project management questions and answers pdf

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Can You Convert a PDF to a Word Doc?

The question: can you convert a PDF to a Microsoft Word doc file? The answer: absolutely. This conversion can be accomplished by a few different methods, but here’s one easy — and high-quality — method.

The PDF Defined

First off, what is a PDF? It’s a computer file type and the three letters are an acronym for “Portable Document Format.” That’s a pretty good description of what a PDF is and what it’s used for. PDFs were developed in the early 1990s by Adobe with the intention of creating a standard method for creating, opening, sharing and printing digitized documents. Opening and viewing the contents of a PDF is easy today. Some web browsers have the ability to open PDF files, or you might use a dedicated PDF viewer such as Adobe’s free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. What you can’t do with a web browser or Acrobat Reader DC however is convert a PDF into another file format, like a Microsoft Word file. However, with a copy of some other software, this conversion is easy to do. Let’s explore how.

Open Adobe Acrobat DC and Your PDF

For this method, you’ll need a working copy of Adobe Acrobat DC (different from Acrobat Reader, which is merely a PDF viewer). Acrobat DC allows for the editing of PDFs as well as viewing. Once you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat DC, converting a PDF to a Word file is simple.

First off, launch Adobe Acrobat DC.

Click File, and then choose Open.

Use Windows Explorer to locate the PDF file that you wish to convert.

Select the candidate PDF file, and click Open.

(Optionally, you could simple navigate to the candidate PDF first in Windows Explorer, and then double-click it to both launch Adobe Acrobat DC and open the file.)

Choose a Conversion Process

Before you can convert the PDF, you’ll need to choose what type of Microsoft Word document you’d like. From the File menu, choose Export To. From the many available options, choose Microsoft Word. From that menu, there are two options offered: Word Document, or Word 97-2003 Document. For most uses, the Word Document choice will work, as this converts the PDF into a modern “.docx” file. The Word 97-2003 Document choice converts the PDF into the older “.doc” file type — sometimes useful for legacy purposes if you have a specific need for the older document file type.

Make the Conversion

Now you can actually convert the PDF. Enter a name for your new Word document, and choose Save. The computer may need a few moments to think before it finishes its work. When it’s done, you should have an editable, high-quality Microsoft Word document file based off of the contents of the original PDF.

Option 2: Using Microsoft Word

Here’s one other option that can work if you don’t have a copy of Adobe Acrobat DC, but do own Microsoft Word 2013 or higher. Open Microsoft Word first (that’s important), and then open the PDF file you’d like to convert. Microsoft Word will automatically make a copy of your PDF file (preserving the original) and perform a conversion process on the copy, resulting in a finished Word file. One possible downside to this method is that Microsoft Word may introduce minor inconsistencies into your new document; it works best on PDF files that contain mostly text.

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Project Management Questions And Answers Pdf

1. What do you believe more in, a Leader or a Manager and why? Answer:  This question is also more from agile mind-set where rather than managers, leaders are required and the team is self-organizing. It’s important to answer this question as honestly as possible because both the qualities are required for multiple scenarios. Leadership is required for Project Management as without that a manager can’t become a great mentor and role model for the team. At the same time, the manager is required to manage the project efficiently and has to make some tough decisions during the course of the project. Management

2. How do you deal with underperforming project team members? Answer:  If you are an experienced professional, you might have worked with a demotivated or underperforming colleague. The critical point for the project manager is, he or she has to motivate all project resources to produce the most out of their capacity. The project manager must motivate underperforming resources in a project.

This project manager interview question assesses your people management skills. This question will show how you motivate your underperforming resources.

Following is a sample answer for this question.

When I see an underperforming resource, first, I observe him whether it is a one-time issue or occurring frequently. Because, depending on daily life, each person can have fluctuating motivation level. If the project team member is underperforming for a couple of weeks, I invite him to a coffee break. First, I ask him how does he feel about the project, whether he is happy to work in the project. Then, I ask him whether there is anything demotivating him about the project, work or company. If there is a problem with the project, work or company, I will try to find the root cause of the problem and then I try to resolve the issue that is causing demotivation. In some cases, demotivation can be because of the problems in the daily life of the project team members. In that case, if the team member tells about the problem, I will do my best to help him.

A software developer in my banking project was performing very well. All of a sudden, I noticed a decent drop in his performance. After one week passed, I talked to him. I was thinking that he was demotivated because of the recent promotion and bonus announcements in the company. However, I learned that he just broke up with his long-lasting girlfriend. It was a personal issue, however, I tried my best to motivate him. I organized a couple of team lunches that all project team attends to change his mood. After two or three weeks, he was performing well again.

4. What are the techniques for doing “activity time” estimates? Answer:  The techniques are parametric estimates, three-point estimates, and analogous estimates.

These are some of the popular questions that are asked in project management interviews. Always be prepared to answer all types of questions — technical skills, interpersonal, leadership or methodology. If you are someone who has recently started your career in project management, you can always get certified to understand the industry-related terminology, skills, and methodologies.

5. Can you describe some of the projects that you handled in your previous job? Answer:  They don’t want the entire list. Pick some examples based on the following criteria:

How recently have you worked on it.rs ago)

Has it been successful

6. Describe all the steps involved from the time of project initiation to project completion? Answer:  The best answer to this question would be scenario-based. Sometimes, the interviewers themselves give a hypothetical project and ask you how you would handle it. For each stage phase the project follows, briefly mention the following: The main objective of that phase The key people involved Your role in each of those phases

7. Did your colleagues or your manager ever challenge your decisions? Answer:  Many people think that it’s better to say ‘no’ to this question and move on to the next. But, disagreements in projects are quite common. So, it is extremely unlikely nobody disagreed with your decisions (Especially, if you are a senior project manager). So, it’s better to say yes and go on to describe how you handled the situation. Show that you are a person who can take feedback constructively and can take everybody along with you in a collaborative manner.

8. What is a decision support system (DSS)? Answer:  A DSS is used vastly in enterprise applications, mainly MIS & ERP based systems. It provides automation and stability in the decision-making process of the organization. There are two types of DSS, structured and unstructured. DSS connects many flow charts in the organizational process. It can be formulated and built statistically or stochastically.

9. How do you keep your team members motivated? Answer:  One of the important roles of a leader is to keep the morale of the team members high. Show the interviewer that you are a team player and work collaboratively. Tell the interviewer that you would like your team members to look up to you for advice. Also, they should feel free to share their ideas and suggestions with you. Instead of imposing decisions, you allow the team members to contribute and make it a collective effort.

10. Do you think integrity is an essential quality of a project manager? Answer:  Of course, you have to say ‘yes’. Go on to describe why it is so. Any company wants an employee who shares the values and principles of the company. If you are in a responsible position such as a project manager, you are expected to show the way for others to follow. Earning the respect of your team members and the trust of your bosses can only happen when you are ethically upright.

11. What is a Fishbone diagram and when to use it? Answer:  Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram is a visualization tool to understand the potential causes of a problem to identify its root causes. It is used usually in brainstorming sessions so that the team’s conversation is focussed on the actual problem and not stray away towards only the symptoms.

12. Can you tell me an example of how you communicated a failure to your team, manager, and customer? Answer:  This project manager interview question will assess your risk management and communication management experience together. Bear in your mind that, failures, emergencies or critical points about a project must be communicated face to face. If face-to-face communication is not possible, then, you should choose a teleconference meeting or phone call.

Project Manager Interview The following can be a good sample answer for this project manager interview question.

