Interview Q&A

Project Manager Interview

Microsoft Dynamic 365 (ERP CRM)

Other interviews

Q1. Tell me about yourself

A1:

~Thank you very much for inviting me to be interviewed for this project manager position today with your organization.

My name is HP, most of my friends always like to make fun of me that when they use the HP laptop, they must remember me, just kidding. As you all know, I am a Malaysian who is staying in Johor, but my hometown actually is in Kelantan (which nearby Thailand border).

For my introduction, I would like to split into 2 points to introduce myself, 1st is my education background & 2nd is my working experience.
(1) Education Background
For my education background, my bachelor degree in Computer Engineering was graduated from Tsing Hua University, which is located in Beijing, China. During the time in Tsing Hua University, I also gained the Project Management Professional Certificate (PMP) by year 2004.
My Master Science in Information System & Operation Management was graduated from University of Florida by year 2011, which is located in the United State.

(2) Working Experience
Next, jump to my working experience.
I have working experience for 22 years, and most of my job specifications are based on ERP system/IT software/Business analysis consultant and project management related fields.

~ After gaining my Bachelor Degree, Master & PMP certification, I worked in several organizations where I managed and delivered tough projects that required excellent budgeting, time management and problem solving capabilities.

~ Over the years I have supported the senior management team, is not afraid to make difficult or unpopular decisions, and take ownership of their professional development to ensure my skills and knowledge are up-to-date and relevant to the industry. and I have built up extensive skills, qualities, attributes and experience that I believe are a match for this job description.

~ I am very passionate about project management, I take my responsibilities. I’m an exceptional communicator and when speaking with project team members, stakeholder and contractors, and I’m very good at building relationships with people because I believe to be effective as project Manager, we need to build strong relationships.

~ I also have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the project life-cycle, as well as software development life-cycle (SDLC), and I understand how to apply the different elements of it to make sure all projects are completed on time, on budget, on scope, on quality and more important to specification and required standard.  

~ So over the years I’ve worked in a variety of different roles managing lots of different projects and lots of different peoples and I always pride myself on making sure that I achieve the commercial and financial objective of my employer. 

~ I am the type of person that if you employ me as your project manager, I will align to your strategic vision and hope my experience and expertise can help your company thrive.

BACK >>

Q2. Why do you want to be a Project Manager?

A2:

There are several reasons why I want to become PM.
The 1st reason is the fact that I enjoy the level of responsibility that comes with this position. I like the challenge that the role presents, I also like the fact that being a PM there is always sth new to learn, now even though I’m not young anymore

~ I am highly inexperienced but I also believe that I always have somethings new to learn and if we have that attitude and our approach when being a PM then that enables us to continually improve and excel within the position. 

~ I like if I’m being honest being the person who like to take control of projects I have the experience needed to deal with difficult people, difficult contractors at times, and I’m very good at building relationships with people.

~ I like the fact that being a PM there is a lots of sense of achievement that comes with the position so there is in my opinion no better feeling than completing a really good job for your employer so basically I enjoy the challenge that comes with being a PM.

~ I like dealing with people, I likes being placed under pressure, I like the fact that you get to learn and develop within the role continuously

BACK >>

Q3. What are the five stages of the project life cycle?

A3: The five stages of the project life cycle are Initiation, Planing, Execution, Monitoring and control, closing and testing stage.

(1) So the initiation stage of the project life cycle PM sitting down with the senior management team in discussing what the project requirements are the purpose of the project, then what to do, what you need us to achieve so I would as several questions about what it is you need me to do and achieve as your PM.
(2) Once the initiation stage is established, I would then go away to start planning the project in how am I going to achieve the goals of the project and more importantly to make sure that it is completed on time, on scope, on budget and on quality. 
(3) I would then look at conducting the Execution stage of the project:
 ~ who’s going to do what         ~ what resources do we need       ~ who’s going to carry out each tasks within a specific time frame,  and it’s very important that when we are executing the project that we have the right people in place to do the jobs based on their strengths and also their experience

(4) The next stage is the monitoring and control stage

 ~ As I said at the start of interview,  I will take control of the project I will steer, I will respond to problems as and when they occur, I will try to foresee any problem but I will monitor the performance of my team whether it’s face to face or remotely and I will make sure that I have control of the projects to ensure that it meets each key stage element that we need to meet to get it over the finishing line.
(5) Finally the closing stage is where we assess whether the project has met the specification and also the testing stage we need to make sure that the project works that meets the initial initiation stage the objectives of the project 

~ SO those are the five different key elements of the project life cycle that I would follow as a PM

BACK >>

Q4. What are the most important skills and qualities of a Project Manager?

