Elance Time Management Test Answers
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Which activity would belong in the category of "not urgent, but important?"
Busywork
Planning
Interruptions
Crises
The ideal management strategy for decision making is:
Managing
the decision-making process, not individual decisions.
Managing individual decisions, not the decision-making process.
Trusting sub-ordinates to make the best decisions with no oversight.
Making all decisions one's self.
ABC analysis ranks each task on the basis of:
Importance
and urgency
Value only
Importance only
Importance and value
Top-tier talent will attempt to avoid assignments that are:
Not urgent
Not
important
Employees who spend most of their time on tasks that are urgent but not important will likely eventually experience:
Balance
A sense of control
Challenges
seeing the long-term picture
Vision
In the workplace, the relationship between time management and stress is:
indirect: one can impact the other, but it is not clear how.
direct:
challenges in one area will impact the other negatively, as well as the other
way around.
one-directional: poor time management can cause stress, not the other
way around.
one-directional: excellent time management can cause stress, but not the
other way around.
How might a creative manager deal with employee stress?
by redecorating that employee's work space as a surprise
an
unusual assignment that requires a change of scenery
by communicating less frequently
by leaving that employee alone until he or she recovers composure
When is the ideal time to submit an application to a job or project?
As close to the deadline as possible– this shows that all pains
have been taken to be sure the application is perfect.
Far
enough from the posting to show that time and attention have been invested in
the process; far enough from the deadline to show that things were not left
until the last minute.
Employers or managers take no note of such things.
As close to the posting time as possible– this shows enthusiasm and
preparedness.
What is the best course of action for an email received from a supervisor, whose subject line reads: 'notes from today's meeting'
File
Respond immediately
Delegate
Discard immediately
True or false? Procrastination is a better workplace trait than perfectionism.
True
False: Perfectionism is a better workplace trait than procrastination.
False:
both can impede progress in the workplace.
When working on a project that involves several or more colleagues, interruptions:
are
to be expected and should be accounted for in advance.
should be avoided at all costs.
should not occur often or at all, if the project is well-managed.
will inevitably undermine productivity.
In business, stress:
can
be positive when appropriately channeled.
can only improve performance.
can only undermine success.
has the power to be negative, but is largely positive.
Which activity would belong in the category of "urgent and important?"
Planning
Crises
Busywork
Interruptions
What benefit might be derived from delegating a task you could do well yourself to an employee who is not strong in that area?
To introduce that employee to a new area of knowledge while providing
expert oversight.
To spend your time on tasks which cannot be delegated.
(All
of these)
To observe that employee stretch and expand their skills in a low-risk
situation.
In business time-management, what does the acronym PAY stand for?
Priority Application of Yen
Priority Action Yardstick
Primary Attribution of Yield
Prioritize
Activities by Yield
The importance of saying "no" to a new task or responsibility is emphasized because:
it enables employees and managers to set their own priorities,
regardless of what their bosses suggest.
it allows managers to assert themselves in the face of executive
interference.
it
frees an employee from tasks that could distract from more important directives
or goals.
it contributes to employee empowerment and morale.
How much time should be spent on planning and scheduling, relative to taking action?
No more than 30 miniutes.
as
much as is necessary, until a workable plan has emerged.
No less than 5% of the total time allotted for the project.
As little as possible.
If one realizes that one has not budgeted enough time for an important task, a skilled manager should:
make sure that all employees stay late until the work is done.
take additional time to finish the task properly, immediately if at all
possible.
re-evaluate
the situation and adjust the schedule accordingly.
accept the setback, and hope that the missed deadline does not
compromise larger projects.
When deciding how to delegate tasks among your team, all of the following are important to consider EXCEPT:
The overall priority of the task at hand.
Strengths and weaknesses of individual team members.
How
interesting the task is to you personally.
The demands already placed on team members by other projects.
What is the accepted view of scheduling periods of 10-20 minutes in an otherwise busy work day, in which to do precisely nothing?
Generally
helpful to productivity and morale, so long as they are kept in moderation.
An unequivocal waste of time.
An absolute necessity in all situations.