We were working on an online learning portal project of an oil company. Deadline of the project was Feb 15, 2016. Although we completed our development tasks and internal tasks on time, the customer could not complete their acceptance test on time.

Executive management of the customer was pushing to deliver the project on time. However, since the customer could not complete their acceptance tests, it was risky.

First, I called my manager. I wish we could have spoken face-to-face but she was on a business trip at that time. I told her about the situation. She agreed with me to speak about the risk of the situation with the customer.

Then, I organized a meeting with the project team. I told the team that they did all they have to do. I added in the meeting that, we, as a project team, met our deadlines and objectives. However, the customer could not complete their acceptance tests on time. Therefore, we will be postponing the project launch for one month. This made some of the project team members upset because we were working hard to complete the project on time but the project was postponed because of a customer-sourced delay.

Finally, I organized a meeting with the executive management of the customer. During the meeting, I told to the project sponsor and executive managers of the customer that, customer acceptance tests are not complete yet. In addition, if we launch the project, we might face critical problems in the live environment and this can cause dissatisfaction and loss of reputation. At the end of the meeting, executive managers were agreed to wait until customer acceptance tests completion.

This answer shows that the project manager approaches failure communication in a systematic way. First, he reports to his manager. If his manager would not accept the situation or propose alternative ways with the project team and customer, he could have changed the approach to the team and customer respectively.

After getting the approval of the manager, he speaks with the team first and then communicates to the customer respectively.

13. What is the project goal? What is its significance? Answer:  Every project when it needs to be accomplished is generally divided into small phases or modules. Now each of these modules can be considered as a goal. Accomplishing a goal means a specific module which can be related to the development of a project has been completed. Thus a number of goals need to be accomplished to meet the final outcome of a project.

14. All leaders have to deal with conflict situations. Describe a recent disagreement you personally had to handle? Answer:  Leadership interview questions that explore how you handle conflict are looking at your ability to understand and respect different views. Demonstrate your ability to settle disputes by focusing on solving the problem taking into consideration the personalities involved. Show how you evaluate the viability of the different dispute resolution mechanisms available and are able to provide support and expertise to other people. Demonstrate how you are able to negotiate a compromise.

15. What do you mean by Work Breakdown structure? Answer:  It is nothing but an approach in which a project is a breakdown into the smaller modules. The primary aim is to pay equal attention to every aspect of a project. The team efforts can simply be enhanced with this and error-free outcomes can always be assured. It also makes sure of timely deliverables.

16. Is it necessary for tasks to be completed in a logical sequence? Answer:  This actually eliminates any form of confusion and at the same time, it makes sure of error elimination. It is actually not always necessary to accomplish them in a logical sequence. The tasks which are daunting can be first accomplished so that their impact on other tasks becomes clear. However, completing them in a sequence always make sure of favorable results.

17. What was the biggest or most challenging project you managed? Answer:  You have to be prepared for this project manager interview question. Because your answer to this question will show your limits about your experience. Note that, this question might come with additional questions asking about how many people there were in the team, who you were reporting to, and how many projects in total you were managing at the same time.

Before sitting in your project manager interview session, go through your experience. Choose the most challenging project that you were involved in.

Project Manager Interview The following can be a good answer to this project manager interview question.

The most challenging project I was involved was the Golden Gate Bridge Construction Program. I was managing the project of construction of the towers that will carry the bridge. There were three architects, six civil engineers and 47 construction workers in my team. In total, I managed 56 project team members during this project. The most challenging part of the project was meeting the deadlines. Because several other projects were dependent on my project. Any delay in my project was causing delays on the rest of the project. For instance, a one-day delay in my project was causing 200 hundred construction workers to wait for our work to be completed. And the cost of a one-day delay was around $80,000. This was causing a big pressure in executive management of the company and therefore it was a big challenge for me as well.

First highlighted part in this answer shows the size of the project team that this project manager-managed. Second highlighted part stresses the challenge of the project financially. Provide numbers, budgets, and statistics if you have any. These will make your answers stronger.

18. What values do you think a project manager should have? Answer:  Everybody has their own idea of values. However, it should focus on the job profile and associated with project management. 

19. What was the biggest challenge that you faced while working on a project? Answer:  ‘I didn’t have the right team’. ‘I don’t deal well with changes’. ‘My boss wasn’t very supportive’. These would be bad answers to give your future employer. As a project manager, you are expected to manage people and handle risks. So, don’t tell your interviewer that you fall short in those two areas. Give an example of a situation in which the challenge was due to the external factors. It can be about when the project was abruptly shelved or when the funding for it has been stopped. Don’t forget to mention how you handled the situation and what you learned from it.

20. What is the most challenging aspect of being a project manager? Answer:  While you can answer this question based on your understanding and past experiences, make sure that while answering this question you do not demonstrate your inability to deal with some of the most critical aspects of project management. Challenges can be empowering, so try to structure your answer around this.

21. What would you say is the most important skill of a Project Manager and why? Answer:  A Project Manager is responsible for planning and executing projects. Whilst they may not be working directly on the specific activities that create the end result, they work alongside the team to ensure that everything runs smoothly, on-time and the pre-agreed deliverables are met. They are also the first point of contact for any issues. This means that a Project Manager needs to master certain key skills, such as communication, teamwork, and  organization .

When preparing for upcoming project management interview questions, consider what you think is the most important skill and how you have demonstrated it in your career. You could also think about what the business you’re applying for is looking towards. Did they give any clues in the job description perhaps? Circle back to the original job ad if you have to.

22. How do you monitor and review the delegated responsibilities? Answer:  This is an extension of the question of how you ensure that your team members meet deadlines. Talk about clearly defining the responsibilities, arranging regular meetings, empowering the team members to approach if there are any concern and constant updates on the progress of the work.

23. What is your work style? Answer:  It is another question to check if you fit in with the company’s culture. It also indicates whether you are self-aware to communicate your work style. Though it sounds vague, this question provides an opportunity to show how you can be an asset to the  company . You could talk about your emphasis on speed and efficiency, how you like to work collaboratively, your way of communication, etc. Further, you can mention how you organize your day and how many hours you work.

24. How do you improve your knowledge regarding project management? Answer:  Companies want their employees to be fully invested in the jobs that they are applying for. There are many software tools coming up and many processes being invented regularly in the project management landscape. Hence, project managers need to continually upgrade their skills to be relevant. Basically, tell your interviewer about what you are doing to grow in your field. It could be certification courses you are taking or workshops/courses you are attending. Also, you can talk about your interactions with project managers and people in the field to stay up-to-date with the latest.

25. What is Effort Management in a project? Answer:  All the activities related to work in a project are measured by the efforts. It can also be defined as the proper allocation of time for resources to accomplish any task assigned to them. Communication, focus, motivation as well as self-discipline are the important factors to pay attention to. At the same time, it is necessary to record activities and pay attention to scheduling.

26. Did you face any problems with your co-workers in your previous company? Answer:  You might or you might not have faced issues with your former colleagues. But, if you mention that you did, don’t be too negative. You can discuss the problem. However, put your emphasis on what you did to resolve the problem. Give it a happy ending. You can also talk about what has been the learning and how you would handle a similar kind of people in the future. It shows your leadership skills.

27. How good are your communication skills? Answer:  Project managers need to have good communication skills. So, don’t be too honest and say that communication skills are your weakest area. The answer has to either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. But, don’t sound overconfident while saying so. If they ask for examples, be ready with two or three examples in different settings to justify your point.

