PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 14 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a software upgrade project using a hybrid approach. During execution, the team discovers a critical security vulnerability that was not identified during risk planning. The vulnerability requires immediate patching to avoid a potential data breach. Which TWO actions should you take NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the vulnerability on the project scope, schedule, and cost. Options B and D are correct. The PM should assess the impact of the vulnerability (B) to understand the urgency and then submit a change request (D) to address it through formal change control. Option A is wrong because ignoring the vulnerability is irresponsible. Option C is premature before assessment. Option E is wrong because a workaround is not a permanent fix and may not be sufficient.

Answer

Immediately assign the team to fix the vulnerability without formal approval

Answer

Add the vulnerability to the risk register and continue with the current sprint as planned

Answer

Implement a temporary workaround to reduce the risk and monitor the situation

Question 2

A project manager is closing a project that was delivered on time and within budget. The customer has accepted the final deliverable. Which THREE activities should the project manager complete during project closure?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a lessons learned session with the team and stakeholders. Options A, C, and D are correct. Project closure includes finalizing lessons learned (A), releasing resources (C), and archiving documents (D). Option B is wrong because contract closure is part of procurement closure, not necessarily a separate step if already done. Option E is wrong because final payment is typically handled by the finance or procurement team, not the PM, though the PM may ensure it's done. However, PMI considers contract closure and financial closure separate processes; the PM's role is to ensure final acceptance and documentation.

Answer

Process final payment to vendors and suppliers

Answer

Close all procurement contracts formally

Question 3

Your agile project has experienced a significant drop in velocity for two consecutive sprints. The team is blaming unclear requirements from the product owner, while the product owner claims the team is not collaborating enough. As the scrum master, which THREE actions should you take to address the situation?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on techniques for refining the product backlog and writing clear user stories. Options A, B, and D are correct. Facilitating a retrospective (A) allows the team to discuss issues openly. Coaching the team on self-organization (B) helps them improve collaboration. Coaching the product owner on backlog refinement (D) addresses the requirements clarity issue. Option C is incorrect because adding buffer contradicts agile principles. Option E is incorrect because mandating collaboration is not effective and violates self-organization.

Answer

Add buffer time to the next sprint to account for uncertainty

Answer

Mandate that the team must collaborate more by pairing on all tasks

Question 4

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer expresses dissatisfaction with a recently delivered feature and requests a significant redesign. This change will impact the critical path and increase costs. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) for evaluation and approval. PMI requires that any change impacting scope, schedule, or cost must go through the formal change control process. Submitting a change request ensures proper evaluation and approval before any work begins.

Answer

Approve the redesign to satisfy the customer and update the project schedule accordingly

Answer

Instruct the team to implement the redesign immediately to maintain customer satisfaction

Answer

Reject the request because it was not part of the original scope agreement

Question 5

Your project is 40% complete, and the earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.8 and SPI = 0.9. The project sponsor is concerned about the cost overrun and asks you to reduce costs by skipping quality assurance activities. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of reducing QA and propose alternative cost-saving measures that do not compromise quality. Skipping quality assurance increases the risk of defects and rework, which can worsen cost and schedule performance. The PM should communicate the risks and adhere to the quality management plan.

Answer

Submit a change request to reduce the quality management budget

Answer

Agree to skip some QA activities to meet the sponsor's request, as cost is a priority

Answer

Ignore the sponsor's request and continue with the current QA plan

Question 6

You are managing a construction project that is behind schedule. The project has non-critical activities with significant float. A key supplier has informed you that a critical component will be delayed by two weeks, impacting the critical path. You have already used up all schedule contingency. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit. The schedule contingency is exhausted, so the PM needs to consider schedule compression techniques. Crashing involves adding resources to critical path activities, which may increase costs but can recover time. Fast tracking could be risky if activities are highly dependent.

Answer

Immediately fast track remaining critical path activities to make up the two weeks

Answer

Request the sponsor to approve additional budget for overtime on all activities

Answer

Update the risk register and accept the two-week delay as a residual risk

Question 7

During a daily standup meeting, a team member mentions that they encountered a technical issue that will delay their task by two days. The project is time-sensitive. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Remove the impediment by helping the team member find a solution or escalating if necessary. The scrum master's role is to remove impediments and help the team resolve issues. Addressing the block immediately aligns with agile principles.

