PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 25 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests that the project manager bypass the formal change control process to expedite a change. The stakeholder argues that the change is minor and will not affect the budget or schedule. What should the project manager do?

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

Accepted Answer

Explain that all changes must follow the change control process and proceed accordingly. Per PMI standards, all changes, regardless of perceived impact, must go through the formal change control process to ensure proper evaluation, approval, and documentation. Bypassing the process, even for minor changes, undermines project governance and can lead to scope creep, undocumented changes, and stakeholder misalignment. Option A is incorrect because agreeing to bypass the process violates change control procedures. Option B is incorrect because escalation to the sponsor is not an appropriate alternative; the issue is about following the process, not about authority. Option C is incorrect because implementing first and documenting later still bypasses the process and may cause undocumented changes.

Answer

Agree to bypass the process since the change is minor

Answer

Escalate the request to the project sponsor for approval

Answer

Implement the change and document it later

Question 2

In a Scrum project, the team's velocity has been declining over the last three sprints. The project manager (also the Scrum Master) notices that team morale seems low. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify the root causes of the decline. Facilitate a retrospective to identify the root causes of the decline. As the Scrum Master, the project manager should use the retrospective to allow the team to openly discuss issues affecting velocity and morale. This aligns with the Agile principle of continuous improvement and self-organization. Option A is wrong because replacing team members should be a last resort and does not address the underlying issues. Option C is wrong because adding more tasks would likely worsen morale and further reduce velocity. Option D is wrong because monitoring by a senior developer undermines the team's self-organization and autonomy.

Answer

Replace the underperforming team members

Answer

Add more tasks to the backlog to increase the team's focus

Answer

Assign a senior developer to monitor the team's work

Question 3

You are managing a project where a risk identified in the risk register has occurred. The risk response plan calls for mitigation, but the mitigation action will delay the critical path by 2 weeks. The project has no schedule reserve. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response as planned and then submit a change request for the schedule delay. The risk response should be implemented as planned to address the risk; then the PM should assess the impact and submit a change request for the schedule delay (since no reserve). Option A is wrong because ignoring the risk response could have negative consequences; the response must be implemented. Option B is wrong because schedule compression techniques may be considered after the impact is known and after implementing the response, not before. Option D is wrong because the PM should first implement the response and assess impact before escalating; escalation is premature at this point.

Answer

Avoid implementing the risk response to protect the schedule

Answer

Use schedule compression techniques to offset the delay before implementing the response

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 4

The project team is in the process of identifying risks. Which tool or technique should the project manager use to identify risks?

Accepted Answer

Brainstorming. Brainstorming is a common technique for risk identification. Options A, B, and D are used in other processes.

Answer

Quality audits

Answer

Earned value management

Answer

Critical path method

Question 5

A project manager is developing the schedule for a new product development project. Which TWO techniques can be used to compress the schedule?

Accepted Answer

Fast tracking. Fast tracking and crashing are schedule compression techniques. Resource leveling adjusts resources but does not compress the schedule. Monte Carlo analysis is a simulation technique. Critical chain method adds buffers.

Answer

Monte Carlo analysis

Answer

Critical chain method

Answer

Resource leveling

Question 6

During a project audit, it is discovered that the quality management plan has not been followed, leading to defects. The project manager needs to address this issue. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Review and update the quality management plan as necessary. The correct actions are B, C, and D. The project manager should first review and update the quality management plan to ensure it addresses current issues (B). Then, implement corrective actions to fix identified defects (C). Finally, conduct quality audits to verify compliance and prevent recurrence (D). Option A (retrain entire team) may be necessary after the plan update but is not one of the three best immediate actions. Option E (blame team) is unprofessional and ineffective.

Answer

Retrain the entire team on quality processes

Answer

Blame the team for not following the plan

Question 7

A project is falling behind schedule, and the project manager wants to get it back on track. Which TWO schedule compression techniques are most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Crashing. Fast tracking and crashing are the standard schedule compression techniques. Resource smoothing does not compress the schedule; critical chain adds buffers; Monte Carlo is simulation.

Answer

Resource smoothing

Answer

Critical chain method

Answer

Monte Carlo simulation

Question 8

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a change that would add a new feature to the current release. The team estimates it will take two additional sprints. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request through the Integrated Change Control process to assess the impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality. Any change that impacts scope, schedule, or cost must first go through Integrated Change Control (ICC) to assess its impact before approval. This aligns with PMI's change management best practices. Option A bypasses formal control, Option C is too rigid for a hybrid approach, and Option D delays analysis but does not initiate proper governance.

Answer

Ask the team to start working on the new feature immediately to meet the stakeholder's needs

Answer

Explain that no changes can be made after the sprint review to maintain the schedule

Answer

Add the feature to the backlog and prioritize it for the next release without further analysis

Question 9

Your construction project is halfway through the schedule. Earned value analysis shows EV = $500,000, PV = $600,000, AC = $550,000. The original budget (BAC) is $1,200,000. What is the most appropriate action considering the project's performance?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the root causes of the schedule and cost variances before taking corrective action. Earned value analysis shows SPI = EV/PV = 500,000/600,000 = 0.83, indicating the project is behind schedule. CPI = EV/AC = 500,000/550,000 = 0.91, indicating the project is over budget. Per PMI best practices and the PMBOK Guide, the first step when variances are identified is to analyze the root causes before taking corrective action. Option A reflects this approach. Option B is incorrect because the project is over budget, not under budget. Option C is premature; crashing may be considered after analysis. Option D is incorrect because it assumes a delay without analysis and requests additional budget without justification.

