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

Question 1

You are managing a project where the team is experiencing conflict between two senior developers over technical approach. The conflict is affecting team morale and productivity. Which TWO actions should you take? (Select exactly two.)

Accepted Answer

Escalate the conflict to the functional managers of the developers. The PM should first address the conflict directly by facilitating a discussion to find common ground (B). If the conflict cannot be resolved, the PM may escalate to the functional manager (A). Publicly reprimanding (C) is not constructive; ignoring (D) is not proactive; reassigning (E) should be a last resort after other efforts fail.

Answer

Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own

Answer

Reprimand both developers publicly for causing disruption

Answer

Reassign one of the developers to another project

Question 2

Your project is using a hybrid approach. At the end of the first iteration, the customer provides feedback that significantly changes the priority of features. The team has already started work on the next iteration's backlog. As the project manager, which THREE actions should you take? (Select exactly three.)

Accepted Answer

Communicate the changes and their impact to all relevant stakeholders. The correct actions are to assess the impact of the reprioritization (A), update the risk register (C), and communicate the changes to stakeholders (E). Proceeding without approval (B) violates change control; immediately adjusting the backlog without analysis (D) is hasty.

Answer

Proceed with the current iteration backlog to avoid disrupting the team

Answer

Immediately adjust the iteration backlog to reflect the new priorities

Question 3

During project execution, a key supplier notifies you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time. This component is on the critical path. The risk was identified, and the response strategy was to accept the risk. Which THREE actions should you take? (Select exactly three.)

Accepted Answer

Document the issue in the issue log and update the risk register. The PM should first document the issue in the issue log (A), then evaluate alternatives to mitigate the delay (B), and communicate with stakeholders about the impact (D). Waiting for the supplier to resolve (C) is passive, and escalating to the sponsor (E) may be premature before exploring options.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Wait for the supplier to provide a new delivery date before taking action

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, stating it does not meet their expectations. The feature was built according to the approved requirements. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the customer to clarify their expectations and document the issue in an issue log for further analysis. Option C is correct because the first step is to understand the customer's perspective and document the issue formally. Option A is wrong because it assumes the requirements are wrong without investigation. Option B is wrong because ignoring the customer is not proactive. Option D is wrong because escalating before understanding is premature.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Explain to the customer that the feature was delivered as per the approved requirements and no changes are possible

Answer

Ask the team to revise the requirements document to match the customer's expectations

Question 5

Your project is in the execution phase, and you discover that a key vendor will deliver a critical component two weeks late, impacting the critical path. The contract does not include penalties for late delivery. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on the project schedule and consider schedule compression techniques like fast-tracking or crashing. Option D is correct because the first step is to assess the schedule impact and explore compression options. Option A is wrong because enforcing penalties that don't exist is not feasible. Option B is wrong because accepting delays without analysis is reactive. Option C is wrong because escalating without analyzing options is premature.

Answer

Escalate the issue to senior management immediately

Answer

Enforce penalty clauses in the contract to motivate the vendor

Answer

Accept the delay and inform stakeholders that the project will be late

Question 6

In a large, multi-phase construction project, the project sponsor asks you to bypass the change control process to expedite a minor change that the sponsor believes is low risk. The change could save two weeks on the schedule. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the importance of following the change control process and submit a change request. Option B is correct because PMI requires following the change control process regardless of perceived risk. Option A is wrong because bypassing process sets a bad precedent. Option C is wrong because ignoring the sponsor is counterproductive. Option D is wrong because escalating without explanation is not effective.

Answer

Agree to bypass the process given the low risk and schedule benefit

Answer

Implement the change but document it after the fact

Answer

Escalate the sponsor's request to the PMO without further discussion

Question 7

You are managing a marketing campaign project using an agile approach. During the daily standup, a developer mentions they have started working on a feature that was not agreed upon in sprint planning. The product owner is not aware of this work. What should you do as the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Remind the team that only items from the sprint backlog should be worked on, and ask the developer to stop and discuss with the product owner after the standup. Option A is correct because the Scrum Master should ensure that only planned work is done during the sprint. Option B is wrong because it allows scope creep. Option C is wrong because the product owner should be informed first. Option D is wrong because the team should not work on unplanned items without agreement.

Answer

Allow the developer to continue because the feature might add value

Answer

Ask the developer to work on the feature after the current sprint

Answer

Add the feature to the product backlog and ignore it for now

Question 8

Your project's cost performance index (CPI) is 0.8, and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 1.1. The project is in the execution phase. What is the most likely reason for these indices?

