PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 21 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your agile team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. Upon investigation, you discover that the product owner has been adding unplanned work directly to the sprint backlog without consulting you or the team. What is the most appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the issue with the product owner and remind them that scope changes should go through the backlog refinement process. Option A is correct because the product owner is violating the Scrum framework by adding unplanned work directly to the sprint backlog, which undermines the team's commitment and velocity. The appropriate action is to discuss the issue with the product owner and remind them that all scope changes must go through the backlog refinement process to ensure the sprint goal remains achievable. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and maintaining team autonomy within agile practices.

Answer

Tell the team to accept the extra work to keep the product owner happy

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Allow the product owner to continue as they are the voice of the customer

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Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 2

During a project status meeting, the sponsor asks you to skip the final round of testing to meet the original deadline, stating that the product is already 'good enough.' What is your best response?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing and propose a formal change request to document the decision. The PM should explain the risks of skipping testing and suggest following the change control process if the schedule needs to be compressed. This upholds quality standards and PMI principles.

Answer

Agree to skip testing to maintain the schedule and stakeholder satisfaction

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Secretly continue testing but report that testing is complete

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Refuse outright and insist on completing all testing as planned

Question 3

You are leading a virtual team using a hybrid methodology. A team member from another country consistently arrives late to daily stand-ups, disrupting the flow. The team member has not responded to private messages about the issue. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private video call to discuss the challenges and find a mutually agreeable solution. Option B is correct because, as a project manager, you should first seek to understand the root cause of the behavior through a private, empathetic conversation. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and conflict resolution, especially in a virtual, cross-cultural team where time zones or personal challenges may be the issue. Scheduling a private video call allows you to discuss challenges and find a mutually agreeable solution without escalating prematurely.

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Issue a formal warning to the team member for not adhering to team norms

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Remove the team member from the project for non-compliance

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Change the stand-up time to accommodate the team member without consulting the rest of the team

Question 4

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. Upon review, you find that the cost overrun is due to an underestimation of hardware costs. The sponsor is concerned and asks for a plan to get back on track. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the cost variance, determine the corrective actions, and submit a change request if necessary. Option B is correct because the first step in addressing a cost overrun is to analyze the variance to understand its root cause and impact, then determine corrective actions. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that before any change request, you must perform a root cause analysis and evaluate options within the existing budget. Requesting additional funds (A) or using management reserve (D) without analysis violates the principle of first exhausting all other options and maintaining transparency.

Answer

Request additional funds from the sponsor without further analysis

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Ask the team to reduce scope to cut costs immediately

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Use the management reserve without notifying the sponsor

Question 5

An executive stakeholder has been directly assigning tasks to your agile team members without going through you or the product owner. Team members are confused about priorities and the sprint goal is at risk. What is the best first step?

Accepted Answer

Request a meeting with the executive to clarify roles and the importance of adhering to the prioritization process. The PM should engage the stakeholder privately to reiterate the project's governance and the importance of following the established communication and prioritization process.

Answer

Tell the team members to ignore the stakeholder's requests

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Escalate to the project sponsor immediately

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Update the stakeholder management plan to classify the executive as 'keep satisfied'

Question 6

A key vendor has informed you that they cannot deliver a critical component for another two weeks, which will delay your project. The component is on the critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register and review the response plan for this risk. Option D is correct because the first action when a known risk materializes is to consult the risk register and execute the pre-defined response plan. Since the vendor delay is a risk that was likely identified and documented, updating the register and reviewing the planned response ensures a structured, data-driven approach rather than a reactive one. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on implementing risk responses as the immediate next step after risk occurrence.

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Ask the team to work overtime to make up for the delay

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Penalize the vendor as per the contract

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Immediately notify the sponsor and request a schedule extension

Question 7

You are the project manager on a large infrastructure project. During execution, a new government regulation is announced that will affect your project's compliance requirements. The change is mandatory and must be implemented within 60 days, or the project will be shut down. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact on the project and submit a change request to incorporate the new requirements. Option D is correct because the first step when a mandatory regulation arises is to analyze its impact on the project's scope, schedule, and budget, then submit a formal change request to integrate the new requirements. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's change control process, ensuring the change is evaluated and approved before implementation, even under urgent compliance deadlines.

