PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 10 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your project is a software implementation using a hybrid approach. The team has been facing scope creep due to informal change requests from stakeholders. Which TWO actions should you take to address this issue?

Accepted Answer

Implement a formal change control process and require all changes to go through it. To control scope creep, the PM should establish a formal change control process and educate stakeholders. Adding buffer (C) is a mitigation, not a control; (D) delays the problem; (E) is reactive.

Answer

Reject all scope changes for the remainder of the project

Answer

Add a contingency buffer to the schedule to absorb future changes

Answer

Stop all work until the scope is re-baselined

Question 2

During project execution, you notice that the project's cost performance index (CPI) is 0.9 and schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.95. The project is currently 50% complete. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Communicate the current performance and planned corrections to stakeholders. The project is over budget and behind schedule. The PM should analyze variances, implement corrective actions, and communicate with stakeholders. Simply asking for more budget or compressing schedule without analysis is premature.

Answer

Request additional budget from the sponsor to cover the cost overrun

Answer

Crash the project schedule without considering cost impact

Question 3

A project manager is closing a project. Which THREE activities are essential to perform during project closure?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a lessons learned session and document findings. Project closure includes formal acceptance, lessons learned, and archiving documents. Releasing resources is also part of closure, but (C) is not correct; (D) is about scope verification, which occurs earlier; (E) is not a closure activity.

Answer

Update the project management plan for future projects

Answer

Hold a sprint review to demonstrate the final product

Question 4

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. During the sprint review, the product owner is satisfied with the deliverables, but one key stakeholder requests a significant change that would add a new feature. The team has already started planning the next sprint. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board for evaluation and approval.. According to PMI, any change to scope must go through the formal Integrated Change Control process. The project manager should document the request, assess its impact on cost, schedule, and resources, and then present it to the change control board for a decision. Option A bypasses change control; Option D is too rigid; Option C delays the process unnecessarily.

Answer

Refuse the change because the scope was already agreed upon during sprint planning.

Answer

Ask the team to include the new feature in the next sprint since it's a high priority for the stakeholder.

Answer

Advise the stakeholder to wait until the project is complete and then submit an enhancement request.

Question 5

Your project is 40% complete, and the earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. The project sponsor is concerned about the cost overrun. The original budget at completion (BAC) is $1,000,000. What is the Estimate at Completion (EAC) using the typical cost performance index (CPI) assumption?

Accepted Answer

$1,176,471. When the current cost performance is considered typical and expected to continue, the EAC is calculated as BAC / CPI = $1,000,000 / 0.85 ≈ $1,176,471. This is the most common formula for EAC when variances are expected to persist.

Answer

$850,000

Answer

$1,000,000

Answer

$1,111,111

Question 6

During a construction project, you discover that a subcontractor has delivered materials that do not meet the quality specifications outlined in the contract. The project is already behind schedule, and replacing the materials will cause further delays. You have a good relationship with the subcontractor, who offers a discount on future work if you accept the materials as-is. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Reject the materials and request that the subcontractor replace them according to the contract specifications.. Quality requirements are part of the contract and must be met. Accepting non-conforming materials would violate quality standards and could lead to future failures. The PM should follow the contract terms and require the subcontractor to remediate the issue. Negotiating a discount is not acceptable as it compromises quality.

Answer

Issue a change order to modify the quality specifications to match the delivered materials.

Answer

Accept the materials and the discount to maintain the relationship and avoid further delays.

Answer

Inspect the materials yourself and if they appear safe, accept them to save time.

Question 7

Your agile team has been experiencing a decrease in velocity over the last three sprints. During the daily standup, team members seem disengaged and mention they are unsure of the sprint goals. As the scrum master, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with the team to review and clarify the sprint goal and ensure alignment.. The sprint goal is established during sprint planning. If the team is unsure of the goal, it indicates that sprint planning may not have been effective. The scrum master should facilitate a discussion to clarify the goal and ensure alignment. This is a proactive coaching step.

Answer

Add more user stories to the backlog to increase team motivation.

Answer

Ask the product owner to speak with the team about the importance of the sprint goals.

Answer

Report the velocity drop to senior management and ask for intervention.

Question 8

You are managing a project to develop a new mobile application. During a risk review meeting, the team identifies that a key third-party API may be deprecated before the project completes, which could cause significant rework. The probability is assessed as medium, and the impact is high. The team has identified alternative APIs. What is the BEST risk response strategy?

Accepted Answer

Mitigate the risk by developing a fallback plan using alternative APIs and testing integration early.. Since there are alternative APIs available, the best approach is to mitigate the risk by preparing a backup plan. This reduces the impact if the risk occurs. Avoidance would mean not using the API at all, which may not be feasible. Transfer and acceptance are less proactive when mitigation is possible.

