PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 18 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The team is working well, but the variance is due to inaccurate cost estimates. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Perform a root cause analysis to understand why estimates were inaccurate and develop a corrective action plan. The project manager should first perform a root cause analysis to understand why the cost estimates were inaccurate, as this addresses the fundamental issue rather than applying a superficial fix. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principle of identifying the root cause of a variance before taking corrective action, ensuring that the corrective action plan targets the actual problem and prevents recurrence.

Answer

Reduce the scope of remaining work to bring costs back in line

Answer

Inform the team to cut costs wherever possible

Answer

Request additional budget from the sponsor to cover the overrun

Question 2

You are leading a virtual team across three continents. Team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected from the project. Which TWO actions would best help build team cohesion and trust?

Accepted Answer

Schedule weekly virtual coffee chats or informal video calls for non-work interactions. Option A is correct because scheduling weekly virtual coffee chats or informal video calls creates deliberate social interaction, which humanizes remote colleagues, reduces the isolation reported by the team, and builds interpersonal trust beyond task-focused exchanges. Option D is correct because a team charter that explicitly defines communication norms, response times, and preferred collaboration tools removes ambiguity across three continents, prevents misunderstandings caused by differing expectations, and gives distributed members a shared, predictable framework they can rely on. The remaining options do not fit: B is wrong because forcing identical core hours across three continents is impractical, harms work-life balance, and can increase resentment rather than cohesion; C is wrong because a one-way weekly email newsletter shares information but does not create the two-way interaction or relationship-building needed to counter isolation; and E is wrong because assigning a mentor from a different region may add value for onboarding but does not systematically build trust and cohesion across the whole team.

Answer

Require everyone to work the same core hours regardless of time zone

Answer

Send a weekly email newsletter with project updates and achievements

Answer

Assign a mentor to each new team member from a different region

Question 3

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are hesitant to speak up during meetings due to cultural norms about hierarchy. Which TWO approaches would best promote inclusive participation?

Accepted Answer

Use anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools during meetings to gather input from everyone. Anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools create a safe, low-pressure channel for team members who may be hesitant to speak up due to cultural norms about hierarchy. This approach bypasses the social dynamics of face-to-face meetings, allowing everyone to contribute equally without fear of contradicting senior members or violating cultural protocols. It directly addresses the root cause—hesitation due to hierarchy—by removing the need for verbal participation in a hierarchical setting.

Answer

Assign speaking order based on seniority to respect cultural norms

Answer

Ask only the most vocal team members to provide input to keep meetings efficient

Answer

Hold meetings at times that are convenient for the majority of the team

Question 4

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers have a technical disagreement that has escalated into a personal conflict, causing delays. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. As a project manager using a hybrid approach, your first responsibility is to address interpersonal conflicts privately and individually to understand each party's perspective before attempting a facilitated resolution. This aligns with the PMI People domain's emphasis on emotional intelligence and conflict resolution techniques, where direct, private conversations help de-escalate tensions and uncover root causes without public embarrassment or escalation.

Answer

Bring the two developers together in a team meeting to resolve the issue openly

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Reassign one of the developers to a different project to avoid further conflict

Question 5

You are leading a virtual team across multiple time zones. During daily stand-ups, you notice that team members from one region are consistently quiet and not contributing. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a few members of that region to ask about their experience and any barriers. The first step in addressing a participation issue in a virtual team is to understand the root cause through direct, private conversations. This aligns with the PMP principle of 'servant leadership' and the 'People' domain, where you must first investigate barriers (e.g., time zone fatigue, cultural norms, or tool discomfort) before implementing solutions. A one-on-one meeting builds psychological safety and gathers specific feedback, which is essential for an effective corrective action.

Answer

Implement a new communication tool to encourage engagement

Answer

Send a team-wide email reminding everyone of the importance of participation

Answer

Assign speaking turns to ensure everyone participates

Question 6

During a sprint retrospective, the team expresses frustration that they are frequently interrupted by ad-hoc requests from stakeholders. Scrum Master role you are also the PM. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to establish a process for handling ad-hoc requests and shield the team. As both Scrum Master and PM, your primary responsibility is to protect the team from disruptions while ensuring stakeholder needs are addressed. Working with the Product Owner to establish a formal process for handling ad-hoc requests—such as triaging, prioritizing, and deferring non-critical items—preserves the team's focus and sprint commitment. This aligns with the servant-leader role of a Scrum Master and the PM's duty to manage stakeholder expectations without bypassing the product backlog.

Answer

Ask stakeholders to submit all requests as change requests for formal approval

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore all ad-hoc requests until the next sprint planning

Answer

Add a buffer to the sprint backlog to account for interruptions

Question 7

A team member has been consistently underperforming, missing deadlines, and delivering low-quality work. You have had informal conversations but no improvement. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Document the performance issues and initiate a formal performance improvement plan. After informal conversations have failed to resolve performance issues, the next step in progressive discipline is to formally document the issues and implement a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). This aligns with the PMI People domain, which emphasizes addressing performance gaps through structured, documented processes before considering escalation or removal.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Terminate the team member's assignment to the project

Answer

Reassign the team member to a less critical role on the project

Question 8

Your project is halfway through its planned 18-month schedule. The sponsor has asked you to skip the final testing phase to meet a regulatory deadline, citing that the team is experienced and testing is unnecessary. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing and propose alternatives such as reducing test scope while maintaining critical tests. As a project manager, your first responsibility is to assess and communicate the impact of a requested change. Skipping the final testing phase introduces significant quality and compliance risks, especially given the regulatory deadline. By explaining these risks and proposing a reduced but critical test scope, you demonstrate proactive risk management and stakeholder negotiation, which aligns with the PMI's focus on balancing constraints.

