PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 4 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is closing a project. Which of the following should be done during project closure?

Accepted Answer

All of the above. Project closure requires all three activities: obtaining formal sign-off from the customer to confirm acceptance of deliverables, holding a lessons learned session to capture knowledge for future projects, and releasing project resources to reassign the team. The PMBOK Guide defines these as key outputs of the Close Project or Phase process, ensuring both administrative and contractual closure are completed.

Answer

Obtain formal sign-off from the customer

Answer

Hold a lessons learned session

Answer

Release project resources

Question 2

You are managing a hybrid project. The team has been using Scrum, but the customer requests fixed scope and price for the next phase. The project is currently on track. What is the best approach to handle this request?

Accepted Answer

Propose a hybrid approach with a fixed-price contract for the known scope and agile for potential changes. A hybrid approach can accommodate fixed scope with time-boxed sprints and a fixed price based on the scope, making Option B the best fit. Option A, while addressing the fixed scope/price, is an overcorrection that abandons the benefits of agile entirely, rather than finding a balanced hybrid solution. Option C is not a collaborative approach as it refuses the customer's reasonable request. Option D proposes a cost-plus contract, which shifts financial risk to the customer and contradicts their request for a fixed price.

Answer

Switch to a fully predictive approach for the next phase to ensure fixed scope and price

Answer

Refuse the request and continue with pure Scrum because the team is already on track

Answer

Negotiate a cost-plus contract to keep the agile approach

Question 3

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project. An executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly instructs a team member to add a feature to the project. The team member is now working on this unapproved change. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the stakeholder, explain the change control process, and ask them to submit a change request. Option A is incorrect because escalating to the sponsor and requesting removal is a disproportionate first response; the project manager should first attempt to resolve directly with the stakeholder. Option B is incorrect because submitting a change request without consulting the stakeholder bypasses necessary stakeholder engagement and may not capture the stakeholder's actual needs; a change request does not legitimize unsanctioned work—it initiates formal review and may be approved or rejected. Option C is incorrect because, while stopping unauthorized work is important, it addresses the symptom rather than the root cause (the stakeholder's bypass of process) and misses the opportunity to educate and align the stakeholder. The most effective first step is to speak with the stakeholder, explain the change control process, and ask them to submit a change request.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the sponsor and request that the stakeholder be removed from the project

Answer

Submit a change request to formalize the feature without consulting the stakeholder

Answer

Advise the team member to stop working on the feature and document the issue in the issue log

Question 4

You are managing a project that has a cost performance index (CPI) of 0.8 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 1.1. The project is behind schedule? The earned value data shows EV = $80,000, PV = $72,727, and AC = $100,000. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the cost variance to identify root causes, such as inefficiencies or inaccurate estimates. Options A, D, and E are correct. Since the CPI is 0.8 (cost overrun) and SPI is 1.1 (ahead of schedule), the focus should be on cost performance and scope validation. A: The cost variance (CV = EV - AC = -$20,000) is negative, so analyzing root causes of the cost overrun is necessary. D: With a cost overrun, it is important to ensure no gold-plating or unauthorized scope has been added, validating that all work performed is within the approved scope. E: Reviewing the WBS estimates helps identify if inaccuracies in estimating contributed to the cost overrun. Option B is incorrect because reducing scope unilaterally bypasses change control and could impact value. Option C is incorrect because schedule compression is not appropriate when the project is already ahead of schedule (SPI > 1).

Answer

Reduce the project scope to cut costs

Answer

Implement schedule compression techniques like crashing to bring the schedule back on track

Question 5

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. A focused retrospective can help identify root causes of the velocity drop. Option B is correct because the product owner should manage stakeholder expectations and limit unplanned work. Option C is correct because analyzing velocity trends helps the team adapt their backlog and planning. Option D is incorrect because reducing sprint length typically increases overhead and does not address the surge of unplanned tasks. Option E is incorrect because mandatory overtime leads to burnout and reduced quality, harming long-term productivity.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to increase focus and delivery

Answer

Require the team to work overtime to regain lost velocity

Question 6

During a project's execution phase, a key stakeholder requests a change that would add a new feature. The project manager estimates the impact: 2 additional weeks to schedule and $15,000 to budget. The project currently has 0 schedule reserve and $5,000 contingency reserve. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request and conduct a formal impact analysis. The PMBOK Guide mandates that all change requests must be formally documented and analyzed for impact before any approval or rejection. Even though the project has a contingency reserve, the change introduces a new feature, which is a scope change requiring a formal change control process. The project manager must first document the request and conduct a thorough impact analysis to assess alternatives, risks, and stakeholder implications before deciding on the change.

Answer

Approve the change using contingency reserve and inform the stakeholder

Answer

Implement the change immediately since the stakeholder is key

Answer

Reject the change because there is insufficient reserve

Question 7

A project manager is leading a software development project using agile methodology. The team has completed 3 sprints, but the product owner is dissatisfied because the delivered features do not meet the expected business value. The team claims they followed the prioritized backlog. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective with the product owner and team to review the definition of done and acceptance criteria. The core issue is a misalignment between what the team delivered and what the product owner expects, despite following the prioritized backlog. The project manager should facilitate a retrospective to review the definition of done and acceptance criteria, as this ensures both parties have a shared understanding of what constitutes a completed, valuable feature. This aligns with agile principles of continuous improvement and stakeholder collaboration, directly addressing the root cause of the dissatisfaction.