Answer

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

Answer

Report the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Update the project schedule to reflect the two-day delay

Question 8

Your project team is using a hybrid approach. During a sprint, an executive stakeholder contacts a developer directly and asks them to add a new feature without going through the product owner. The developer is confused about what to do. What should you, as the project manager, do to address this?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the executive stakeholder privately and remind them that all scope changes must go through the product owner and change control process. The stakeholder is bypassing the agreed process. The PM should communicate the importance of following the change control process and reinforce the roles and responsibilities.

Answer

Submit a change request on behalf of the executive stakeholder to formalize the request

Answer

Allow the developer to add the feature since it comes from an executive

Answer

Tell the developer to ignore the executive's request and continue with the sprint backlog

Question 9

You are managing a project to develop a mobile app. During the testing phase, a critical defect is found that could cause data loss. The team estimates it will take one week to fix, but the project is already two weeks behind schedule. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to fix the defect, assessing the impact on schedule and cost, and obtain approval. Quality is a key constraint; releasing with a critical defect poses high risk. The PM should follow the change control process to assess the impact and get approval for the fix.

Answer

Release the app as scheduled and patch the defect later to avoid further delays

Answer

Escalate to the sponsor and ask for a decision on whether to fix or release

Answer

Fix the defect immediately and update the schedule without formal approval

Question 10

Your project is using a predictive approach. A key vendor notifies you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component for another four weeks. This component is on the critical path, and you have no schedule reserve left. You have identified that a different vendor can deliver in two weeks at a 20% higher cost. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform a quantitative analysis comparing the cost of the alternative vendor versus the cost of delay, then submit a change request. The first step is to evaluate the situation objectively: assess the cost and schedule impact of each option, then proceed with the change control process to implement the best solution.

Answer

Immediately contract the alternative vendor to avoid further delay

Answer

Ask the original vendor to expedite delivery at no extra cost

Answer

Update the risk register and accept the four-week delay

Question 11

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standup meetings are running too long and are not focused. They want to improve the effectiveness of the standups. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the team to propose improvements and agree on a new format for the standup. The scrum master should facilitate the team in finding a solution that works for them. Coaching the team to keep the standup time-boxed and focused aligns with agile principles.

Answer

Cancel standup meetings and replace them with written status reports

Answer

Shorten the standup to 5 minutes and enforce strict time limits

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

Question 12

Your project is halfway through its schedule, and you are performing a variance analysis. You find that the cost performance index (CPI) is 0.85 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 1.1. What is the MOST likely cause of this situation?

Accepted Answer

The team is working overtime to meet deadlines, resulting in higher labor costs. CPI < 1 indicates cost overrun, while SPI > 1 indicates ahead of schedule. This combination often occurs when the team is working faster but inefficiently, possibly due to overtime or rework.

Answer

Scope has been reduced without corresponding cost reduction

Answer

There is a calculation error in the earned value data

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Question 13

You are managing a project to build a new office building. During excavation, the team discovers an unexpected archaeological site. This is a risk that was identified in the risk register with a low probability and high impact. The mitigation plan was to contact local authorities. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Stop work immediately and contact the local authorities as per the risk response plan. The risk has occurred, so the first step is to implement the planned risk response. This is proactive and follows the risk management plan.

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Direct the team to continue work and cover the site to avoid delays

Answer

Update the risk register and mark the risk as closed

Question 14

Your agile team has been consistently delivering in each sprint, but the product owner is concerned because the customer's needs have changed and some completed features may no longer be valuable. The project uses fixed-price contract. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to reprioritize the remaining backlog and submit a change request to modify the scope. In a fixed-price contract, changes must go through change control to adjust scope, schedule, and cost. The PM should facilitate a discussion about reprioritizing the backlog and submit a change request if needed.

Answer

Continue with the current sprint plan since the contract is fixed-price

Answer

Advise the product owner to accept the current features and add new ones in a separate project

Answer

Stop the project and renegotiate the contract with the customer

Question 15

You are a project manager for a software implementation. The testing team reports that they have found several defects, but the project sponsor insists on releasing the product on the original date to meet a market opportunity. The product is not fully tested. What is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of releasing with defects and propose a compromise, such as releasing only critical features after testing. Releasing untested software poses high risk. The PM should communicate the risks of releasing with defects and propose alternatives, such as a phased release or fixing critical defects first.

Answer

Release the product as requested by the sponsor but document the known defects

Answer

Refuse to release until all defects are fixed, regardless of the sponsor's request

Answer

Escalate to the PMO for a decision on release criteria