A4: The most important skills and qualities needed include experience, people skills, leadership skill, management skills, communication skills, problem solving skills 

~ We need to have an in-depth understanding of the project life-cycle which I’ve just discussed 

~ we need to have exceptional people skills because as a PM, we need to build really good relationships with people and there needs to be a level of respect and the level of professionalism because we as the PM are going to make on popular decisions but we need people to work for us to get the project over the finishing line

~ we need to have leadership skills to be a good leader. Undoubtedly we need management skills, we need to be able to motivate our team, to help them to feel inspired about the project and to do it to the best of their abilities.

~ We also need to be an exceptional communicator, both when speaking with people and also writing reports everything must be accurate and to be clear and concise so that people in the project team understand what it is they need to do and by what time frame. 

~ Next is the problem solving skill, We need to be a good listener so if there are problems within a team, we need to listen to them carefully, get to the root cause of the problem that will enable us to make the right decision moving forward.

~ I also believe some of the most important skills and qualities needed include the fact that we need to foresee potential problem down the line, we need to look ahead strategically and think to ourselves we’ re part way through this projects what could go wrong and have a plan in place to deal with them.

~ We also need to be consistent so people see that we are a consistent PM because that enables us to build trust amongst our team members and with stakeholder, contractors, and supplier that we are inevitably going to use

~ Finally, another important skill is conflict resolution. So undoubtedly there will always be problems or conflict within a project team that we are managing and we have to jump on that quickly and resolve it to enable the project to continually move forward       

BACK >>

Q5: How you handle underperformance in a team?

A5: Whenever dealing with underperformance, as PM, I will take this decisive action quickly because I believe that a project can quickly fall down if just one member of the team is not carrying out their duties to the necessary standard and it also looks bad from other team member perspectives so they would look at it and think that person isn’t helping the team and it can quickly escalate so I would make sure that I jumped on it quickly & I would speak to the individual to establish exactly why they weren’t performing to the required standard and I would ask them questions and I would listen whilst they were speaking, I would never jump to conclusions, they maybe experiencing problems at home for example which would be impacting on their ability to work effectively so I’d find out what the problem was and I would then put a plan of action in place to make sure that they got back up to speed quickly, and they also need to agree with this plan of action, they need to be on board fully with what they need to do to get back up to speed and it might be the case that they don’t have the right tools or resources to do their job properly, or they may not have been given the right training and in which case I would make sure that that was rectified straight away but being a confident and assrtive PM, I would tackle underperformance quickly and decisively.       

BACK >>

Q6:What are your strengths and weaknesses?

A6: I would say my strength which I believe will be a benefit to your organization include a fact that as a PM, I am commercially aware and I understand that my performance and the performance of the team that I am managing is integral to the success of your business and I will always work with you to make sure that all projects are completed on-time, on budget, on scope and on quality, and necessary specification and standard.
~ And another strength is I am a good leader, I am good at communication with people and good at motivating my team, and I take responsibility for things, everything rests with me, it’s down to me how a project goes and I will always be open to learning and improving. So once the project is finished, I’ll always analyze a project to see where we went wrong and how we can improve for next time and on that basis, I am somebody who will always ensure high std are adhered to at all times.   

~ Another strength of mine is open to learning and improving, and I am trying to be more mindful in situations like that whenever they occur.

~ I respect of my weakness I would say that I find it hard asking other people for help, because I’m the type of PM who likes to be in control, I have believe in my own abilities and when a problem occurs, I tend to spend time thinking right how can I resolve this, and of course sometimes the simple solution would be pick up the phone speak to somebody else in the organization to get their advice and guidance     

     

BACK >>

Q7: How do you handle the conflict in your team?

