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

Question 1

You are the project manager for a construction project. During excavation, the team discovers an undocumented underground utility line that was not shown on any plans. This could delay the project and increase costs. Which TWO actions should you take FIRST? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register with this new risk. Options A and D are correct. A: The risk register should be updated with this new risk. D: The project management plan may need to be updated to reflect changes in approach. Option B is not first; stop work pending assessment. Option C is reactive; root cause analysis is for after response. Option E is premature; the impact should be assessed first.

Answer

Stop all work until the utility line is removed

Answer

Immediately notify the local utility company to remove the line

Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis to determine why it was missed

Question 2

Your agile project has been experiencing declining velocity over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, the team identifies that they are spending too much time on unplanned work and technical debt. The product owner wants to maintain the current scope. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Allocate a portion of each sprint to address technical debt. Options A, C, and E are correct. A: Allocating time to reduce technical debt helps improve velocity. C: Refining the definition of ready reduces unplanned work. E: Shielding the team protects them from interruptions. Option B conflicts with PO's wish; option D is reactive and may not address root cause.

Answer

Ask the product owner to reduce the scope of the next sprint

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity

Question 3

You are managing a project that is currently in the execution phase. A risk event that was identified and included in the risk register has occurred. The planned response is to mitigate the risk. Which TWO documents should you update to reflect the occurrence and response? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Risk register. Options A and D are correct. The risk register is updated to log the occurrence and response actions. The lessons learned register captures knowledge for future projects. Option B is updated only if the risk response affects the schedule. Option C is updated if the response impacts the budget. Option E is not a standard PMI document.

Answer

Stakeholder engagement plan

Answer

Project schedule

Answer

Cost baseline

Question 4

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer requests a major feature addition that would extend the timeline by two weeks. The team is already working at capacity. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request through the Integrated Change Control process and assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. The correct action is to submit a change request through the Integrated Change Control process. PMI requires formal assessment and approval before implementing any change that impacts scope, schedule, or cost. Proceeding without change control violates the project management plan.

Answer

Ask the team to start working on the feature immediately to satisfy the customer

Answer

Inform the customer that the feature is out of scope and cannot be added

Answer

Add the feature to the product backlog and schedule it for a future sprint without further analysis

Question 5

During the execution phase of a construction project, you discover that a key vendor will not deliver steel beams on time, threatening the critical path. The risk was identified and the response plan was to use an approved backup supplier. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Contact the backup supplier immediately to activate the contract. Since the risk response plan already identified the backup supplier, the PM should implement the planned response. Activating the contingency plan is the correct proactive step. Communicating with stakeholders is important but secondary to executing the response.

Answer

Ask the team to find a new vendor not on the approved list

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Update the risk register and wait for the vendor to confirm the delay

Question 6

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project. Midway through, a new regulatory requirement is introduced that mandates additional environmental testing, which could delay the project by one month and increase costs by 5%. The change control board (CCB) is scheduled to meet in two weeks. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the regulatory requirement and prepare a change request for the CCB meeting. The PM must first assess the impact of the new regulation on the project's scope, schedule, cost, and quality before presenting it to the CCB. This analysis informs the change request. Simply waiting or proceeding without analysis is not appropriate.

Answer

Instruct the team to start the additional testing immediately to avoid further delay

Answer

Ignore the requirement until the CCB meets, then decide

Answer

Submit a change request immediately to the CCB without detailed analysis

Question 7

Your agile team has experienced a drop in velocity for the past three sprints. During the retrospective, team members mention that they are spending too much time on unplanned work and context switching. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the sources of unplanned work and discuss with the team how to minimize interruptions. The PM should first investigate the root cause of unplanned work and context switching. This involves analyzing the situation before taking corrective action. Jumping to solutions like reducing scope or adding resources without understanding the cause may be ineffective.

Answer

Add more team members to the project to increase capacity

Answer

Reduce the sprint backlog size to lower the team's workload

Answer

Ask the product owner to prioritize all unplanned work into upcoming sprints

Question 8

You are managing a project where a team member consistently misses deadlines. This has caused frustration among other team members and is affecting the project schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the team member privately to understand the root cause and offer support. The PM should first have a private conversation with the team member to understand the reasons behind the missed deadlines. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on addressing performance issues through communication and understanding before taking formal action.