Answer

Celebrate that the project is under budget and slightly behind schedule

Answer

Crash the critical path by adding resources to bring the schedule back on track

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed and request additional budget

Question 10

During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked because two senior engineers are in a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The disagreement has been ongoing for two days and is affecting the team's velocity. As the Scrum Master, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, and involve other team members if needed. The Scrum Master's role is to facilitate conflict resolution and remove impediments. By facilitating a meeting between the two engineers, the Scrum Master helps them reach a consensus without imposing a solution, which aligns with servant leadership. Option B is wrong because the Scrum Master should not impose technical decisions; that undermines team autonomy. Option C is wrong because advising the developer to wait does not address the root cause and further delays the team. Option D is wrong because escalating to the sponsor bypasses the team's ability to self-organize and is not appropriate for technical disagreements.

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly to unblock the team

Answer

Advise the developer to wait until the disagreement is resolved before proceeding

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to resolve the technical disagreement

Question 11

Your project is using a predictive approach. A key vendor has informed you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time, which could delay the project by three weeks. You have identified this risk in the risk register. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response plan that was documented in the risk register. The risk was already identified and documented in the risk register with a response plan. Since the risk has materialized, the project manager should implement the pre‑planned risk response. Option A is incorrect because escalating to the sponsor without first executing the planned response bypasses proper risk management. Option B is incorrect; simply updating the register and monitoring is insufficient when the risk is occurring. Option C is incorrect because it bypasses the established risk management process by having the team find an ad‑hoc workaround without consulting the documented response.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor immediately without taking any action

Answer

Update the risk register and continue monitoring, as the risk was expected

Answer

Ask the team to find a workaround without consulting the risk register

Question 12

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standups have become too long (45 minutes instead of 15). Several team members feel the standups are unproductive. As the Scrum Master, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to keep standups within the 15-minute timebox and focus on the three key questions. The Scrum Master’s primary responsibility is to coach the team on Scrum practices, including enforcing the 15-minute timebox for daily standups and ensuring they focus on the three key questions (what was done, what will be done, and impediments). This directly addresses the root cause—lack of discipline and focus—rather than bypassing the event or escalating unnecessarily. By coaching, the team learns to self-organize and improve their process, which is a core agile principle.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

Answer

Mandate that standups be held only twice a week

Answer

Cancel daily standups entirely to save time

Question 13

Your project is 60% complete. The CPI is 1.05 and SPI is 0.92. You have received a change request from the customer that would add scope but also increase the budget. The change request is currently under review. What should you do while the change request is being evaluated?

Accepted Answer

Continue with the current project work as planned until the change is approved. The project should continue with the current work as planned until the change request is formally approved and integrated into the project plan. Implementing changes before approval violates change control processes and PMI best practices. Options B, C, and D are incorrect: B is premature and biased, C violates the change control process, and D updates the plan without approval.

Answer

Inform the customer that the change request will likely be rejected due to cost

Answer

Instruct the team to begin work on the change to avoid schedule delays

Answer

Update the project management plan to include the change and inform stakeholders

Question 14

In an agile project, the team's velocity has been declining over the last three sprints. The team is delivering fewer story points each sprint. The product owner is concerned about the release date. What should the Scrum Master do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective focused on identifying root causes of the declining velocity. The Scrum Master's first responsibility is to facilitate the team's inspection and adaptation process. Declining velocity is a symptom of underlying issues (e.g., technical debt, poor estimation, or process inefficiencies). A retrospective focused on root causes allows the team to identify and address these issues empirically, which is the core agile principle for continuous improvement. Only after understanding the cause can the team and Product Owner make informed decisions about scope or schedule.

Answer

Ask the product owner to descope some features to meet the release date

Answer

Add more story points to the next sprint to compensate for the loss

Answer

Extend the sprint duration to give the team more time

Question 15

You are managing a project with a fixed-price contract. Midway, a new regulation requires additional compliance testing that was not in the original scope. The cost of this testing is significant. The project has no contingency reserve left. What is the best course of action?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the customer to secure additional funding for the required testing. The new regulation introduces a change in the project scope that was not anticipated in the fixed-price contract. The correct action is to follow the formal change control process by submitting a change request to the customer, which may lead to a contract modification and additional funding. Option D is correct because it initiates the proper process. Option A (absorbing the cost) is not advisable as it impacts profitability without customer agreement. Option B (stopping work) is confrontational and not aligned with good stakeholder management. Option C (reducing costs elsewhere) may compromise other scope items and is premature before seeking customer approval.

Answer

Proceed with the testing and absorb the cost to ensure compliance, as it is mandatory

Answer

Stop work until the customer agrees to pay for the additional testing

Answer

Ask the team to find ways to reduce costs elsewhere to fund the testing