PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 21 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standup meetings are not effective because they are too long and lack focus. Which THREE actions should the Scrum Master take to improve the standup?

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

Accepted Answer

Time-box the standup to 15 minutes and enforce it. To improve daily standups, the Scrum Master should enforce time-boxing, encourage focused updates, and perhaps change the format or location to keep them concise. Assigning a rotating facilitator can also help.

Answer

Cancel the standup and replace it with written reports

Answer

Encourage team members to give detailed status reports

Question 2

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a new feature that was not in the backlog. The team estimates it will take 5 days to implement. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request and assess the impact on the project baseline.. In a hybrid project with a defined baseline, a new feature request from the product owner during a sprint review is a scope change that must go through the integrated change control process. Submitting a change request and assessing impact on the baseline ensures the change is evaluated for scope, schedule, cost, and risk before approval. This preserves governance even in agile-hybrid environments.

Answer

Tell the product owner that no changes are allowed until the project is completed.

Answer

Ask the team to include it in the next sprint and inform the product owner.

Answer

Add the feature to the current sprint as it's small and the team can handle it.

Question 3

Your construction project is in the execution phase. A key vendor informs you that a critical material will be delayed by 3 weeks due to a strike at their factory. This delay will push the project beyond the required completion date. The risk was identified and documented in the risk register with a planned response. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the pre-defined risk response as documented in the risk register.. The planned risk response should be executed as per the risk management plan. Option A is correct because the response is already defined. Option B is reactive; Option C skips the planned response; Option D may be needed later but is not first.

Answer

Inform the sponsor and ask for additional budget to expedite shipping.

Answer

Crash the schedule by adding extra resources to other tasks to recover time.

Answer

Update the risk register and escalate to the steering committee.

Question 4

During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked by a dependency from another team. The issue was not previously identified. As the project manager, what is the BEST action?

Accepted Answer

Add the blocker to the issue log and work with the other team to resolve it.. The correct action is to document the blocker in the issue log and collaborate with the other team to resolve it. This ensures the issue is tracked and addressed appropriately. Option A is wrong because reassigning work does not resolve the dependency; Option B delays resolution without proper documentation; Option C bypasses the project manager's role in facilitating cross-team coordination.

Answer

Remove the dependency by reassigning the work to a different developer.

Answer

Ask the developer to find a workaround and report back tomorrow.

Answer

Tell the developer to escalate the issue to the other team's manager directly.

Question 5

Your agile project has been experiencing decreasing velocity over the last three sprints. The team is frustrated and morale is low. The product owner is pressuring for more features. What is the BEST action for the project manager to take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a retrospective to identify impediments and improvement actions.. Decreasing velocity combined with low morale is a systemic team issue, and the agile-correct response is to surface and address root causes through a retrospective. The retrospective is the team's dedicated inspect-and-adapt ceremony for identifying impediments, process problems, and improvement actions. The project manager should facilitate this rather than impose top-down fixes.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to catch up on velocity.

Answer

Replace the underperforming team members with new resources.

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time.

Question 6

You are managing a software upgrade project. A senior executive bypasses you and directly instructs a team member to include a new feature in the release. The team member is confused and asks for your direction. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the executive to explain the change control process and the impact of the request.. The FIRST step is to speak with the executive to explain the change control process and the impact of the request. This addresses the root cause—the executive bypassing the process—through direct communication and education, rather than escalating or ignoring the issue. It respects the executive's authority while upholding project management best practices.

Answer

Submit a change request on behalf of the executive without assessment.

Answer

Advise the team member to follow the executive's instruction.

Answer

Escalate the situation to the executive's manager immediately.

Question 7

Your project is using a hybrid approach. During a sprint, the team realizes that a critical dependency from another project will not be ready on time, impacting the critical path. The dependency was not identified in the risk register. What is the BEST action?

Accepted Answer

Add the dependency to the issue log, assess the impact on the schedule, and engage the other project manager.. Because the dependency was not in the risk register, it is a newly discovered issue; the correct first step is to log it in the issue log, assess its schedule impact, and engage the other project manager who owns the dependency. This follows the PMBOK approach of documenting, analyzing, and coordinating before taking corrective action. It also respects the fact that the other project manager controls the dependency's delivery.

Answer

Crash the schedule by adding resources to the dependent task.

Answer

Escalate to the project management office for resource reallocation.

Answer

Ask the team to find a workaround to bypass the dependency.

Question 8

In the middle of a project, new government regulations are introduced that affect your deliverables. Compliance is mandatory. The project is currently on schedule and on budget. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to assess the impact of the regulation on the project baselines.. The PM must assess the impact of the regulation and then follow change control. Option D is correct. Option A bypasses process; Option B is premature; Option C may be needed later but not first.

