PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 24 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A key vendor has notified you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. This component is on the project's critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on the project schedule and identify possible alternatives, such as sourcing from another vendor. The first step in any project management issue is to analyze the impact and explore alternatives before taking action. Since the component is on the critical path, any delay directly affects the project finish date, so you must evaluate schedule impact and identify options like sourcing from another vendor to mitigate the risk.

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Initiate legal proceedings against the vendor for breach of contract

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Crash the schedule by adding resources to other tasks to compensate for the delay

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Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 2

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The cost variance is due to higher-than-expected material costs. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Perform a variance analysis, update the cost forecast, and consider corrective actions such as finding cost savings. When a cost variance occurs, the project manager should first perform variance analysis to understand the root cause, update the cost forecast based on current performance, and then consider corrective actions such as finding cost savings. Option B is incorrect because reducing scope without analyzing the impact may compromise project objectives and should only be considered after analysis and with change control. Option C is incorrect because ignoring the variance could lead to further overruns and jeopardize project success. Option D is incorrect because requesting additional funding without understanding the root cause and exploring other options is not justified and may not be approved.

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Reduce the project scope to bring costs back in line

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Continue as planned since the project is only 15% over budget

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Request additional funding from the sponsor immediately

Question 3

A new government regulation has been enacted that affects your project's deliverables. The regulation requires additional compliance checks that were not in the original scope. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to incorporate the compliance checks and assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. When a new government regulation impacts your project, the first step is to submit a change request to formally document the required compliance checks and assess their impact on scope, schedule, and cost. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's integrated change control process, ensuring that the regulation is addressed through a controlled change rather than ad-hoc adjustments. Option A is correct because it initiates the proper change management workflow, which includes impact analysis and stakeholder approval.

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Refuse to comply with the regulation because it increases project costs

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Discuss with stakeholders before taking any action

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Inform the team to ignore the regulation as it was not part of the original plan

Question 4

On a large-scale project, you have a team member who is technically skilled but consistently fails to complete tasks on time, affecting the team's morale. You have had informal conversations about this, but there has been no improvement. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a formal performance review, document the issues, and create a performance improvement plan with clear expectations and timelines. As a project manager, you must follow a progressive discipline process. After informal conversations failed, the next step is a formal performance review to document the issues and create a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with clear expectations and timelines. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on managing team performance through structured feedback and corrective actions, ensuring fairness and legal defensibility.

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Replace the team member with a more reliable resource

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Ignore the issue as the team member is technically strong

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Reassign all critical tasks to other team members

Question 5

You are transitioning a traditional project team to an agile framework. Some team members are resistant to the change. Which THREE strategies should you employ to facilitate the transition?

Accepted Answer

Hold one-on-one meetings to understand individual concerns and address them. Options A, B, and C are correct strategies for facilitating an agile transition: holding one-on-one meetings to understand concerns (A), involving the team in designing new processes (B), and providing training on agile principles and practices (C) all promote buy-in and address resistance. Option D is incorrect because mandating immediate adoption without discussion typically increases resistance. Option E is incorrect as replacing resistant members undermines servant leadership and team development.

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Mandate immediate adoption of agile practices without discussion

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Replace resistant team members with agile-experienced staff

Question 6

You are managing a hybrid project using Scrum for development and a predictive approach for regulatory deliverables. During the daily standup, two senior developers disagree strongly on the technical approach to implement a user story. The disagreement is causing tension and slowing progress. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the two developers to understand both perspectives and reach a consensus. In a hybrid project, the project manager must first facilitate conflict resolution among team members to maintain team cohesion and ensure progress. Option B aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and collaborative problem-solving, as it addresses the root cause of the disagreement without bypassing the team's autonomy or escalating prematurely.

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Assign the story to another developer who can work without conflict

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Make the technical decision yourself based on your experience

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 7

Your project is in execution phase, and a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a supply chain disruption. This risk was identified in the risk register and a contingency plan was developed. The project timeline is tight, and any delay will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan as documented in the risk register and communicate with stakeholders. The risk was already identified and a contingency plan exists in the risk register. The first action should be to implement that plan, as it was pre-approved for this exact scenario. Communicating with stakeholders is also essential to manage expectations and coordinate next steps, especially since the delay impacts the critical path.

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Immediately find an alternative vendor who can deliver on time

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Re-baseline the project schedule to accommodate the delay

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Alert the project sponsor about the delay and ask for additional time

Question 8

You are leading a virtual team across three time zones. During a video conference, you notice that one team member from a remote location has not spoken for the entire meeting. In previous meetings, this team member has also been quiet. What should you do to ensure effective collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one conversation to understand any barriers and encourage participation. It aligns with the PMP principle of servant leadership and proactive stakeholder engagement. By scheduling a one-on-one conversation, you create a safe environment to identify potential barriers (e.g., time zone fatigue, cultural differences, or technical issues with the virtual platform) that may be inhibiting participation. This approach fosters trust and encourages collaboration without putting the team member on the spot in a group setting.