Answer

Escalate to the PMO for a decision

Answer

Refuse to skip testing and insist on the original plan

Answer

Agree to skip testing to maintain the deadline, as the sponsor has authority

Question 9

You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time, which will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the schedule impact and evaluate options such as crashing or fast-tracking. In a predictive project, the first step when a critical path delay is identified is to analyze the schedule impact and evaluate recovery options like crashing or fast-tracking. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Plan Schedule Management' and 'Control Schedule' processes, where you assess the variance and determine corrective actions before escalating. Immediately notifying stakeholders or switching vendors without understanding the impact could lead to unnecessary panic or premature decisions.

Answer

Immediately notify the project sponsor and stakeholders about the delay

Answer

Instruct the procurement team to find a new vendor

Answer

Update the risk register and move on

Question 10

You are the project manager for a team that recently transitioned to remote work. You notice that team morale is declining and collaboration has decreased. What is the BEST action to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a virtual team-building activity and weekly informal coffee chats. It directly addresses the root causes of declining morale and reduced collaboration in a remote team by creating structured opportunities for social interaction and informal bonding. Virtual team-building activities and weekly coffee chats foster psychological safety and interpersonal connections, which are critical for team cohesion in a distributed environment. This aligns with the PMI talent triangle's emphasis on leadership and emotional intelligence, as it proactively builds trust and engagement rather than relying on formal oversight or one-way communication.

Answer

Increase the frequency of status meetings to ensure everyone is accountable

Answer

Assign a mentor to each remote team member

Answer

Send a motivational email to the team every week

Question 11

During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a user story because it does not meet their expectations, even though the team followed the acceptance criteria. The team is frustrated. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the product owner and the team to clarify the acceptance criteria and align expectations. The immediate conflict stems from a misalignment between the acceptance criteria and the product owner's expectations. As a servant leader, the first step is to facilitate a meeting between the product owner and the team to clarify the acceptance criteria and ensure a shared understanding, which directly addresses the root cause of the frustration without escalating or ignoring the issue.

Answer

Ask the team to rework the story based on the product owner's feedback without further discussion

Answer

Appeal to the project sponsor to mediate the disagreement

Answer

Add the story back to the product backlog for future prioritization

Question 12

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. During a meeting, you notice that some team members are uncomfortable with the direct communication style of others. How should you address this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team discussion to develop a team charter that includes communication norms and cultural respect. It aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive leadership and team development. By facilitating a team discussion to create a team charter with agreed-upon communication norms and cultural respect, you empower the team to collaboratively solve the issue, fostering a respectful and inclusive environment. This approach directly addresses the root cause—differing communication styles—and builds a sustainable framework for future interactions, which is a core responsibility of a project manager in the 'Manage Team' process.

Answer

Ignore the issue as it will likely resolve on its own

Answer

Provide cultural sensitivity training to the entire team

Answer

Tell the direct communicators to soften their tone

Question 13

You are managing a project where the team has been working overtime for several weeks to meet a milestone. The milestone is achieved, but the team is exhausted. What should you do to sustain the team's performance?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a retrospective to identify causes of overtime and implement improvements. A retrospective directly addresses the root cause of unsustainable overtime, enabling the project manager to implement process improvements that prevent recurrence. Sustaining team performance requires addressing systemic issues, not just short-term relief. This aligns with the PMI talent triangle's emphasis on leadership and team motivation through continuous improvement.

Answer

Reward the team with a bonus and move on to the next phase

Answer

Encourage the team to take a few days off to recover

Answer

Increase the team's resources for the next milestone

Question 14

An executive stakeholder has been bypassing you and giving direct instructions to your team, causing confusion and scope creep. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the stakeholder to discuss the issue and reinforce the project's communication management plan. The first step in resolving stakeholder interference is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder through a meeting, reinforcing the communication management plan. This plan defines how information flows, including who can give instructions to the team, and is a key tool in managing stakeholder expectations and preventing scope creep. By discussing the issue, you can clarify roles, re-establish agreed-upon channels, and avoid further confusion without escalating prematurely.

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore any instructions from the stakeholder

Answer

Update the stakeholder engagement plan without informing the stakeholder

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor immediately

Question 15

Your agile project has seen sprint velocity drop for the past three sprints. The team attributes it to increasing technical debt. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion with the product owner to allocate time for refactoring in the next sprint. The first step when technical debt impacts velocity is to collaborate with the product owner to prioritize refactoring. As the project manager, you should facilitate a discussion to allocate dedicated time in the next sprint for addressing technical debt, ensuring the team can sustainably improve velocity without compromising quality or overworking.

Answer

Bring in external consultants to fix the technical debt

Answer

Reduce the scope of future sprints to compensate

Answer

Ask the team to work extra hours to maintain velocity while addressing debt