Top 50 Project Manager Interview Questions

Introduction

• Presenter: Ryan from Invensis Learning.
• Session Goal: Prepare for project management interviews with top 50 questions.
• Job Outlook: Over 88 million project management roles by 2027.

Agenda

1. Project Manager's job role and responsibilities.
2. Interview questions.
3. Scenario-based questions.

Project Manager Job Role and Responsibilities

• Primary Roles: Planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing projects.
• Responsibilities:
  • Activity and resource planning.
  • Organizing and motivating a project team.
  • Controlling time management.
  • Cost estimating and budgeting.
  • Ensuring project requirements are understood and fulfilled.
  • Project risk management and issue tracking.
  • Monitoring project progress and managing reports.

Top 50 Interview Questions

Each section contains sample questions and detailed answers:

Basic Definitions

1. Ideal Project:

   • Combination of collaborative tasks.
   • No extra expenses, clear communication, well-understood requirements, and clear roles.
   • Finished within deadlines.

2. Project Plan:

   • Structured and systematic.
   • Analyzes full project lifecycle.
   • Steps: Define project, scope, quality, organize people, define resources, communications, and change management plans.

Detailed Considerations

3. Factors in a Project Plan:

   • Project estimation (scope, requirements, objectives).
   • Project team and schedule.
   • Project deliverables, dependencies, and changes.

4. Project Charter:

   • Document detailing the project: scope, goals, requirements, description, team, timeline.

5. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

   • Breaks down a complex project into smaller components.
   • Key points: include whole work, follow 8-80 rule, three levels of detail, focus on deliverables.

Stakeholders and Life Cycle

6. Identifying Stakeholders:

   • Anyone affected by or affecting the project.
   • Documented in stakeholder register.

7. Project Management Life Cycle Stages:

   • Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Control, Closure.

Task Prioritization

8. Prioritizing Tasks:
   • Consolidate tasks in a single source (e.g., Kanban board).
   • Approaches: Pareto Principle, Priority Matrix, Relative Prioritization, Most Important Tasks.

Methodologies and Tools

9. Critical Path Importance:

   • Longest stretch of dependent tasks; calculates timelines and float.

10. Knowledge Areas:

    • PMI PMBOK areas: Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, HR, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholders.

11. Choosing Methodology:

    • Factors: Team size, budget, flexibility, timeline, collaboration, scalability, risk, resources, resistance to change.

12. Project Management Tools:

    • Benefits: Improved planning, collaboration, risk management, productivity, remote work, progress tracking, cost management, resource allocation.

Risk Management

13. Creating Risk Management Plan:

    • Components: Risk analysis, evaluation, response, contingency plan, risk threshold, monitoring.

14. Risk Assessment:

    • Factors: Risk event, duration, probability, impact.
    • Steps: Identification, probability, impact assessment.

Roles and Performance

15. Project Manager vs. Program Manager:

    • Project Manager: Single project, specific objectives, smaller teams/budgets.
    • Program Manager: Multiple projects, strategic objectives, larger teams/budgets.

16. Creating Change Management Plan:

    • Steps: Identify reasons, define scope, automate processes, communication plan, roles and responsibilities, milestones, budget.

Failure and Conflict Resolution

17. Reasons for Project Failure:

    • Poor management, communication, documentation, team fear, lack of skills, warning sign oversight.

18. Handling Conflict:

    • Causes: Budget, miscommunication, trust, conflict of interest, ego.
    • Solutions: Authority, meetings, help, compromise, mediation.

Leadership and Team Management

19. Best Leadership Approach:

    • Styles: Visionary, Affiliative, Participative, Coaching, Pacesetting, Directive.
    • Skills: Composure, proactive, positive, problem-solving, communication, delegation.

20. Managing Underperforming Team Members:

    • Roadmap for improvement, clear expectations, regular feedback, support tools.

Quality and Issue Management

21. Gold Plating Awareness:

    • Avoid overworking on irrelevant tasks.
    • Establish clear communication, task approval.

22. Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders:

    • Clear goals communication, identification, precise communication, regular updates.

23. Kanban vs Scrum:

    • Scrum: Sprint-based, predefined roles.
    • Kanban: Continuous delivery, no predefined roles, pull system.

Project Conclusion and Tools

24. Closing a Project:

    • Deliverables transfer, verify completion, review documentation, celebrate team success.

25. Project Portfolio Management:

    • Types: Active, passive, discretionary, non-discretionary.
    • Aids in change management, ROI maintenance.

Budget and Dependencies

26. Creating Project Budget:

    • Steps: Breakdown, analyze items, add estimates, contingencies, approvals.

27. Ensuring Budget Control:

    • Comprehensive budget, highlight cuts, measure consequences, progress mapping.

28. Managing Dependencies:

    • Clear understanding, plan creation, analysis, validation via communication.

Milestones and WIP Limits

29. Using Milestones:

    • Mark significant events, track progress, event planning.

30. WIP Limits:

    • Prevent bottlenecking, reduce rework, missed deadlines, etc.

Bottleneck Solutions and Stand-Up Meetings

31. Dealing with Bottlenecks:

    • Detect early, add resources, WIP limits, process organization.

32. Advantages of Stand-Up Meetings:

    • Short, productive, increased team involvement, health benefits.

Resource Management and Issue Tracking

33. Creating Resource Breakdown Structure:

    • Analyze tasks, gather info, represent tree diagram.

34. Issue Management and Bug Tracking:

    • Benefits: Improved quality, reduced costs, early bug detection.

35. Types of Project Issues:

    • Goal clarity, communication, skills, accountability, scope creep, schedule management.

36. Effective Quality Assurance:

    • Define quality, update requirements, perform quality checks.

Scenario-based Questions

• Traffic drop root cause analysis:

  • Check Google Search Console, analytics, validate tracking, algorithm changes, link loss, referrals, site redesign issues.

• Managing overconfident team member:

  • Immediate feedback, patience, calmness, clear boundaries, constructive criticism.

• Handling ill team member before deliverable:

  • Use backup plans, buffer in capacity planning.