PMP Practice Test 19 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a project where an executive stakeholder has been bypassing you and directly giving instructions to the team members. This has caused confusion and rework. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Have a private meeting with the executive stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan. The first step in resolving a stakeholder bypassing the communication plan is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder in a private, respectful meeting. This aligns with the PMI's principle of managing stakeholders proactively and using the communication plan as a reference to clarify roles and expectations. By discussing the importance of following the established plan, you can resolve the root cause without escalating prematurely or undermining the stakeholder's authority.

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Instruct the team to ignore any instructions that do not come through you

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Update the communication management plan to require all communications to go through you

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and ask them to intervene

Question 2

Your project is halfway through its timeline and is running 15% over budget due to unexpected vendor price increases. The sponsor is concerned and asks you to cut costs by reducing the number of quality tests. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Conduct an impact analysis and submit a change request to the change control board. As a project manager, you must follow the formal change control process when a sponsor requests a change that impacts the project baseline. Reducing quality tests is a change that could affect scope, schedule, and risk; therefore, you should analyze the impact on quality, cost, and schedule, then submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) for approval. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on managing changes through the integrated change control process, ensuring decisions are made with full awareness of trade-offs.

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Increase testing in other areas to compensate for reduced quality risk

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Inform the sponsor that quality cannot be compromised and continue as planned

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Agree with the sponsor and reduce the number of tests to stay within budget

Question 3

You are managing a pharmaceutical research project using a hybrid approach. Midway through, a new regulatory requirement is announced that will affect your project's deliverables. The compliance deadline is before your planned project completion. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis to determine the effect on scope, schedule, cost, and quality.. When a new regulatory requirement emerges mid-project, the first step is to perform an impact analysis to assess its effect on scope, schedule, cost, and quality. This analysis provides the data needed to make informed decisions about how to proceed, such as whether to update the plan, escalate, or request additional resources. Without this analysis, any subsequent actions would be based on assumptions rather than evidence.

Answer

Update the project management plan to incorporate the new requirement.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and ask for guidance.

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Immediately inform the project sponsor and request additional budget and time.

Question 4

A project team is transitioning from a predictive to an agile approach. One team member is resistant to change and insists on detailed upfront planning. What is the best way for the project manager to address this resistance?

Accepted Answer

Involve the team member in the agile transition planning to gain buy-in.. Involving the resistant team member in the agile transition planning directly addresses the root cause of resistance—lack of ownership and understanding. By participating in planning, the team member can see how agile practices (e.g., iterative delivery, adaptive planning) still incorporate upfront analysis but in a more flexible, value-driven way. This collaborative approach leverages the team member's experience while aligning with agile principles, reducing friction without forcing change.

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Inform the team member that the change is mandatory and must be followed.

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Assign a mentor to guide the team member through the new processes.

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Conduct a training session on agile principles and practices.

Question 5

You are the project manager for a hybrid software development project. During a sprint review, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The argument is delaying the review and making other team members uncomfortable. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Call a brief break, then meet privately with the two developers to facilitate a resolution. As a project manager in a hybrid environment, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly and privately to de-escalate the situation without disrupting the sprint review. By calling a brief break and meeting privately with the two developers, you facilitate a resolution using conflict management techniques, which aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder engagement. This approach preserves team morale and allows the review to continue productively after the issue is resolved.

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Ask both developers to stop arguing and continue the review

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

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Cancel the sprint review and reschedule it for the next day

Question 6

Your agile team has been experiencing conflict between two developers over coding standards. The conflict is affecting team morale and productivity. Which TWO actions should you take to resolve the conflict? (Choose TWO)

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to create or update coding standards. Option D is correct because facilitating a meeting between the two developers directly addresses the root cause of the conflict by giving them a structured, safe forum to discuss their differences and negotiate common ground, which is the recommended servant-leadership approach in agile environments. Option A is correct because collaborating with the whole team to create or update coding standards establishes an agreed, transparent baseline that removes ambiguity and prevents similar disputes from recurring, turning the conflict into a constructive team improvement. Option B is wrong because ignoring the conflict allows it to escalate and continue damaging morale and productivity. Option C is wrong because reassigning the developers merely avoids the problem, disrupts team stability, and does not resolve the underlying disagreement. Option E is wrong because escalating to the project sponsor bypasses the team's ability to self-organize and resolve its own issues, which contradicts agile principles.

Answer

Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own

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Reassign the developers to different teams

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Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor

Question 7

A project manager is leading a cross-functional team that includes members from marketing, engineering, and finance. The team is struggling with collaboration because each department has different priorities and jargon. What should the project manager do to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a team-building workshop focused on communication styles and shared goals. The core issue is cross-functional collaboration due to differing priorities and jargon, which is a communication and team dynamics problem. A team-building workshop focused on communication styles and shared goals directly addresses these root causes by fostering mutual understanding and aligning the team around common objectives, which is a key leadership practice in the PMBOK Guide's 'Manage Team' process. This approach builds trust and cohesion without resorting to punitive or siloed measures.

