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

Question 1

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.

Answer

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

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity.

Question 2

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.

Answer

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

Answer

Ignore the requirement until the next project phase.

Question 3

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.

Answer

Create an issue log to document all stakeholder concerns.

Answer

Escalate all conflicts to the project sponsor for decision.

Question 4

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a new feature that was not in the backlog. The team estimates it will require 5 additional days. The project is currently on schedule and within budget. Which TWO actions should you take NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request and evaluate the impact on the project constraints. Option B is correct because the change must be formally assessed and approved. Option C is correct because the product owner should prioritize the change against other backlog items. Option A is wrong because adding work without approval violates change control. Option D is wrong because capacity may be available. Option E is wrong because the change may still be valuable.

Answer

Add the feature to the current sprint backlog immediately to not delay the release

Answer

Tell the team to implement the feature during any free time

Answer

Reject the request because it is outside the original scope

Question 5

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. Option A is correct because crashing involves adding resources to critical path tasks to compress schedule. Option B is correct because fast-tracking can reduce schedule duration. Option D is correct because schedule compression techniques affect both schedule and cost. Option C is wrong because reducing scope requires change control. Option E is wrong because risk-adjusted estimates are established during planning.

Answer

Reduce the project scope to meet the original schedule

Answer

Revise the cost performance baseline to reflect current efficiency

Question 6

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 addressing root causes in retrospectives is key. Option B is correct because the product owner should shield the team from interruptions. Option C is correct because analyzing velocity trends helps identify patterns. Option D is wrong because mandatory overtime leads to burnout. Option E is wrong because reducing scope without proper prioritization is not ideal.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to increase focus and delivery

Answer

Require the team to work overtime to regain lost velocity

Question 7

You are the PM for a highway construction project. A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver the steel beams on time due to a factory fire. This risk was identified in the risk register with a mitigation plan to have a backup supplier. However, the backup supplier's price is 20% higher. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Inform the sponsor about the cost increase and request a budget adjustment. Option A is correct because the contingency plan (backup supplier) should be executed. Option B is correct because the cost variance needs to be communicated and addressed. Option C is wrong because changing the plan without review is not appropriate. Option D is wrong because switching to a different material requires change control. Option E is wrong because the risk occurred; it is not a new risk.

Answer

Add the vendor's failure to the risk register as a new risk

Answer

Authorize the team to source alternative materials locally

Answer

Update the project management plan to use a different construction method

Question 8

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 A is correct because a high-level schedule can satisfy governance without detailed tasks. Option B is correct because educating on agile practices helps alignment. Option C is correct because the release plan provides a timeline view. Option D is wrong because switching to waterfall is not necessary. Option E is wrong because a detailed Gantt is not required for agile.

Answer

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

Answer

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

Question 9

You are managing a marketing campaign project. Midway, you discover that the team has been working on additional features requested by the sales director without formal approval. The project is now 10% over budget. Which TWO actions should you take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the sales director to explain the change control process and the consequences. Option A is correct because the unauthorized changes must be documented and assessed. Option B is correct because the sales director must be informed of the impact. Option C is wrong because the issue should be addressed with the director, not the sponsor immediately. Option D is wrong because accepting without correction may not be appropriate. Option E is wrong because reporting without resolution first is premature.

Answer

Accept the changes and update the project baseline accordingly

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Report the budget overrun to the finance department immediately

Question 10

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a critical integration task will take longer than expected because of a technical dependency on another team. The project is on a tight schedule. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Help the team remove the impediment by coordinating with the other team's manager. Option A is correct because removing impediments is the Scrum Master's role. Option B is correct because the product owner should reprioritize if needed. Option C is correct because updating the risk register ensures the issue is tracked. Option D is wrong because the issue is a dependency, not necessarily a schedule issue yet. Option E is wrong because the team should focus on the current sprint goal.

Answer

Add more tasks to the sprint to keep the team busy

Answer

Immediately inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed

Question 11

Your IT infrastructure project is being audited for compliance. The auditor finds that several change requests were approved verbally but not documented. The project is in the execution phase. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Update the change control process to require written approval before implementation. Option A is correct because documented change requests are required for compliance. Option B is correct because process improvement prevents recurrence. Option C is wrong because the changes were already approved. Option D is wrong because stopping the project is too drastic. Option E is wrong because the issue is documentation, not rework.

Answer

Reverse the undocumented changes and revert to the original baseline

Answer

Request the team to redo the work to ensure it meets requirements

Answer

Stop all project work until the audit is resolved

Question 12

You are managing a pharmaceutical research project using a predictive approach. A new regulation requires additional clinical trials that will extend the project by 6 months. The sponsor wants to know how this affects the business case. Which THREE documents should you review to provide an informed response?

Accepted Answer

Risk register. Option A is correct because the business case justifies the project and includes financial analysis. Option B is correct because the project management plan contains the schedule and cost baseline. Option D is correct because the risk register contains assumptions and constraints that may be affected. Option C is wrong because the WBS is a deliverable breakdown, not for impact analysis. Option E is wrong because the stakeholder register does not contain financial information.

Answer

Stakeholder register

Answer

Work breakdown structure dictionary

Question 13

Your agile team is consistently completing 30 story points per sprint. In the next sprint planning, the product owner wants to commit to 40 points. The team feels this is too ambitious. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Suggest decomposing larger stories into smaller ones to improve estimation accuracy. Option A is correct because data-driven discussions help set realistic goals. Option B is correct because the team knows their capacity best. Option C is correct because splitting stories into smaller pieces can improve estimation. Option D is wrong because forcing the team undermines self-organization. Option E is wrong because increasing sprint length is a process change that requires team agreement and may not solve the issue.

Answer

Instruct the team to accept the 40-point goal to satisfy the product owner

Answer

Increase the sprint length to 3 weeks to allow more time

Question 14

During project execution, a key stakeholder repeatedly bypasses the formal communication channels and directly contacts team members for status updates. This is causing confusion and rework. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concerns and reiterate the agreed process. Option A is correct because enforcing the communication management plan ensures consistent processes. Option C is correct because a face-to-face meeting can clarify expectations. Option B is wrong because restricting access is not collaborative. Option D is wrong because ignoring the issue will not resolve it. Option E is wrong because involving the sponsor should be a last resort.

Answer

Ignore the behavior as it is not causing major issues

Answer

Block the stakeholder's access to team members until they comply

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to enforce compliance

Question 15

You are managing a software upgrade project. The team has identified a critical defect that requires immediate fixing, but the fix will delay the next release by one week. The product owner wants to release on time with the defect. Which THREE factors should you consider when advising the product owner?

Accepted Answer

Whether the defect violates the agreed definition of done. Option A is correct because the impact on users is critical. Option B is correct because the risk of not fixing should be documented. Option C is correct because the definition of done should be upheld for quality. Option D is wrong because cost of delay is not about immediate cost. Option E is wrong because team morale is important but not the primary factor for this decision.

Answer

The cost of delaying the release versus the cost of fixing later

Answer

The team's ability to fix the defect without affecting other features