AHIC Project Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Agile health IT project management, a 'sprint retrospective' is conducted to:
- Plan the next sprint's backlog
- Review completed features with stakeholders
- Reflect on team processes and identify improvements (Correct answer)
- Demonstrate working software to end users
Correct answer: Reflect on team processes and identify improvements
The sprint retrospective focuses internally on the team's process, collaboration, and ways to improve future sprints.
Question 2: A critical path in a health informatics project schedule represents:
- The most expensive sequence of tasks
- The longest sequence of dependent tasks determining project duration (Correct answer)
- Tasks assigned to the most critical resources
- Activities with the highest risk scores
Correct answer: The longest sequence of dependent tasks determining project duration
The critical path is the longest chain of dependent activities; any delay on it directly delays the project end date.
Question 3: Which stakeholder engagement strategy is most appropriate when a key physician champion has high interest but low power in an EHR rollout?
- Manage closely
- Monitor only
- Keep informed (Correct answer)
- Keep satisfied
Correct answer: Keep informed
Stakeholders with high interest but low power should be kept informed to maintain their engagement and advocacy without over-managing them.
Question 4: An informatics PM uses earned value analysis (EVA). If Planned Value (PV) = $200K and Earned Value (EV) = $150K, the Schedule Variance (SV) is:
- +$50K (ahead of schedule)
- -$50K (behind schedule) (Correct answer)
- $0 (on schedule)
- Cannot be determined without Actual Cost
Correct answer: -$50K (behind schedule)
SV = EV - PV = $150K - $200K = -$50K, indicating the project is behind schedule in terms of work accomplished.
Question 5: During an EHR implementation, end users resist the new system. The project manager should FIRST:
- Escalate to the executive sponsor
- Conduct a root cause analysis of the resistance (Correct answer)
- Proceed with go-live as planned
- Replace resistant team members
Correct answer: Conduct a root cause analysis of the resistance
Understanding the root cause of resistance—whether training gaps, workflow concerns, or cultural issues—guides the appropriate response strategy.
Question 6: In health IT projects, a 'lessons learned' session is BEST conducted:
- Only at project closure
- At regular intervals throughout the project and at closure (Correct answer)
- At the beginning of the project
- Only when problems occur
Correct answer: At regular intervals throughout the project and at closure
Lessons learned captured throughout the project allow for real-time improvements rather than only retrospective insights at the end.
Question 7: A project manager must balance the triple constraint. In a fixed-budget EHR project, if scope increases unexpectedly, the PM should consider adjusting:
- Budget only
- Schedule, quality, or both (Correct answer)
- Team size only
- Vendor contract terms only
Correct answer: Schedule, quality, or both
The triple constraint (scope, schedule, cost) means fixing one variable forces trade-offs in the others; increasing scope with fixed cost requires schedule or quality adjustments.
AHIC Project Management 3
In Agile health IT project management, a 'sprint retrospective' is conducted to: