PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 29 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a third-party API integration is more complex than anticipated and will take an extra two days. The sprint ends in four days. The product owner is not in the meeting. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

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

Accepted Answer

Help the team assess the impact and discuss options to adjust the sprint backlog, then inform the product owner.. The scrum master should facilitate the team in adjusting the sprint backlog and then communicate the impact to the product owner for reprioritization.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project manager immediately.

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Remove the task from the sprint and add it to the backlog.

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Tell the developer to work overtime to complete the task on time.

Question 2

Your project's earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. The project is behind schedule and over budget. Several stakeholders are concerned about the viability of the project. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a variance analysis, identify root causes, and present a recovery plan to stakeholders.. With CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90, the project is over budget and behind schedule. The best course is to conduct a variance analysis to identify root causes and then present a recovery plan to stakeholders. This approach is proactive, data-driven, and aligns with PMBOK's emphasis on integrated change control and stakeholder engagement.

Answer

Request additional budget from the sponsor to cover the overrun.

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Reduce scope by removing lower-priority features to cut costs.

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Re-baseline the project schedule and cost to reflect current performance.

Question 3

You are managing a project to develop a new mobile application using an agile approach. During the third sprint, two senior developers have a disagreement about the technical architecture to use for a feature. The disagreement is slowing down progress. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Organize a meeting with the developers to discuss pros and cons of each architecture.. The best approach is to facilitate a discussion to resolve the technical disagreement and, if needed, escalate to the architecture board. Avoiding the issue or forcing a decision without consensus is not recommended.

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Let the developers resolve the issue on their own without intervention.

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Make the decision yourself to save time and move forward.

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Remove one developer from the team to eliminate the conflict.

Question 4

Your project is in the planning phase, and you are developing the risk management plan. Which THREE tools or techniques should you use to identify risks?

Accepted Answer

SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).. SWOT analysis (B) is a recognized risk identification technique that examines internal Strengths and Weaknesses and external Opportunities and Threats to surface potential project risks. Brainstorming sessions (C) gather stakeholders and team members to generate a broad list of possible risks through open, creative discussion. The Delphi technique (D) is an anonymous expert-consensus method used during risk identification to reduce bias and converge on risks that experts agree are significant. Option A is incorrect here because the risk register is an output (documentation) of the Identify Risks process, not a tool or technique. Option E is incorrect because the probability and impact matrix is a tool used in Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis to prioritize already-identified risks, not to identify them.

Answer

Creating a risk register to document identified risks.

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Probability and impact matrix for ranking risks.

Question 5

Your project is using a hybrid approach with both predictive and agile elements. Mid-project, a key stakeholder requests a significant scope change that would affect the critical path. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on the critical path, schedule, cost, and quality.. PMI requires following the change control process: formally submit a change request, evaluate the impact on the critical path and project constraints, and communicate the impact to stakeholders before approval.

Answer

Add the change to the product backlog to be addressed in a future iteration.

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Implement the change immediately since the stakeholder is key to project success.

Question 6

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standup meetings are taking too long and not focusing on impediments. Which TWO actions would help improve the effectiveness of the daily standup?

Accepted Answer

Time-box the standup to 15 minutes and use a talking stick.. Effective daily standups are time-boxed (e.g., 15 minutes) and focus on progress, plans, and impediments. Using a visual board helps keep the discussion focused.

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Hold the standup without the scrum master to save time.

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Extend the standup to 30 minutes to allow more detailed discussion.

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Replace the standup with a written status report.

Question 7

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. Earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.87 and SPI = 1.02. The project is ahead of schedule but over budget. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Inform the sponsor and stakeholders about the cost performance and planned actions.. Option E is correct because with CPI = 0.87 the project is spending more than planned, and a variance analysis (comparing actual costs against earned value, e.g., CV = EV − AC) is the standard first step to identify the root cause of the overrun before choosing corrective actions. Option D is correct because cost control measures such as reducing scope, negotiating cheaper resources, or improving efficiency directly address the negative cost variance and aim to bring CPI back toward 1.0. Option A is correct because transparency with the sponsor and stakeholders about the cost performance and the planned corrective actions is a required communication and stakeholder-engagement activity when a project is 15% over budget at midpoint. Option B is not appropriate because cutting quality testing risks quality defects and rework, which typically increases total cost rather than reducing it. Option C is not appropriate as an immediate action because requesting additional budget should follow analysis and corrective measures, and SPI = 1.02 shows the schedule is not the problem driving the overrun.

Answer

Reduce quality testing to cut costs.

Answer

Request additional budget immediately to cover the overrun.

Question 8

During project execution, you receive a change request from a key stakeholder to add a new deliverable. The change would require additional resources and extend the schedule by two months. The project is currently on track. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request and its disposition in the change log.. Proper change control requires evaluating the impact on the project management plan, updating the plan if approved, and ensuring all changes are documented. Communicating to stakeholders is also part of the process.

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Ask the team to start working on the new deliverable while the change request is being reviewed.

