PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Test 9 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. Midway through, a new regulatory requirement is introduced that will affect the project scope. The change is mandatory and must be implemented. What is the FIRST step?

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

Accepted Answer

Initiate a change request to formally document the new requirement and assess its impact on scope, schedule, and cost. In project management, any change to scope — even a mandatory regulatory one — must go through the Perform Integrated Change Control process. The first step is to formally document the change via a change request and assess its impact on scope, schedule, cost, and other constraints. This ensures the change is evaluated, approved, and incorporated in a controlled manner.

Answer

Notify stakeholders of the new requirement and proceed with implementation

Answer

Instruct the team to incorporate the new requirement immediately due to its mandatory nature

Answer

Update the risk register to reflect the new regulatory requirement

Question 2

Your project is behind schedule, and you need to compress the schedule. The critical path has been identified. What is the BEST schedule compression technique to use if you have additional budget available?

Accepted Answer

Crashing. Crashing is the correct technique because it involves adding resources (e.g., overtime, additional staff, or expedited shipping) to critical path activities to compress the schedule, and the question explicitly states additional budget is available. Unlike fast tracking, crashing does not increase risk but does increase cost, making it the best choice when budget is not a constraint.

Answer

Fast tracking

Answer

Resource smoothing

Answer

Resource leveling

Question 3

Your agile project has experienced a drop in velocity for the past three sprints. The team is frustrated. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team to remove any impediments they are facing. Option A is correct because in agile the project manager (or Scrum Master) serves the team by identifying and removing impediments, which directly restores the team's ability to complete work and recover velocity. Option B is correct because a retrospective is the agile ceremony designed to inspect the last sprints and surface the root causes of the velocity drop, enabling the team to define and own corrective actions. Option C is wrong because imposing stricter deadlines is a command-and-control tactic that increases pressure and typically lowers quality and morale rather than fixing the underlying cause. Option D is wrong because replacing team members disrupts the team's formed working relationships and does not address systemic causes of declining velocity. Option E is wrong because lengthening the sprint merely dilutes the symptom and violates the principle of keeping a consistent, sustainable cadence.

Answer

Set stricter deadlines to motivate the team

Answer

Replace underperforming team members with more experienced ones

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time

Question 4

During project closure, which THREE documents should be updated or finalized as part of the lessons learned process?

Accepted Answer

Organizational process assets. Organizational process assets (OPA) are updated during lessons learned because they store historical information, templates, and process improvements that benefit future projects. The lessons learned register captures specific knowledge gained, while the project final report summarizes overall project performance and includes lessons learned. These three documents ensure that knowledge is formally recorded and accessible for organizational improvement.

Answer

Project charter

Answer

Stakeholder register

Question 5

Your project is being executed, and a risk event occurs that was identified and planned for. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response plan that was developed for this risk. When a planned risk event occurs, the immediate action is to implement the risk response plan that was specifically developed for that risk. This ensures the predefined mitigation or contingency strategy is executed promptly to minimize impact. The risk register must then be updated to document the occurrence and the response taken, providing an accurate historical record for future risk analysis. Finally, communicating the risk occurrence and response to stakeholders as per the communication plan maintains transparency and supports informed decision-making.

Answer

Conduct a new risk assessment to identify new risks

Answer

Add the risk to the watch list for monitoring

Question 6

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. Midway through the project, the product owner requests a new feature that requires changing the scope and schedule. The team is currently working on a critical path activity. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request and evaluate the impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality. In a hybrid project, any change that impacts scope, schedule, cost, or quality must follow the formal change control process. Submitting a change request allows the project manager to evaluate the impact on the critical path, resource allocation, and overall project constraints before any work begins. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on integrated change control, ensuring that the change is assessed against the project management plan and baselines.

Answer

Tell the product owner the request cannot be considered because the project is already underway

Answer

Add the new feature to the sprint backlog without formal approval

Answer

Ask the team to start working on the feature immediately to save time

Question 7

During a sprint review, stakeholders express dissatisfaction with the functionality delivered. The product owner insists the team met the acceptance criteria defined in the sprint. The team feels demotivated. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the product owner and stakeholders to clarify expectations and document any gaps. The immediate priority is to resolve the disconnect between the stakeholders' expectations and the product owner's acceptance criteria. By facilitating a meeting, you enable a collaborative discussion to clarify requirements, identify gaps in the definition of done, and align on what constitutes acceptable functionality. This approach follows the Agile principle of stakeholder collaboration and prevents rework based on assumptions.

Answer

Direct the team to rework the functionality until the stakeholders are satisfied

Answer

Reassure the team that they did a good job and that stakeholder expectations were unrealistic

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor immediately

Question 8

In an agile project, the team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. The daily standup meetings are rushed, and team members often work in silos. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify impediments and propose improvements. In agile, when velocity drops and team dysfunction appears (rushed standups, silos), the correct first action is to facilitate a retrospective so the team can inspect and adapt. The retrospective is the agile ceremony specifically designed to surface impediments and agree on improvements, and it empowers the team rather than imposing top-down fixes.

