PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 18 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a large infrastructure project. At the midpoint, earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. The project budget is $10 million, and the schedule is tight. Several stakeholders are concerned about cost overruns. What should you do FIRST?

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

Accepted Answer

Analyze the cost and schedule variances to identify root causes and develop corrective actions.. The first step when facing cost and schedule variances is to analyze the variances to understand their root causes before taking any corrective action. This aligns with the PMI's iterative process of monitoring and controlling. Option A is incorrect because immediately reducing scope without analysis may negatively impact project objectives. Option B is premature; a change request should only be submitted after analysis and determination of necessary actions. Option C is incorrect because reducing quality compromises the project's deliverables and is not a recommended corrective action.

Answer

Immediately reduce scope to bring costs back in line.

Answer

Submit a change request to increase the budget by 15% to cover the overrun.

Answer

Instruct the team to reduce quality to lower costs.

Question 2

Two senior developers on your agile team have a disagreement about the best technical approach for a user story. The disagreement is causing delays and tension in the team. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting where both developers present their approaches and the team decides.. The scrum master should facilitate a collaborative decision-making process, allowing the team to evaluate both approaches and reach a consensus. Option B is incorrect because the scrum master should not impose a technical solution; that undermines the team's self-organization. Option C is incorrect because leaving the conflict unresolved may cause further delays. Option D is incorrect because the product owner is not responsible for technical decisions; the team should decide.

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself to resolve the conflict quickly.

Answer

Ask the developers to resolve it on their own without intervention.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the product owner for a decision.

Question 3

You are managing a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. During a status meeting, the IT director (a key stakeholder) announces that the team must use a different database platform than planned, citing corporate policy. This change will require significant rework. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis on scope, schedule, and cost, and then submit a change request.. The correct first step is to analyze the impact of the proposed change on scope, schedule, and cost before submitting a formal change request. Option B is incorrect because updating the project management plan without analyzing the impact violates change control processes. Option C is incorrect because escalation should occur after analysis, not before. Option D is incorrect because changes due to corporate policy still require impact assessment and formal change management.

Answer

Update the project management plan to reflect the new platform.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.

Answer

Agree to the change because it's a corporate policy.

Question 4

Your project is using a predictive approach to build a mobile app. During testing, the team discovers a critical security vulnerability that was not identified during planning. Fixing it will require two additional weeks and $50,000, which is within the contingency reserve. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to use the contingency reserve for the fix.. The contingency reserve is intended for such risks; using it requires a change request. Option A is incorrect because the contingency reserve should be used through formal process. Option C is incorrect as approval is needed. Option D is incorrect; the PM cannot authorize use of contingency reserves without following the plan.

Answer

Document the vulnerability in the issue log and proceed without fixing it.

Answer

Inform the sponsor and ask for approval to use the contingency reserve.

Answer

Use the contingency reserve to fix the vulnerability immediately.

Question 5

You are the project manager for a marketing campaign. A new regulation is announced that affects your project's deliverables. The regulation requires additional compliance steps that were not in the original scope. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on scope, schedule, and cost, and submit a change request.. The first step when a new regulation affects the project is to evaluate its impact on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request through the formal change control process. Option D is correct. Option A is incorrect because ignoring the regulation could lead to non-compliance. Option B is incorrect because stopping the project is not the first step; first assess and follow change control. Option C is incorrect because implementing changes without approval bypasses the change control process.

Answer

Ignore the regulation because it was not part of the original plan.

Answer

Stop the project and reassess feasibility.

Answer

Instruct the team to incorporate the compliance steps immediately.

Question 6

You are managing a project that is behind schedule. The project sponsor has asked you to explore schedule compression techniques. Which TWO options are valid schedule compression techniques that can be applied without changing scope? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Crashing: adding resources to critical path activities.. Options B and E are the two main schedule compression techniques. Crashing (B) adds resources to critical path activities to shorten duration, and fast tracking (E) performs activities in parallel that were originally sequential. Option A reduces scope, which changes scope. Option C (resource leveling) often lengthens the schedule. Option D (adding contingency) increases time.

Answer

Reducing scope: eliminating non-essential deliverables.

