PgMP Practice Test 14 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Which THREE items should be addressed in an update to the Stakeholder Engagement Plan?

Accepted Answer

New stakeholders identified.. Option A (New stakeholders identified) is correct because the Stakeholder Engagement Plan must be updated whenever additional stakeholders are discovered, since it defines who is engaged, their interests, and the communication approach for each. Option C (Ineffective engagement strategies) is correct because the plan is a living document that should be revised when current engagement methods fail to achieve the desired stakeholder support or participation. Option D (Changes in stakeholder influence) is correct because shifts in a stakeholder's power, urgency, or legitimacy alter their position on the power/interest grid and therefore require updated engagement tactics. Options B (the program team's lunch schedule) and E (office paint color preferences) are incorrect because they are administrative or facility-related matters with no bearing on stakeholder identification, analysis, or engagement strategy.

Answer

The program team's lunch schedule.

Answer

Office paint color preferences.

Question 2

Which THREE of the following are key responsibilities of a Program Manager during the planning phase?

Accepted Answer

Integrating the plans of all component projects.. In the planning phase, the Program Manager owns the program-level view rather than the internals of each project. Option B is correct because integrating the plans of all component projects is a core program management responsibility: the Program Manager aligns schedules, dependencies, resources, and interfaces across projects so the program delivers as a coordinated whole. Option D is correct because defining the program governance framework — decision rights, escalation paths, oversight bodies, and stage-gate/approval processes — is a planning-phase duty that establishes how the program will be directed and controlled. Option E is correct because establishing the program's benefits realization framework — identifying, mapping, measuring, and tracking the benefits each component project contributes — is central to program planning, since programs are justified by benefits rather than by deliverables alone. Option A does not belong because creating detailed task lists for every project team member is a project-level execution/planning activity typically performed by project managers or team leads, not the Program Manager. Option C does not belong because personally performing all technical quality audits is a hands-on assurance activity delegated to quality assurance or audit specialists, whereas the Program Manager ensures such audits are governed and resourced rather than conducting them personally.

Answer

Creating detailed task lists for every project team member.

Answer

Personally performing all technical quality audits.

Question 3

During program execution, a major industry disruption makes the program's original business case questionable. What should the program manager do?

Accepted Answer

Formally reassess the business case and present findings to the Steering Committee.. When a major industry disruption calls the business case into question, the program manager must formally reassess the business case and present findings to the Steering Committee. The business case is the foundation of the program's authorization, and only the governance body that approved it can decide whether to continue, modify, or terminate the program. A formal reassessment ensures decisions are based on current data and strategic alignment.

Answer

Modify the business case internally to reflect the new market.

Answer

Ask the project managers to cut costs to maintain the original business case.

Answer

Continue the program until the end of the year, then reassess.

Question 4

When the roadmap is being updated, which activity ensures the program remains strategically aligned?

Accepted Answer

Revalidating the business case. Reviewing the business case during roadmap updates ensures that milestones and deliverables still support the current organizational strategy.

Answer

Refreshing the risk register

Answer

Updating the project resource schedule

Answer

Verifying technical requirements

Question 5

Which process is responsible for identifying, documenting, and managing all changes to the program scope?

Accepted Answer

Configuration Management.. Configuration management is the process responsible for identifying, documenting, and managing changes to program scope and other baselines. It ensures that changes are systematically controlled, approved, and recorded, maintaining the integrity of the program's products and artifacts. This process is essential for scope control and preventing unauthorized changes.

Answer

Quality Management.

Answer

Resource Management.

Answer

Risk Management.

Question 6

Which document serves as the primary authorization for the program to commence?

Accepted Answer

Program Charter.. The Program Charter authorizes the program and provides the program manager with the authority to apply resources.

Answer

Business Case.

Answer

Program Management Plan.

Answer

Program Roadmap.

Question 7

A program manager is reviewing the environmental factors of the organization. Which factor is categorized as a 'technological' element in a PESTLE analysis?

Accepted Answer

New automation tools for production. Technological factors include advancements that affect the organization's ability to innovate or operate, such as new software or automation.

Answer

Public opinion on sustainability

Answer

Changing labor laws

Answer

Fluctuating interest rates

Question 8

The program team identifies that a new government regulation will significantly reduce the financial value of a primary program benefit. What should the program manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Update the benefits register and re-evaluate the business case.. The program manager must assess the impact and update the benefits register to reflect the change before taking further action.

Answer

Ignore the regulation as it is external to the program.

Answer

Modify the program scope immediately.

Answer

Escalate to the program sponsor to demand a budget increase.

Question 9

Which THREE actions help a program manager identify potential benefits during the initiation phase?