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Ask the team member directly during the meeting why they are not contributing

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Assign the team member as the note-taker to ensure they are engaged

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Assume the team member has nothing to contribute and focus on others

Question 9

In a Scrum project, the team's velocity has been dropping over the last three sprints. The team members seem demotivated and are complaining about too many meetings and unclear priorities. As the agile project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively implement improvements. The first step in addressing a drop in velocity and team demotivation is to facilitate a retrospective, which is a core Scrum ceremony designed to inspect and adapt the team's process. This allows the team to collaboratively identify root causes—such as excessive meetings or unclear priorities—and implement improvements, aligning with the agile principle of continuous improvement and the PMP's focus on leading the team through servant leadership.

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Set a higher sprint goal to challenge the team to improve

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Add more developers to the team to increase capacity

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Reduce the number of meetings by canceling the daily standup

Question 10

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 11

A new team member joins your project and is struggling to understand the technical domain and the team's culture. Their productivity is low, and they seem hesitant to ask questions. As project manager, what is the BEST way to support this team member?

Accepted Answer

Assign a senior team member to mentor and pair with them on tasks. Assigning a senior team member to mentor and pair with the new member directly addresses both the technical domain gap and the cultural hesitancy. Pairing provides real-time, context-rich learning and psychological safety, which is more effective than passive documentation or isolated training for accelerating integration and productivity.

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Provide them with detailed documentation and ask them to read it on their own time

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Extend their deadlines to reduce pressure

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Enroll them in an online training course for the technical domain

Question 12

Your predictive project is halfway through execution. A team member has been consistently missing deadlines, and their work quality is declining. You suspect personal issues but are unsure. The project is at risk of schedule delays. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss their performance concerns and offer support. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the first step in addressing performance issues is to have a private, respectful conversation to understand the root cause. As a project manager, you must demonstrate emotional intelligence and servant leadership by offering support before escalating or penalizing the team member. This approach aligns with the 'Manage Team' process and the principle of leading with empathy, which is critical for maintaining trust and motivation.

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Escalate the issue to human resources for disciplinary action

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Formally document the underperformance and issue a performance improvement plan

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Reassign their tasks to other team members to protect the schedule

Question 13

As an agile project manager, you want to empower the development team to self-organize. Which TWO practices would BEST support self-organization?

Accepted Answer

Protect the team from external interruptions and scope changes during the sprint. Options B and C are correct. Protecting the team from external interruptions and scope changes during the sprint (B) allows the team to maintain focus on their committed work, preserving their autonomy and enabling self-organization. Allowing the team to estimate their own work and plan the sprint backlog (C) empowers the team to take ownership of their commitments and encourages collective decision-making, which is fundamental to self-organization. Option A (assigning tasks based on expertise) undermines self-organization by imposing external control and reducing team ownership. Option D (monitoring hours) is micromanagement that hinders self-organization. Option E (defining technical solution in detail) restricts the team's creativity and ownership over the technical approach.

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Assign specific tasks to team members based on their expertise

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Monitor each team member's hours to ensure productivity

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Define the technical solution in detail for the team to implement

Question 14

You are leading a project with a diverse team including members from different cultures and backgrounds. Which THREE actions should you take to promote an inclusive team environment?

Accepted Answer

Establish a team charter that includes norms for respectful communication and conflict resolution. Options A, B, and C are correct because establishing a team charter with norms for respectful communication (A), celebrating cultural holidays and encouraging sharing of traditions (B), and using inclusive language while avoiding assumptions (C) all foster an inclusive team environment. Option D is incorrect because conducting meetings only in English may exclude non-native speakers, reducing inclusivity. Option E is incorrect because encouraging adoption of a dominant culture undermines diversity and inclusion.

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Conduct all meetings in English only to avoid misunderstandings

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Encourage team members to adopt the dominant culture's practices to ensure consistency

Question 15

Your project is in the planning phase, and you are developing the team charter. Which THREE elements should be included in the team charter to promote high performance?

Accepted Answer

Decision-making process and conflict resolution approach. The team charter is a foundational document that establishes how the team will operate, not what they will deliver. Including the decision-making process and conflict resolution approach ensures the team has clear protocols for collaboration and dispute resolution, which directly supports high performance by reducing ambiguity and fostering trust.

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The project schedule and key milestones

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Individual performance metrics and goals