PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 24 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standups are taking too long and are not productive. Several team members suggest canceling them to save time. As the scrum master, what is the best course of action?

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

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion to identify the root cause of the unproductive standups and agree on improvements.. The scrum master should facilitate a discussion to improve the standup rather than cancel it. Option C is correct because it addresses the issue constructively.

Answer

Shorten the standup time to 5 minutes without discussion.

Answer

Cancel the daily standups as suggested and replace them with a weekly meeting.

Answer

Keep the standups as they are; the team will adapt over time.

Question 2

A project manager is reviewing the quality metrics of a software development project. The testing team has found that the defect rate has increased significantly in the last two builds. What is the first action the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis to identify why the defect rate increased.. According to the quality management process, the project manager should first investigate the root cause of the increased defect rate before taking any corrective action. Conducting a root cause analysis (option A) allows the team to identify underlying issues, such as process changes, training gaps, or tool problems, and then implement appropriate corrective actions. Options B, C, and D are premature; increasing testing resources may not address the root cause, redoing builds wastes effort without fixing the process, and escalation to the sponsor should occur after analysis shows the issue is beyond the team's control.

Answer

Increase the testing resources to catch more defects.

Answer

Ask the development team to redo the last two builds.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor.

Question 3

You are managing a project that is currently in the execution phase. The project has a cost baseline of $500,000. At the end of month 3, the planned value (PV) is $150,000, the actual cost is $150,000 and the earned value is $120,000. The project manager calculates the cost variance (CV) and schedule variance (SV). What do the results indicate?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule.. CV = EV - AC = $120,000 - $150,000 = -$30,000. A negative CV indicates the project is over budget. SV = EV - PV = $120,000 - $150,000 = -$30,000. A negative SV indicates the project is behind schedule. Therefore, the project is over budget and behind schedule, making option D correct.

Answer

The project is over budget and ahead of schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and behind schedule.

Question 4

In a project using a hybrid approach, the team is developing a new product. During sprint planning, the product owner wants to add several new user stories that were not in the release plan. The team is concerned that adding these stories will overload the sprint. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a negotiation between the product owner and the team to prioritize and possibly swap stories.. The scrum master should facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team to negotiate scope. This encourages collaboration and respects the team's capacity. Option B correctly describes this action, as it allows the team and product owner to prioritize and possibly swap stories to fit within the sprint's capacity.

Answer

Add the stories to the product backlog and defer them to a future sprint.

Answer

Accept the new stories and ask the team to work overtime.

Answer

Reject the new stories because they were not planned.

Question 5

A project is nearing completion. The project manager is preparing for project closure. Which of the following is the most important activity to complete during project closure?

Accepted Answer

Obtain formal acceptance of the project deliverables from the customer.. Obtaining formal acceptance from the customer is a key closure activity. Option A is correct because it ensures the deliverables meet requirements and the project is officially closed.

Answer

Archive all project documents and lessons learned.

Answer

Conduct a final team meeting to celebrate the project's success.

Answer

Update the project management plan to reflect final status.

Question 6

You are managing a project where a key team member has been consistently missing deadlines. This has caused delays in dependent tasks. The team member has good technical skills but seems overloaded. What is the best course of action for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Have a one-on-one meeting with the team member to discuss the challenges and offer support.. The PM should first understand the root cause of the missed deadlines. Option B is correct because it addresses the issue through communication and support.

Answer

Formally document the missed deadlines and issue a warning to the team member.

Answer

Reassign the team member's tasks to others to avoid further delays.

Answer

Replace the team member with a more productive resource.

Question 7

During a project, a new regulation is introduced that will affect the project's deliverables. The regulation is mandatory and will require changes to the scope. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the regulation on scope, schedule, and cost, and then initiate a change request.. When a mandatory regulation impacts project deliverables, the project manager must first analyze the impact on scope, schedule, and cost to understand the full implications. This analysis provides the data needed to initiate a formal change request through the integrated change control process, ensuring the change is evaluated, approved, and documented before implementation. Option C correctly follows the PMBOK Guide's sequence of assess, then request change, rather than jumping to implementation or notification without analysis.

Answer

Update the risk register with the regulation as a new risk.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed due to the new regulation.

Answer

Immediately implement the changes to comply with the regulation.

Question 8

You are a project manager for a software development project using Scrum. The product owner has been pressuring the team to increase velocity and deliver more features per sprint. The team feels overwhelmed and quality has started to suffer. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to address this situation?

Accepted Answer

Involve the team in sprint planning to ensure they commit to a realistic amount of work.. The correct actions are A and E. Option A involves the team in sprint planning to ensure realistic commitments, which aligns with Scrum's self-organizing teams. Option E facilitates a meeting between the product owner and the team to discuss sustainable pace, preventing burnout and quality issues. Options B, C, and D are counterproductive: overtime leads to burnout, reducing testing harms quality, and adding team members mid-sprint causes delays and learning curves.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to meet the product owner's expectations.