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Add the deliverable to the project scope without formal approval to satisfy the stakeholder.

Question 9

You are closing a project phase. Which THREE activities should be performed during the project closure process?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a lessons learned session with the team.. Project closure includes obtaining formal acceptance, archiving documents, and conducting lessons learned. Updating the risk register is done throughout the project, and team performance appraisals may be done separately.

Answer

Evaluate team member performance and provide feedback.

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Update the risk register with residual risks.

Question 10

Your agile team's velocity has dropped over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, the team cites increasing technical debt and lack of automated testing. Which TWO actions should you take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Allocate time each sprint to address technical debt and improve code quality.. To improve velocity, the team should allocate time to reduce technical debt (e.g., refactoring) and implement automated testing to improve efficiency.

Answer

Reduce the definition of done to skip testing.

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Ask the team to work overtime to complete more story points.

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Add more developers to the team to increase capacity.

Question 11

A new regulatory requirement has been introduced that affects your project's deliverables. The requirement must be implemented within two months. Your project is currently in the execution phase. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Update the project management plan and baselines after approval.. Since the requirement is mandatory, you must assess its impact, submit a change request to incorporate it, and update the project management plan accordingly. Ignoring or delaying is not acceptable.

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Ask the team to implement the change without documentation to save time.

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Ignore the requirement until the next project phase.

Question 12

Your project has multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests. The project sponsor wants to prioritize speed, while the quality assurance manager insists on thorough testing. The product owner wants to add more features. Which THREE techniques can help manage these conflicting stakeholder expectations?

Accepted Answer

Develop a communications management plan to ensure consistent messaging.. Effective stakeholder management includes communication planning, negotiation, and using a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix to understand and address expectations. The issue log documents conflicts but doesn't resolve them directly.

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Create an issue log to document all stakeholder concerns.

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Escalate all conflicts to the project sponsor for decision.

Question 13

Your construction project is halfway through the schedule. The earned value analysis shows: EV = $500,000, PV = $600,000, AC = $550,000. The sponsor is concerned about the schedule delay. You need to present recovery options. Which THREE actions should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Fast-track remaining tasks by performing some activities in parallel. Options B, C, and E are correct. Fast-tracking (B) involves performing activities in parallel to shorten the schedule. Evaluating cost impact (C) is essential before applying schedule compression techniques like crashing or fast-tracking, as they often increase costs. Crashing (E) adds resources to critical path tasks to compress the schedule. Option A is incorrect because reducing scope requires formal change control and stakeholder approval, not a direct recovery action. Option D is incorrect because revising the cost performance baseline does not address schedule delay; it only updates budget expectations.

Answer

Reduce the project scope to meet the original schedule

Answer

Revise the cost performance baseline to reflect current efficiency

Question 14

During an agile project, the team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. The retrospective revealed that team members are spending too much time on unplanned support tasks. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a focused retrospective to identify specific root causes. Option A is correct because a focused retrospective is the agile mechanism for surfacing and analyzing the specific root causes behind the velocity drop, such as which unplanned support tasks are consuming capacity and why. Option B is correct because the product owner owns the backlog and stakeholder communication, so working with them to shield the team from unplanned work restores the team's ability to commit to sprint goals and stabilizes velocity. Option C is correct because reviewing the velocity trend and adjusting the sprint backlog reflects empirical, data-driven planning that accounts for the reduced capacity rather than ignoring it. Option D is not appropriate because shortening sprints does not reduce unplanned support demand and can add overhead without addressing the root cause. Option E is incorrect because mandating overtime is unsustainable, harms quality and morale, and does not fix the underlying problem of unplanned work.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to increase focus and delivery

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Require the team to work overtime to regain lost velocity

Question 15

In a hybrid project, the team uses Scrum but the organization requires detailed phase-gate reviews. During the gate review, the steering committee asks for a Gantt chart showing all tasks until project completion. The Scrum team only maintains a product backlog and sprint backlogs. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Create a high-level milestone schedule for the remaining phases. Option C is correct because a high-level milestone schedule satisfies the phase-gate governance need without forcing the team to abandon Scrum; it maps the remaining phases and gates to approximate timeframes while preserving iterative delivery. Option D is correct because a release plan with expected feature delivery dates by sprint gives the steering committee a forward-looking view of when features will likely be delivered, using the product backlog and velocity rather than a detailed task-level Gantt chart. Option E is correct because educating the steering committee on agile principles and the value of iterative delivery addresses the root mismatch between traditional governance expectations and Scrum practice, helping stakeholders understand why detailed task-level Gantt charts are not maintained. Option A is not appropriate because converting to pure waterfall would discard Scrum and is not required to satisfy governance. Option B is not appropriate because asking the team to create a detailed Gantt chart for all future sprints undermines agile planning, ignores uncertainty, and duplicates the product and sprint backlogs.

Answer

Convert the project to a pure waterfall approach to meet governance requirements

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Ask the team to create a detailed Gantt chart for all future sprints