PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 9 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a risk review meeting, a risk that was identified and registered occurs. The risk response plan is implemented, but it does not fully mitigate the impact, and the project is now behind schedule. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Analyze the situation, implement a workaround, and communicate the impact to stakeholders.. When a risk response plan fails to fully mitigate the impact, the project manager must immediately analyze the situation to understand the residual effect, implement a workaround (an unplanned response to an emerging issue), and communicate the impact to stakeholders. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on managing risks and issues: after a risk occurs and the planned response is insufficient, the PM must take corrective action and keep stakeholders informed to maintain transparency and support decision-making.

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Blame the risk owner for inadequate response planning.

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Update the risk register and continue with the project as planned.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance.

Question 2

Your project team is distributed across four countries, and you notice that communication is breaking down, leading to misunderstandings and rework. The team members are not using the collaboration tools effectively. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Create a team charter that outlines communication norms, tool usage, and meeting schedules.. The first step in addressing communication breakdowns is to establish clear expectations and norms. A team charter defines how the team will communicate, which tools to use, and meeting schedules, aligning the distributed team on a shared framework. This proactive approach prevents misunderstandings and rework by setting ground rules before investing in new tools or roles.

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Replace the current collaboration tools with more user-friendly software.

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Assign a communication lead in each location to facilitate information flow.

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Mandate daily video calls for all team members to improve communication.

Question 3

An executive stakeholder has been directly contacting your team members and assigning them work that is not in the sprint backlog. The team is feeling pressured and confused about priorities. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the executive to explain the impact on the project and ask them to route requests through the proper channels.. The project manager must address scope creep and priority conflicts directly with the stakeholder who is causing the disruption. By speaking privately with the executive, the PM can explain how unauthorized work impacts the sprint goal, team velocity, and project deliverables, and request that all work be routed through the proper change control or product owner process. This aligns with the PM's responsibility to manage stakeholder expectations and protect the team from conflicting priorities.

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Inform the project sponsor about the executive's behavior and ask them to intervene.

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Tell the team to prioritize the executive's requests to maintain a good relationship.

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Update the risk register to document this as a future risk.

Question 4

Your team has been working together for three months and has started to gel. However, you notice that the team is not openly sharing differing opinions during meetings, and decisions are being made too quickly without considering alternatives. What stage of team development is the team likely in, and what should you do?

Accepted Answer

The team is in the norming stage; encourage constructive conflict and diverse viewpoints.. The team has been together for three months and is gelling, indicating they have moved past the storming stage into norming. However, the lack of open disagreement and rushed decisions without considering alternatives is a classic sign of groupthink, which is a risk in the norming stage. The correct action is to encourage constructive conflict and diverse viewpoints to prevent premature consensus and ensure robust decision-making.

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The team is in the forming stage; organize team-building activities.

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The team is in the storming stage; facilitate conflict resolution.

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The team is in the performing stage; let them continue as they are.

Question 5

Your agile project has seen a consistent drop in velocity over the last three sprints. The team is demotivated and blaming external dependencies. Retrospectives have not yielded actionable improvements. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a root cause analysis with the team to identify underlying issues and create an action plan.. The first step when facing a consistent drop in velocity and team demotivation is to facilitate a root cause analysis with the team. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and empowering the team to identify and solve their own problems, rather than imposing external solutions. The retrospective has failed to produce actionable improvements, so a deeper, facilitated analysis is needed to uncover the true underlying issues, which may include but are not limited to external dependencies.

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Remove the team's external dependencies by negotiating with stakeholders.

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Replace the scrum master with a more experienced one.

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Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time.

Question 6

A new regulation is announced that will affect your project's deliverables. The compliance team has determined that the project must adapt to the new regulation before completion. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board with an analysis of the impact on scope, schedule, and cost.. The correct first step is to submit a formal change request with an impact analysis because the new regulation represents a change that must be evaluated and approved through the established change control process. This ensures that scope, schedule, and cost impacts are documented and authorized before any work begins, maintaining project governance and compliance with organizational policies.

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Update the risk register and continue with the original plan until the change request is approved.

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Instruct the team to implement the necessary changes immediately to ensure compliance.

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Ask the sponsor to approve an exception to the change control process due to regulatory urgency.

Question 7

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The variance is due to higher-than-expected costs for raw materials. The sponsor is concerned and wants to know how you will bring the project back on budget. What is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a variance analysis to identify corrective actions and present options to the sponsor.. The PM should perform a variance analysis, determine the root cause, and then explore options such as cost reduction, schedule compression, or submitting a change request if additional funding is needed. The PM should then communicate the analysis and proposed actions to the sponsor.

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Assure the sponsor that the team will work overtime to recover the cost overrun.

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Reduce the scope of the project to align with the budget.

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Submit a change request for additional budget to cover the variance.

Question 8

A key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a production issue. This component is on the critical path. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact on the project schedule and explore mitigation options such as fast-tracking or alternate suppliers.. The immediate priority when a critical path component is delayed is to analyze the schedule impact and identify mitigation options (e.g., fast-tracking, crashing, or alternative suppliers) before escalating or taking contractual action. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's iterative risk response process, where the project manager must first assess the situation and determine feasible corrective actions to minimize schedule variance.

