PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 8 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a software development project using an Agile approach. The team consists of 8 developers and 2 testers. During the last three sprints, the team has consistently delivered about 70% of planned story points. The product owner is frustrated because key features are being delayed. The team reports that they are spending too much time fixing defects found during testing, and that the testers are a bottleneck. Upon reviewing the definition of done, you notice that unit tests are required but not always written, and integration tests are done only at the end of the sprint. What is the BEST course of action to address the root cause?

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

Accepted Answer

Require that all code have unit tests before being merged, and implement continuous integration to run automated tests every few hours.. Directly addresses the root cause: the team is spending too much time fixing defects because unit tests are not always written and integration tests are deferred to the end of the sprint. By requiring unit tests before merging and implementing continuous integration (CI) with automated tests running every few hours, defects are caught earlier, reducing rework and eliminating the tester bottleneck. This aligns with Agile principles of built-in quality and early feedback, which improves velocity and predictability.

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Reduce the sprint backlog size to 50% of current capacity to allow more time for testing.

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Ask the product owner to defer non-critical features to later releases.

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Add two more testers to the team to increase testing capacity.

Question 2

Order the steps for creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Accepted Answer

Identify deliverables, then Decompose deliverables, then Assign codes, then Verify decomposition, then Create WBS dictionary. The WBS process starts with identifying deliverables, decomposing them, coding, verifying, and documenting in the dictionary.

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Decompose deliverables, then Identify deliverables, then Assign codes, then Verify decomposition, then Create WBS dictionary

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Identify deliverables, then Assign codes, then Decompose deliverables, then Verify decomposition, then Create WBS dictionary

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Identify deliverables, then Decompose deliverables, then Verify decomposition, then Assign codes, then Create WBS dictionary

Question 3

Sequence the steps for conducting a procurement process.

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Statement of Work (SOW), Step 2: Procurement Documents (e.g., RFP), Step 3: Evaluation of Proposals, Step 4: Contract Signing, Step 5: Contract Administration and Closure. Procurement follows: SOW, documents, evaluation, contract signing, and administration/closure.

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Step 1: Procurement Documents, Step 2: Statement of Work, Step 3: Evaluation, Step 4: Contract Signing, Step 5: Contract Administration and Closure

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Step 1: Evaluation, Step 2: Statement of Work, Step 3: Procurement Documents, Step 4: Contract Signing, Step 5: Contract Administration and Closure

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Step 1: Statement of Work, Step 2: Contract Signing, Step 3: Procurement Documents, Step 4: Evaluation, Step 5: Contract Administration and Closure

Question 4

Order the steps for closing a project or phase.

Accepted Answer

Verify deliverables → Report on project performance → Obtain sign-off → Release resources → Review lessons learned. Project closure: verify deliverables, report, obtain sign-off, release resources, and review lessons.

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Obtain sign-off → Release resources → Verify deliverables → Report on project performance → Review lessons learned

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Review lessons learned → Verify deliverables → Report → Obtain sign-off → Release resources

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Verify deliverables → Obtain sign-off → Report → Release resources → Review lessons learned

Question 5

Match each knowledge area to its primary focus.

Accepted Answer

Scope: The processes required to ensure the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.. The correct matches are: Scope focuses on work inclusion, Time on schedule, and Cost on budget. Common confusions arise from overlapping language.

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Scope: The processes concerning the timely completion of the project.

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Time: The processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget.

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Cost: The processes required to ensure that the project satisfies the needs for which it was undertaken.

Question 6

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a daily standup, one developer mentions he has identified a potential security flaw in the current build that could significantly impact the release. The fix will require at least two days of additional work. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Log the issue in the issue log, assess the impact on scope and schedule, and then determine the next steps. In a hybrid project, when a security flaw is discovered during a daily standup, the first action must be to log the issue and assess its impact on scope and schedule before deciding on a response. Option B follows the correct risk management process: capture the issue, evaluate its severity, and then determine the appropriate fix strategy. This ensures that the fix is prioritized based on technical risk and business impact, not rushed or deferred without analysis.

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Add the fix to the product backlog and address it in the next sprint planning

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Instruct the developer to fix the security flaw immediately

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 7

Your project is halfway through execution, and the earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. You have used 60% of the budget. What is the most likely interpretation of these metrics?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. CPI = 0.85 (less than 1) indicates that for every dollar spent, only $0.85 of earned value has been received, meaning the project is over budget. SPI = 0.90 (less than 1) indicates that the project is progressing at 90% of the planned rate, meaning it is behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

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The project is under budget but behind schedule

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The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

Question 8

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project. The sponsor frequently bypasses you and gives direct instructions to the team leads. This has caused confusion and conflicting priorities. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the sponsor to clarify roles and the importance of following the project communication plan. The most effective first step in resolving a communication breakdown with a sponsor is to address the issue directly and privately. By scheduling a meeting to clarify roles and reinforce the project communication plan, you maintain a professional relationship, uphold the project manager's authority, and ensure that all directives flow through the established channels to prevent conflicting priorities. This approach aligns with the PMI's emphasis on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution at the lowest appropriate level.