28. What could be the key challenges that can declare their presence while managing a project? Answer:  Project Management is a vast duty and needs a lot of experience to closely monitor things and to pay attention to the same. A single error in the development can lead to the failure of an entire project. This can even impose a strict upper limit on all its functionality. In addition to this, some projects require integration of core languages which creates a lot of issues. Next big factor is the need for advanced skills to manage their sub-modules. Also, project management includes the use of the right skills at the right time.

29. What is Lean Management? Answer:  It aims to impose a limit on the wastage of time and efforts during project development. It makes sure that the development doesn’t face any issue due to any factor such as unavailability of resources, server downtime and so on.

30. Do you have any questions? Answer:  Most of the applicants will say ‘no’ to this answer. But, by asking questions you can stand out from the crowd. It also shows your interest in the company. Your questions can indicate that you want to know a little more about the job you applied for. Or, you can ask them some questions about the organization itself.

A project management interview need not be dreaded. The above sample project management interview questions and answers should help you face the interviewer confidently. However, there can’t be a single right answer for any of the questions. Use the answers as guiding tools but make sure you take into consideration your own experiences, background, strengths, and weaknesses while answering the PM interview questions. Good luck with your job hunt.

31. What is CMMI? Answer:  CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration. It is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements for effective process improvement.

32. What is Six Sigma and how is it important in project management? Answer:  Six Sigma is a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. It is a data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects. In order to achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. If applied effectively, six sigma can approach can help finish a project on time, be reducing the risk of effects/failure.

33. Can you name the different modules of a project? Answer:  The very first one is the blueprint or deciding the design/features aspect of a project. Once finalized, it goes to the development phase where a team of developers leads by a technical lead pays special attention to its core development. Once designs it is tested to check if there is an issue with it or not. Actually, this assures its functionality. Once tested, it might be used in beta version and finally the full version is handed over to the concerned department.

34. How you will define project management? Answer:  It is actually the discipline or the conjunction of planning, initiating, controlling, as well as executing a team-work so that most desired outcomes can be achieved. As every project is different from the previous on handled by any organization in most of the cases, there is always a need to pay special attention to the concerned activities to make the project unique and best in every aspect.

35. How do you deal with changes to your project? Answer:  Changes and modifications are a part and parcel of most projects. An employer wants a project manager who is flexible and adaptable to changes. The best answer can be about how you actually put in place a change management process even before the changes occur. At the same time, showcase that you are not a person shy to say ‘no’ when you feel that a certain change is not suitable for the project.

36. What is a project scope statement? Answer:  It defines the scope of a project along with other useful information at the same time. It is basically developed when a project is in its initial phase. One of the primary aims is to make the other modules simpler and clear. A strong scope statement can also encourage the development and other teams engaged in a project to accomplish their assigned tasks in the best possible manner.

37. What are the factors that you will pay attention to about the resources while selecting your team? Answer:  Everyone in the team should be disciplined and co-ordinate with each other. Next factor is the right skills required for the timely development of a project. The experience of the team members plays a significant role in it. Selecting the team members that have specialization in that particular field can always lead to most favorable results for sure. Therefore paying attention to it would be good.

38. Why do you want to work with this company? Answer:  You need to go prepared for this interview question. If their working style suits yours, you can discuss it. If the job you are applying for is the next logical step for your current job, tell them that. Or, even something like you being attracted to their work culture or vision, can be a good response. Better yet, you can say how the job and the company align with your personal growth. This shows that you are looking for a long-term collaboration with the company.

39. What defines the role of a good project manager? Answer:  The very first thing is obviously the Leadership quality following by right attitude. A Project Manager is responsible for handling all the activities and modules related to a project. The manager should have advanced skills to help the team to avoid any problem, conflicts, and other issues. In addition to this, a project manager always motivates the team to get the best out of them.

40. Can you name a few modules of Planning in a Project Management? Answer:  The very first thing is to get formal approval to start the task. Next is to pay attention to budget development. After this, the next module could be developing the schedule followed by paying attention to the quality assurances. It is also necessary to estimate the number of resources required and if there is a need to have some special resources. Finally, the emphasis is to be made on Risk Planning.

provide a lot of useful information for the next project to b developed.

41. What are the objectives of monitoring and controlling? Answer:

1. Keeping a close eye on all the activities related to a project 2. Keeping a close eye on the project variables 3. Risk Management and addressing the efforts that went wrong due to any reason.

42. What are “Severity Levels” in a project? Answer:  In any project, problems can be of different levels and it is not always necessary that they can be addressed with similar efforts. There is always a need to understand the right strategies to eliminate them. For this purpose, they are assigned different levels based on their complexity and the efforts required for solving them. These levels are:

1. High 2. Medium 3. Low 4. Trivial

43. Do you believe in team development? Can you share instances where you did that for your teams? Answer:  Team development and team management skill along with mentoring and leadership for the success of a project are very important for good project management. This question is to understand if you believe in that. In this answer, you need to express the people management skills you have developed with few examples. You need to showcase your leadership, mentoring, conflict management as well as team grooming skills.

44. What do you understand by the Pareto (also known as 80/20 rule) principle/analysis? Answer:  It is a decision-making technique through which by doing 20% of the work you produce 80% of the desired result.

45. What is RAID in project management and why is it necessary to create a RAID log? Answer:  RAID is an acronym for Risk, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies. A RAID log is important for a project manager to track anything that would impact a project now or in the future.

46. Name the ten key knowledge areas as mentioned in the PMBOK Guide? Answer:  Integration Management, Scope Management, Time Management, Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resource Management, Communications Management, Risk Management, Procurement Management, and Stakeholder Management.

47. Do you have an international project team management experience? Answer:  If the company you applied for is a multinational company, the international project team management will be a critical evaluation factor. You might not have this experience. In this case, say no honestly.

This question might be followed by additional questions asking about how the experience was and whether you have any strange story about your international project team management experience.

The following can be a good answer for this project manager interview question.

I have managed a team of 15 project team members from five different nations. We were working in a natural gas implementation project in Brazil. There were natural gas engineers, environmental engineers and civil engineers in the project team. Five members were from Brazil, three members were from the UK, three members were from Spain, two members were from India and two members were from Qatar. It was a great experience to learn from different cultures when working with them.

It was the first time for me to work with project resources coming from a Muslim country, Qatar. While most of the project team members were having Monday syndrome, engineers from Qatar were performing better than other project team members on Mondays! After some time, I asked these engineers why they are more willing to work on Mondays. I learned that their official weekends are on Friday and Saturday. Therefore, Sunday is their first weekday. Therefore, they were performing better on Mondays in our project since it is the 2nd day of their workweek. It was a strange experience for me to see people better motivated on Mondays.

Project manager candidate answers the question with numbers through a real project he managed. Besides, he gives a strange experience he faced with his international project team management experience.

48. Describe one of the most challenging projects you’ve managed and explain what you learned from the experience? Answer:  When it comes to challenging project management interview questions, make sure you prepare for this interview question. Don’t simply pick the first example that comes to mind. Take some time to consider a few of the most challenging projects you’ve worked on and which ones you learned the most from. An interviewer is interested mostly in seeing how you dealt with a situation and how you turned a negative into a positive and ensured the project ended as a success.

These are just some project management interview questions that you could be asked at your next job interview. While this isn’t an exhaustive list of questions, it’s certainly a good starting point for your interview preparation.