Answer

Increase the frequency of daily standups to twice per day

Answer

Add more team members to increase capacity

Answer

Assign a senior developer to monitor individual productivity

Question 9

A stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct instructions to a team member to add a new report. The team member has already started working on it. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the stakeholder to reinforce the change control process and request that all changes go through you. The correct first step is to meet with the stakeholder to reinforce the change control process and request that all changes go through you. This directly addresses the bypass while maintaining professional communication, and it aligns with the PMI's emphasis on managing stakeholder expectations and following the integrated change control process. The project manager must protect the team from unauthorized work and ensure any change is formally evaluated for impact on scope, schedule, and budget.

Answer

Ignore it to avoid conflict, but document the incident

Answer

Escalate to the sponsor that the stakeholder is interfering

Answer

Ask the team member to ignore the stakeholder's request and stop working

Question 10

Your project is 40% complete, but the Earned Value (EV) is $50,000, Planned Value (PV) is $60,000, and Actual Cost (AC) is $70,000. The cost performance index (CPI) is 0.71, and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.83. What is the most likely impact on the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. With a CPI of 0.71 (less than 1.0), the project is over budget because for every dollar spent, only $0.71 of earned value is received. With an SPI of 0.83 (less than 1.0), the project is behind schedule because only 83% of the planned work has been completed. Therefore, the project is both over budget and behind schedule, making option D correct.

Answer

The project is under budget but behind schedule

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

Question 11

A critical vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a key component on time due to a raw material shortage. The component is on the critical path. You have identified this risk in the risk register with a medium probability and high impact. The planned response was to accept the risk. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the current situation and determine if the accept response is still appropriate or if a different response is needed; submit a change request if necessary. The first step when a risk materializes is to reassess the situation against the existing risk response. Since the planned response was 'accept,' you must evaluate whether acceptance is still viable given the new reality. If not, you need to select a different response (e.g., mitigate or avoid) and submit a change request to formally adjust the project plan. This aligns with the PMBOK® Guide's iterative risk management process, where risk responses are revisited when triggers occur.

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor for decision

Answer

Immediately crash the schedule by adding resources to the critical path

Answer

Inform stakeholders that the project will be delayed by the duration of the component shortage

Question 12

During a quality audit, it is discovered that the team has been using outdated templates for test cases, resulting in some defects that were not caught. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Perform a root cause analysis to understand why outdated templates were used. The correct first step is to perform a root cause analysis (Option C) because the quality audit revealed a process deficiency—outdated templates—not just a defect. Without understanding why the team used outdated templates (e.g., poor version control, lack of training, or inadequate change management), any corrective action will be superficial and the problem will recur. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on addressing the root cause of nonconformances before implementing corrective or preventive actions.

Answer

Update the issue log and assign team members to fix the defects

Answer

Update the templates immediately and train the team

Answer

Have the team re-execute all test cases with correct templates

Question 13

In a hybrid project, the development team is self-organizing but a senior developer consistently misses sprint commitments. The product owner is frustrated. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Have a private conversation with the developer to understand challenges and offer support. In a hybrid project with a self-organizing team, the project manager should first address performance issues through coaching and support rather than bypassing team autonomy. Option D is correct because a private conversation allows the PM to understand root causes (e.g., technical debt, unclear requirements, or personal blockers) and offer targeted help, preserving the team's self-management while resolving the sprint commitment gap.

Answer

Inform the product owner that the team self-manages and the issue will resolve itself

Answer

Reassign the developer to less critical tasks

Answer

Escalate the issue to the functional manager

Question 14

The sponsor asks you to skip the final round of user acceptance testing (UAT) to meet the deadline, stating that earlier tests were sufficient. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose alternatives, such as reducing test scope or compressing the schedule. The project manager must first address the sponsor's request by explaining the risks of skipping UAT, which validates that the system meets user requirements and functions correctly in a production-like environment. Proposing alternatives like reducing test scope or compressing the schedule demonstrates proactive risk management while keeping the project aligned with quality standards. Skipping UAT entirely could lead to undetected defects, user dissatisfaction, and costly rework post-deployment.

Answer

Direct the team to proceed without UAT because the sponsor has authority

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to accommodate the sponsor's request

Answer

Escalate to the PMO or senior management that the sponsor is compromising quality

Question 15

A new regulatory requirement has been introduced that affects your project's deliverables. The requirement must be implemented within the current timeline. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on the project and submit a change request through change control. When a new regulatory requirement emerges mid-project, the project manager must first assess its impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality before any action. Submitting a change request through the formal change control process ensures that the change is evaluated, approved, and documented, maintaining alignment with the project management plan and avoiding unauthorized scope creep. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Perform Integrated Change Control' process, which mandates that all changes be reviewed and approved before implementation.

Answer

Direct the team to incorporate the requirement immediately to avoid non-compliance

Answer

Ignore the requirement since the project is already underway

Answer

Update the project management plan to include the new requirement