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Update the stakeholder engagement plan to document the sponsor's behavior

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Escalate the issue to the PMO or senior management

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Instruct the team leads to ignore instructions from the sponsor unless they come through you

Question 9

During a sprint review, the customer expresses dissatisfaction with the user interface, stating it does not meet their expectations. The team followed the specifications agreed upon during sprint planning. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the customer to review their expectations and discuss potential adjustments. The project manager must first understand the customer's unmet expectations before taking any corrective action. The team followed the agreed specifications, but the customer's dissatisfaction indicates a gap between those specifications and their actual needs. Scheduling a meeting to review expectations and discuss adjustments aligns with the agile principle of customer collaboration and ensures any changes are properly evaluated before being implemented.

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Log the issue in the issue log and address it in a future sprint

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Instruct the team to rework the UI immediately to satisfy the customer

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Explain to the customer that the team adhered to the agreed specifications

Question 10

Your project is using a predictive approach, and you have just completed the work breakdown structure (WBS). What is the NEXT step in project planning?

Accepted Answer

Sequence the activities and develop the project schedule. After completing the WBS, the next step in a predictive (waterfall) project is to sequence the activities and develop the project schedule. The WBS decomposes deliverables into work packages, but the schedule requires identifying the specific activities needed to produce those work packages, determining their dependencies, and estimating durations. This directly feeds into creating the project schedule, which is the logical next step before cost estimation or risk identification.

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Define the project scope statement

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Identify risks

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Estimate costs for each work package

Question 11

A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. This component is on the critical path. The vendor has a history of poor performance. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response plan that was developed for this vendor risk. The project manager should first implement the risk response plan that was developed for this vendor risk. Since the vendor has a history of poor performance, this risk should have been identified during planning, and a response plan (e.g., using an alternative supplier or buffer stock) should already exist. Acting on the pre-approved plan ensures a structured, timely response without unnecessary delays or escalation.

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Immediately contact alternative vendors to find a replacement

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Perform schedule compression techniques to recover the delay

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Escalate to senior management for a decision

Question 12

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standups are taking too long and are not focused. Several team members suggest canceling them to save time. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion to identify ways to make the standups more focused and time-boxed. The Scrum Master's role is to facilitate the Scrum process and remove impediments. Canceling the daily standup would eliminate a key inspection and adaptation opportunity. Instead, the Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion to help the team improve the focus and time-boxing of the standup, addressing the root cause of the issue.

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Agree to cancel the daily standups as the team suggests

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Keep the standups as they are and remind the team of their importance

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Enforce the timebox strictly without discussion

Question 13

Your project is 80% complete, and the sponsor asks you to skip the final testing phase to release the product early and capture market share. The testing phase is critical for quality. What is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing and propose a compromise, such as testing the most critical functions first. It demonstrates proactive risk management and stakeholder negotiation. By explaining the risks of skipping testing and proposing a compromise—such as testing critical functions first—you address the sponsor's urgency while preserving the project's quality objectives. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on managing technical aspects through iterative validation and risk-based testing prioritization.

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Agree to skip testing to accommodate the sponsor's request

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Refuse the request and insist on full testing as planned

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Update the risk register and proceed with the release

Question 14

Two senior developers have a conflict over which technical approach to use for a module. The disagreement is delaying the sprint. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with the developers to discuss the pros and cons of each approach and help them reach a consensus. The project manager's first responsibility in a technical conflict is to facilitate collaboration and consensus-building between the developers. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and conflict resolution techniques like 'collaborating' or 'problem-solving' within the team, especially when the disagreement directly impacts sprint delivery. By guiding a structured discussion of pros and cons, the PM preserves team autonomy and leverages the developers' expertise to find the best technical solution.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

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Assign the module to a different developer to avoid the conflict

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Decide on the approach yourself based on your experience

Question 15

During a project audit, you discover that a team member has been gold-plating the deliverables by adding extra features not requested. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the team member to discuss the importance of adhering to the approved scope and the risks of gold-plating. Gold-plating is a project management term for adding extra features beyond the approved scope, which introduces scope creep, increases costs, and may introduce defects or integration issues. The best action is to meet with the team member to reinforce the importance of adhering to the scope baseline and explain the risks, such as schedule delays, budget overruns, and potential rework. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on scope verification and control, ensuring that only approved changes are implemented through the formal change control process.

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Allow the team member to continue as the extra features may add customer value

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Report the team member to HR for violating project policies

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Remove the extra features immediately without consulting the team member