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Clearly define each member's role and responsibilities in a RACI chart

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Request that the functional managers replace members who are not collaborating well

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Hold separate meetings with each department to address their concerns individually

Question 8

You are managing a project to build a new office building. During excavation, the team discovers an unexpected archaeological site. This is a risk that was identified in the risk register with a low probability and high impact. The mitigation plan was to contact local authorities. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Stop work immediately and contact the local authorities as per the risk response plan. The risk was identified and a mitigation plan was defined in the risk register. The first action when a risk occurs is to execute the planned response, which in this case is to stop work and contact local authorities. This aligns with the PMBOK® Guide's guidance on implementing risk responses immediately when a risk trigger is observed.

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision

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Direct the team to continue work and cover the site to avoid delays

Answer

Update the risk register and mark the risk as closed

Question 9

Your project is in execution phase. An executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly instructs a team member to add a new feature. The team member complies and completes the work. You discover this during a status review. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the new feature on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request retroactively. As the project manager, your first responsibility is to assess the impact of the unauthorized change on the project's triple constraints (scope, schedule, cost) before taking any corrective action. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance to evaluate the situation and then follow the formal change control process, even retroactively, to ensure proper documentation and approval. Confronting or reporting without understanding the impact would be premature and could escalate the issue unnecessarily.

Answer

Accept the work as done and update the project documents accordingly

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Report the executive to the project sponsor for violating the change control process

Answer

Confront the executive stakeholder and insist they follow the change control process

Question 10

You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A key team member has expressed that they feel micromanaged by you and wants more autonomy. The team member's performance is satisfactory. How should you respond?

Accepted Answer

Gradually delegate more responsibility and trust the team member to manage their own tasks. It directly addresses the team member's need for autonomy while maintaining project control. In a predictive (waterfall) approach, delegating responsibility gradually allows the team member to demonstrate self-management without risking project deliverables, aligning with the PMI talent triangle's leadership principle of empowering team members.

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Reassign the team member to a less critical task to minimize risk

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Explain that your management style is necessary to keep the project on track

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Ask the team member to provide a detailed plan of how they will manage their own work

Question 11

A team member has been consistently missing deadlines, causing the team to pick up the slack. The PM has had informal conversations, but the behavior persists. What should the PM do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Have a private meeting to discuss performance issues and establish a performance improvement plan. The PM should first address the performance issue directly with the team member through a private meeting to discuss the missed deadlines and collaboratively establish a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). This aligns with the PMI's focus on leading the team, using conflict resolution and performance management techniques before escalating. Informal conversations have failed, so a structured PIP provides clear expectations, measurable goals, and a timeline for improvement, which is the next logical step in the progressive discipline process.

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Ignore the behavior as the team is compensating

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Escalate to human resources for immediate termination

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Reassign the team member to less critical tasks

Question 12

During project execution, a key team member resigns. The project manager needs to fill the position quickly. What is the FIRST step the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Review the project resource management plan and update the staffing requirements.. The project resource management plan contains the procedures for acquiring, developing, and managing the project team. When a key team member resigns, the first step is to review this plan to identify the pre-defined staffing requirements, roles, and acquisition methods (e.g., hiring, reassignment) before taking any action. This ensures alignment with the project's resource constraints and avoids ad-hoc decisions that could disrupt the project's technical execution.

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Immediately hire a replacement with similar skills.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for approval to hire.

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Ask the team to redistribute the workload.

Question 13

You are managing a hybrid software development project. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the best technical approach for a critical feature. The argument is delaying the meeting and causing tension. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Intervene, acknowledge both perspectives, and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the conflict. As the project manager in a hybrid project, you must facilitate conflict resolution without imposing a technical decision that exceeds your role. By acknowledging both perspectives and scheduling a separate meeting, you keep the daily stand-up focused on coordination while ensuring the technical debate is resolved by the appropriate experts, preserving team autonomy and project momentum.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

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Let the team resolve the conflict on their own without intervention

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Decide on the technical approach yourself to move forward quickly

Question 14

A key vendor informs you that due to raw material shortages, they cannot deliver a critical component on time. This component is on the critical path. The risk register included this as a high-probability risk with a contingency plan to use an alternative supplier. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Activate the contingency plan and engage the alternative supplier. D is correct because the risk was already identified, assessed as high-probability, and a contingency plan (alternative supplier) was documented in the risk register. When the risk occurs, the first action is to execute the pre-approved contingency plan, not to reanalyze or seek new approvals, as the plan was already vetted during risk planning.

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Ask the project sponsor to approve the alternative supplier

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Replan the project schedule to accommodate the delay

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Perform a new risk analysis to assess the impact

Question 15

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that communication breakdowns are causing delays. They propose a new collaboration tool. The project manager supports the idea but it requires additional budget. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the tool's cost and benefits, then submit a change request for approval. The project manager must first evaluate the cost and benefits of the proposed collaboration tool to build a business case, then submit a formal change request to the change control board (CCB) for approval. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's integrated change control process, ensuring that budget adjustments are justified and authorized before any expenditure.

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Purchase the tool using the management reserve without approval

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Ask the team to continue without the tool to save money

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Authorize the purchase using the contingency reserve