Answer

Reassign the team member's tasks to other team members

Answer

Remove the team member from the project and request a replacement

Answer

Document the issue in the issue log and escalate to the functional manager

Question 9

During project execution, a key executive stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct instructions to the development team, causing confusion about priorities. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the executive to discuss the importance of following the project communication plan. The PM should first address the issue directly with the executive stakeholder, explaining the impact of bypassing the project manager and reinforcing the communication plan. This is a proactive communication approach that aligns with PMI's stakeholder management principles.

Answer

Update the issue log and escalate the matter to the project sponsor

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore the executive's instructions

Answer

Add the executive's requests to the change log and process them through change control

Question 10

Your project is 50% complete, and your earned value analysis shows: EV = $200,000, PV = $220,000, AC = $240,000. Based on this data, what is the most accurate assessment of the project's performance?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. CPI = EV/AC = 200,000/240,000 = 0.833 (over budget); SPI = EV/PV = 200,000/220,000 = 0.909 (behind schedule). The project is both over budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is under budget but behind schedule

Question 11

In a Scrum project, the product owner asks the team to add a new user story during the sprint. The team is currently working on committed stories. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Explain to the product owner that new stories cannot be added during the sprint without removing an equal amount of work. In Scrum, the sprint backlog is fixed once the sprint starts. The product owner can add new stories only after the current sprint is completed, unless a story is swapped out with equal effort. The Scrum Master should protect the team from scope changes during the sprint.

Answer

Immediately schedule a sprint planning meeting to add the new story

Answer

Add the story to the sprint backlog and ask the team to work overtime

Answer

Tell the team to finish current stories first and then work on the new story

Question 12

You are managing a project that is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The variance is due to higher-than-expected material costs. The sponsor is concerned about cost overruns. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the cost variance to determine the root cause and update the EAC. The PM should first analyze the root cause of the cost variance and determine if the trend is likely to continue. Based on this analysis, the PM can develop a revised estimate at completion (EAC) and communicate it to the sponsor. Simply asking for more budget or reducing scope without analysis is premature.

Answer

Ask the team to find cheaper alternatives for materials immediately

Answer

Reduce the project scope to bring costs back in line with the budget

Answer

Request additional budget from the sponsor to cover the overrun

Question 13

During a project's execution phase, you receive a change request from a stakeholder that would improve the product's performance but is not required by the original specifications. The change is estimated to add 2 weeks to the schedule and $10,000 to the budget. The project is currently on schedule and under budget. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis and submit the change request to the CCB. The PM should first assess the impact of the change on the project constraints (scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk) and then present the analysis to the CCB for a decision. Proceeding without approval or rejecting outright are not appropriate.

Answer

Instruct the team to implement the change and adjust the project plan later

Answer

Approve the change since the project has contingency

Answer

Reject the change because it is out of scope

Question 14

Your project is using a Kanban approach. The team's lead time has increased over the last two weeks, and work items are piling up in the 'In Progress' column. What is the BEST action for the project manager to take?

Accepted Answer

Reduce the number of work items allowed in the 'In Progress' column (WIP limit). In Kanban, the primary lever to address flow issues like increased lead time and work piling up in 'In Progress' is to reduce the WIP limit. This forces the team to finish existing work before pulling new items, directly addressing the bottleneck and reducing cycle time. Increasing priority, adding people, or working overtime are classic push-system responses that violate Kanban's pull-based, flow-optimization principles.

Answer

Increase the priority of all items in the backlog

Answer

Add more team members to the project to increase capacity

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to clear the backlog

Question 15

During the closure phase of a project, the customer is satisfied with the deliverables but refuses to sign the formal acceptance document, citing minor issues that were not part of the original scope. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the customer to understand the concerns and negotiate a path to acceptance. The PM should first attempt to resolve the minor issues through negotiation and follow the project's change control process if needed. Formal acceptance is crucial for project closure, so the PM should work with the customer to address concerns without gold-plating.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor immediately

Answer

Accept the refusal and close the project without formal sign-off

Answer

Instruct the team to fix the minor issues free of charge to obtain sign-off