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File a claim against the vendor for breach of contract.

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Update the risk register and inform the sponsor about the delay.

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Immediately find a new vendor to deliver the component.

Question 9

Your project team is struggling with collaboration due to cultural and language differences. As project manager, you want to foster a more inclusive and effective team environment. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Establish a team charter that includes communication protocols and cultural norms.. A team charter establishes agreed-upon communication protocols and cultural norms, which directly addresses collaboration issues caused by cultural and language differences by creating a shared framework for interaction. Option E is correct because diversity and inclusion training educates team members on cultural awareness and effective cross-cultural communication, fostering a more inclusive environment that mitigates misunderstandings.

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Schedule all meetings during a single time zone's business hours to reduce confusion.

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Pair team members from similar cultural backgrounds to work together.

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Assign a single language (e.g., English) and require all team members to use it exclusively.

Question 10

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that low morale is affecting productivity. As a servant leader, which THREE actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Provide opportunities for professional development and training.. Providing professional development and training directly addresses low morale by investing in the team's growth, which aligns with the servant leader's focus on empowering and supporting the team. This action fosters a sense of value and career progression, counteracting the root cause of low morale rather than just its symptoms.

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Implement a strict performance monitoring system to track productivity.

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Assign blame for the low morale to specific team members.

Question 11

Your project is using a hybrid approach. The client has requested a change that would significantly alter the product's core functionality. The change is not aligned with the project's business case. Which TWO actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Consult with the project sponsor or steering committee for guidance.. When a proposed change conflicts with the project's business case, the project manager should escalate to the project sponsor or steering committee, who have the authority to approve deviations from the business case. Option D is correct because the project manager must first discuss the impact of the change with the client to ensure they understand the implications on business objectives before any formal action is taken. This aligns with the PMI's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and maintaining alignment with the business case in a hybrid approach.

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Submit a change request to the CCB and let them decide.

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Reject the change outright because it is not in the business case.

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Update the business case to reflect the change and proceed.

Question 12

You are managing a hybrid project to develop a new mobile app. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for integrating a third-party API. The disagreement is causing tension and delaying progress. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. It demonstrates effective conflict resolution by listening to both sides and facilitating a collaborative solution, aligning with the PM's role as a servant leader. Option A (ignore) avoids the conflict, which can worsen tension. Option B (escalate to functional managers) bypasses the team's ability to resolve their own conflict and may erode trust. Option D (decide yourself) is a forcing approach that ignores input and can damage team morale.

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Ignore the argument and hope it resolves on its own

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Escalate the issue to the functional managers of the developers

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Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly

Question 13

Your agile team has been working remotely for the past three months. You notice that sprint velocity has dropped significantly over the last two sprints. Team members seem disengaged during daily stand-ups and collaboration has decreased. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule virtual team-building activities and one-on-one check-ins to understand concerns. The first step in addressing a drop in velocity and team disengagement is to understand the root cause through direct communication. As a servant leader, you should schedule virtual team-building activities and one-on-one check-ins to uncover concerns such as burnout, isolation, or unclear expectations, which aligns with the PMI People domain of leading projects. This approach fosters psychological safety and collaboration, which are essential for remote agile teams.

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Implement a new project management tool to track tasks more closely

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Ask the team to work longer hours to make up for lost velocity

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Report the velocity drop to the sponsor and ask for more resources

Question 14

In a large-scale project using a predictive approach, you discover that a key team member, who is critical for the next deliverable, has been consistently missing deadlines and producing low-quality work. The project is already behind schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the team member to discuss performance issues and offer support. As a project manager, your first responsibility is to address performance issues directly with the team member through a private, supportive conversation. This aligns with the PMI People domain's emphasis on servant leadership and conflict resolution, allowing you to understand root causes (e.g., unclear requirements, personal challenges) before taking corrective action. In a predictive project, reassigning tasks or escalating prematurely can damage trust and team morale, while ignoring the issue risks further schedule slippage.

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Reassign the critical tasks to other team members to keep the project on schedule

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Immediately escalate to the team member's functional manager and request a replacement

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Document the missed deadlines in the performance log and ignore for now

Question 15

You are leading a globally distributed team with members in three time zones. During a virtual sprint retrospective, team members express frustration that decisions are often made without their input, leading to rework. What is the BEST action to improve team empowerment and collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Establish a decision-making framework that includes input from all time zones before finalizing decisions. Establishing a decision-making framework that explicitly includes input from all time zones addresses the root cause of the frustration: lack of inclusion in decisions. This directly improves team empowerment and collaboration by ensuring asynchronous participation, reducing rework caused by decisions made without full team input.

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Introduce a new collaboration tool to facilitate asynchronous communication

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Implement a strict decision-making hierarchy where the project manager makes all final decisions

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Encourage team members to speak up more during meetings