PgMP Practice Test 22 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Midway through a transformation program, a business unit director who initially supported the effort begins publicly questioning the program's benefits in steering committee meetings and privately lobbies peers to delay a critical release. The program manager has already held two one-on-one meetings without change in behavior. Which action should the program manager take NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Escalate the director's obstructive behavior to the program sponsor with documented evidence and a proposed resolution path. After two unsuccessful direct engagements, an actively obstructive stakeholder who threatens a critical release requires escalation to the sponsor, who has the authority to address the director's concerns and enforce program alignment. Documented evidence and a proposed resolution path make the escalation actionable. Risk registration, broader workshops, or scope concessions either underreact or overreact without addressing the authority dynamic at the root of the obstruction.

Answer

Adjust the release scope to accommodate the director's stated concerns about program benefits

Answer

Schedule a facilitated workshop with the director and peers to rebuild consensus on program benefits

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Add the director's concerns to the program risk register and continue monitoring the situation

Question 2

A program manager is midway through the Program Delivery phase of a multi-year transformation program. Several component project managers are reporting that they need the same specialized system integration resources at overlapping times. What should the program manager do FIRST to address this resource contention?

Accepted Answer

Perform integrated resource planning across the program and re-sequence or re-time component activities to optimize the shared resource pool.. The program manager is accountable for optimizing resources across the entire program, not just within individual components. Integrated resource planning allows demand from all components to be analyzed together, and schedules can be re-sequenced within approved tolerances to smooth peaks in demand for scarce specialists. This protects benefits delivery while avoiding premature escalation or unjustified scope reduction.

Answer

Instruct the component project managers to reduce their individual scope so that resource demand naturally decreases.

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Escalate the resource conflict to the program sponsor and request that additional budget be approved for hiring contractors.

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Direct each component project manager to independently negotiate resource priorities with the functional managers.

Question 3

When an organization undergoes a strategic shift, which THREE actions should the program manager take to re-evaluate the program's strategic fit?

Accepted Answer

Review and update the Business Case. The program manager must assess the business case, review the roadmap, and consult with the steering committee to ensure continued alignment.

Answer

Increase the project team size

Answer

Change the team communication software

Question 4

A program manager is developing the program's stakeholder engagement plan. The program has a diverse set of stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, community groups, and internal executives. Which of the following is the primary objective of stakeholder engagement in a program?

Accepted Answer

To gain and maintain stakeholder support and commitment for the program.. The primary objective of stakeholder engagement is to gain and maintain stakeholder support and commitment for the program. This involves proactive communication, managing expectations, and addressing concerns to ensure stakeholders are aligned with the program's goals. While agreement and compliance are relevant, they are not the core objective; the focus is on building and sustaining relationships that contribute to program success.

Answer

To minimize the number of stakeholders involved in decision-making.

Answer

To comply with regulatory requirements for stakeholder consultation.

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To ensure all stakeholders agree with the program's objectives and strategies.

Question 5

A program manager is launching a benefits realization program that will change how three business units operate. The business unit heads have not yet been briefed and are unaware of the program's scope. According to PgMP stakeholder engagement practice, what should the program manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Identify the business unit heads in the stakeholder register and analyze their interests, influence, and potential impact on the program.. Stakeholder engagement begins with identifying stakeholders and analyzing their interests, influence, and impact. Since the business unit heads are unaware and will be affected by operational changes, recording and analyzing them in the stakeholder register creates the foundation for tailored, effective engagement before any communication or benefits discussion takes place.

Answer

Schedule a benefits review meeting with the business unit heads to present the program's projected return on investment.

Answer

Issue a program charter to the business unit heads and request their signature within five business days.

Answer

Add the business unit heads to the program's distribution list for weekly status reports so they receive consistent information.