49. How would you describe your communication style? Answer:  One of the most important skills of a Project Manager is communication. In your role, you’ll need to be able to communicate with lots of different stakeholders, such as your customers, team members, and business managers. Being a strong communicator can be the difference between a project being a complete success, or it missing its deadlines and deliverables.

Take some time to think about how you communicate. Ask your friends or colleagues if you’re unsure. For example, do you get straight to the point to avoid wasting time, do you have an “open door” policy, or are you assertive in your communications? Share some real-world examples of where you used this communication style and how it worked well for you, in that particular situation.

50. What is project delivery? Answer:  When the project is completed, it is simply transferred to the organization for the clients it is built for. The time of delivery of different projects is different and varies depending on a lot of features.

51. Why did you choose PMP Certification? Answer:  It demonstrates your knowledge and dedication to constantly and successfully be a project manager. It’s worth probing the skills of applicants. Find out the last project they handled with creative thinking.

52. What do you mean by project documentation? Answer:  It is actually a detailed report prepared before the execution of anything else or in the initial stage of the development process.

53. What are some of the projects that you handled in the previous job? Answer:  As an experienced professional, you are bound to have a portfolio, and this is the right time to share such a portfolio with the interviewer. Make sure that the portfolio you share is authentic as your previous portfolio will decide whether the interviewer will be interested in you or not.

54. What can be the objective of a project according to you? Answer:  It’s nothing but to come with an outcome which best meets the expectation of one and all and is unique in its own ways. It must reflect the objectives of the client for which it is developed.

55. What factors project management objectives can affect and how? Answer:  The biggest impact can be on the budget. It is quite true that the budget can be enhanced up to a great extent of the objectives are not paid attention to properly. Optimizing and allocating are the prime factors to consider at the same time as they can also be impacted by the project management objectives. In addition to this, the biggest factor that project management objectives can affect is decision making.

56. What kinds of projects interest you the most? Why? Answer:  The one word that you need to focus on for this pm interview question is ‘relevance’. Do your research about the company and the role you are applying for. Your answer to this should be about the kind of projects that the company can offer.

57. What is your current salary and compensation package? Answer:  Be honest when you are responding to this question. Note that, human resources departments of companies are very well aware of industry salary benchmarks. Therefore, they will be able to estimate your salary and compensation package.

If you say a salary that is too much above the benchmark, you can even lose the job opportunity. Because there will be a limit of what the company can pay for this position.

Briefly, tell what you earn and compensation package when this question is asked in your project manager interview.

58. What is your salary expectation? Answer:  This is one of the last questions that you will be asked in your project manager interview session. There is not a concrete answer to this question. However, the common practice is, aim to increase your salary by at least 20% in your next job.

Considering your current salary and compensation package, you should tell your expectations. You should not say a salary and compensation expectation that is too much above your current package.

59. When did you run into serious conflict and how you dealt it? Answer:  This gives an idea of how well you do your job. Having a strong focus and finding a solution to each problem means a great leader. The project manager does this all the time, so make good relation with people and don’t rule them before knowing anything about them.

60. How do you resolve conflicts in your projects? Answer:  Conflicts are inevitable in a project. A good project manager must be able to resolve conflicts without hampering the motivation and relationship in the project team. By its nature, conflicts seem to be resolved in favor of one side over another. However, with good communication and conflict resolution skills, you can resolve the conflicts in a win-win situation.

This project manager interview question assesses your conflict resolution and communication management skills.

The following can be a good sample answer to this question.

I experienced several conflicts arising in my projects during my career. The first thing to look when a conflict arises is the source of conflict. Conflicts can be between two project team members, between the team member and his lead, between two stakeholders, etc. After knowing the source of conflict, I look at the alternative solutions to resolve the conflict. The best option to resolve a conflict is collaborating where all parties are happy. Of course, I try to find a win-win situation first. If this is not possible, then, I try to analyze the pros and cons of different alternatives for resolving the conflict. I try to demonstrate the pros and cons of each resolution alternative analytically because numbers, figures, statistics, and mathematical approach is the best way to convince people for a solution. After showing the alternative solutions, I guide people to rethink about the conflict. I expect them to reach a consensus. If this is not possible again, I try to solve the conflict with democracy. For instance, if the cause of the conflict is a how-to solve a technical issue in a software project, I show the options to the project team and expect the software developers to vote for the best option to resolve the conflict.

Project manager candidate approaches to solve the conflict in a win-win situation. Then, he approaches to demonstrate different alternatives in a mathematical approach. This is great. Because, if you can describe a solution mathematically with statistics, numbers, figures, etc. you will eliminate most of the arguments about the topic. Then, he opens the conflict to voting. By this way, he ensures that the majority will decide what will be the solution. He is not forcing or directing on what needs to be done in the project.

61. What are the three words that describe you best? Answer:  This is actually a cliché interview question generally asked by human resources personnel. This shows hints about your personality and how your colleagues think about you in the work environment.

When answering this project manager interview question, try to remember your positive attitudes and what your colleagues say about your work behavior.

Project Manager Interview The following can be a good sample answer for this interview question.

The best three words that would describe me can be discipline, result-driven and analytical thinker.

My colleagues call me German. I am not a German you know it J. They tell that I am working in a very well disciplined, record every detail and approach in a systematic way to the problems in the project.

62. When I am working on a project or task, I always keep in mind that “what is the expected result? Answer:  Sometimes, if you forget what you are trying to achieve, you can deviate from your targets. Therefore, keeping in mind the expected results help me to focus on what needs to be done during the project.

I try to rationalize status, progress and alternative solutions to a problem. I do this by approaching analytically to a problem. For instance, I create dashboards for waiting issues, waiting time, assignee, etc in a project to monitor how well the project team is resolving issues. Similarly, I record the number of codes each developer produces a day to forecast remaining activities in the project.

Project manager candidate answers the three words that describe him best first. Then, he gives examples and justifications for each word.

63. Which one skill does a project manager need to succeed? Answer:  This question forces the candidates to decide one of the scores of skills needed of a project manager. This explains the experience and focuses on a project manager. Your greatest strength as a project manager should be your answer to this question.

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Project Management related Question & Answers

There are some companies that have built reputations for being able to consistently manage projects effectively. However, the vast majority of organizations have a more spotty reputation. The value proposition for project management starts with the proposition that it takes time and effort to proactively manage a project. This cost is more than made up for over the life of the project by: Completing projects more quickly and cheaply. One of the biggest benefits of using a common methodology is the value of reuse. Once the processes, procedures and templates are created, they can be used (perhaps with small modifications) on all projects in the future. This results in reduced project start-up time, a shorter learning curve for project team members and time savings from not having to reinvent processes and templates from scratch on each project. Being more predictable. One of the first benefits that should occur with good project management processes is that you will be more predictable. You will find that if you do a better job of planning you will better understand the work to be accomplished, and you will do a better job of estimating this work. Then as the project progresses you will do a better job of managing the work to hit your estimated schedule and budget. This ability to be predictable is crucial when your company is making business decisions about which projects to execute. You should strive to achieve a level of predictability of 80%. In other words, 80% of your projects will finish on-time and within budget. Saving effort and cost with proactive scope management. Many projects have difficulty managing scope, which results in additional effort and cost to the project. Having better project management processes will result in being able to manage scope more effectively. Better solution " fit " the first time through better planning. Many projects experience problems because there is a gap between what the client expects and what the project team delivers. Using a methodology results in better project planning, which gives the team and the sponsor an opportunity to make sure they are in agreement on the major deliverables produced by the project. Resolving problems more quickly. Some teams spend too much time and energy dealing with problems because they do not know how to resolve the problems. Having a proactive issues management process helps ensure that problems are resolved as quickly as possible. Resolving future risk before the problems occur. Project management includes processes to identify and manage risks. Sound risk management processes will result in potential problems being identified and managed before the problems actually occur. Communicating and managing expectations with customers, team members and stakeholders more effectively. Many problems on a project can be avoided with proactive and multifaceted communication. In addition, much of the conflict that does arise on a project is not the result of a

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Table of Contents

In a project manager interview, you will be asked questions that will test your knowledge of people skills, technical abilities, and response to specific scenarios. Senior executives and HR managers recognize project management as indispensable to business success. They know that skilled and credentialed project managers are among their most valuable resources.

