams using organizational breakdown structures.
7. Describe techniques for team building, resolving conflicts, and human resource constraints.
8. Define work to be done and discuss methods of subdivision.
9. Create the WBS and describe its uses.
10. Define the roles of the team members and the critical skills needed.
11. Explain the roles and responsibilities of project team members.
12. Explain the relationship between project managers and line managers, especially in terms of the division of responsibility and authority.
13. Identify sources of diversity, either corporate or ethnic, that impact project team effectiveness.
14. Assess the strategic issues facing a project team.
15. Describe how to build and work with cross-functional teams within a project.
G. Progress and Performance Measurement and Evaluation
1. Explain tracking with the plan-monitor-control cycle.
2. Explain the methodology for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.
3. Define earned value analysis and use earned value management (EVM) to evaluate project performance.
4. Explain controlling scope creep with change control systems.
5. Establish the use of baselines to monitor the progress of the project.
6. Explain the impacts of poor quality.
7. Describe the tools used for quality management planning and develop a quality management plan.
8. Describe quality control through Fishbone Diagram, Pareto Diagram, and Control Chart.
9. Prepare progress reports.
10. Define requirements to meet needs, including performance-based outcomes and setting performance standards.
11. Formulate the key features of the test and evaluation program, including modeling and simulation.
12. Describe how project management information systems (PMIS) are used to monitor, evaluate, and control planned cost and schedule performance.
13. Describe the procedure for conducting periodic project performance evaluation audits.
H. Project Audit and Closure
1. Explain how to audit projects with a structured process.
2. Describe a process to conclude a project.
3. Explain the purpose of a post-implementation evaluation.
4. Describe administrative closure vs. contractual closure.
5. Categorize project closure by project endings: integration, starvation, addition, or extinction.
6. Explain how project managers must communicate audit results to customers and management in order to manage expectations.
7. Describe how, as a result of project audits, project managers conduct trade-off analyses of project performances versus cost and schedule constraints.
8. Identify causes associated with project success and failure.
9. Specify ways in which a project can be terminated upon completion.
10. Describe the contract termination procedures.
11. Record lessons learned for future use and communication with other company projects.
I. Project Selection
1. Describe the content of requests for proposal and requests for quotation.
2. Define the elements and importance of the project charter.
3. Highlight methods for project selection identify project constraints.
4. List the advantages and disadvantages of contract type selection.
5. Assess a project’s potential profit and evaluate and rank project using a matrix.
6. Select relevant financial data for decision making.
7. Assess project portfolio risk using quantitative measures.
8. Define the scope of the final project selected.
J. Resource Scheduling
1. Describe personnel needs.
2. Discuss leveling resources.
3. Describe setting resource priorities and explain assigning resources to a project.
4. Explain the importance of the project schedule’s critical path.
5. Explain methods for developing a schedule.
6. Develop network diagrams (PERT, CPM, and PDM charts).
7. Calculate slack, crashing, and fast tracking a project.
8. Develop a schedule management plan.
9. Determine the sequence of activities.
10. Develop and document an integrated master schedule.
11. Analyze optimal labor utilization for cost effectiveness and schedule efficiency by using a resource-loading chart.
12. Explain types of scheduling diagrams and construct a project schedule.