PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are the project manager for a software development project. During a risk review meeting, the team identifies several new risks. Which THREE actions should you take to update the risk register? (Choose three.)

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

Accepted Answer

Identify root causes of each risk.. The risk register should include identified risks, root causes, potential responses, and risk owners. Probability and impact assessment is part of qualitative analysis. Prioritization occurs after assessment. Options A, B, and C are standard entries. Option D is incorrect as it's part of quantitative analysis, which is performed after qualitative analysis if needed. Option E is incorrect because developing detailed response plans occurs after risk analysis, not during initial identification.

Answer

Perform a quantitative analysis using Monte Carlo simulation.

Answer

Develop detailed response plans for high-priority risks.

Question 2

You are managing a complex IT project with multiple vendors. A key vendor is failing to meet contractual milestones, which is impacting the critical path. Which THREE actions should you take to address this situation? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Escalate the issue to the vendor's management and your project sponsor.. Escalating to the vendor's management and your sponsor is appropriate when contractual milestones are missed and the critical path is impacted. Option B is incorrect because immediately terminating the contract can cause further delays and should be a last resort. Option C is correct: collaborating on a recovery plan and offering support can help resolve performance issues. Option D is incorrect because passively accepting the delay without action is not proactive project management. Option E is correct: reviewing the contract, citing non-compliance, and invoking penalty clauses enforces the agreement and may incentivize improvement.

Answer

Immediately terminate the contract and find a new vendor.

Answer

Accept the delay and adjust the project schedule accordingly.

Question 3

During a project closure phase, which TWO documents should be updated and archived?

Accepted Answer

Final project report. The Final Project Report is a key output of the Close Project or Phase process, summarizing project performance and outcomes. The Lessons Learned Register is also finalized during closure, capturing all lessons learned throughout the project, and is a critical input to organizational process assets. While other project documents like the Issue Log, Risk Register, and Project Schedule (final baseline) are indeed updated to their final state and archived as part of the project records, the Final Project Report and Lessons Learned Register are considered primary and distinct deliverables/updates specifically associated with the formal closure activities.

Answer

Issue log

Answer

Risk register

Answer

Project schedule (final baseline)

Question 4

During a daily standup, a team member mentions she is blocked because another department has not provided necessary data. As the project manager, what is the FIRST thing you should do?

Accepted Answer

Escalate the issue to the other department's manager immediately. In a project management context, when a team member is blocked by an external dependency, the project manager's first action should be to escalate the issue to the appropriate person who can resolve it—in this case, the other department's manager. Immediate escalation demonstrates proactive leadership and helps remove impediments quickly, which is a key responsibility of the project manager, especially in agile or iterative environments. The other options either delay resolution or place the burden on the team member.

Answer

Tell the team member to resolve it herself

Answer

Ask the team member to work on another task while waiting

Answer

Update the issue log and move on

Question 5

During project closure, the project manager is finalizing the lessons learned document. A key stakeholder requests that some of the lessons learned be omitted because they reflect poorly on their department. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Remove the stakeholder's name from the lessons learned and anonymize the information. Lessons learned should be accurate and transparent to benefit future projects. The PM should explain the importance of honest lessons learned and include the information, while rephrasing it constructively and anonymizing specific individuals or departments to focus on the process rather than blame.

Answer

Agree to omit the lessons learned to maintain a good relationship with the stakeholder

Answer

Ask the sponsor for guidance on whether to omit them

Answer

Include the lessons learned as is, since they are factual

Question 6

You are managing a complex project with multiple stakeholders. During execution, an executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly gives instructions to the development team, causing confusion and rework. Which THREE actions should you take to address this situation?

Accepted Answer

Communicate with the team that all instructions should go through the project manager to avoid confusion. The project manager should first address the situation by speaking privately with the executive stakeholder (B) to explain the impact of their actions. Simultaneously, the PM should communicate with the development team (A) to reinforce the established communication channels and ensure all instructions go through the PM. It is also crucial to document the incident in the issue log (C) immediately to track its resolution and for future lessons learned. Escalating to the project sponsor (D) is typically reserved for situations where direct resolution attempts fail or the issue is severe, and updating the stakeholder engagement plan (E) might be a subsequent action if communication preferences need formal adjustment, but the immediate problem is adherence to protocol, not a lack of documented preference.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Update the stakeholder engagement plan to include this stakeholder's communication preferences

Question 7

A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays in the sprint. The project manager has had informal conversations, but the issue persists. What is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a formal meeting to discuss the issue, set clear expectations, and document the conversation.. The PM should follow the performance management process, starting with a documented conversation. Option B is correct. Option A is a workaround that avoids addressing the root cause of the performance issue; Option C is premature escalation, as the PM should first attempt to resolve the issue directly and formally; Option D is too drastic and a last resort.

Answer

Reassign the work to other team members to avoid delays.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager for disciplinary action.

Answer

Remove the team member from the project and request a replacement.

Question 8

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that unclear requirements led to rework. The project manager wants to prevent this in future sprints. Which TWO actions are MOST appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a requirements review session with the team and product owner.. Involves a requirements review session with the team and product owner, promoting shared understanding and early clarification. Option D ensures each user story has predefined acceptance criteria before sprint planning, reducing ambiguity and rework. Both actions address the root cause of unclear requirements proactively.