Answer

Encourage the team to reduce testing to save time.

Answer

Add more team members to the project to increase capacity.

Question 9

A project is in the execution phase and the project manager notices that the project's cost performance index (CPI) is 0.85 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.90. The project sponsor is concerned and wants to get back on track. Which THREE actions should the project manager consider to improve performance?

Accepted Answer

Apply resource leveling to optimize the use of resources and reduce overallocation.. To improve cost and schedule performance, the PM can implement fast tracking, analyze root causes, and use resource leveling to optimize resource usage. These are proactive and align with PMI best practices.

Answer

Immediately reduce the project scope to cut costs.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime at no additional cost.

Question 10

During a daily standup, a team member mentions that a task is taking longer than expected and will likely miss the deadline. The task is on the critical path. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the team member to understand the issue and explore options. The first step is to understand the situation by discussing with the team member to gather details about the delay and explore options. This aligns with PMI's approach of assessing the situation before taking corrective action. Only after understanding the issue can the project manager consider options such as fast-tracking or crashing.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to the sponsor

Answer

Assign additional team members to the task without further analysis

Answer

Reduce the quality of the task to save time

Question 11

You are the project manager for a large construction project. Midway through, a key supplier informs you that a critical component will be delayed by 6 weeks due to raw material shortages. The component is on the critical path and has zero float. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a schedule impact analysis and evaluate options such as fast-tracking or crashing. The correct first step when faced with a delay on the critical path is to assess the impact and explore options before taking action or communicating. Option D is correct because conducting a schedule impact analysis allows you to evaluate techniques like fast-tracking or crashing to mitigate the delay. Option A is premature without understanding the full impact or alternatives. Option B (working overtime) is a form of crashing, but it should only be considered after analysis to determine if it's feasible. Option C is incorrect because stakeholders should be informed after analysis and with a proposed recovery plan.

Answer

Terminate the contract with the supplier and find a new one

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to compress the schedule

Answer

Notify the sponsor and stakeholders that the project will be delayed by 6 weeks

Question 12

A project using a predictive approach is 40% complete. The earned value (EV) is $200,000, the planned value (PV) is $250,000, and the actual cost (AC) is $230,000. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the variances to determine root causes and implement corrective actions. The project is behind schedule (SPI < 1) and over budget (CPI < 1). Option B is correct: analyze root causes and take corrective action. Option A is wrong because EAC may change; Option C is wrong because you communicate after analysis; Option D is a possible technique but not the next step.

Answer

Report the variances to stakeholders immediately and ask for more budget

Answer

Calculate the estimate at completion (EAC) and rebaseline the project

Answer

Apply schedule compression techniques such as crashing

Question 13

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standups are taking too long and are not productive. Several team members suggest canceling them to save time. As the scrum master, what is the best course of action?

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

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to use historical velocity data to set sprint goals. Using historical velocity data allows the team to make realistic commitments based on past performance, addressing the root cause of overcommitment. Option A is wrong because the project manager should not set sprint goals; the team self-organizes. Option B is wrong because increasing hours leads to burnout and does not solve overcommitment. Option C is wrong because reducing sprint length without analyzing data does not address the planning issue.

Answer

Assign the project manager to set sprint goals for the team

Answer

Increase the number of working hours per day for the team

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to force the team to be more focused

Question 14

A project manager is informed that a new government regulation will affect the project deliverables. The regulation is mandatory and must be implemented before the project can close. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request. When a new mandatory regulation impacts project deliverables, the project manager must first assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost, and then submit a change request to address the regulation. Option A is incorrect because the PM should not escalate without first analyzing the impact. Option B is incorrect because lessons learned are captured after the change is implemented, not as a first step. Option D is incorrect because ignoring a mandatory regulation is non-compliant and could lead to legal issues.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Update the lessons learned document to capture this experience

Answer

Continue with the current plan as the regulation may not be enforced

Question 15

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint, the development team discovers a critical security vulnerability that was not identified during risk planning. The fix will require significant rework and will cause the sprint goal to be missed. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis and submit a change request to address the vulnerability. The project manager should first assess the impact of the security vulnerability on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request to formally address the issue. Option B is incorrect because bypassing change control violates project governance, especially in a hybrid approach where change management processes are defined. Option C is incorrect because requiring overtime to achieve the sprint goal ignores the rework impact and could lead to burnout and quality issues. Option D is incorrect because delaying the fix leaves the vulnerability unaddressed, which is unacceptable for a critical security issue.

Answer

Instruct the team to fix the vulnerability immediately without formal change control

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to fix the vulnerability while still achieving the sprint goal

Answer

Allow the team to continue with the sprint and address the vulnerability in a future sprint