Time Management

Correct Answer: Perform an impact analysis

Performing an impact analysis is the best course of action when a key stakeholder proposes a change that involves a significant time expenditure. By doing impact analysis, you'll be able to understand the implications of the proposed change on other aspects of the project - including cost, scope, and time. This allows you to make an informed decision on whether the proposed change is beneficial or not. Rejecting the change outright does not take into consideration any potential benefits associated with the proposed change. Accepting the change immediately is not advisable as it doesn't provide an opportunity to evaluate the implications. Changing the project end date is not a solution since it's stated that the change doesn't affect the project end date.

Correct Answer: Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is the most effective time management technique for handling multiple IT support tickets with varying priorities. This method categorizes tasks based on their urgency and importance, allowing for efficient prioritization and handling of tasks.

The Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks into four quadrants:
1. Urgent and Important
2. Important but Not Urgent
3. Urgent but Not Important
4. Neither Urgent nor Important

This approach enables IT support staff to prioritize high-priority tickets while also managing less critical issues effectively.

The Pomodoro Technique, while useful for focused work sessions, does not address prioritization of multiple tasks with different urgency levels.

The First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method treats all tickets equally, regardless of their priority or importance, which is not ideal for managing varying priorities in IT support.

The Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) approach would prioritize the most recent tickets, potentially neglecting older, more critical issues. This method does not consider the varying priorities of IT support tickets.

Correct Answer: Assess the impact of changes and then negotiate with the stakeholder to adjust the project schedule according to changes.

The best possible move in the given scenario would be to assess the impact of these requested changes before making any decisions, which is 'Assess the impact of changes and then negotiate with the stakeholder to adjust the project schedule according to changes.' Understanding the implications of potential changes not only safeguards the project's goals but also mitigates any risks that could arise due to hasty decision-making processes. The rationale behind discarding other answers are as follows: 'Ignore the requested changes and continue as per the original schedule.' is a bad approach because it is important to consider the client's input, even if it may affect the initial project plan, ignoring it may result in client dissatisfaction. 'Immediately make the changes requested by the client without any analysis.' is inappropriate because making changes without understanding their impact can lead to poor results and possibly project failure. Finally, 'Argue with the client about not making any changes in the project.' is not preferable because arguing with a client can damage professional relationships and also, their input could beneficial for the project's completion. Therefore, it is always better to discuss and negotiate rather than arguing.