How to Answer: During on-boarding at a new company, you find out that the project management office strictly adheres to a specific methodology. However, you think a different approach will fit your first project better. What do you do?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Scenario Based Project Manager job interview.
4. During on-boarding at a new company, you find out that the project management office strictly adheres to a specific methodology. However, you think a different approach will fit your first project better. What do you do?
How to Answer
This question is aimed to assess your negotiation skills. To effectively answer this, show that you can present facts to support your case. The interviewer will also expect you to outline a tangible plan to ensure clients or stakeholders that you have the project's best interest in mind. On the technical side, you're also being assessed on your knowledge of project management methodologies, so craft your answer with accurate terms.
Written by M Cheryl Harkins on September 5th, 2021
Answer Example
"This has happened to me before at XYZ where they only followed the waterfall method because they need budgeting to be predictable. I was assigned to manage the in-house development of a workforce management system. Because this was going to be their first development project for the company, I thought that it would be best to keep the process agile. Even though I was hired for my experience in software development, that doesn't mean that I can predict an exact timeline. I still needed to familiarize myself with the company's specific needs. So, I mocked up an agile workflow with regular budget reviews and presented it to the team. I included projected outcomes. Fortunately, I was able to convince everyone to run agile just for this project."
Written by M Cheryl Harkins on September 5th, 2021