Answer

Create a detailed report showing the team's velocity and completed stories

Answer

Replace the product owner with someone who has better domain knowledge

Answer

Ask the team to add more features to the next sprint to increase value

Question 8

A project manager is developing the project schedule. After defining activities and sequencing them, what is the next step in the schedule development process?

Accepted Answer

Estimate activity resources. In the schedule development process, after defining activities and sequencing them, the next step is to estimate the resources required for each activity (option A). This is because resource availability and constraints directly impact activity durations, and you must know what resources are available before you can estimate how long each activity will take. The PMBOK Guide's schedule management process follows the order: Plan Schedule Management → Define Activities → Sequence Activities → Estimate Activity Resources → Estimate Activity Durations → Develop Schedule.

Answer

Estimate activity durations

Answer

Estimate costs

Answer

Develop the schedule baseline

Question 9

A project has a critical path of 120 days with a standard deviation of 5 days. The project sponsor wants to know the probability of completing the project within 130 days. Using the normal distribution, what is the approximate probability?

Accepted Answer

97.5%. The critical path duration is 120 days with a standard deviation of 5 days. Completing within 130 days is 2 standard deviations above the mean (130 - 120 = 10, 10/5 = 2). In a normal distribution, approximately 95% of data falls within ±2 standard deviations, so the probability of being at or below +2σ is 50% + (95%/2) = 97.5%.

Answer

95%

Answer

84%

Answer

68%

Question 10

A project manager is using earned value management. At month 6 of a 12-month project, the EV is $50,000, PV is $60,000, and AC is $55,000. What is the cost performance index (CPI)?

Accepted Answer

0.91. The Cost Performance Index (CPI) is calculated as EV / AC. Here, EV = $50,000 and AC = $55,000, so CPI = 50,000 / 55,000 = 0.909, which rounds to 0.91. A CPI less than 1 indicates the project is over budget, as the cost incurred ($55,000) exceeds the value of work performed ($50,000).

Answer

0.83

Answer

1.20

Answer

1.10

Question 11

A project team is implementing a new software feature. During testing, a critical defect is found that could delay the release. The project manager needs to determine the root cause. Which tool or technique should be used?

Accepted Answer

Cause-and-effect diagram. The cause-and-effect diagram (also known as a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram) is the correct tool for root cause analysis because it systematically maps potential causes of a defect across categories like people, process, technology, and environment. In this software testing scenario, the project manager would use it to brainstorm and visually trace the critical defect back to its underlying technical root cause, such as a coding logic error or integration failure, rather than just observing symptoms.

Answer

Scatter diagram

Answer

Control chart

Answer

Delphi technique

Question 12

A project manager is reviewing the schedule performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI). The current values are SPI = 0.85 and CPI = 1.10. What is the most likely conclusion about the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is behind schedule and under budget.. An SPI of 0.85 indicates the project is behind schedule (less than 1.0), while a CPI of 1.10 indicates the project is under budget (greater than 1.0). Therefore, the project is behind schedule but under budget, making option B correct.

Answer

The project is behind schedule and over budget.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule and over budget.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule and under budget.

Question 13

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests a change that will increase the scope. The project manager follows the formal change control process. What is the first step the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request in the change log.. The first step in the formal change control process, as defined by the PMBOK Guide, is to document the change request in the change log. This ensures that all proposed changes are formally recorded and tracked before any analysis or approval activities occur. Without this initial documentation, there is no official record of the request, which undermines the integrity of the change control system.

Answer

Communicate the change to the project team.

Answer

Submit the change request to the change control board (CCB).

Answer

Analyze the impact on the project constraints.

Question 14

Refer to the exhibit. The project team uses Git for version control. The lead developer accidentally committed a bug fix directly to the main branch instead of the feature branch. What is the best course of action to maintain a clean history?

Accepted Answer

Cherry-pick the bug fix commit to the feature branch, then revert the commit on main.. It preserves a clean Git history by first cherry-picking the bug fix commit from main to the feature branch (ensuring the fix is applied where intended), then reverting the commit on main to remove the accidental change without rewriting history. This avoids merge commits or destructive operations, maintaining a linear and traceable project history.

Answer

Revert the commit on main and do nothing else.

Answer

Merge main into feature to include the bug fix.

Answer

Reset main to the commit before the bug fix, then force push.

Question 15

Refer to the exhibit. The project's access control policy allows read access only from the internal network (10.0.0.0/8) and denies access if not using an encrypted connection. A developer reports that they can access the repository from a machine with IP 10.0.0.5 using an encrypted connection. However, they cannot access it from a machine with IP 10.0.0.6 using an unencrypted connection. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The Deny statement for unencrypted access overrides the Allow statement.. In policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The policy includes a Deny statement that blocks access when an unencrypted connection is used. Since unencrypted access from 10.0.0.6 triggers this Deny, it overrides the Allow statement that permits access from the internal network, resulting in denied access.

Answer

The policy requires both network and encrypted connection conditions to be met simultaneously.

Answer

The IP address 10.0.0.5 is not in the allowed range.

Answer

The IP address 10.0.0.6 is not in the allowed range.