The Project Management Institute reports in a survey that in the U.S., over $122 million gets wasted for every $1 billion invested due to poor project performance. When it comes to hiring certified project managers , things get a little tricky, and candidates are reviewed in several ways. Will the candidate fit into the culture of the organization? Will the candidate get along with other team members and lead them effectively? Will the candidate deliver on the project goals on time?

Getting through an interview successfully is both an art and a science. There are a lot of unknowns, but focusing on key areas or competencies and giving the right answers to the questions based on them in the interview helps you get selected. The video below will take you through some of the most popular questions that you may face in your Project Manager interviews. Here we discuss the list of most popular questions you can expect in an interview and how you can frame your answers.

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Most Popular Project Management Interview Questions

1. Tell us about your most successful project.

2. How do you define an ideal project? 

3. Define processes and process groups in a project management framework. 

4. When would you escalate an issue?

5. What’s the difference between project monitoring and controlling?

6. What are stakeholder analysis and Power-Interest Grid used for?

7. How do you monitor and review the delegated responsibilities?

8. What is a traceability matrix?

9. What are the steps for efficient risk planning?

10. What is the difference between risk impact and risk probability?

Project Management Interview Questions and Answers

Here are a few questions that you are likely to encounter in your interview as a project manager. Use this list for inspiration when preparing stories based on your past experiences. 

1. Tell us about yourself.

It is a common question that the interview usually starts with. The interviewer aims to summarize your journey and your primary skills to determine the follow-up questions and establish how well you might fit into the role. 

An excellent answer to this question would be to mention your present status, then go into the past with the companies you have worked for, at what positions, your strengths and the number of successful projects you have worked on. Do mention your years of experience; if you are a fresher, elaborate on your education. Finish the answer by mentioning your professional goals or what you hope to achieve at this job.

2. Can you briefly tell us about the last project you worked on?

The interviewer is looking for some aspects in your answer to place your seniority, determine the type of projects you have experience working on, your working style, the size of the team you handled and so on.

Start by mentioning the crucial points of the project. Ensure to include the team size, goal, deliverables and the approach used to complete it. Elaborate on the result by using some key statistics and metrics attained by the end of it. It is good to answer honestly and mention things that went well and anything you learned.

3. Tell us about an incident where something went wrong in your project while you were managing it.

Challenges often arise in projects. The interviewer's main aim here is to know the nature of the problem and how you dealt with it. They want to understand if you can work under pressure and your strategy to deal with unforeseen setbacks.

Describe the project, the problem, and why it went wrong. Follow this up with the solution that you were expected to execute. This is where you will elaborate on how you tackled the problem and mention how it solved it, the project's outcomes, and what you learned from it. 

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4. Tell us about your most successful project.

The recruiter wants to understand your definition of success through this question. While meeting the budget, deadlines, goals and deliverables are essential elements of success, it could also be incorporating change, tackling problems, adapting to change, and so on.

You can use this chance to elaborate on your strengths. While telling your success story, elaborate on your role and contributions, and acknowledge your team's efforts. Mention any critical factors that led to the success of the project.

5. Do you have any experience with budget management?

A specific question like this is aimed at understanding your skills. If you do not have any experience, it is best to be honest about it and share any budgeting experience you have from your personal life. Also, mention how good you are at picking up new skills.

If you do have professional budget management experience, it will be an added advantage to your candidature. Elaborate with specific project examples and outcomes. 

6. What is a project plan?

The interviewer wants to know your technical understanding of the different aspects of a project. Elaborate on the elements of a project plan that you know, such as milestones, team members and tasks. Then follow it up with how you have worked with it in the past, brief about its key features and how its implementation in your project led to a successful outcome.

7. How do you facilitate an environment of collaboration on your team?

Collaboration, teamwork and motivation are essential to achieve positive goals and fostering a supportive, positive work environment is essential. It is best to elaborate on this answer with an example from your past experience on how you facilitate good communication. Moreover, mention any strategies or techniques you use, such as team-building exercises, creating communication structures or starting meetings with icebreakers.

8. How do you define an ideal project? 

This question, being one of the most important project management interview questions, intends to know the type of projects you would like to take up. By answering this question honestly, you open up an opportunity to manage projects that excite you or those in which you can excel. Your answer should include multiple points such as whether you like to work as part of a team or alone, the kind of deadlines you prefer, whether you are interested in innovative and creative projects or not, and more. 

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9. Work from home has become the new normal in the post-COVID-19-world. How well are you prepared to manage a remote team?  

In the present world, project managers often choose their teams from a global workforce and are expected to manage teams remotely. You should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to work with team members virtually. It calls for a different management technique. Your answer to this project management interview question should clearly describe the project management methodology you may choose to manage people and resources in a remote environment. 

10. How do you determine the prioritization of tasks in any project?

A vital element of project management is the ability to prioritize tasks optimally. The interviewer seeks to know how you would prioritize tasks and why. They might also follow up with a question about your ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Frame the answer in a way that ties to the objectives and interests of the project. Explain the prioritization process using a combination of the project's goals, constraints, and stakeholders' needs. You could also mention setting deadlines, identifying critical path tasks, or balancing resources across multiple projects. To illustrate your approach, use examples from prior experiences or hypothetical scenarios.

11. What is the most desired skill that is required to become a successful project manager, according to your experience? Please give us a couple of examples regarding your past projects. 

If you are experienced in project management, you might probably know that there is no single skill that is enough for a successful career in the field. To be a successful project manager, you should possess multiple project management skills like leadership skills , communication skills , negotiation skills, and time management skills , to name a few. To answer this question promptly, you should be able to justify why you have chosen a particular skill. You can include a couple of examples to substantiate your answer. 

12. Tell us about the most challenging projects you have managed so far? What were the steps you have taken to tackle the challenges?

Here, the interview panel wants to know how you respond to critical challenges and deal with conflicting situations in a project. It would be best if you did not refer to examples where you had to manage tough team members or lack of support from management. As a project manager, you should be smart enough to handle such occurrences. Instead, focus on external factors like a situation where the project was unexpectedly called off, or funding was reduced in the middle of an extensive project. Also, you should explain how you tackled the challenges and managed the team during tough situations. 

13. Suppose the project has gone off the rails. What steps would you take to get it back on track?

Once you realize a project is not going as per the pre-planned time, budget, scope, or goals, the next top priority is to get it back on track. The project manager should be efficient enough to take the necessary steps to resolve the discrepancy between actual progress and planned progress. Your answer to this project management interview question may include re-adjusting resource management, finding the real cause of off-tracking, putting in extra effort, and more. 

14. Which was one of the biggest mistakes you have committed in your past projects? How has it impacted your approach to work? 