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Direct the team to immediately implement the changes required by the regulation to avoid shutdown

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Inform the sponsor that the project will need to be cancelled due to the new regulation

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Ignore the regulation and continue as planned because it is not yet enforced

Question 8

Your agile team has been self-organizing and performing well, but during the last two retrospectives, the team has raised concerns about the product owner not providing clear acceptance criteria for user stories. As the project manager, what is the most effective way to address this?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on writing effective acceptance criteria and encourage the team to raise concerns during backlog refinement. The PM should facilitate a conversation between the team and the product owner to improve the definition of ready. This empowers the team and improves collaboration.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

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Write the acceptance criteria yourself to ensure clarity

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Add a task to the sprint backlog for the team to clarify acceptance criteria with the product owner

Question 9

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. Option D is correct because 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 10

You are the project manager for a multinational project with team members from diverse cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are hesitant to speak up during meetings due to cultural norms. Which TWO actions would best foster an inclusive environment?

Accepted Answer

Use round-robin or other structured techniques to ensure each person has an opportunity to contribute. Establishing a team charter with participation guidelines and using round-robin techniques ensure everyone has a voice. Option C is wrong because it forces participation. Option D is wrong because open forums may not help those hesitant to speak. Option E is wrong because it addresses the symptom, not the cause.

Answer

Provide language training to non-native speakers

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Require each team member to speak at least once per meeting

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Encourage open discussion and let the most vocal members lead

Question 11

Your agile team has been struggling with low morale and lack of motivation. As a project manager using servant leadership, which THREE actions would be most effective in improving the situation?

Accepted Answer

Identify and remove obstacles that are hindering the team's progress. Servant leadership focuses on removing impediments, empowering the team, and creating a supportive environment. Options A, C, and D align with this approach. Option B is not supportive. Option E focuses on rewards, which may not address root causes.

Answer

Offer monetary incentives for meeting sprint goals

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Set stricter performance metrics to push the team to improve

Question 12

Your project team is distributed across four countries with significant time zone differences. Communication has been challenging, leading to misunderstandings and delays. Which THREE actions would most effectively improve collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a weekly synchronous meeting at a time that rotates to accommodate different time zones. Using asynchronous tools, establishing communication guidelines, and rotating meeting times address the root causes of time zone challenges. Option B is not a primary solution. Option D is reactive. Option E is too rigid.

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Reduce the frequency of communication to minimize coordination overhead

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Require all team members to be available during a fixed 4-hour overlap window each day

Question 13

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers have a disagreement about the technical approach for a critical feature. The conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with both developers individually to understand their perspectives, then facilitate a joint discussion. Option B is correct because the project manager should first understand the conflict from both perspectives before taking action. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on communication and servant leadership. Option A is too directive and does not foster ownership. Option C escalates prematurely. Option D assigns blame and avoids root cause.

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

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Replace both developers with a single developer who agrees with the original plan

Question 14

During a sprint retrospective, the team expresses frustration that they are frequently interrupted by unplanned work from other departments. The project manager wants to improve team focus. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Meet with other department managers to negotiate dedicated team time and establish a process for handling requests. Option D is correct because it addresses the root cause of the team's frustration by negotiating dedicated team time with other departments and establishing a formal process for handling unplanned work requests. This aligns with the servant leadership approach in the People domain, where the project manager acts as a buffer and facilitator to protect the team's focus and productivity, rather than imposing a technical fix that ignores the systemic issue.

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to accommodate unplanned work

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Tell the team to ignore unplanned work requests

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Add a daily stand-up to discuss unplanned work

Question 15

A project manager is leading a virtual team across four time zones. The project has entered the execution phase, and the project manager notices that team members are not collaborating effectively, and communication is becoming fragmented. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Review and update the communication management plan and set up a shared collaboration platform with clear guidelines. Option C is correct because the first step in resolving fragmented communication in a virtual team is to review and update the Communication Management Plan, which defines how information is shared, stored, and accessed. Setting up a shared collaboration platform with clear guidelines directly addresses the root cause—lack of structured communication channels and protocols—rather than applying a superficial or disruptive fix. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principle of tailoring communication to the team's distributed environment.

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Send a team-wide email reminding everyone to communicate more effectively

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Require all team members to work during the same core hours

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Schedule a team-building retreat to improve relationships