PgMP Practice Test 8 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A program manager is managing a global ERP implementation. A key vendor stakeholder has repeatedly missed deliverable deadlines, citing internal resource constraints. The vendor is critical to the program's success, but their lack of engagement is now threatening the schedule. The program manager has already conducted a root cause analysis and identified that the vendor's project manager lacks decision-making authority. What should the program manager do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Work with the vendor to establish a direct escalation path to a decision-making authority within the vendor organization.. The program manager should facilitate a direct escalation path to a vendor decision-maker. This addresses the identified root cause—lack of authority—and empowers the vendor to resolve internal constraints. It is a collaborative, proactive step that avoids punitive measures and keeps the program on track. Other options either escalate prematurely, take drastic action, or are too passive.

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Document the vendor's performance issues in the program risk register and continue to monitor the situation.

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Reassign the vendor's responsibilities to an internal team to avoid further delays.

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Request a meeting with the vendor's executive leadership to negotiate a revised contract with penalties for delays.

Question 2

A global program has just entered its second year. Stakeholder engagement was strong during initiation, but survey data now shows declining participation from regional business unit leaders, and several benefits realization dependencies are at risk because those leaders are not providing required data. What is the MOST appropriate action for the program manager?

Accepted Answer

Perform a stakeholder engagement assessment to identify changes in influence, interest, and concerns, then update the engagement approach accordingly.. A sustained drop in participation from previously engaged stakeholders is a signal that the engagement strategy no longer matches the stakeholder landscape. Reassessing influence, interest, and concerns and then tailoring the engagement approach addresses the root cause, protects benefits dependencies, and rebuilds voluntary commitment rather than relying on escalation or personnel substitution.

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Re-issue the original stakeholder engagement plan and remind regional leaders of their committed responsibilities.

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Escalate the data dependency risk to the program steering committee and request that the committee mandate compliance from the regional leaders.

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Replace the regional leaders with alternative points of contact who can provide the required data more reliably.

Question 3

A program manager is preparing the Stakeholder Engagement Plan for a program entering its second tranche. Several stakeholders have changed roles, a new regulatory body has emerged, and prior engagement assumptions no longer hold. Which TWO actions should the program manager take to ensure the plan remains valid? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Reassess stakeholder identification to capture new and changed stakeholders. At a tranche boundary with role changes and a new regulator, the plan must be refreshed by re-identifying stakeholders and updating engagement and communication approaches to fit their revised needs and expectations. These two actions restore the plan's accuracy and usefulness. Replacing the plan with a narrower document, freezing it, or delegating engagement ownership to the sponsor all fail to address the underlying invalidation of assumptions.

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Freeze the plan until the next program phase gate to avoid disruption

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Replace the Stakeholder Engagement Plan with the original communications management plan

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Delegate all stakeholder engagement decisions to the program sponsor

Question 4

You are the program manager for a multi-year ERP transformation. During the first program increment review, the CFO—who controls funding—sends a delegate who asks detailed questions about cost capitalization but not about business outcomes. After the meeting, you learn the CFO believes the program is an IT upgrade rather than a finance operating-model change. What should you do first to re-engage this key stakeholder?

Accepted Answer

Update the Stakeholder Engagement Plan to increase the CFO's engagement level and schedule a one-on-one briefing focused on the finance operating-model outcomes.. The delegate's cost-only questions are a signal that the CFO sees the program as an IT upgrade, not a finance operating-model change. The program manager's first duty is to verify and correct that perception through direct engagement. Updating the Stakeholder Engagement Plan captures the revised engagement assessment, and a focused one-on-one briefing lets the program manager reconnect the program to the CFO's actual strategic interests before considering escalation or artifact changes.

Answer

Add more cost-capitalization detail to the standard program dashboard so the CFO's delegate receives the information the delegate requested.

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Ask the PMO to re-baseline the program benefits register so that hard cost savings replace the operating-model benefits currently tied to the finance function.

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Escalate to the program sponsor that the CFO is disengaged and request that the sponsor direct the CFO to attend all future increment reviews.

Question 5

A program manager is planning the stakeholder engagement approach for a regulatory compliance program with a fixed external deadline. Two stakeholder groups have conflicting priorities: the legal department wants maximum controls and documentation, while the business units want minimal process disruption. Which TWO actions should the program manager take to manage this conflict constructively? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Establish a joint working group with named representatives from legal and the business units that meets regularly to review and resolve emerging compliance design conflicts.. Conflicting stakeholder priorities in a deadline-driven program are best managed through structured, ongoing joint problem-solving. A facilitated workshop distinguishes regulatory mandates from negotiable controls, and a standing joint working group institutionalizes conflict resolution as design decisions emerge. Together they convert adversarial positions into shared ownership without prematurely consuming executive escalation capacity.

