PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 11 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your Agile team's velocity has dropped for the third consecutive sprint. The team cites increasing technical debt and unclear requirements. As a servant leader, what is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively develop an improvement plan. Option A is correct because as a servant leader, the best course is to facilitate a retrospective to collaboratively identify root causes of the velocity drop, such as technical debt and unclear requirements, and then develop an improvement plan. This aligns with the Agile principle of continuous improvement and empowers the team to address issues at their source rather than applying top-down fixes.

Answer

Reduce the scope of the project to match the current velocity

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Ask the team to increase their velocity by working overtime

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Schedule additional daily standups to increase communication

Question 2

A new regulation impacting your construction project was announced. The compliance team says the project must incorporate additional safety inspections, which will require extra resources and extend the schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board to assess the impact and obtain approval. Option A is correct because any change to the project baseline must go through the Integrated Change Control process. Option B is wrong because ignoring the regulation is not an option. Option C is wrong because the PM should not implement changes without approval. Option D is wrong because the PM should first assess impact before escalating.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for decision

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Instruct the team to start implementing the additional inspections immediately

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Ignore the regulation since it was not part of the original project scope

Question 3

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.

Answer

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 4

During a sprint review, a stakeholder expresses dissatisfaction with a deliverable's feature, claiming it does not meet their needs. The product owner disagrees, stating the feature was built exactly as specified. What is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements. Option D is correct because the core issue is a misalignment between the stakeholder's needs and the product owner's interpretation of the requirements. The best next step is to facilitate direct communication between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements, ensuring that the team has a clear, shared understanding before any changes are made. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution through collaboration.

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Ask the product owner to reprioritize the backlog and add the modification

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Thank the stakeholder for the feedback but proceed with the current deliverable

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Instruct the team to modify the feature to satisfy the stakeholder

Question 5

Your project is 50% complete and 15% over budget. Earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.95. The team is demoralized due to recent layoffs in the company. An executive suggests reducing the project scope to cut costs. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis of the proposed scope reduction and submit a change request. The correct first step is to perform an impact analysis of the proposed scope reduction and submit a change request. As a project manager, you must follow the formal change control process: any change to scope, even if suggested by an executive, requires an analysis of its impact on cost, schedule, quality, and risks before any decision is made. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance that scope changes must be evaluated through a change request to ensure informed decision-making and maintain project baselines.

Answer

Update the project management plan to reflect the new budget constraints

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Decline the suggestion and implement cost reduction measures elsewhere

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Agree to reduce scope to meet the budget, as suggested by the executive

Question 6

An executive stakeholder has been giving direct instructions to your team members, bypassing you as the project manager. This has caused confusion and conflicting priorities. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the executive to discuss the importance of following the project's communication protocols. Option C is correct because it directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—the executive stakeholder's bypassing behavior—through a private, respectful conversation. This aligns with the PMP's focus on stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution, as it seeks to reinforce the project's communication protocols without escalating the issue publicly. By discussing the importance of following the plan, you maintain the authority of the project manager while preserving the stakeholder relationship.

Answer

Ask the team to ignore any instructions not coming from you

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Send a memo to all stakeholders restating the project's communication plan

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Ignore the situation to avoid conflict with the executive

Question 7

Your project team has members from diverse cultural backgrounds. During a conflict resolution session, you notice that some team members are hesitant to express their opinions due to cultural norms. What is the BEST approach to foster an inclusive environment?

Accepted Answer

Establish a team charter that includes ground rules for respectful communication and encourages diverse perspectives. Option A is correct because establishing a team charter with ground rules for respectful communication proactively addresses cultural norms by creating a safe, agreed-upon framework for participation. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on team charter development as a tool to set expectations, reduce ambiguity, and foster psychological safety, which is essential for inclusive environments in diverse teams.

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Provide training materials on conflict resolution to all team members

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Ask the hesitant members directly for their opinions during meetings

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Decide on solutions yourself to avoid prolonged discussions

Question 8

During a sprint, you observe that a team member is consistently underperforming, missing tasks, and producing low-quality work. They have been a reliable performer in the past. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Have a private, empathetic conversation with the team member to understand any personal or professional challenges. Option A is correct because the first step in addressing a sudden performance decline from a previously reliable team member is to have a private, empathetic conversation to uncover root causes. This aligns with the PMP's servant leadership approach, which prioritizes understanding personal or professional challenges before taking corrective action. Jumping to documentation or reassignment without this dialogue violates the principle of leading with empathy and could damage trust and team morale.

