Project Management
Planning, implementing, monitoring, and completing projects, ensuring effective management of scope, resources, time, cost, quality, risk and communications.
Level 1 Delivers well-defined components of a project
BEHAVIORS
- Explains project goals, participants' roles, and the importance of project management principles, such as time, cost and quality management.
- Participates in project support activities (e.g., gathers needed information).
- Participates, under supervision, with others in small and well-defined components of the project.
QUESTIONS
- Larger projects are often broken into more manageable parts. Tell us about a time when you participated in part of a larger project.
Probing Questions
* What was the larger project?
* What part were you involved in?
* What was your role? The roles of others?
* What did you accomplish that helped the larger project?
- Describe a project (or other kinds of tasks) for which you were required to provide support, such as research or gathering documentation or information.
Probing Questions
* What was the situation?
* What was your role?
* What tasks did you perform?
* Describe the outcome.
Level 2 Manages well-defined projects
BEHAVIORS
- Assumes personal responsibility for specific, straightforward components of larger projects.
- Takes personal responsibility, with guidance, for small, straightforward projects, involving coordination with others.
- Explains the importance of reporting quality information on the project.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you really needed to ensure that a project stayed on track.
Probing Questions
* What was the project?
* What difficulties did you encounter?
* How were these difficulties overcome?
* What methodologies/approaches did you use to monitor progress?
* What was the outcome?
- What tools and techniques have you used in order to effectively manage projects? Provide a specific example of a project in which you used these tools.
Probing Questions
* Describe the project and your role in it.
* What tools and techniques did you use?
* How did they assist you in managing the project?
* What was the outcome?
Level 3 Implements medium scale projects
BEHAVIORS
- Takes personal responsibility for a complete, multi-stage project in its own area.
- Identifies resources needed to complete the project.
- Develops a project plan, including, for example, timelines and inputs and outputs at various stages.
- Develops contingency plans to deal with potential roadblocks.
- Oversees implementation of the project plan, monitors progress, resource usage, and quality, making adjustments as needed.
- Allocates resources according to the project plan.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you were responsible for a project involving multiple stages.
Probing Questions
* Describe the project and the stages it entailed.
* Describe your project management approach or strategy.
* What were the challenges you encountered in managing the project?
* How did things turn out?
- Describe a time when you estimated and planned timelines and milestones in a multi-stage project.
Probing Questions
* Describe the project and your role in it.
* What estimating and planning strategies did you use?
* How accurate were your estimated timelines/milestones?
- Describe a time when you identified potential problems or roadblocks in managing a multi-stage project.
Probing Questions
* What were the project and your role in it?
* What were the problems or roadblocks that you identified?
* How did you plan to deal with these roadblocks?
* What was the outcome of your actions/decisions?
Level 4 Manages complex projects
BEHAVIORS
- Manages complex, multifaceted/ interrelated projects that span your own area or department boundaries.
- Determines resource requirements for multi-faceted or multi-stage projects.
- Applies recognized project management methodology to manage scope, resources, time, cost, quality, risk and communications.
QUESTIONS
- Describe a time when you managed interrelated and multi-faceted or multi-stage projects.
Probing Questions
* What were the projects and your role in managing them?
* What were the challenges that you encountered?
* How did you deal with these challenges?
* What were the results?
- How have you used your understanding of risk management to mitigate risk in a major project for which you were responsible?
Probing Questions
* What project was involved?
* Describe your approach to risk management in this project.
* How successful was your risk management approach?
* What was the outcome of your actions/decisions?
Level 5 Manages highly complex projects
BEHAVIORS
- Manages large, highly complex or strategic projects that impact the organization as a whole.
- Oversees diverse, multi-disciplinary teams.
- Engages diverse stakeholder groups to manage expectations.
QUESTIONS
- Describe a time when you were responsible for the management of a highly complex or strategic project that impacted the organization as a whole.
Probing Questions
* Describe the project and its complexities.
* What impact did this project have on the organization?
* How did you manage this project?
* What was the outcome of your management of this project?
- Can you tell me about a previous experience where you supervised teams for a complex project?
Probing Questions
* What was the project you were working on?
* What types of teams were you working with?
* How did you supervise these diverse teams?
* What did you do to ensure results?
* What was the outcome?