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Document both groups' positions in the stakeholder engagement plan and escalate the disagreement to the steering committee for a decision.

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Ask the executive sponsor to remind both groups that the fixed regulatory deadline takes precedence over their individual preferences.

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Adopt the legal department's position as the default because regulatory compliance failures carry the greatest risk to the program.

Question 6

A program manager is developing the benefits register for a multi-year transformation program. During a workshop, a stakeholder asks how the program will know whether the targeted reduction in customer onboarding time is actually being realized after go-live. Which component of the benefits register should the program manager point to as the authoritative source for this information?

Accepted Answer

Benefit metric, baseline value, target value, and the measurement method with timing. Benefits must be measurable, so the benefits register records each benefit with its metric, baseline, target, measurement method, and timing. These elements allow the program to prove realization after transition rather than rely on delivery milestones or financial forecasts. Ownership and roadmap data support governance and sequencing but do not establish how the outcome will be evidenced, which is what the stakeholder is asking about.

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Program roadmap milestones and the component projects' delivery dates

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The program's financial forecast and the approved funding envelope

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Benefit owner, benefit category, and the project that will deliver the capability

Question 7

A program manager discovers that a project manager is not following the program's reporting standards. What is the best course of action?

Accepted Answer

Provide training and mentoring on the program standards.. The program manager's role is to enable and support project managers, not to absorb their work or escalate prematurely. When a project manager is not following program reporting standards, the root cause is typically a knowledge or capability gap, so the program manager should first provide training and mentoring to build competency. This aligns with the PgMP principle of developing the program team and ensuring consistent governance through capability building rather than punitive action.

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Take over the project manager's reporting responsibilities.

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Remove the project from the program.

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Report the project manager to HR for non-compliance.

Question 8

A program manager is in the Program Definition phase and is developing the program roadmap. The program consists of five component projects that will be executed over three years. The program manager needs to ensure that the roadmap accurately reflects the sequencing of projects and the delivery of benefits. Which of the following should the program manager do to validate the roadmap?

Accepted Answer

Review the roadmap with key stakeholders to confirm that the sequencing of projects and benefits aligns with strategic objectives and dependencies.. The program roadmap is a key artifact that sequences projects and benefits to achieve strategic objectives. Validating it with stakeholders ensures that the sequencing is logical, dependencies are understood, and benefits are delivered in the right order. This collaborative review helps confirm that the roadmap is aligned with organizational strategy and is feasible, setting the foundation for successful program delivery.

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Perform a quantitative risk analysis to determine the probability of each project completing on time.

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Develop a detailed project schedule for each component project to ensure that the roadmap timelines are achievable.

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Conduct a feasibility study for each component project to confirm that they can be completed within the planned timeframe.

Question 9

During a program's benefits transition phase, a mid-level manager who controls access to operational data refuses to cooperate, stating that the program was imposed without consulting her team. She has low formal authority but high control over a critical dependency. What is the BEST approach for the program manager?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledge her concerns, explain the program's benefits to her team, and involve her in defining how the data handover will work.. Resistance rooted in perceived exclusion is best resolved by inclusion. Acknowledging the manager's concerns, communicating benefits relevant to her team, and involving her in designing the data handover directly addresses the cause of her refusal and leverages her control over the dependency constructively, rather than forcing compliance through her supervisor or avoiding the issue.

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Reassign the data handover responsibility to another department that is more supportive of the program.

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Ask her direct supervisor to instruct her to provide the data, since the dependency is critical to the program.

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Document the refusal as a program risk and proceed with other transition activities while monitoring the situation.

Question 10

A program manager is developing the program's benefits realization plan. The organization's strategic plan emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility. Which of the following best ensures that the program's benefits are aligned with these strategic goals?

Accepted Answer

Include sustainability metrics and social responsibility outcomes in the benefits register and map them to strategic objectives.. To align program benefits with strategic goals like sustainability and social responsibility, the program manager must explicitly incorporate relevant metrics and outcomes into the benefits register and map them to strategic objectives. This ensures that benefits are planned, measured, and realized in line with the organization's direction. It also provides a basis for decision-making and reporting. Simply focusing on financials or deferring identification would fail to achieve strategic alignment.

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Delegate the definition of sustainability benefits to the project managers of the constituent projects.

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Wait until the program is near completion to identify sustainability benefits, to avoid scope changes.

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Focus on financial benefits only, because sustainability and social responsibility are difficult to quantify.