A7: The first thing I will do whenever I experience conflict amongst team members is to let them know that I am aware the conflict exists, If they know that I am aware of the conflict they are more likely to resolve it quickly. 

~ Whenever I start managing a team I always lay out the foundation of what I expect and how I expect people to operate, and one of those is to let them know that whenever there is conflict they need to sort it out quickly because otherwise it will hinder the progress of our project. 

~ If they are unable to resolve the conflict, I will step in and analyze what the problem is, what the viewpoints are of the people experiencing the conflict and I will then make a decision that’s always in the best interests of the project and the organization that I am working for

~ so I am a confident person who can resolve conflicts quickly and I have the experience and the resource allocation to do so.

BACK >>

Q8: What is Software Development Life Cycle Process (SDLC)?

A7: SDLC is a process that defines the various stages involved in the development of software for delivering a high-quality product. SDLC stages cover the complete life cycle of a softwareSDLC Phase – Given below are the various phases:
#1) Requirement Gathering and Analysis
During this phase, all the relevant information is collected from the customer to develop a product as per their expectation.Once the requirement gathering is done, an analysis is done to check the feasibility of the development of a product. In case of any ambiguity, a call is set up for further discussion.Once the requirement is clearly understood, the SRS (Software Requirement Specification) document is created. This document should be thoroughly understood by the developers and also should be reviewed by the customer for future reference.
#2) Design
In this phase, the requirement gathered in the SRS document is used as an input and software architecture that is used for implementing system development is derived.
#3) Implementation or Coding
Implementation/Coding starts once the developer gets the Design document. The Software design is translated into source code. All the components of the software are implemented in this phase.
#4) Testing
Testing starts once the coding is complete and the modules are released for testing. In this phase, the developed software is tested thoroughly and any defects found are assigned to developers to get them fixed. Retesting, regression testing is done until the point at which the software is as per the customer’s expectation. Testers refer SRS document to make sure that the software is as per the customer’s standard.
#5) Deployment
Once the product is tested, it is deployed in the production environment or first UAT (User Acceptance testing) is done depending on the customer expectation.If the customer finds the application as expected, then sign off is provided by the customer to go live.
#6) Maintenance
After the deployment of a product on the production environment, maintenance of the product i.e. if any issue comes up and needs to be fixed or any enhancement is to be done is taken care by the developers.
     

BACK >>

Q9: Why Should We Hire You

A9: With 22 years’ experience working in the IT industry with ERP project handling experience, and my proven record of saving the company money, I could make a big difference in your company. I’m confident I would be a great addition to your team. 

BACK >>

Q10: Why Do You Want to Work Here?

A10: I’ve selected key companies whose mission statements are in line with my values, where I know I could be excited about what the company does, and this company is very high on my list of desirable choices.

BACK >>

Q11: What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't?

A11: I have a unique combination of strong functional & technical skills, and the ability on business analysis & build strong customer relationships. This allows me to use my knowledge and break down information to be more user-friendly

BACK >>

Q12: What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You?

A12: My boss has told me that I am the best advisor that he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humor and always gives good advice to improve the company’s productivity. 

BACK >>

Q13: What Salary Are You Seeking?

A13: My salary expectation is between $XX,XXX and $XX,XXX, which is the average salary for a candidate with my level of experience in this city. However, I am flexible and willing to discuss

I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background.

BACK >>

Q14: What makes you unique?

A14: What makes me unique is my ability to meet and exceed deadlines. In my previous role, my superior consistently praised me for completing my projects efficiently with a high level of quality. This allowed me to take on additional responsibilities and eventually led to a promotion

BACK >>

Q15: Where do you think you'll be in five years?

A15: Some of my future goals for the next five years are to upgrade to another level, maybe CTO or IT Director position, and leading a team in a formal capacity. I’m also excited about the prospect of working with product and event teams on developing streamlined processes—this is a natural fit with my project management background.

BACK >>

Q16: What is your greatest accomplishment?