Useful for low-level workers, but not for managers
Taking the time to come up with a contingency plan is:
a good idea for executives, but a waste of time for managers or
low-level employees.
a
good idea for all employees.
a waste of time for all employees.
The central principles of time management are based on maximizing all of the following EXCEPT:
efficiency
productivity
synergy
When delegating tasks, it is generally a good idea:
to
delegate tasks in which you are weak to team members who are strong in those
areas.
to delegate tasks which you would prefer not to do yourself.
to delegate less complex tasks.
te delegate more complex tasks.
If challenged on an individual task within the context of a larger, group project, one should:
press on without asking for outside help or feedback.
share the work with less-experienced, lower ranking personnel, insisting
on their help.
share
the work with a more experienced co-worker and ask for suggestions, provided
they have time to help.
share the work with all team members, regardless of restraints on their
time.
Employers are likely to evaluate new hires' time management skills based on which of the following?
Who arrives at least one hour prior to interviews.
By heaping massive amounts of work upon new hires upon their first day
of work.
How quickly a job application is submitted, as soon as the position is
posted: it is always best to be first.
(None
of these)
True or false? Only managers can be sure a meeting stays on schedule.
False
True
All of these would be an acceptable choice when faced with a new task EXCEPT:
defuse
it
deadline it
delegate it
do it
Classify the following task: watching a TV show you do not enjoy
non-urgent,
unimportant
urgent, important
urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, important
The best time to make a plan for a new task is:
mid-way through the process
towards the end of the process
before
starting
after one has begun, but before the mid-point
Employers are likely to evaluate new hires' time management skills based on which of the following?
When a job application is submitted relative to a deadline.
(All
of these)
Punctuality at interviews and phone appointments.
With tests and challenges during the hiring process (like this one!)
Classify the following task: dealing with an upset client or vendor
urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, important
urgent,
important
non-urgent, unimportant
Check lists and to-do lists are:
Two
excellent tools for all kinds time management.
A waste of valuable time.
Useful for individuals, but not for groups.
Worthy of several hours of attention each day.
When balancing multiple important tasks, what is generally the best strategy?
Focusing on two or three tasks at a time, but no fewer.
Focusing on two or three tasks at a time, but no more.
Focusing
on one task at a time, and changing focus when appropriate.
Focusing on all tasks at the same time.
On group projects, planning should be done:
on the group level only.
on the individual level only.
both
on the group level and on the individual level.
at the management level only.
Which of the following can contribute to overall office stress levels?
floor plan
(All
of these)
degree of noise pollution
decoration, natural light, green space
Generally, it is best to arrive for a meeting:
five-ten
minutes ahead of its scheduled start time.
15-30 minutes before its scheduled start time.
one hour or more before its scheduled start time.
precisely on time.
True or false? Day-to-day issues should never supercede larger strategic time priorities.
False
Generally false, except in crisis and other special situations
Generally
true, except in crisis and other special situations
True
Which of these could contribute to a missed deadline?
Difficulty saying no to extra assignments
Procrastination
Perfectionism
(All
of these)
True or false? Generally speaking, the most important tasks should be done in the morning, or whenever productivity is at its highest.
True
False
Employees who spend most of their time on tasks that are not important, regardless of urgency, will likely eventually experience:
Lack
of enthusiasm
Balance
Burnout
Vision
Classify the following task: relaxation
urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, unimportant
urgent, important
non-urgent,
important
What is the best course of action for an email received from a colleague, whose subject line reads: 'what was the name of that article you mentioned?'
Respond
immediately
Discard immediately
Look at in depth
Delegate
A group's meeting agenda should be restricted to:
the
time available for discussion.
items relating to medium-term goals only.
items relating to impending or past deadlines.
items relating to long-term goals only.
Employees who spend most of their time on tasks that are urgent and important will likely eventually experience:
Lack of enthusiasm
A sense of control
Burnout
Vision
Which activity would belong in the category of "not urgent and not important?"
Crises
Interruptions
Busywork
Planning
Classify the following task: responding to a task-relevant email from a colleague
non-urgent,
important
urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, unimportant
urgent, important
The best time to handle routine mail and correspondence is:
first thing in the morning, no matter what.
during
time set aside ahead of time for this purpose.
as it comes in, on an ongoing basis.
the last part of the work day, no matter what.
