PK0-005 Practice Question: Basics of IT Infrastructure and IT Project Management
A project manager is leading an infrastructure refresh that introduces a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The project sponsor asks which document formally authorizes the project and gives the project manager the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Which document should the project manager reference?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the document that justifies the project (business case) or describes how it will be managed (project management plan) with the one that formally authorizes it and empowers the project manager.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Project charter
The project charter is the formal document that authorizes the project and empowers the project manager to apply organizational resources. In an ERP infrastructure refresh, the sponsor's signature on the charter marks the official start and provides the authority needed to commit budget, staff, and vendor agreements. Other planning artifacts, such as the project management plan or business case, support execution or justify investment but do not grant this formal authority.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Business case
Why it's wrong here
A business case provides the economic justification for the project by comparing costs, benefits, and risks. It supports the decision to invest in the ERP refresh but does not authorize the project or empower the project manager to apply resources. The business case is an input to developing the project charter, not the formal authorization artifact itself.
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Project management plan
Why it's wrong here
The project management plan describes how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled, and closed. It is developed after the project is authorized and integrates subsidiary plans such as scope, schedule, and cost baselines. It does not itself grant the project manager authority or formally initiate the ERP project, so it cannot serve as the authorizing document the sponsor is asking about.
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Project charter
Why this is correct
The project charter formally authorizes the existence of the project and gives the project manager authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. In this ERP infrastructure refresh, the sponsor signs the charter to legitimize the effort. Without it, the project manager lacks formal power to commit budget, people, or vendor contracts, and the project would lack an approved start.
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Benefits management plan
Why it's wrong here
The benefits management plan defines how and when the project's benefits will be delivered and measured. For the ERP infrastructure refresh, it might describe expected efficiency gains, but it is not the document that authorizes the project or grants the project manager resource authority. It is created before or alongside the charter and focuses on value realization, not formal empowerment.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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