Accepted Answer

The project manager used crashing to meet a deadline, adding resources and increasing costs. Option C is correct because CPI < 1 indicates cost overrun, while SPI > 1 indicates ahead of schedule, often due to crashing (adding resources). Option A is wrong because scope reduction would likely improve CPI. Option B is wrong because fast tracking would affect schedule. Option D is wrong because rework would worsen both.

Answer

The team had to rework deliverables due to quality issues

Answer

The project is experiencing scope creep

Answer

The team is working more efficiently than planned

Question 9

During a project closure phase, you realize that several deliverables were completed but not formally accepted by the customer. The contract requires signed acceptance for each deliverable. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the customer to obtain formal acceptance of the outstanding deliverables. Option A is correct because without formal acceptance, the project cannot be closed. Option B is wrong because obtaining acceptance is the PM's responsibility. Option C is wrong because lessons learned are important but not the immediate priority. Option D is wrong because closing without acceptance is not allowed.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project is complete and request closure approval

Answer

Document lessons learned and then close the project

Answer

Archive the project records and close the project as the work is complete

Question 10

You are the project manager for a hybrid project. Midway through, you discover that a key stakeholder has been giving direct instructions to the development team, causing confusion and rework. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the stakeholder privately to clarify their role and reinforce the communication channels defined in the project management plan. Option C is correct because the first step is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder. Option A is wrong because updating the plan without addressing the behavior is reactive. Option B is wrong because involving the sponsor immediately may escalate unnecessarily. Option D is wrong because ignoring the stakeholder is not proactive.

Answer

Update the communications management plan to restrict stakeholder access to the team

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore instructions from anyone other than you

Question 11

Your agile project has a stable velocity of 30 story points per sprint. In the last three sprints, velocity dropped to 25, 22, and 20. The team cites increased complexity in user stories. What should you do first as the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and potential improvements. Option D is correct because the Scrum Master should facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes. Option A is wrong because adding resources may not address complexity. Option B is wrong because reducing scope without analysis is premature. Option C is wrong because the product owner should be involved, but the first step is to understand the issue.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to manage workload better

Answer

Ask the product owner to simplify user stories

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity

Question 12

During a project, a risk you identified in the risk register occurs. Your response plan was to mitigate by purchasing backup equipment. However, you discover the backup equipment is not available due to a supplier issue. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan or develop a new response given the change in circumstances. Option A is correct because the first step is to implement a fallback plan or develop a new response. Option B is wrong because updating the risk register without a response is incomplete. Option C is wrong because the risk is occurring now, not just a new risk. Option D is wrong because escalating without exploring options is premature.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

Answer

Add a new risk to the risk register about supplier reliability

Answer

Update the risk register to reflect that the mitigation is ineffective

Question 13

You are managing a project that is 15% over budget at the midpoint. The earned value (EV) is $100,000, actual cost (AC) is $115,000, and planned value (PV) is $110,000. What is the most likely reason for the cost variance?

Accepted Answer

Costs are higher than planned for the work performed. Option B is correct because AC > EV and AC > PV indicates cost overrun. Option A is wrong because EV is less than PV, indicating behind schedule, not ahead. Option C is wrong because the project is behind schedule, not ahead. Option D is wrong because scope increase would likely increase EV as well.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is under budget

Answer

The scope was increased without adjusting the budget

Question 14

During a sprint planning meeting, the product owner wants to add a high-priority user story that the team believes is too large to complete in one sprint. What should the team do?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to break the story down into smaller, manageable pieces. Option B is correct because the team should collaborate with the product owner to break down the story. Option A is wrong because the product owner can add to the backlog but the team estimates capacity. Option C is wrong because accepting without planning leads to overcommitment. Option D is wrong because the product owner can attend but the team needs to plan.

Answer

Accept the story and work overtime to complete it

Answer

Ask the product owner to attend the daily standups for this sprint only

Answer

Refuse to accept the story because it is too large

Question 15

During a quality audit, it is discovered that a deliverable does not meet the specified quality standards. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Document the nonconformance, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions. Option D is correct because the first step is to document the nonconformance and determine the root cause. Option A is wrong because the team should analyze before rework. Option B is wrong because rework without analysis may miss underlying issues. Option C is wrong because the sponsor does not need to be involved immediately.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Instruct the team to rework the deliverable immediately to meet standards

Answer

Accept the deliverable as is since the customer may not notice