PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 13 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your project is experiencing scope creep due to informal requests from stakeholders. The project manager wants to establish better control. Which TWO actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Implement a formal change control process and educate stakeholders on how to submit change requests. Options B and E are correct: implementing a formal change control process and updating the scope management plan are proactive steps to control scope.

Answer

Politely decline all additional requests from stakeholders

Answer

Increase the project budget to accommodate potential changes

Answer

Ask the team to accommodate small requests without documentation if they are low effort

Question 2

Your agile team is struggling with consistently low velocity. The team is demotivated. Which THREE actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes of low velocity. Options B, C, and D are correct: facilitating a retrospective, removing impediments, and ensuring sustainable pace are key agile practices to improve team performance.

Answer

Replace underperforming team members with new resources

Answer

Reduce the sprint backlog to match current velocity without analysis

Question 3

A project manager discovers that a key supplier is delivering materials that do not meet quality standards. The project is at risk of delays and rework. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Escalate the issue to the procurement department if the supplier does not respond. Options A, C, and E are correct: documenting quality issues, working with the supplier on corrective action, and escalating if necessary are appropriate steps.

Answer

Immediately terminate the contract with the supplier

Answer

Accept the nonconforming materials and adjust the project plan

Question 4

You are managing a software development project using Scrum. During the sprint review, the product owner praises the team's work but mentions that a key stakeholder is unhappy because an expected feature was delivered with limited functionality. The feature was completed according to the sprint backlog, but the stakeholder had not communicated their detailed expectations. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to clarify expectations and discuss how to incorporate their feedback into the product backlog. Option A is correct because the issue stems from a communication gap. Engaging the stakeholder to understand expectations helps align future work and prevent recurrence. Option B bypasses the change control process. Option C escalates prematurely. Option D is reactive and does not address the root cause.

Answer

Add the missing features to the next sprint without formal approval to satisfy the stakeholder immediately

Answer

Update the issue log and move on, since the team delivered the scope as planned

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor as a risk that the stakeholder may reject the deliverable

Question 5

During project execution, a team member reports that a critical path activity is delayed by two days because a required component failed quality inspection. The project has no schedule contingency. What is the BEST course of action for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate schedule compression techniques such as crashing or fast tracking to recover the two days. Option C is correct because the project manager should first analyze the impact on the critical path and then evaluate compression options like fast tracking or crashing. Option A avoids solving the problem. Option B is reactive and may not be justified if compression can recover the delay. Option D escalates prematurely.

Answer

Reduce the scope of the next deliverable to compensate for the lost time

Answer

Update the schedule baseline to reflect the delay and inform stakeholders

Answer

Escalate the issue to the sponsor and request additional budget for overtime

Question 6

You are managing a hybrid project with both predictive and agile components. A key risk from the risk register materializes: a critical vendor may go bankrupt, threatening delivery of a hardware component needed for the predictive phase. The risk response plan includes 'mitigate by identifying alternative vendors.' However, the only alternative vendor quotes a price that would exceed the project cost baseline by 10%. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a change request to increase the cost baseline, documenting the risk response and vendor selection. Option B is correct because the risk response plan's mitigation strategy (identify alternative vendor) is being enacted, but since it exceeds the baseline, a change request is needed to adjust the cost baseline. Option A ignores the need for change control. Option C is reactive and may not be necessary. Option D prematurely escalates.

Answer

Proceed with the alternative vendor and inform the sponsor of the cost overrun after the fact

Answer

Accept the risk and hope the vendor recovers, avoiding the cost increase

Answer

Escalate to the sponsor for a decision on whether to cancel the project

Question 7

In your agile project, the team's velocity has been declining over the past three sprints from 30 to 25 to 20 story points. The team members report feeling overworked and demotivated. The daily standup meetings are running long, and the product owner is adding too many stories each sprint. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively develop improvement actions. Option D is correct because the project manager should facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and let the team propose solutions. Option A is a temporary fix. Option B addresses symptoms but not root causes. Option C is dictatorial and not agile.