A16: In my last role, I managed all of the company’s projects, I remembered there are total of 7 projects that I need to handle concurrently, there are very challenging as all of the project deadline was tight. I noticed not every project required for customization. So I distributed some tasks to my others consultant and trained them to handle the small project as an exercise. After continuous communication and hard cooperation of our team, although there were three projects that could not be completed as expected, we were able to complete all the projects satisfactorily. The boss and customers are extremely satisfied with our performance

BACK >>

Q17: How do you define success?

A17: I define success as fulfilling my role in my team and in the company. I work toward completing my individual duties as effectively as possible, balancing that with professional growth and contributing to larger organizational goals. In my previous role, success meant exceeding weekly metrics, implementing processes that supported the company’s KPIs and meeting quarterly professional development goals

BACK >>

Q18: How do you respond to stress or change?

A18: First, we could not be emotion guy. I’m able to stay calm by focusing on the bigger picture and breaking down my projects into smaller tasks. I always start by asking myself, “What is the ultimate goal I’m trying to achieve?” From there, I make a list of immediate and long-term action items with achievable but ambitious deadlines. Even if the big project is due tomorrow, I ask myself, ‘What’s something I can tackle in the next 30 minutes?’ Before I know it, I’ve made significant progress and that impossible project doesn’t seem so impossible.

BACK >>

Q19: What are your goals for the future?

A18: I would like to continue developing my IT expertise over the next several years. One of the reasons I’m interested in working for a fast-growing company is that I’ll have the ability to wear many hats and collaborate with many different departments. I believe this experience will serve me well in achieving my ultimate goal of someday leading a department or a team

BACK >>

Q20: Overview of Microsoft Dynamic 365 ERP and CRM solutions

A20: Microsoft Dynamics 365 has united different modules for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in one comprehensive, cloud-based solution for businesses since 2016. Combination of AI & BI (Business Intelligence)

For each important part of your business, Dynamics 365 provides one or several modules. All modules are compatible with each other and can still be easily adjusted – that is what makes Dynamics 365 special and a comprehensive, unique solution.

Microsoft’s software solutions for businesses were released under one umbrella in 2006: Microsoft Business Solutions including four ERP apps (Navision, Axapta, Great Plains and Solomon) and one CRM app (Microsoft CRM).
Microsoft later rebranded its business solutions to “Dynamics” renamed them to NAV, AX, GP, SL and Dynamics CRM.
Then, in 2016, the last hurdle towards offering cloud-based business solutions was taken: Dynamic became Dynamics 365. And the rest is history.

Microsoft Dataverse (formerly Common Data Service) is the base of Dynamics 365 (and Microsoft 365) that stores and secures data from one or several modules. Data is sorted into so-called Tables (formerly Entities) that are constantly being synchronized in order to prevent data silos. By constantly synchronizing your Dynamics 365 and your app data, your data is more consistent and an additional integration (API) that communicates between your modules and your additional apps is not required.

The benefits of Microsoft Dataverse

  • A single data source instead of data from many different devices, apps, services and more
  • Base for analyses and reports, e. g. in Power BI
  • Base for developing new Dynamics 365 apps
  • Consistent data due to your individual core business data in your Dynamics 365 modules and your apps synchronizing
  • No need for integrations
  • Available worldwide

As you explore different tools for resource planning or cloud ERP, make sure you find a system with the following features:

Multi-department integration

Look for a system that allows you to integrate a wide range of data and functions across your business, such as finance, manufacturing, human resources, inventory, and sales.

Built-in intelligence

Machine learning and artificial intelligence can provide insights that help transform your products and customer interactions, guiding your teams to the right business outcomes.

Adaptable platform

Customize, extend, and integrate your solution with other apps, offering confidence your enterprise resource planning system will meet your needs as your business grows.

Integration with other systems

Invest in a system that offers a unified experience, letting you connect and share data across different apps.

Global capabilities

Multi-national organizations must monitor country-specific compliance and tax guidelines. If your business operates throughout the globe, look for a global ERP solution.

Go to ERP Website >>

BACK >>

Shopping Cart
1
Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified) English English Malay Malay