Accepted Answer

Analyzing the organizational strategic plan.. Option A is correct because analyzing the organizational strategic plan aligns the initiative with the enterprise's goals and objectives, revealing the intended benefits the program should deliver. Option C is correct because reviewing current organizational performance metrics and gaps identifies where the organization is underperforming, highlighting the improvements and benefits the program can target. Option D is correct because interviewing key stakeholders and business leaders surfaces their expectations, needs, and desired outcomes, which are essential sources of potential benefits during initiation. Option B is not correct because employee turnover rates are a specific HR metric that does not directly identify program benefits at the initiation phase. Option E is not correct because consulting external software vendors focuses on solution or product selection rather than identifying the benefits the organization seeks to achieve.

Answer

Reviewing the previous year's employee turnover rates.

Answer

Consulting with external software vendors.

Question 10

A program is undergoing a compliance audit. The auditor notes that decision logs are missing approvals for recent scope changes. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

Ineffective change control procedures. Gaps in the audit trail of decisions suggest a breakdown in the enforcement of governance processes.

Answer

Poor project planning

Answer

Understaffing of the program office

Answer

Inadequate documentation by the PMO

Question 11

During benefits transition for a program that deployed a new supplier portal, the program manager learns that the procurement operations team has not been trained on the new approval workflow and has reverted to the legacy email process. The projected cycle-time benefit is not materializing. What should the program manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Assess the transition readiness gap and arrange the missing training and support for the procurement team. When a receiving unit reverts to legacy processes, the benefit stalls because transition readiness was incomplete. The program manager should first diagnose and close that gap by providing the missing training and support, enabling adoption of the new workflow and recovery of the cycle-time benefit. Escalating, recording a shortfall, or reassigning the benefit all skip the root-cause remediation the situation requires.

Answer

Reassign the benefit to a different department that has already adopted the new portal workflow

Answer

Record the cycle-time benefit as unrealized and update the benefits register to reflect the shortfall

Answer

Escalate to the sponsor to mandate that procurement stop using the legacy email process immediately

Question 12

You are the Program Manager of a multi-year program. The organization shifts to a new strategic goal. How should governance adapt to this change?

Accepted Answer

Re-evaluate the program's strategic fit and update the governance plan. Program governance must remain aligned with organizational strategy. When the organization's strategic goal shifts, the program's business case and strategic fit may be invalidated, so the Program Manager must re-evaluate the program's alignment and update the governance plan accordingly. This ensures the program continues to deliver benefits that support the new strategy, and it reflects the adaptive nature of program governance as described in PgMP's governance performance domain.

Answer

Maintain original governance structure until program completion

Answer

Request the Steering Committee to ignore the strategic shift

Answer

Shift all resources to the new strategy immediately

Question 13

A program manager identifies a conflict between the program governance requirements and the parent organization's regulatory requirements. What should the manager do?

Accepted Answer

Follow the regulatory requirements and document the deviation from governance. Regulatory requirements are externally imposed and legally binding, so they take precedence over internally defined program governance. The program manager should comply with the regulation and formally document the deviation from governance so the Governance Board has visibility and can adjust governance if needed. This preserves both legal compliance and governance integrity.

Answer

Follow the program governance requirements to maintain consistency

Answer

Ask the Governance Board to change the regulation

Answer

Ignore the regulatory requirements to focus on the program

Question 14

Midway through a program, a functional manager who was previously supportive begins blocking resource assignments and questioning program decisions in steering committee meetings. The program manager's stakeholder analysis shows this manager's engagement level has dropped from supportive to resistant. What should the program manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet privately with the functional manager to understand the source of the resistance before adjusting the engagement approach.. A drop from supportive to resistant is a change in engagement level that warrants investigation before action. Private dialogue surfaces the actual driver—resource conflict, decision-rights concerns, or disagreement with program direction—so the program manager can adapt the engagement approach accordingly. Escalation, replacement, or more reporting all assume a cause that has not been verified and risk worsening the relationship with a stakeholder whose cooperation the program still needs.

Answer

Increase the frequency of program status reports to the functional manager so the manager has more visibility into decisions.

Answer

Replace the functional manager on the program's extended leadership team with a more cooperative peer from the same function.

Answer

Escalate the blocking behavior to the program sponsor and request that the sponsor direct the functional manager to comply with resource commitments.

Question 15

A project manager reports a conflict between their project's quality standards and the program's quality standards. As a program manager, how should you resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Enforce the program's quality standards.. Program-level quality standards are established to ensure consistency across all components and to satisfy the program's business case and governance requirements. When a component project's standards conflict with the program's, the program manager must enforce the program standards because they reflect the overarching quality policy and stakeholder expectations. Allowing deviation would create inconsistency and risk program-level acceptance.

Answer

Escalate to the quality assurance department.

Answer

Let the project manager choose whichever standard is easier.

Answer

Negotiate a middle ground between the two.