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Escalate the issue to the functional manager for disciplinary action

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Formally document the underperformance and initiate a performance improvement plan

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Reassign their tasks to other team members to maintain sprint velocity

Question 9

Your project uses a hybrid approach. The team has been working remotely for six months, and you notice a decline in collaboration and an increase in misunderstandings. What is the BEST action to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Organize virtual team-building activities and encourage video calls for key meetings. Option B is correct because virtual team-building activities and encouraging video calls directly address the root cause of declining collaboration and misunderstandings in a remote team. Video calls enhance non-verbal communication cues and social presence, which are critical for building trust and reducing ambiguity in a hybrid project environment. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on developing the team and using virtual collaboration tools to foster cohesion.

Answer

Increase the frequency of status meetings

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Request that team members relocate to a central office for the remainder of the project

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Send a detailed communication protocol to all team members

Question 10

Your project team is struggling with low morale due to a heavy workload and unclear priorities. As a project manager, which TWO actions would BEST help improve team motivation? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Recognize and celebrate team achievements publicly. Options A and C are correct. Recognizing achievements (A) boosts morale, and clarifying priorities (C) reduces confusion and stress. Option B involves working overtime which may worsen morale. Option D is about financial incentives, which are not always the best motivator. Option E may help but is not as directly impactful as A and C.

Answer

Offer monetary bonuses for meeting deadlines

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Empower the team to self-organize and make decisions

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Ask the team to work overtime to reduce the backlog

Question 11

You are managing a large, distributed project using a hybrid methodology. The team is experiencing communication breakdowns and conflict between onshore and offshore members. Which THREE actions should you take to improve team collaboration and performance? (Choose three)

Accepted Answer

Establish regular video conference meetings for synchronous collaboration. Establishing regular video conference meetings (A) is correct because it enables synchronous, face-to-face communication, which is critical for bridging cultural and time-zone gaps in distributed teams. Video conferencing reduces misunderstandings by allowing non-verbal cues and real-time clarification, directly addressing the communication breakdowns described in the scenario.

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Separate the team into onshore and offshore sub-teams with their own leads

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Increase the frequency of status reporting

Question 12

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that unclear roles and responsibilities have caused confusion and rework. Which TWO documents or tools would BEST help address this issue? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Team charter. The team charter is correct because it formally defines team roles, responsibilities, and operating norms, directly addressing the root cause of confusion and rework. By establishing clear expectations upfront, it prevents ambiguity in task ownership and decision-making authority.

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Work breakdown structure (WBS)

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Risk register

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Project schedule

Question 13

You are the project manager for a software development project using Scrum. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for a user story. The sprint goal is at risk. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ask the developers to resolve the conflict after the meeting and escalate if they cannot. Option D is correct because the Scrum framework empowers the development team to self-organize and resolve technical disagreements. The project manager should facilitate the team's autonomy by asking the developers to resolve the conflict after the stand-up, escalating only if they cannot reach a consensus, thus protecting the sprint goal without imposing a top-down decision.

Answer

Report the conflict to the product owner and ask for a decision

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Intervene immediately and decide the technical approach to resolve the conflict

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Cancel the stand-up and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the issue

Question 14

A project team is distributed across three time zones. Communication delays are causing misunderstandings and rework. What is the BEST way to improve team collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Create a team charter that defines communication protocols and core overlap hours. Establishing a team charter with communication guidelines sets expectations for availability, response times, and meeting times, which directly addresses the issue.

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Require all team members to work the same hours

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Assign a single point of contact in each time zone

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Implement a daily status report via email

Question 15

Midway through a construction project, a key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver critical steel beams on time due to a factory fire. This risk was identified and included in the risk register. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response that was documented in the risk register. Since the risk was already identified and documented in the risk register, the project manager must first follow the pre-planned risk response. This ensures a structured, timely reaction without unnecessary escalation or ad-hoc decisions. Option C is correct because the risk response plan is the authoritative source for the first action when a known risk occurs.

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Contact the vendor and negotiate a new delivery date

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Immediately place an order with a backup vendor

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Inform the sponsor and ask for instructions