Answer

Incorporate the changes to comply with the regulation immediately.

Answer

Notify the sponsor that the project will be delayed and over budget.

Answer

Consult legal to determine the exact requirements.

Question 9

You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A key stakeholder requests a minor change that does not affect the critical path but will add two days to the schedule. The team has some idle time. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board for evaluation.. In a predictive project, any change to the project baseline (scope, schedule, cost) must go through the integrated change control process. Even if the change is minor and the team has idle time, it still requires a formal change request to the change control board (CCB) for evaluation. This ensures that the impact is properly assessed and documented. The project manager should not unilaterally approve changes.

Answer

Tell the team to implement the change and update the schedule later.

Answer

Refuse the change to protect the schedule baseline.

Answer

Approve the change since it is minor and the team can absorb the delay.

Question 10

Your project is in the execution phase. The earned value metrics are: EV=$200,000, PV=$250,000, AC=$220,000. The project is behind schedule and over budget. You need to present a recovery plan to the steering committee. Which combination of actions is BEST aligned with PMI best practices?

Accepted Answer

Conduct root cause analysis of variances, then consider fast tracking or crashing as appropriate.. The correct approach is to first perform root cause analysis to understand the reasons for the variances, then evaluate schedule compression techniques such as fast tracking or crashing. This aligns with PMI's guidance on taking corrective action. Option A is not sustainable and may not address root causes; option C requires formal change control and may not be the best first step; option D jumps to crashing without analysis and may escalate costs.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime without additional cost.

Answer

Reduce scope to meet the schedule and cost baselines.

Answer

Crash the schedule by adding resources and request additional budget.

Question 11

A project manager is planning stakeholder engagement for a complex project with many interested parties. Which THREE techniques are MOST effective for analyzing stakeholders?

Accepted Answer

Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix. The three most effective techniques for analyzing stakeholders are the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix (B), power/interest grid (C), and stakeholder mapping/salience model (E). Option A (communication requirements analysis) is a tool for planning communication, not for analyzing stakeholders. Option D (affinity diagram) is a quality management tool for grouping ideas, not for stakeholder analysis.

Answer

Communication requirements analysis

Answer

Affinity diagram

Question 12

During project execution, a key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. This component is on the critical path. The vendor suggests using a substitute material that is not yet approved by your quality team. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response defined in the risk register. The risk (vendor delay) was previously identified and documented in the risk register, along with a planned response. The project manager should first implement that planned response rather than taking other actions. Option B is incorrect because accepting the delay without trying the planned response is premature and may not be the best course of action. Option C is incorrect because escalation is not necessary if a pre-planned risk response exists. Option D is incorrect because immediately terminating the contract is an extreme reaction that ignores the agreed-upon risk response.

Answer

Accept the delay and update the project schedule

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor and request additional time

Answer

Immediately terminate the vendor contract and find a new supplier

Question 13

In an agile project, the team has missed their sprint commitment for the third consecutive sprint. During the retrospective, team members cite unclear requirements and frequent interruptions from stakeholders. As the project manager, what is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to refine user stories and shield the team from external interruptions. The best action is to address the root causes: unclear requirements and frequent interruptions. Working with the product owner to refine user stories ensures the team has clear, actionable work, and shielding the team from external interruptions allows them to focus during the sprint. This is a servant-leadership approach that removes impediments and improves the team's ability to meet commitments.

Answer

Require the team to commit to fewer story points next sprint

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time

Question 14

Your project is using a hybrid approach. During the execution phase, you notice that the cost performance index (CPI) is 0.8 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 1.1. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and ahead of schedule. CPI = 0.8, which is less than 1, indicates that the project is over budget (cost performance is unfavorable). SPI = 1.1, which is greater than 1, indicates that the project is ahead of schedule (schedule performance is favorable). Therefore, the project is over budget and ahead of schedule, which corresponds to option C. Option A is incorrect because being under budget would require CPI > 1, and behind schedule would require SPI < 1. Option B is incorrect because it claims behind schedule but SPI > 1. Option D is incorrect because it claims under budget but CPI < 1.

Answer

The project is under budget and behind schedule

Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Question 15

During a project status meeting, an executive stakeholder informs the team that they have instructed a developer to add a new feature to the product without going through the change control process. The developer has already completed the work. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Document the change and submit a retroactive change request to the change control board. Since the work is already complete, the PM cannot undo it without causing disruption; the correct next step is to bring the change under governance by documenting it and submitting a retroactive change request to the CCB. This preserves the integrity of the change control process while acknowledging reality.

Answer

Inform the executive that this violates the change control process and ignore the change

Answer

Remove the new feature from the product

Answer

Ask the executive to reverse the change immediately