To err is human, they say. It is how you deal with the errors that define your skills. By asking this project management interview question, the interviewer intends to check your honesty and whether you take responsibility of mistakes you have made in your past projects. Rather than giving a ‘no’ for the answer, you can mention a couple of mistakes. Make sure you show that you take responsibility for the mistake as it is a way to reveal your maturity level. Also, you can explain how you had resolved it.

15. Can you tell us an example of a failed project? Have you had any such experiences? 

Success and failure are part of your career as a project manager . It is not wise to answer ‘no’ to this question as well. Instead, you can think of an event or phase in your previous projects where you have experienced failure. This project management interview question aims to check your experience in managing risk too. You need to include how you have handled the issue. 

16. Suppose the customer is not happy about the quality of the project outcomes. How do you handle the situation? What is your way of handling an unhappy stakeholder?

As a project manager, you will be answerable when the customers are unhappy about the project outcomes. While you answer this project management interview question, you should be able to reveal how much you value the customers and that you would accept their authority without being critical. You can say that you will try to make the necessary modifications that the customer is looking for. You can explain the steps you have taken to ensure regular interaction with the customer throughout the project. Also, you can say that you will communicate effectively to make the customer understand that the outcomes are within the scope of the project.  

17. What is your strategy to deal with internal conflicts among the team members? 

Here, the interviewer is trying to understand your mediation skills and how impartial you are while resolving conflicts. You can explain why there is a necessity to listen to both the parties and understand both perspectives. Your answer should include how you convince both the parties to come to a conclusion that works best for the project at hand and delivers a win-win situation. Also, it would help if you communicate how you ensure that both of them are not benefitting at the loss of the other.

18. Define processes and process groups in a project management framework. 

This project management interview question aims to understand your domain knowledge. In a project management framework, processes refer to the defined way of doing tasks for completing the project successfully. On the other hand, process groups are a collection of processes that are carried out at various stages during the project . Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Control, and Closing are the five process groups.   

Read more: What is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One

19. Can you explain the differences between risk and issues? What are the major types of risks that may be encountered in a project?

Risks refer to an uncertain event or situation in the future that would bring a negative or positive impact on the project goals. Issues apply to any event or situation that currently impacts the project objectives . In other words, risk focuses on future events while issues are more of present occurrences. Issues are often considered negative, say a team member suddenly resigns from the organization. Risks would be either positive or negative.

The following are the most common forms of project risks:

Market Risk, Schedule Risk, Cost Risk, Resource Risk, Performance Risk, Technology Risk, Governance Risk, Legal Risk, External Risk, Strategic Risk, Operational Risk are all factors to consider.

20. Explain the concept of RAID in project management.

As you know, RAID is a critical tool for any project manager. It stands for Risks, Actions, Issues, and Decisions. To define it, RAID is a tool used by project managers to track risks, actions, issues, and decisions in an organized way. While answering the project management interview question, you should include the definitions of these four concepts as well. 

21. What are the techniques you may use to define the scope of a project? 

With this question, the interview panel is trying to understand your knowledge in the concerned domain. You can explain these various concepts involved in defining the scope of the project that include – Product Breakdown, Requirement Analysis, Systems Engineering, Systems Analysis, Value Engineering, Value Analysis, and Alternatives Analysis. 

22. Describe the team forming process you follow in project management. 

A project manager should possess knowledge about the various stages that a team goes through during the project; hence, this is one of the common questions asked in interviews and exams on project management. Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning comprises the five development stages in team formation. While you answer this project management interview question, you should describe each of these steps with clarity of thought. 

23. What do you know about the triple constraint triangle of project management?

Any project has restrictions and hazards that must be handled to be successful in the end. Project managers should know that time, scope, and money are the three critical restrictions. These are sometimes known as the project management triangle or the three restrictions. 

This is yet another technical question in which the interviewer assesses your technical knowledge and how you use it in your day-to-day job. Explain the definition and how you would use it.

24. How will you avoid gold plating?

• To prevent gold plating, the top management should first stay away from anything above the requirements and scope baseline.
• Secondly, We need to look at the project's scope from the outside. An independent auditor or inspector can quickly detect gold plating by verifying the deliverables to the project's scope baseline.

25. When would you escalate an issue?

Consider escalating a problem at work if:

• The problem might cause a project delay or budget overrun.
• You've attempted to reach an agreement and establish a common ground with everyone concerned.
• You've previously tried and failed to solve the problem with various methods.
• You or other teammates are forced to take on a large quantity of extra work due to the problem.

26. What’s your leadership style?

There are several methods to lead, each with its benefits and drawbacks. When it comes to project management, it's impossible to avoid bringing up a leadership style . A project manager may have to choose how they lead depending on the project, from top-down to servant leadership. Examine their understanding of leadership approaches and apply them to project management.

27. What project management software do you prefer?

Most project managers depend largely on Gantt charts regarding project planning and scheduling. Award-winning online Gantt charts in ProjectManager allow project managers to plan every aspect of their projects. Managers may use one screen to build dependencies, set milestones, assign tasks, manage workload, and more. The capability of our planning tools would wow any general contractor you employ.

A project manager needs project management tools to plan, monitor, and report on a project. There are several options, ranging from simple to sophisticated. This question exposes, first and foremost, how current the candidate is with software and project management technologies. It also gives an overview of the tools and techniques they employ to manage a project.

Related learning: What is Trello and How To Use It ?

Related learning: What Is Asana Project Management Tool & How Does It Work ?

28. What’s the difference between project monitoring and controlling?

Monitoring entails identifying discrepancies between actual project results and the project baseline, whereas Controlling entails identifying repair options for deviations and recommending corrective actions.

Both project monitoring and control are used to keep projects on track and carried out from start to finish. These procedures must be planned as part of the project management strategy for the project life cycle to go well.

29. How will you implement Earned Value Management? What is EVM and its use?

EVM is a practical approach for statistically determining project discrepancies and performance to aid the team in forecasting and planning appropriate preventative steps for dealing with variations. EVM is a project management approach that uses a schedule and cost performance index to calculate schedule and cost variances. It aids in the development of new project performance and cost estimates. 

A PM should use EVM by keeping a project schedule that lists all of the project activities and their start/end dates and budget. This timeline will serve as a benchmark against which the project's progress will be measured.

30. What is stakeholder analysis and Power-Interest Grid used for?

Stakeholder analysis involves compiling a list of all potential stakeholders who will be involved in some manner with the project. 

A power-interest grid aids in the classification of stakeholders based on their relevance and influence. These two aids in developing all-important stakeholder engagement strategies for diverse groups by outlining the positions of the project's stakeholders. 

31. What is the difference between Program, Project, and Portfolio?

• A program is a sequence of interconnected initiatives handled as a unit. It is transient, just like a project, but it lasts longer. The program adheres to high-level plans that are supplemented by numerous specific plans.
• A project is an attempt to develop a one-of-a-kind solution or product. It is transient and has a solid start and endpoint. The emphasis is on precise delivery.
• A portfolio is a vast collection of projects and operations handled by a single group to achieve a strategic aim. It is permanent and integrated with strategic planning, unlike projects and programs. 

32. Explain Ishikawa/ Fishbone diagrams.

A root cause analysis for a specific problem is performed using an Ishikawa or Fishbone diagram. The essential advantage of this tool is its clear depiction and effectiveness in studying complicated issues with hidden elements. This enables the project manager to go beyond the symptoms and treat the root problems.

33. What is the process of calculating the three-point estimating method?

The three-point estimate can be calculated in two different ways:

• PERT Distribution E = (P+4M+O)/6 
• Triangular Distribution E = (P+M+O)/3 Beta

Where P denotes pessimist, O is optimist, and M denotes most likely.

