PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 22 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your project is in the execution phase. A team member reports that a supplier delivered a batch of raw materials that do not meet the quality specifications. The supplier insists the materials are acceptable and offers a discount. The project sponsor wants to accept the discount to save costs. What should the project manager do?

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

Accepted Answer

Reject the materials and require the supplier to provide conforming materials. The project manager must adhere to the quality plan and ensure that materials meet specified requirements. Accepting non-conforming materials, even with a discount, risks rework, customer dissatisfaction, and project failure. The sponsor's cost concern does not override quality standards. Option A is wrong because reducing testing does not mitigate the risk of using substandard materials. Option B is wrong because the decision should be based on the quality plan, not left to the team. Option D is wrong because cost savings do not justify compromising quality.

Answer

Accept the materials and reduce testing to offset the cost risk

Answer

Let the team decide whether to use the materials

Answer

Accept the discount and use the materials to save project costs

Question 2

Your project is a traditional waterfall project. You are creating the work breakdown structure (WBS) for a new software development project. The team is having difficulty decomposing a complex deliverable. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Engage subject matter experts to help decompose the deliverable further. Engaging subject matter experts (SMEs) is the best action because the WBS requires decomposition of deliverables to a level where work can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned. When the team lacks the knowledge to decompose a complex deliverable, SMEs provide the domain expertise needed to break it down into manageable work packages. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the WBS should be decomposed to the work package level, and expert judgment is a recognized tool and technique for the Create WBS process.

Answer

Freeze the scope at this level and move on to scheduling

Answer

Skip decomposition and proceed with the project

Answer

Use the work packages from a similar project directly

Question 3

During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a completed user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The developer argues that the story is functionally complete and the product owner is being too strict. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the product owner and developer to clarify the acceptance criteria. In Scrum, the product owner is responsible for defining and validating acceptance criteria. When a disagreement arises, the scrum master should facilitate a discussion to ensure clarity and alignment, not impose a decision or take sides. Option A is incorrect because simply accepting the product owner's decision without discussion may miss opportunities to resolve misunderstandings and improve collaboration. Option B is incorrect because removing the story from the sprint backlog avoids accountability and undermines the sprint review's purpose. Option D is incorrect because supporting the developer against the product owner would escalate conflict and ignore the product owner's authority over scope and quality.

Answer

Ask the team to accept the product owner's decision and move on

Answer

Remove the story from the sprint backlog and skip it in the review

Answer

Support the developer by telling the product owner the story is complete

Question 4

Your project is a large infrastructure build. You have completed the planning phase, but the sponsor has put pressure on you to start construction before all approvals are obtained. The schedule is tight, and any delay could result in penalties. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks to the sponsor and refuse to start until approvals are obtained. The project manager must explain the risks to the sponsor and refuse to start construction until all approvals are obtained, because starting without approvals violates compliance and could lead to legal, safety, and financial consequences. The PM's ethical duty is to ensure the project proceeds only when prerequisites are met.

Answer

Begin construction on non-critical activities while waiting for approvals

Answer

Document the sponsor's request and begin work

Answer

Proceed as requested by the sponsor

Question 5

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. During the execution phase, one of your key team members, a senior engineer, resigns unexpectedly. This engineer was responsible for critical path tasks. What is the FIRST thing you should do?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on the critical path and overall schedule. In project management, when a critical resource leaves, the first step is to assess the impact on the critical path and overall schedule before taking any corrective action. This aligns with the PMBOK principle of evaluating before acting, ensuring decisions are based on data rather than reaction.

