Chartered IT Professional (CITP) Project and Programme Delivery Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Project and Programme Delivery deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. In MSP (Managing Successful Programmes), what is the difference between an output, an outcome and a benefit?

   Output = a deliverable produced by a project; outcome = the change resulting from using outputs; benefit = the measurable improvement perceived as advantageous by a stakeholder, arising from outcomes.

2. What is a benefits realisation plan?

   A document defining each expected benefit, its owner, baseline and target measures, dependencies, and the timeline and activities for realising and tracking benefits, usually extending beyond project closure.

3. What is a blueprint in programme management (MSP)?

   A model of the future (to-be) state of the organisation covering Processes, Organisation, Technology and Information (POTI), describing the target operating model the programme will deliver.

4. What is tranche-based delivery in a programme?

   Grouping programme work into tranches (blocks of projects) separated by end-of-tranche reviews, allowing benefits to be delivered incrementally and the programme to be reassessed and re-aligned at each boundary.

5. How does a portfolio differ from a programme?

   A portfolio is the total set of programmes, projects and operational work an organisation runs to meet strategic objectives; the components need not be related, whereas a programme's components are coordinated toward shared outcomes.

6. What are the two cycles in Management of Portfolios (MoP)?

   The portfolio definition cycle (understand, categorise, prioritise, balance, plan) and the portfolio delivery cycle (management control, benefits, financial, risk, stakeholder, organisational governance, resource management).

7. What is the purpose of portfolio prioritisation and balancing?

   Prioritisation ranks initiatives by strategic value and return so scarce resources fund the most valuable work; balancing ensures the mix is achievable across risk, timing, resource and category constraints.

8. What is a stage gate (gate review) in governance?

   A formal go/no-go decision point between lifecycle phases where progress, business case viability and readiness are reviewed before authorising further investment and work.

9. What is the difference between project governance and project management?

   Governance provides the oversight, accountability, decision framework and assurance (the 'rules and roles'); management is the day-to-day execution of the work within that framework.

10. In a PRINCE2 project board, name the three roles and their focus.

    Executive (business viability and value for money), Senior User (represents those who use the product / benefits), and Senior Supplier (represents those delivering the product / technical integrity).

11. What is the purpose of a business case and when is it reviewed?

    It justifies the project by setting out costs, benefits, risks and options to confirm continued business justification. It is created in initiation and reviewed at every stage/gate and at closure.

12. What is a RACI matrix?

    A responsibility assignment chart mapping tasks to roles as Responsible (does the work), Accountable (ultimately answerable, one per task), Consulted (two-way input), and Informed (one-way updates).

13. Why should there be exactly one 'Accountable' person per activity in RACI?

    To ensure a single, unambiguous point of ownership and decision authority; multiple accountables dilute accountability and cause conflict, while zero leaves the task without an owner.

14. What is a stakeholder, and how does a power/interest grid classify them?

    Anyone who can affect or is affected by the project. The grid plots power against interest into four groups: manage closely (high/high), keep satisfied (high power/low interest), keep informed (low power/high interest), monitor (low/low).

15. What is the difference between a communications plan and a stakeholder engagement plan?

    A communications plan defines what information goes to whom, when, how and by whom; an engagement plan additionally analyses current vs desired stakeholder attitudes and the actions to move them.

16. How many communication channels exist among n stakeholders, and what is the formula?

    $$\text{Channels} = \frac{n(n-1)}{2}$$ For example, 10 people have $\frac{10 \times 9}{2} = 45$ channels; channels grow rapidly with team size.

17. What is analogous (top-down) estimating?

    Estimating using the actual cost or duration of a similar past project, scaled for differences. It is fast and low-cost but less accurate, used early when little detail is available.

18. What is parametric estimating?

    Estimating by multiplying a measured unit rate by the quantity of work, e.g. cost per line of code or per square metre. It scales with project size and can be accurate when the parametric data is reliable.

19. Give the PERT three-point (beta) formula for expected duration.

    $$t_E = \frac{O + 4M + P}{6}$$ where O = optimistic, M = most likely, P = pessimistic. The 4× weighting on M reflects its higher likelihood.

20. How are the standard deviation and variance of a PERT activity estimated?

    $$\sigma = \frac{P - O}{6} \qquad \sigma^{2} = \left(\frac{P - O}{6}\right)^{2}$$ Path variance is the sum of activity variances along that path.

21. What is the difference between effort and duration in estimating?

    Effort is the total person-hours of work required; duration is the calendar time it takes, which depends on resource availability, parallelism and productivity. More resources can cut duration but not always effort.

22. What are lessons learned and why must they be captured throughout the project?

    Documented knowledge of what went well and badly, with recommendations, so future projects improve. Capturing continuously (not just at closure) prevents loss of detail and lets the current project adapt too.

23. What is a retrospective in agile, and how does it support continuous improvement?

    A regular team meeting at the end of each iteration to inspect how work went and agree concrete improvement actions for the next iteration, embedding incremental learning (inspect and adapt) into delivery.

24. What is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and its role in continuous improvement?

    Deming's iterative loop: Plan a change, Do (implement on a small scale), Check (measure results), Act (standardise or adjust). Repeating it drives ongoing, incremental process improvement (Kaizen).

What this deck covers

Project and Programme Delivery flashcards FAQ