Answer

Transfer the risk to the API provider by purchasing insurance.

Answer

Accept the risk and take no action, as it may not happen.

Answer

Avoid the risk by not using the API and building all functionality in-house.

Question 9

Your project is in the executing phase, and you receive a formal complaint from a team member that another team member is consistently late to daily standups and not completing tasks on time. This is causing friction in the team. You have discussed this with both individuals, but the behavior continues. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Document the issue in the issue log and escalate to the functional manager with a request for performance improvement.. After addressing the issue directly with the individuals and it persists, the project manager should escalate the issue formally by documenting it in the issue log and involving the functional manager or HR if necessary. Option A is too lenient, B may escalate prematurely, and D is not the best first step after direct discussion.

Answer

Immediately remove the late team member from the project to restore team harmony.

Answer

Schedule a team-building workshop to improve collaboration.

Answer

Ask the team to resolve the conflict themselves during the next retrospective.

Question 10

During a project to implement a new CRM system, the sponsor asks you to skip the user acceptance testing (UAT) phase to meet the go-live date, stating that the system has been thoroughly tested by the IT team. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose a compressed UAT focusing on critical functions.. UAT is a critical quality activity to ensure the system meets user needs. Skipping it poses a high risk of failure. The PM should explain the risks and suggest alternatives like reducing the scope of UAT rather than eliminating it. PMI emphasizes proactive communication and risk management.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the PMO for a decision.

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to meet the deadline and update the project schedule.

Answer

Proceed with the go-live and document the decision as a risk in the risk register.

Question 11

Your project is using a predictive lifecycle. A team member notices that a task on the critical path is taking longer than estimated, threatening the project completion date. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the situation and apply schedule compression techniques such as crashing or fast tracking.. When a critical path task is delayed, the project manager should assess the situation and consider schedule compression techniques like crashing (adding resources) or fast tracking (performing tasks in parallel). This is a proactive response to get back on track.

Answer

Immediately add more resources to the task without analysis.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed and request a new deadline.

Answer

Reduce the scope of the project to compensate for the delay.

Question 12

In a hybrid project, the development team is using Scrum, and the project manager is responsible for overall coordination. During a sprint, the product owner asks the team to add a high-priority user story that was not included in the sprint planning. The team is concerned about overcommitment. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the product owner to add the story to the product backlog and prioritize it for the next sprint.. In Scrum, the sprint backlog is fixed once sprint planning is completed. The product owner cannot add work during the sprint. The correct action is to ask the product owner to add the story to the product backlog for prioritization in a future sprint. This respects the team's commitment and the sprint goal.

Answer

Remove a lower-priority story from the sprint to make room for the new one.

Answer

Allow the team to add the story if they can accommodate it without affecting the sprint goal.

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor to resolve the conflict.

Question 13

Your project is in the planning phase, and you need to develop the schedule. You have identified the activities and their dependencies. The team estimates that the project will take 12 months. However, the sponsor requires completion in 10 months. The project has a fixed deadline. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Apply crashing or fast tracking to the critical path to try to meet the 10-month deadline.. Before applying schedule compression, the PM should first analyze the schedule to determine if compression is feasible and what the trade-offs are. The PM should then communicate with the sponsor about options and impacts. Option A is too quick to accept; Option D fails to explore options.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the deadline is unrealistic and request a 12-month schedule.

Answer

Reduce the project scope without formal change control to shorten the schedule.

Answer

Add more resources to all activities to reduce duration.

Question 14

During project execution, you discover that a key vendor will not be able to deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project by two weeks. The vendor was selected based on the procurement plan. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Contact the vendor to understand the reason for the delay and explore options to expedite delivery.. The PM should communicate the delay to stakeholders as soon as possible to manage expectations and seek resolution. This is proactive and aligns with PMI's emphasis on communication.

Answer

Initiate a change request to replace the vendor with a new one.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to senior management and request intervention.

Answer

Update the project schedule and continue working on other tasks.

Question 15

Your agile team has been consistently delivering high-quality increments. However, the product owner has been absent from the last two sprint reviews, and stakeholders are losing interest. What should you do as the scrum master?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the product owner to understand the issue and emphasize the importance of their attendance.. The product owner's involvement is crucial in agile. The scrum master should facilitate a conversation with the product owner to understand the reason for absence and encourage participation. This is a coaching role.

Answer

Ask the stakeholders to provide feedback directly to the team instead of attending the review.

Answer

Continue the sprint reviews without the product owner, as the team can self-organize.

Answer

Cancel sprint reviews until the product owner can attend.