Answer

Ask the product owner to write detailed requirements documents.

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to allow more time for clarification.

Answer

Add a buffer to each sprint for rework.

Question 9

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that he is working on a task that was not discussed during sprint planning. When asked, he says he thought it was important and started working on it. As the scrum master, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Remind the developer that work should be agreed upon by the team and focused on the sprint goal. Option D is wrong because the Scrum Master should not unilaterally add tasks to the Sprint Backlog or adjust the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog is owned by the Developers, and the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers. While the Product Owner collaborates on scope negotiations and is accountable for product value, the Sprint Goal itself is not the Product Owner's sole responsibility, and changes should not be made without team collaboration and agreement. The immediate action is to address the deviation from the agreed plan, not to legitimize it by changing the plan.

Answer

Ask the product owner to decide whether the task is valuable

Answer

Let the developer continue since he believes it is important

Answer

Add the task to the sprint backlog and adjust the sprint goal

Question 10

Your project is a software development project using a hybrid approach. The team has completed the design phase, and you have received a change request from a key stakeholder to add a new feature. The team estimates this will add 3 months to the schedule and $50,000 to the budget. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on the project constraints and submit a change request to the CCB. The PM should evaluate the impact on project constraints and submit a change request to the CCB for approval. Option A is wrong because refusing the change without evaluating it bypasses the change control process. Option C is wrong because approving the change without CCB authorization exceeds the PM's authority unless explicitly delegated. Option D is wrong because implementing the change immediately bypasses the change control process and can lead to scope creep.

Answer

Refuse the change because it will impact the schedule and budget

Answer

Approve the change yourself since it is within your authority

Answer

Implement the change immediately to satisfy the stakeholder

Question 11

You are the project manager for a construction project. During excavation, the team discovers an undocumented underground utility line that was not shown on any plans. This could delay the project and increase costs. Which TWO actions should you take FIRST? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register with this new risk. Options A and D are correct. A: The risk register should be updated with this new risk. D: The project management plan may need to be updated to reflect changes in approach, after evaluating impact. Option B is not first; stop work pending assessment. Option C is an action that might be taken, but it's premature to notify an external party before assessing the full impact (D) and documenting the issue (A). Option E is premature; the impact should be assessed first, and root cause analysis is typically done after the immediate issue has been addressed.

Answer

Stop all work until the utility line is removed

Answer

Immediately notify the local utility company to remove the line

Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis to determine why it was missed

Question 12

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 in addressing customer dissatisfaction, especially when the deliverable met approved requirements, is to clarify the customer's current expectations. This helps identify if there was a misunderstanding, a change in needs, or a flaw in the original requirements. Documenting the issue formally in an issue log ensures it is tracked, analyzed, and managed appropriately. Option A is wrong because escalating to the sponsor is premature before understanding the root cause and attempting to resolve it at a lower level. Option B is wrong because ignoring the customer's dissatisfaction is not a proactive or effective stakeholder management approach. Option D is wrong because revising requirements immediately without fully understanding the customer's clarified expectations and going through a proper change management process is premature and could lead to further issues; the first step is to understand, not to implement a solution.

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 13

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. PMI requires following the change control process regardless of perceived risk; any change should be formally assessed and approved. Option A is wrong because bypassing the process sets a bad precedent and ignores project governance. Option C is wrong because implementing the change without prior approval violates the change control process and is not a best practice; documenting after the fact does not mitigate the risk of unauthorized changes. Option D is wrong because escalating without further discussion may be premature; the project manager should first explain the importance of the process and propose a change request.

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 14

During a project, the team identifies a risk that could cause a significant delay. The risk is not in the risk register. Which THREE actions should the project manager take to respond appropriately?

Accepted Answer

Assess the probability and impact of the risk.. When a new risk is identified, the project manager must first assess its probability and impact (Option A) to understand the potential effect on project objectives. This assessment provides the data needed to prioritize the risk and determine an appropriate response. Once assessed, the risk must be formally documented by adding it to the risk register (Option D) for ongoing monitoring and management. Finally, based on the assessment and its prioritization, a suitable risk response plan should be developed (Option B) to address the risk proactively. Without these steps, any subsequent actions would be uninformed, undocumented, and could misallocate resources or fail to mitigate the risk effectively.

Answer

Ignore the risk because it was not identified during planning.

Answer

Immediately implement a risk response without assessment.

Question 15

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer is delighted with the product but requests several enhancements that were not in the original backlog. The team estimates these would add two sprints to the schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Document the request and submit a change request through the change control process. The correct first step is to document the customer's request and submit a formal change request through the established change control process (Option A). This ensures the impact on scope, schedule, and budget is properly assessed and approved before any work begins. Option B bypasses change control and could lead to scope creep. Option C is reactive and unsanctioned. Option D incorrectly closes the door on the request without allowing the customer to formally submit it, which could damage stakeholder relationships and ignore a valuable opportunity.

Answer

Add the enhancements to the product backlog and prioritize them for the next sprint

Answer

Instruct the team to begin work on the enhancements immediately to maintain customer satisfaction

Answer

Thank the customer for the feedback and explain that the project scope is frozen