Answer

Resource leveling: adjusting start and finish dates to address resource constraints.

Answer

Adding contingency time to activities.

Question 7

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During sprint planning, the product owner insists on adding a feature that was not in the approved product backlog. The team estimates it will take 3 additional days. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ask the product owner to submit a change request for formal evaluation. In a hybrid project management approach, changes to the approved product backlog must follow a formal change control process to maintain baseline integrity and avoid scope creep. Asking the product owner to submit a change request ensures the proposed feature is evaluated for impact on schedule, cost, and quality before any work begins, aligning with both agile principles of prioritization and traditional project governance.

Answer

Add the feature to the sprint backlog and accept the change

Answer

Reject the feature outright because it is not in scope

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Tell the team to work overtime to accommodate the feature

Question 8

Your project is behind schedule due to an unexpected delay from a key supplier. The critical path analysis shows that the total float is now negative. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Crash the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities. Crashing the schedule involves adding resources to critical path activities to compress the schedule, which is appropriate when float is negative.

Answer

Reduce project scope by eliminating non-essential deliverables

Answer

Update the risk register and inform stakeholders of the delay without taking action

Answer

Immediately apply fast tracking to overlap activities on the critical path

Question 9

During a daily standup, a developer mentions they found a way to improve the code's performance but it will add two extra days of work. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Advise the developer to discuss the improvement with the product owner after the standup. Adding extra work without stakeholder approval is gold-plating. The scrum master should remind the team to focus on the sprint goal and discuss the idea with the product owner.

Answer

Record the idea in the project documentation and move on

Answer

Allow the developer to proceed because the improvement is valuable

Answer

Add the improvement to the sprint backlog immediately

Question 10

Your project's CPI is 0.85 and SPI is 0.90 at the midpoint. The project sponsor asks for a status update. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Inform the sponsor of the cost and schedule variances and present a recovery plan. PMI emphasizes clear communication of project status to stakeholders, including variances and corrective actions.

Answer

Implement cost reduction measures without informing the sponsor

Answer

Report that the project is on track and the variances are temporary

Answer

Request additional budget to cover the cost overrun without changing scope

Question 11

A critical risk identified in the risk register has occurred. The planned response was to mitigate, but the impact is higher than anticipated. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the planned mitigation response and then reassess the situation. The risk response plan should be executed first, then reassess and update the risk register. PMI recommends implementing the planned response and evaluating its effectiveness.

Answer

Develop a new response from scratch because the impact changed

Answer

Update the risk register and ignore the planned response

Answer

Escalate the risk to the project sponsor immediately

Question 12

Two senior developers on your agile team have a conflict about the technical approach for a user story. This conflict is causing delays. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the developers to discuss and resolve the conflict collaboratively. PMI recommends conflict resolution through collaboration. The PM should facilitate a discussion to reach a consensus that aligns with project goals.

Answer

Ask the product owner to prioritize the story and bypass the developers' discussion

Answer

Decide the technical approach yourself and assign it to the developers

Answer

Separate the developers onto different teams to avoid further conflict

Question 13

During project execution, a team member reports that a deliverable may not meet the quality standards due to a shortcut taken earlier. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Review the quality management plan and perform a quality audit to identify process gaps. Quality assurance ensures processes are followed. The PM should investigate the issue and take corrective action to prevent nonconformance.

Answer

Accept the deliverable as is and document the deviation

Answer

Escalate to the sponsor for a decision on quality acceptance

Answer

Instruct the team member to redo the work to meet standards

Question 14

An executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly gives instructions to the development team to add a new report. The team starts working on it. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the executive the importance of following the change control process and update the communications management plan. PMI recommends addressing the stakeholder's behavior professionally and reinforcing the change control process.

Answer

Immediately stop the team's work on the new report without discussing with the executive

Answer

Allow the team to continue to avoid conflict with the executive

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Confront the executive and demand they stop contacting the team

Question 15

Your hybrid project uses a fixed-price contract with a vendor. The vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a labor shortage. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Review the procurement contract to understand terms, penalties, and remedies. The contract is the governing document; the PM should review it to understand remedies and obligations.

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Immediately find a replacement vendor

Answer

Accept the delay and adjust the project schedule