34. What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBD)?

The Work Breakdown Structure is used to identify the project's core work activities and the different sub-activities that may be required to complete each activity. With a top-down or bottom-up approach, WBD's structure follows a hierarchical pattern, with core activities split off into sub-activities housed under each parent.

35. What is the Pareto principle analysis?

The 80/20 principle is another name for the Pareto principle. The efforts of 20% of the people produce 80% of the results. This approach aids in the prioritization of activities based on their significance rather than their urgency.

36. What are the motivation theories and formal techniques to keep a team motivated?

A project manager must keep the entire team motivated all of the time. The following motivation theories are helpful for project success:

• McGregor's Hypothesis
• McClelland's Hypothesis
• Maslow's Theory of Motivation
• Theory of Hertzberg
• Vroom's Prediction Theory

Project Management Interview Questions On Domain Knowledge 

A good project manager should have 2 features—experience, as well as an in-depth understanding of project management theories. While one without the other hinders performance, to be the ideal project manager, you must have a solid foundation in project management principles. The following question is often asked by interviewers to test the candidate’s domain knowledge and skills:

37. What are the three key challenges for our industry today, and how can these be tackled effectively?

This question will test your knowledge about the project management industry. Not only should you describe three relevant challenges, but possible solutions as well. Good examples can include challenges you’ve had personal experience with, along with effective solutions that you’ve used. Think about the top challenges of the industry in which the organization operates. Your response will reveal your understanding of the industry, the market, current challenges, and possible solutions. This knowledge is critical to the success of any project manager, as you will be tackling these challenges inside the organization if you get hired.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Clear Communication

One of the essential skills for project managers is communication. Without this, everything else fails. Communication is the life and blood of any project. It is claimed at PMI® Research Conference that about 90 percent of a project manager’s time is spent communicating. In today's siloed organizations, communication happens between various groups and levels, including internal as well as external groups of stakeholders . Here are two communication-related questions asked to candidates:

38. What were the communication challenges on your last project?

As a project manager, you’ll need to communicate with your team for all projects effectively. Communication challenges will arise; nobody expects that this won’t happen. What the interviewer wants to see, however, is how you’ve handled these challenges in the past. It needs to be evident that even with communication issues, you were still able to work with your team effectively. For example, perhaps instead of being able to have face-to-face meetings when necessary, you were able to put together webchat meetings. Think of a time when something like this happened and how you dealt with the communication challenges efficiently to ensure that the project outcome was still a good one.

39. What is your communication style with your team?

If your interviewer asks this, you’ll want to assure him or her that you are an effective communicator who motivates others on your team. Not only should good project managers be encouraging when delegating to their team, but they should also be clear in their expectations. Make sure you point out that you understand the significance of being an effective communicator as a project manager. While the first question helps the interviewer assess how effectively you can handle communication in challenging situations, the second question helps understand how you engage with others, whether you demonstrate good sense and judgment, and are able to use language effectively.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Consistency and Integrity

Honesty and trustworthiness are of utmost importance in the world of business. Project managers manage critical responsibilities and resources such as material, money, and human resources. They also represent the organization to employees, customers, and vendors. They are role models for their team members. Any lack of consistency and integrity can cost the organization a lot more than money. Therefore, the key questions asked to the candidate will be:

40. How do you communicate bad news?

It’s likely you’ve had to deliver bad news in the past as a project manager, and your interviewer wants to see how, exactly, you go about doing so. They want to see that you’re considerate and upfront with everyone, that you have all of the facts first, and that you’ve thought about how this news will impact all of your team members—not just the person you’re delivering the bad news to directly.

41. How have you handled disgruntled employees?

The interviewer wants to see that you’re a critical thinker and an effective problem solver. Even if you don’t have a specific example to talk about, explain that you always care about your team members and would want to uncover the root of the problem, and find out why, exactly, they’re unhappy. While it may not be possible to please every disgruntled employee, the interviewer just wants to see that you would make an effort to rectify the situation and be professional about everything.

42. What are some examples of times you’ve kept your promise even when that might have been difficult?

Think about a time when you reluctantly agreed to a challenging request, because as a project manager, you’re expected to make things happen. Explain to the interviewer how you managed to juggle your tasks and effectively manage your time to ensure that you would be able to follow through with an ambiguous promise. Even though you may have had a lot on your plate, interviewers want to hear specific examples that show you were still successful in accommodating additional requests.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Customer Orientation

Project managers are responsible for understanding the need of the customer and responding in a timely, efficient manner in ways that meet customer expectations. They are also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and gaining the trust and respect of customers. Here are a few questions that are usually asked to gauge the candidate's customer orientation:

43. How do you ensure you and your team deliver or exceed customer expectations?

In a nutshell, the interviewer wants to see how, in detail, you’re able to succeed as a project manager. After all, meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations when it comes to project delivery is your ultimate goal. It’s important not to be vague and give a generalized answer; you’ll want to give precise examples and details about your process.

44. What are some best practices you’ve used to develop excellent customer relationships?

Current clients make the best repeat customers, and it’s important to maintain excellent relationships, beyond just delivering them what they paid for. The person interviewing you wants to know you feel this way also, so as you explain the ways you’ve maintained excellent customer relationships, be sure to stress the importance of always having a very happy customer.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Developing Others

A project manager relies on the team to execute activities to achieve the desired results. It is crucial that a project manager can assess talent, contribute actively towards developing, mentor, and coach team members, and offer constructive feedback to them. Responses to the following questions will reveal if you are someone who can motivate the members of a team:

45. How do you go about managing the performance of your team?

It’s important to show that you have leadership skills when you answer this question. Be thorough about your daily tasks when it comes to managing your team’s performance—for example, perhaps you hold weekly strategy discussions and meetings. You’ll also want to provide specific examples of how your management style has resulted in positive team performance.

46. How do you motivate team members?

It’s crucial as a leader to not only ensure your team stays on the right track but also gets motivated about the projects they’re working on. Maybe you give praise for a job well done as a form of motivation. As long as you can demonstrate past examples of how you’ve motivated team members, there’s not a right or wrong answer here.

47. What are some of the tools and resources you’ve used to develop your team?

This is your chance to show your knowledge of some of the many different technologies that project managers use these days. Be sure to name any software programs, online tools, and other things that you’ve used to complete your daily tasks. Be sure also to explain that you are always open and eager to learn new tools or programs.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Effective Delegation

One of the key success factors for a project manager is effective delegation. How effectively can you get work done through others? The delegation must happen through empowerment without interference or loss of control. The following questions will determine if you are good at delegating:

48. What is your delegation style?

This is a question that is designed to ask about leadership skills. Explain what has been best for you and use examples of how your delegation style has worked well in the past. Even if you’ve never technically led a team before, it’s important to find an example of how you might’ve delegated in the past.

49. How easily do you delegate responsibility?

Easily delegating responsibility is an essential quality of any project manager. Be sure to discuss a relevant example that assures the interviewer that delegating responsibility comes naturally to you.