Question 6

During the Program Delivery phase, a program manager notices that one component project is consistently underperforming, which is affecting the realization of program benefits. The component project manager reports that the delays are due to unforeseen technical challenges. The program manager needs to address this issue to keep the program on track. What should the program manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a performance review with the component project manager to analyze the technical challenges and develop a recovery plan.. In the Program Delivery phase, the program manager is responsible for monitoring component performance and ensuring benefits realization. When a component project faces challenges, the first step is to engage with the component project manager to understand the issues and collaboratively develop a recovery plan. This ensures that the program manager leverages the project manager's expertise and maintains alignment with program goals before considering escalation or benefit adjustments.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the program sponsor and request additional resources to overcome the technical challenges.

Answer

Replace the component project manager with a more experienced one.

Answer

Adjust the program benefits realization plan to reflect the delays and reduce the expected benefits.

Question 7

A program manager is preparing for the Program Benefits Delivery phase and needs to ensure that the program's benefits are measured and reported consistently. Which of the following should the program manager use as the primary reference for benefit measurement criteria and targets?

Accepted Answer

The benefits realization plan, which defines benefit metrics, targets, and the approach for measuring and sustaining benefits.. The benefits realization plan is the definitive source for benefit metrics, targets, measurement methods, and sustainment ownership. It guides the program manager in tracking and reporting benefits consistently during the Benefits Delivery phase, while other documents like the risk register or communications plan support but do not define benefit measurement criteria.

Answer

The component project charters, which define each project's deliverables and success criteria.

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The program communications management plan, which specifies how benefit information will be distributed to stakeholders.

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The program risk register, which tracks threats and opportunities that could affect benefit achievement.

Question 8

A program manager is preparing the Stakeholder Engagement Plan for a new program that will consolidate three business units onto one platform. The program manager needs to decide how to prioritize engagement activities across a large stakeholder population. Which input is most important for setting engagement priorities?

Accepted Answer

The program's strategic objectives and the assessed power, interest, and potential impact of each stakeholder on those objectives.. Engagement priorities exist to focus limited program resources on the stakeholders who most affect strategic objectives. Combining the program's objectives with an assessment of each stakeholder's power, interest, and potential impact produces a defensible basis for deciding who receives deep engagement and who receives routine updates. Structural data, sponsor preferences, and inherited lists inform tactics but cannot by themselves determine where engagement effort should go.

Answer

The communication preferences and meeting availability of the program sponsor and steering committee members.

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The number of stakeholders in each business unit and the organizational chart of the consolidated entity.

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The previous program's stakeholder contact list and the distribution lists used for its status reports.

Question 9

During a phase-gate review, the Program Governance Board (PGB) identifies that a major component project is no longer delivering the expected ROI. What is the most appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Suspend the project and perform a benefit-cost re-analysis. When a component project's ROI is no longer viable, the PGB must avoid both hasty termination and passive continuation. Suspending the project and performing a benefit-cost re-analysis allows governance to reassess whether the original business case still holds, whether scope or assumptions can be adjusted, and whether continued investment is justified. This preserves optionality while preventing further sunk-cost expenditure on a potentially non-viable initiative.

Answer

Terminate the component project immediately

Answer

Request the project team to continue while monitoring status

Answer

Ask the project manager to reduce the scope to save money

Question 10

A program manager is leading a program to develop a new medical device. During execution, the organization acquires a competitor that has a similar product already on the market. The organization's strategy now focuses on integrating the acquired product rather than continuing development. The program has completed 70% of its deliverables. What should the program manager do first to address this strategic shift?

Accepted Answer

Perform a program impact assessment to evaluate the effect of the acquisition on the program's objectives, benefits, and components.. The program manager should first conduct a program impact assessment to understand how the acquisition affects the program's objectives, benefits, and components. This assessment provides the necessary information to make informed recommendations to governance about whether to terminate, restructure, or continue the program. It ensures that decisions are based on data and strategic alignment, rather than reacting impulsively to the acquisition.

Answer

Continue the program as originally planned because the device may still have unique features.

Answer

Immediately stop all program work and release the team to avoid further expenditure.