Answer

Immediately request a replacement from HR

Answer

Update the risk register and plan for a schedule delay

Answer

Reassign the engineer's tasks to other team members

Question 6

Your project is a software development project using a hybrid approach. The team has completed the design phase, and you have received a change request from a key stakeholder to add a new feature. The team estimates this will add 3 months to the schedule and $50,000 to the budget. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on the project constraints and submit a change request to the CCB. The correct option is B: Evaluate the impact on the project constraints and submit a change request to the CCB. In a hybrid project, any change to scope must go through integrated change control, where the impact on schedule, cost, and other constraints is documented and the Change Control Board (CCB) decides whether to approve, reject, or defer it. Since the change adds 3 months and $50,000, the project manager should not unilaterally approve or reject it but must follow the formal change management process. Option A is wrong because refusing outright ignores the stakeholder's request without proper evaluation, and the project manager typically lacks authority to reject changes unilaterally. Option C is wrong because approving it alone bypasses the CCB and ignores governance, even if the PM has some authority. Option D is wrong because implementing immediately skips impact analysis and approval, which can derail the project baseline.

Answer

Refuse the change because it will impact the schedule and budget

Answer

Approve the change yourself since it is within your authority

Answer

Implement the change immediately to satisfy the stakeholder

Question 7

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. Option B is correct because dedicating a fixed percentage of each sprint's capacity to technical debt remediation directly reduces the accumulated debt that is slowing the team down, allowing velocity to recover over time. Option C is correct because unplanned work often stems from external interruptions; establishing a policy that protects the team's sprint commitment (e.g., routing requests through the product owner or a kanban intake) reduces context switching and preserves velocity. Option E is correct because a weak definition of ready leads to stories entering sprints with unresolved questions or dependencies, which generates unplanned work and rework; strengthening the DoR with clear acceptance criteria and dependencies improves flow and predictability. Option A is not selected because the product owner explicitly wants to maintain the current scope, so reducing scope contradicts the stated constraint. Option D is not selected because adding developers to a late, debt-laden agile team typically increases coordination overhead and onboarding costs (Brooks's Law) rather than restoring velocity in the short term.

Answer

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

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity

Question 8

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. The Risk register (B) must be updated because it is the central document that records the risk event's occurrence, its actual impact, the mitigation response taken, and the risk's status change from open to occurred/closed. The Lessons learned register (C) should also be updated to capture how the risk was handled, what worked or didn't in the mitigation, and recommendations for future projects, which is a standard practice throughout execution. The Stakeholder engagement plan (A) is not updated for a risk occurrence since it governs how stakeholders are involved, not risk responses. The Project schedule (D) may be affected by the mitigation but is not the document that reflects the risk occurrence and response itself. The Cost baseline (E) is only changed through formal change control if the mitigation requires additional approved funds, not as a direct update for recording the risk event.

Answer

Stakeholder engagement plan

Answer

Project schedule

Answer

Cost baseline

Question 9

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. In a hybrid project environment, any change to scope, schedule, or cost must go through the Integrated Change Control process. The first step is to submit a formal change request and assess its impact on all constraints. This ensures the change is evaluated, approved or rejected by the change control board, and properly integrated into the project plans. Acting without this process risks scope creep and unmanaged impacts.

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 10

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. Because the risk was already identified and a response plan (use the approved backup supplier) was documented during risk planning, the correct next step is to execute that planned response. Contacting the backup supplier immediately activates the contingency and protects the critical path. Escalating or searching for unapproved vendors bypasses the risk management process that was already completed.

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 11

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. Under PMBOK and standard project management practice, when a change is introduced, the project manager must first perform an impact analysis (scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality) and then submit a formal change request to the CCB. Starting work before approval (A) bypasses the change control process, and submitting without analysis (D) gives the CCB insufficient information to decide. The correct first step is to analyze and prepare the change request.

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 12

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 13

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 first step when a team member consistently misses deadlines is to speak with them privately to understand the root cause and offer support. This aligns with PMP principles of servant leadership and team development, addressing the issue directly and empathetically before taking more drastic actions. It allows the project manager to identify if the problem is due to lack of skills, resources, personal issues, or unclear expectations, and then take appropriate corrective 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 14

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 15

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. With EV = $200,000, PV = $220,000, and AC = $240,000, the project has a Cost Variance (CV = EV - AC) of -$40,000, indicating it is over budget, and a Schedule Variance (SV = EV - PV) of -$20,000, indicating it is behind schedule. Both variances are negative, so the project is 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