PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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?

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

Accepted Answer

Inform the sponsor about the cost increase and request a budget adjustment. Option D is correct because the scenario states that the risk was already identified in the risk register with a mitigation plan involving a backup supplier, so the PM should execute that planned risk response (the contingency/fallback plan) and engage the backup supplier to keep the schedule on track. Option A is correct because the backup supplier's price is 20% higher, which is a cost impact that likely exceeds the PM's authority and requires a budget adjustment; the PM must inform the sponsor and request approval for the additional funding through the appropriate change control process. Option B is not correct because the vendor's failure is not a new risk — it is the realization of an already-identified risk with a documented mitigation plan, so re-adding it to the risk register is redundant. Option C is not correct because sourcing alternative materials locally is not the agreed response and could introduce scope, quality, or specification issues for steel beams on a highway project. Option E is not correct because changing the construction method is a scope/schedule change not warranted by this vendor delay and is not part of the documented risk response.

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 2

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 E is correct because the first thing a project manager must do upon discovering unauthorized scope changes is to document them and perform an impact assessment on budget, schedule, and scope, which is the foundation for any subsequent corrective action. Option D is correct because meeting with the sales director to explain the change control process and the consequences addresses the root cause of the unauthorized work and prevents recurrence, while also clarifying that changes must go through formal approval. These two actions are appropriate first steps before escalating or rebaselining, since the PM needs facts (E) and stakeholder alignment (D) to proceed. Option A is incorrect because accepting the changes and updating the baseline would legitimize unauthorized scope creep without proper approval or impact analysis. Option B is incorrect as a first action because escalation to the sponsor should follow documentation and impact assessment, not precede it. Option C is incorrect because reporting to finance immediately is premature and bypasses the project's governance and sponsor chain.

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 3

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, the risk register, is correct because the new regulation is an identified risk event that must be assessed for its impact on objectives, and it documents risk responses, owners, and triggers relevant to the 6-month extension. Option B, the business case, is correct because it captures the justification, expected benefits, costs, and ROI of the project, which is exactly what the sponsor needs to understand how a 6-month delay affects the overall value proposition. Option E, the project management plan (schedule and cost baselines), is correct because the baselines quantify the current approved timeline and budget, allowing you to calculate the schedule slippage and cost variance caused by the additional clinical trials. Option C, the stakeholder register, is not correct because it lists stakeholder information and engagement strategies, not the cost/benefit or schedule impact data needed for a business case analysis. Option D, the work breakdown structure dictionary, is not correct because it provides detailed deliverable descriptions and acceptance criteria at the work-package level, not the high-level business justification or baseline impact the sponsor is asking about.

Answer

Stakeholder register

Answer

Work breakdown structure dictionary

Question 4

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 definition of done is the team's agreed quality gate, and if the defect violates it, the increment cannot legitimately be considered complete or releasable, so the product owner must weigh that contractual/quality commitment. Option B is correct because releasing with a known defect introduces delivery risk, potential production incidents, and rework (fix, retest, redeploy), which are direct consequences the product owner must factor into the release decision. Option E is correct because the severity and user impact of the defect determine whether shipping it is tolerable or whether it causes harm, support burden, or reputational damage that outweighs schedule pressure. Option C is not among the marked answers because, although cost trade-offs are generally relevant, it is not one of the three factors identified here as the ones to consider. Option D is likewise not marked because the team's ability to fix without affecting other features is an implementation concern rather than one of the three decision factors specified for advising the product owner.

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

Question 5

You are managing a construction project that is in the execution phase. The project is using a predictive approach. You have just completed a periodic quality control inspection, and the results show that several concrete samples have not met the required compressive strength. The project manager needs to address this issue. Which two actions should the project manager take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Issue a change request to rework the affected concrete structures.. The project manager must first document the nonconformance and notify stakeholders to ensure transparency and tracking. Then, a change request for rework is necessary to formally authorize the corrective action and adjust baselines. These steps align with quality management and integrated change control processes. Updating the quality plan or stopping all work are not immediate priorities.

Answer

Immediately stop all work on the project until the issue is resolved.

Answer

Update the quality management plan to include more frequent inspections.

Answer

Accept the concrete as is and seek a waiver from the customer.

Question 6

You are managing a project with a fixed-price contract. The customer requests a significant change that will increase the project scope. You need to evaluate the impact of this change on the project. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a impact analysis.. Before a change can be approved or rejected, the project manager must evaluate its potential effects on the project constraints. This is done through an impact analysis, which examines how the change will affect scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks. Only after this analysis can a change request be properly submitted and reviewed by the change control board.

Answer

Update the project management plan.

Answer

Perform a variance analysis.

Answer

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

Question 7

You are managing a complex construction project. During a risk review, you identify that a key subcontractor may fail to deliver critical components on time due to financial instability. You decide to implement risk response strategies. Which two actions are appropriate for this risk? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Require the subcontractor to provide a performance bond.. For a high-impact risk like subcontractor failure, proactive strategies are needed. Qualifying a backup subcontractor provides a contingency plan to maintain schedule. Requiring a performance bond transfers the financial risk and incentivizes performance. Together, these actions reduce the probability and impact of the risk, aligning with risk mitigation and transfer strategies.

Answer

Purchase insurance to cover potential delays.

Answer

Increase the project budget to cover potential delays.

Answer

Accept the risk and monitor the subcontractor's financial health.

Question 8

You are managing a project to upgrade a company's data center. The project is in the planning phase. You need to determine the most efficient way to sequence the installation of new servers and the migration of data. Which technique should you use?

Accepted Answer

Precedence diagramming method (PDM). The precedence diagramming method is the standard technique for sequencing project activities. It uses boxes and arrows to represent activities and their dependencies, enabling the project manager to visualize the order of server installation and data migration. This foundation supports subsequent schedule development, critical path analysis, and resource optimization.

Answer

Critical path method (CPM)

Answer

Monte Carlo simulation

Answer

Resource leveling

Question 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

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.