Answer

Ask the product owner to reduce the number of stories per sprint

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to create urgency and improve focus

Answer

Mandate that the team must increase velocity to 30 story points next sprint

Question 8

Your project is a construction project with a fixed price contract. At the 40% progress point, earned value (EV) is $400,000, actual cost (AC) is $480,000, and planned value (PV) is $500,000. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The project is behind schedule and over budget. Option A is correct because SPI = EV/PV = 400,000/500,000 = 0.8 (behind schedule), and CPI = EV/AC = 400,000/480,000 ≈ 0.83 (over budget). Options B and C have incorrect calculations. Option D is opposite.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule and under budget

Answer

The project is behind schedule but under budget

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule but over budget

Question 9

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that they have started working on an additional feature requested by the product owner, which was not in the sprint backlog. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Remind the team that work should only be added to the sprint through the product owner and should be deferred to the backlog for prioritization. Option B is correct because the scrum master should remind the team that no work should be added to the sprint without going through the product owner and change control. Option A is wrong because gold-plating is not allowed. Option C is too permissive. Option D is reactive.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project manager after the standup

Answer

Allow the work to continue since it adds value to the product

Answer

Praise the developer for being proactive and customer-focused

Question 10

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project. The sponsor has requested that the team skip the quality assurance review for the next deliverable to save two weeks and meet an aggressive deadline. The deliverable is critical to the next phase. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the consequences of skipping QA to the sponsor and propose schedule compression alternatives to meet the deadline without compromising quality. Option D is correct because skipping QA to save time compromises quality and increases risk. The PM should explain the risks of skipping QA and propose alternatives like schedule compression. Option A is wrong because it violates PMI's ethics. Option B is reactive. Option C abdicates responsibility.

Answer

Comply with the sponsor's request since they have authority over the project

Answer

Skip the QA review but document the risk in the issue log

Answer

Ask the sponsor to put the request in writing to protect yourself

Question 11

Your project is using a hybrid approach with a fixed-price contract for the predictive portion and a time-and-materials contract for the agile portion. A change request from a stakeholder would affect both portions. The change control board (CCB) has approved the change for the predictive portion but deferred the agile portion to the product owner. How should you proceed?

Accepted Answer

Update the predictive baseline as approved, and coordinate with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion in the product backlog. Option C is correct because the change request impacts both portions, and the CCB has only approved part of it. The PM should update the predictive baseline and then work with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion. Option A is wrong because the CCB approval is partial. Option B ignores the approved predictive change. Option D is incorrect because the change is not fully approved.

Answer

Implement the change for both portions since the CCB approved the overall change

Answer

Request the CCB to also approve the agile portion before taking any action

Answer

Reject the change entirely because it was not fully approved

Question 12

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standups are too long and not adding value. They suggest implementing a timebox of 15 minutes and a strict 'three questions' format. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Support the team's decision and help enforce the new format in future standups. Option A is correct because the scrum master should support the team's self-improvement. Option B is wrong because it overrides the team's agreement. Option C is wrong because the issue is already discussed. Option D is wrong because the retrospective is the right place.

Answer

Escalate to the product owner for approval

Answer

Overrule the suggestion because the scrum master is responsible for facilitating standups

Answer

Ignore the suggestion because the team has already discussed it and no action is needed

Question 13

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The earned value (EV) is $500,000, actual cost (AC) is $575,000, and planned value (PV) is $550,000. The project sponsor is concerned and asks for an estimate at completion (EAC). Assuming the cost performance index (CPI) will continue as is, what is the EAC?

Accepted Answer

$1,265,000. Option C is correct. CPI = EV/AC = 500,000/575,000 ≈ 0.8696. EAC = BAC/CPI. BAC is not given directly, but from PV at midpoint (50% planned), BAC = 550,000 * 2 = 1,100,000. So EAC = 1,100,000 / 0.8696 ≈ 1,265,000. Option A uses BAC, B uses incorrect formula, D uses AC + (BAC - EV) which assumes future work at planned rate.

Answer

$1,100,000

Answer

$1,200,000

Answer

$1,175,000

Question 14

A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays in the project. The project manager has had informal conversations with the team member, but the issue persists. What is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the team member to discuss the issue, identify root causes, and create a performance improvement plan with clear expectations. Option A is correct because the PM should address the issue directly and collaboratively, documenting it to track progress. Option B is passive. Option C escalates prematurely without a documented issue. Option D is punitive without understanding the root cause.

Answer

Reassign the team member to a less critical task to minimize impact

Answer

Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager immediately

Answer

Remove the team member from the project and replace them with a more reliable resource

Question 15

Your project is in execution phase. An executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly instructs a team member to add a new feature. The team member complies and completes the work. You discover this during a status review. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the new feature on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request retroactively. Option B is correct because the PM must first assess the impact of the unauthorized change on scope, schedule, and cost, and then initiate a change request. Option A is confrontational. Option C ignores the issue. Option D escalates without understanding impact.

Answer

Accept the work as done and update the project documents accordingly

Answer

Report the executive to the project sponsor for violating the change control process

Answer

Confront the executive stakeholder and insist they follow the change control process