The most important work of the day should always be scheduled:
first thing in the morning.
just after a meal break.
just before a meal break.
whenever
the individual employee has the highest, best-quality focus.
Classify the following task: busywork
non-urgent,
unimportant
urgent, unimportant
urgent, important
non-urgent, important
In a truly ideal situation, one would spend most of their time working on which kind of tasks?
Urgent, non-important
Non-urgent,
but important
Urgent, important
Non-urgent, non-important
Which is a way individuals can contribute to good group time management?
Delegate or pass off as much of one's own responsibilities as possible.
Keep all team members fully informed of any and all progress one makes
individually.
Take on the work of others inasmuch as is possible.
Be
mindful of not wasting other team members' time.
Employees who spend most of their time on tasks that are non-urgent but important will likely eventually experience:
Challenges seeing the long-term picture
Lack of enthusiasm
A
sense of control
Burnout
True or false? Supervisors should always tell their employees in which order tasks should be prioritized.
True
False
When a team members asks for help, feedback, or guidance, one should:
help
as much as one reasonably can without compromising one's own responsibilities.
drop everything to help him or her.
refer that team member directly to a supervisor.
do nothing.
True or false? The most important task must be completed first, regardless of its complexity or urgency.
False
True
When setting goals for a given project, should one focus on:
medium-term goals.
long-term goals.
(All
of these)
short-term goals.
When scheduling meetings, it's important to invite:
all personnel whose work might be effected by the project at hand.
all personnel who might be effect in any way by the project at hand.
only
personnel essential to the project at hand.
all personnel.
The concept of scheduling priorities, as opposed to prioritizing one's schedule, is meant to privilege:
quality work over busywork.
busywork over quality work.
proactive
work over reactive work.
reactive work over proactive work.
All of the following can contribute to under- or over-estimating the amount of time a given task can take EXCEPT:
How
the task contributes to the company's bottom line.
Enjoyment of an activity.
Boredom with or fear of an activity.
Poor background information.
What is the best course of action for an email received from a supervisor, whose subject line reads: 'notes for workers in [not your department].'
Delegate
Respond immediately
Look at in depth
Discard
immediately
What is the best course of action for an email received from a supervisor, whose subject line reads: 'please complete this task within the month.'
Respond immediately
Look
at in depth
Delegate
File
True or false? Urgent, unimportant tasks should be privileged over non-urgent, important ones.
False;
it's the other way around.
False; they are of equal importance.
True.
All of the following belong in the plan for a complex project EXCEPT:
ongoing tasks.
minor
and routine tasks.
personnel information.
dated deadlines.
The 'Pareto Principle' or '80/20 rule' states that:
80%
of output is the the result of 20% of input.
Planning well for a project can increase yeild by 80%, while planning
poorly can reduce results to 20% of optimal.
On any given task, 80% of employees will not be of much use.
20% of employees account for 80% of productivity
Evaluate the following statement. "If you don't have enough time to do everything on your to-do list, wake up an hour earlier in the morning."
Good advice for individuals, short-sighted advice for organizations
Short-sighted
advice
Good advice
Good advice for organizations, short-sighted advice for individuals.
Analysts have pointed out all of the following potential problems with "to-do lists" EXCEPT:
Managing a list can interfere with its implementation.
Listing routine tasks wastes time.
Too rigorous a plan leaves no room for emergencies or setbacks.
Such
lists tend to privilege long-term and medium-term goals over short-term goals.
Which is of greater consequence when evaluating when and how to do a task: urgency, or importance?
importance
both are of equal consequence
neither is of consequence
urgency
A schedule for a complex, weeklong project should be broken down to units no smaller than:
2 hours
1 hour
30
minutes
a half-day
Classify the following task: arriving on time to a meeting at which one's presence is not necessary
urgent,
unimportant
urgent, important
non-urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, important
Classify the following task: meeting the expectations of colleagues or sub-ordinates
urgent,
unimportant
non-urgent, unimportant
non-urgent, important
urgent, important
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