50. How do you monitor and review the delegated responsibilities?

As a project manager, it’s important to routinely stay on top of your team members’ tasks and responsibilities. Discuss how you do this with specific examples—whether it’s by scheduling brief meetings, using project management software , and so on.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Goal Focus

Being focused on goals is essential for project managers. You need a clear focus to succeed. It is important for candidates to demonstrate the ability to align resources to achieve key objectives, to plan and identify ways to improve and achieve greater efficiency and to monitor and fine-tune execution with agility, hard work, perseverance, and good judgment. Key questions asked in this area are:

51. What are your career and project goals for the next six months?

Be honest about any short-term project goals you have currently, as this shows the interviewer that you are enthusiastic about your projects and that you’re goal-oriented. When it comes to discussing your career goals, be sure to include the company you’re interviewing with as part of your goals. If you’re interviewing with a recruiter for job placement, you may not have a specific company in mind, and that’s okay—just be sure to be clear about what type of role you see yourself working in.

52. How do you set goals for your team? And how do you track these goals?

Whether it’s deadline goals or overall project goals, setting goals is an important part of being a project manager, as it motivates team members and helps to keep projects on track. Be sure to give specific examples that demonstrate how you’ve set goals for your team in the past and how you’ve tracked these goals. For instance, you might have set a project completion goal for a specific project that required everyone to complete their part by a certain date. Perhaps you regularly checked in with team members to see if any obstacles could stop them from meeting that deadline and if so, you offered possible solutions.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Managing Ambiguity and Risks

A project manager has to deal with uncertainty. It is important that you can identify and prioritize risks and take appropriate action in ambiguous situations. It is equally important to manage others’ concerns in changing environments. To assess competency in this area, the following scenario-based questions are often asked:

53. Describe two areas in your current project, where there is a high level of uncertainty. How do you tackle these uncertainties?

No project goes without a hitch, and people expect that. What your interviewer wants to see is how you handle anything that can result in a potential setback. An effective project manager should always have a few tricks up his or her sleeve.

54. How do you control changes to your project?

Some level of change is inevitable, but as a project manager, it’s important to adapt to those changes quickly. Explain to your interviewer how you continue to keep your team on track whenever any project changes pop up.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Prioritizing and Time Management

A project manager must tackle multiple tasks and issues. To be a successful project manager, you have to choose your battles wisely. Since resources are always limited, they need to be prioritized. Time is a valuable resource for the project because once lost; it cannot be recovered easily. As a result, Project time management is one of the key skills for any project manager. The following questions are asked to assess whether you are capable of taking up the responsibility for creating efficient ways to execute tasks:

55. How do you ensure that your project is always on track?

Your interviewer wants to understand your work process and see that you’re detail-oriented. Explain how you check in with your team throughout a project. For example, you may want to point out that you believe effective and regular communication is key to ensuring that a project stays on track.

56. What tools do you use as a manager to plan your activities as well as that of your team?

From meetings to project management programs and everything in between, there’s an endless list of tools and processes that project managers use to stay organized. Be sure to list as many tools as you can think of that you’re familiar with to demonstrate your knowledge of project management software and other tools.

Project Manager Interview Questions on Proactive Decision Making

A project manager needs to be able to identify and prevent issues from impacting the project adversely. It is important that the candidate demonstrates the ability to take proactive steps, avoid procrastination, and not shy away from making tough decisions. Thus, candidates are often asked to share examples and real-life scenarios from their projects and life where they made proactive decisions. Here are a few such questions:

57. Give a few examples of proactive decision-making in your past projects and your life in general.

It’s always important to take the initiative as a project manager, and your interviewer wants to see just how you do that. Think of specific project examples that included a lot of proactive decision-making, but don’t also be afraid to include examples that don’t include the workplace.

58. Can you give me a few examples of a time when you made a tough decision, and it backfired?

This question is a tough one for candidates to handle as it tells the interviewer how honest you are with yourself and compels you to talk about an instance when you failed. Your interviewer wants to see how you handle setbacks because no matter how good you are at your job, they will happen. Most importantly, they want to know what you learned from these experiences. When you give your examples, explain how you used those setbacks to improve as a project manager overall.

Miscellaneous Project Management Questions and Answers

59. how do you identify stakeholders.

You can identify stakeholders if they perform any of the following actions:

• Furnishing funds
• Supplying resources
• Being the end customers
• Supporting you
• Giving guidelines/regulations

60. Why do you need to know more about stakeholders?

Knowing about stakeholders will help you engage them. The project's success means fulfilling the stakeholders' objectives and expectations. So engaging will result in project success. 

61. What is a traceability matrix?

A requirement traceability matrix shows the relationship between requirements and other artifacts. It also documents document requirements, tests, test results, and issues. 

62. Is maintaining a requirement traceability matrix crucial?

The requirement traceability matrix tracks each requirement at every stage of the project development. It ensures that no phase closes before you fulfill the requirements. Additionally, you also avoid missing any essentials. 

63. What details should a project plan include?

The project prepares the project plan. It includes details about:

• Project execution
• Project monitoring
• Project completion

64. What are the steps for efficient risk planning?

Efficient risk planning minimizes threats and maximizes opportunities. The risk planning steps are:

• Discovering risks
• Analyzing potential risks
• Prioritizing risks
• Developing risk response
• Maintaining risk register

65. How will you tackle project execution?

Project managers can handle project execution by leading the team of project stakeholders, sponsors, and peers. They should demonstrate excellent communication and intrapersonal skills.

66. How should you deal with an underperforming team member?

You should deal with an underperforming team member as follows:

• Informal conversation
• Understand underlying cause
• possibility of role change
• Replace the underperforming resource

67. How to handle a difficult stakeholder?

To manage a difficult stakeholder:

• Identify and manage them closely
• Listen and understand what the stakeholders say
• Arrange a meeting with them
• Understand what motivates them
• Make them understand your point of view

68. What are the steps to consider when your project is off track?

If your project is off track, you can do the following:

• Review and assess the situation
• Understand the extent of the problem
• Develop and implement a plan of action
• Get help from a high-performance team

69. What are the project management methodologies in your project?

The top ten project management methodologies are:

• Waterfall Methodologies
• Agile Methodology
• Scrum Methodology
• Critical Path Method
• Kanban Method
• Extreme Programming
• Lean Methodology

70. What is the difference between risk impact and risk probability?

Risk Impact measures the extent of the damage in the event of a disaster. And Risk Probability tells the likelihood of the disaster. 

71. How can an individual manage a challenging project?

You can manage a challenging project by:

• Sticking to the plan
• Identifying the project scope, goals, stakeholders, and requirements
• Picking the right people for the team
• Managing time efficiently
• Seeking help when required
• Visualizing the result

72. What is the life cycle of a project?

A project’s life cycle includes:

• Initiating 

Wrapping Up!

The interview questions cover the most important project management skills and competencies that the candidate will not only be tested on during an interview but also will need to succeed as a project manager. Knowing the right answers alone isn’t enough. Simplilearn offers PMP® Certification Training programs that can help you acquire and build on these skills further, and prepare you to get beyond the interview and land the job!

PMBOK®, PMP®, and PMI® have registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

1) What are the 5 key roles as a project manager?

The key roles of a project manager include: 

• Project Planning Expert
• Team Leader and Motivator
• Risk Manager
• Stakeholder Manager
• Quality Assurance Enforcer

2) What are the 3 most important things for a project manager?

The important things for a project manager are: 

• Effective Communication
• Time and Resource Management
• Adaptability and Problem-Solving

3) What is a project process?

A project process is a systematic series of activities from project initiation to completion, including stages like initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure.

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Simplilearn is one of the world’s leading providers of online training for Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Data Science, IT, Software Development, and many other emerging technologies.

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Top PMP Exam Questions and Answers for 2023

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• PMP, PMI, PMBOK, CAPM, PgMP, PfMP, ACP, PBA, RMP, SP, and OPM3 are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.