PgMP Practice Test 20 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A program manager learns that a supplier's project manager, who is not formally part of the program governance structure, is providing technical recommendations directly to a program steering committee member. This bypasses the program's defined communication channels and creates inconsistent information flow. What should the program manager do FIRST?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Meet with the supplier's project manager to clarify communication expectations and the agreed escalation path. When a stakeholder outside formal governance bypasses communication channels, the proportionate first action is a direct conversation to clarify expectations and the agreed escalation path. This resolves misunderstandings at the lowest level, preserves relationships, and gathers context. Reporting to the steering committee, amending contracts, or restructuring governance all overreact to what is often a simple coordination lapse.

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Report the supplier's project manager to the steering committee member and request that the member stop engaging

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Add the supplier's project manager to the program governance board to formalize the communication

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Amend the supplier contract to add penalties for unauthorized stakeholder communication

Question 2

Which TWO of the following are effective ways to monitor component projects within a program?

Accepted Answer

Reviewing periodic project performance reports.. Option D is correct because reviewing periodic project performance reports gives the program manager objective, recurring visibility into each component project's schedule, cost, scope, and risk status, enabling early detection of variances against the program baseline. Option E is correct because conducting integrated program review meetings brings component project managers together to assess progress, dependencies, and cross-project issues, aligning component work with program benefits and enabling coordinated corrective action. Options A, B, and C are not effective monitoring methods: end-only reviews provide no early warning, ignoring issues allows problems to escalate unchecked, and asking team members to guess their status produces unreliable data rather than factual performance information.

Answer

Only reviewing projects at the end.

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Ignoring project issues.

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Asking team members to guess their status.

Question 3

A program manager is identifying the program's critical success factors. Which of the following is most critical?

Accepted Answer

Strategic alignment with the organizational goals.. Strategic alignment with organizational goals is the most critical success factor for a program because programs exist to deliver strategic benefits. Without alignment, the program may deliver outputs that do not contribute to the organization's objectives, wasting resources. Documentation speed, number of projects, and team size are operational metrics that do not determine program success.

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The documentation speed.

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The number of projects in the program.

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The team size.

Question 4

A program manager discovers that two projects in the program are claiming the same efficiency gains. What is the correct approach to resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Review the program benefit dependency map and re-allocate the benefit.. In program management, benefits are tracked and managed at the program level. When two projects claim the same benefit, it indicates a conflict in benefit ownership. The correct approach is to review the program benefit dependency map, which documents how benefits are realized and their dependencies, and then re-allocate the benefit to the appropriate project or adjust the map to reflect the correct ownership. This ensures accurate benefit tracking and avoids double-counting.

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Assign the benefit exclusively to the project with the highest budget.

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Remove the benefit from the program entirely.

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Let both projects claim the benefit to boost performance metrics.

Question 5

You are the program manager for a new product development program. The governance board has asked you to present the program's benefits realization plan. Which document should you use to show how benefits will be measured and tracked?

Accepted Answer

Benefits Realization Plan. The Benefits Realization Plan is the specific governance document that describes how benefits will be quantified, monitored, and reported. It includes metrics, responsibilities, and timelines. Presenting this plan ensures the governance board has the necessary information to oversee benefits delivery. Other documents like the Business Case or Benefits Register serve different purposes and do not fulfill the request.

Answer

Business Case

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Program Management Plan

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Benefits Register

Question 6

You are the program manager for a regulatory compliance program spanning five business units. At the most recent Program Governance Board meeting, the board chair asks how the board will know whether the program's component projects are collectively delivering the intended compliance outcomes rather than just completing deliverables. Which governance artifact should you present to address this?

Accepted Answer

The program benefits register with benefit owners and transition dates. The benefits register is the governance artifact that ties component outputs to intended program outcomes by identifying each benefit, its owner, its metric, and when it transitions to operations. It directly answers whether the program is delivering compliance outcomes rather than merely completing deliverables, making it the right artifact to present to the Program Governance Board.

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The component project charters with their approved scope statements

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The program risk register with mitigation response strategies

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The program management plan with the integrated schedule baseline

Question 7

A program is nearing closure. The program manager identifies that some benefits have not been realized due to a change in the market environment. How should the program manager handle this?

Accepted Answer

Document the unachieved benefits in the Final Program Report and transition them to operations.. The program manager should document the variance and provide recommendations in the final program report.

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Extend the program duration to realize the remaining benefits.

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Re-open the program formulation phase to reassess the business case.

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Ignore the missing benefits if the primary program goal was met.

Question 8

You are the program manager for a program that is transitioning from the definition phase to the delivery phase. The Program Governance Board (PGB) has requested a phase-gate review. Which of the following should be the primary focus of this review?

Accepted Answer

Assessing the program's readiness to proceed to the next phase and confirming alignment with strategic objectives.. A phase-gate review is a governance checkpoint where the PGB evaluates the program's readiness to advance to the next phase. It considers strategic alignment, benefits realization, risks, and overall program health. The primary focus is to decide whether to continue, modify, or terminate the program. This ensures that the program remains viable and aligned with organizational objectives.