Answer

Transfer all program team members to the integration project for the acquired product.

Question 11

A program manager is planning engagement for a program that will affect unionized manufacturing staff across three plants. The program manager wants to build constructive relationships with union representatives before changes are implemented. Which two actions best support this goal? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Establish a regular cadence of joint working sessions to review concerns and co-develop mitigation approaches.. Constructive relationships with union representatives are built through early involvement in impact assessments and sustained joint problem-solving sessions. These actions create two-way dialogue, surface risks, and give representatives a stake in successful transition planning, rather than treating them as passive recipients of a pre-approved schedule.

Answer

Limit union involvement to formal bargaining sessions required by the labor agreement.

Answer

Provide union representatives with the final implementation schedule only after it has been approved by the sponsor.

Answer

Ask plant managers to communicate all program information to union representatives on the program manager's behalf.

Question 12

A program manager is developing the program's strategic alignment document for a program that will implement a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system across multiple business units. The organization's strategic goals include standardizing processes and improving data-driven decision making. Which document should the program manager reference to ensure the program's objectives directly support these goals?

Accepted Answer

The organization's strategic plan. The organization's strategic plan is the definitive source of long-term goals and direction. To ensure the ERP program's objectives support standardization and data-driven decision making, the program manager must reference the strategic plan. Other program documents like the benefits realization plan, risk management plan, and stakeholder engagement plan are important but are derived from or support the strategic plan rather than define it.

Answer

The program's stakeholder engagement plan

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The program's benefits realization plan

Answer

The program's risk management plan

Question 13

A program manager is establishing the benefits register during the program's definition phase. The program's business case identifies a target of $4.2M in annual logistics cost savings once the new warehouse automation system is fully deployed across three regions. The program manager must ensure the benefits register entry for this benefit is actionable and measurable. Which action should the program manager take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Define the benefit owner, the metric (annual logistics cost per unit shipped), the baseline, and the target value with a measurement date.. The benefits register must capture each benefit in a form that can be tracked and realized. That requires an accountable owner, a quantifiable metric, a baseline, a target value, and a measurement timeframe. Only after these elements exist can the program engage stakeholders, assign delivery work, or report credible forecasts. Establishing the measurement definition first prevents later disputes about whether the savings were actually achieved.

Answer

Add the warehouse automation project to the program roadmap and assign a project manager to deliver the system.

Answer

Record the $4.2M savings in the program's financial forecast and report it as a projected benefit in the next steering committee deck.

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Schedule a benefits review meeting with the regional operations directors to confirm they accept the $4.2M savings target.

Question 14

A program manager is reviewing the program's strategic alignment after a major regulatory change that affects the industry. The program's original strategic objectives are still valid, but the regulatory change introduces new compliance requirements that must be met. Which action should the program manager take to maintain strategic alignment?

Accepted Answer

Revise the program's business case to reflect the impact of the regulatory change on costs and risks.. Revising the program's business case is the most appropriate action because it ensures that the program's justification, costs, risks, and benefits are updated to reflect the regulatory change. This maintains strategic alignment by providing accurate information for decision-making and confirming that the program still delivers value under the new compliance requirements.

Answer

Initiate a new project to handle compliance separately from the program.

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Request an extension of the program timeline to absorb the regulatory changes without altering plans.

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Update the program's benefits realization plan to include compliance as a new benefit.

Question 15

During program execution, a key component project reports a delay that impacts the critical path of the program schedule. What is the first step the program manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the delay on program dependencies and benefits delivery.. The program manager's first step when a component project delay impacts the program critical path is to analyze the impact on program dependencies and benefits delivery. This ensures decisions are based on accurate understanding of how the delay affects other projects, milestones, and the realization of program benefits. Only after analysis should the program manager consider recovery options or escalation.

Answer

Direct the project manager to use reserve to recover the schedule.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the Program Steering Committee.

Answer

Immediately update the program management plan.