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Reviewing the performance of individual project managers and their teams.

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Auditing the program's financial records for compliance with accounting standards.

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Confirming that all project deliverables have been completed and accepted.

Question 9

A program manager is preparing for the benefits sustainment phase of a program that implemented a new learning management system (LMS) to improve employee skills. The program is transitioning the LMS to the operations team. Which action should the program manager take to ensure that the benefit of 'improved employee skills' is sustained after transition?

Accepted Answer

Ensure that the operations team has the necessary training and resources to maintain and update the LMS content.. The program manager should ensure the operations team is equipped with training and resources to maintain and update the LMS. This enables ongoing benefit sustainment by embedding the capability into operations. Sustainment planning is critical in PgMP to ensure benefits continue after program closure.

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Retain the program team to manage the LMS indefinitely to guarantee benefit continuation.

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Conduct a one-time survey of employees to confirm that skills have improved and then consider the benefit realized.

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Transfer all program documentation to the operations team and close the program immediately.

Question 10

During the final phase of the program, you identify that an operational benefit will not be realized for another six months after program closure. What is the standard procedure?

Accepted Answer

Formally hand over the benefits tracking responsibility to an operational owner.. Per PMI's The Standard for Program Management, benefits that extend beyond program closure must be transitioned to an operational owner who is accountable for realizing them. The program manager ensures a formal benefits transition/handover plan is executed so that benefit tracking continues post-closure. This preserves the program's business case accountability without artificially extending the program's life.

Answer

Close the program and let the benefit tracking take care of itself.

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Keep the program open for another six months.

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Report the failure of benefit realization to the sponsor.

Question 11

A program manager is developing the program's benefits realization plan. The plan must define how benefits will be measured, tracked, and sustained. Which of the following is the primary purpose of the benefits realization plan?

Accepted Answer

To define how program benefits will be identified, measured, tracked, and sustained throughout and after the program.. The benefits realization plan defines how program benefits will be identified, measured, tracked, and sustained. It is the primary document that links program outputs to strategic benefits and provides the framework for benefit monitoring and reporting. Governance, schedule, budget, and technical specifications are covered in other program or component documents and are not the primary focus of the benefits realization plan.

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To describe the technical specifications of the program's deliverables.

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To document the program's governance structure and decision-making processes.

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To outline the program's schedule, budget, and resource requirements.

Question 12

A program manager is developing the program's benefits realization plan. The organization's strategic plan emphasizes sustainability and reducing carbon footprint. Which of the following benefits should the program manager prioritize to ensure strategic alignment?

Accepted Answer

A 20% decrease in energy consumption across facilities.. The program manager should prioritize benefits that directly support the organization's strategic goals. Since the strategic plan emphasizes sustainability and reducing carbon footprint, a decrease in energy consumption is the most aligned benefit. Other benefits like cost reduction, employee satisfaction, or market share may be valuable but do not directly address the stated strategic focus. Prioritizing the energy consumption benefit ensures the program contributes to strategic objectives and can demonstrate clear alignment.

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A 10% reduction in operational costs through process automation.

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A 5% increase in market share through new product launches.

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A 15% increase in employee satisfaction scores.

Question 13

Which document serves as the primary agreement between the program and the performing organization regarding the program's strategic outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Program Charter. The Program Charter is the formal document that authorizes the program and commits the organization to its strategic goals.

Answer

Business Case

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Program Management Plan

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Scope Statement

Question 14

A program manager is defining how benefits will be tracked across a five-year program with benefits that mature at different rates. Some benefits, such as regulatory compliance, appear immediately at go-live, while others, such as market share growth, accrue over several years. What is the most appropriate approach for structuring benefit measurement in the benefits realization plan?

Accepted Answer

Define benefit-specific measurement timing and frequency aligned to when each benefit is expected to accrue. Because benefits mature at different rates, the benefits realization plan should specify measurement timing and frequency for each benefit according to when it is expected to accrue. Immediate benefits are verified early, while long-term benefits are tracked across their maturation period. Uniform, deferred, or financial-only measurement would fail to provide timely, complete evidence of realization across the program's diverse benefits.

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Measure all benefits at a single post-implementation review conducted six months after program closure

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Defer all measurement until the program is formally closed so that final figures are available

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Track only the financial benefits, since non-financial benefits such as compliance cannot be reliably measured

Question 15

A program manager is preparing the benefits realization plan for a program that will consolidate three regional distribution centers into one automated facility. The sponsor wants clarity on who is accountable for each benefit after the program closes. Where should this accountability be formally documented?

Accepted Answer

In the benefits register, with a named benefit owner for each benefit and its metric. Accountability for each benefit must be assigned to a named owner who remains in place after the program closes. The benefits register is the artifact that pairs each benefit with its owner, metric, baseline, and target, making it the correct place to document this. The charter, project scope statements, and risk register serve different purposes and cannot carry durable benefit-level ownership.

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In the component projects' scope statements, since projects deliver the benefits

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In the program's risk register, by logging each benefit as a risk to be monitored

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In the program charter, which lists the sponsor and program manager as accountable for all benefits