PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
A project manager is midway through a data center migration when the sponsor announces that the organization will divest the business unit that owns the legacy systems being migrated. The divestiture removes the business need for half of the migration scope and shifts the completion deadline forward by two months. The sponsor asks the project manager to recommend the appropriate course of action. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reacting to a verbally communicated business change by editing baselines immediately, instead of documenting it as a change request and obtaining formal approval first.
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
✓
Submit a change request to reduce scope and compress the schedule, then update the project management plan once approved
When a business decision eliminates part of the project's scope and shortens its deadline, the project manager must channel the change through formal change control. Submitting a change request that documents the scope reduction and schedule compression, then updating baselines only after approval, keeps the project aligned with the revised business need while preserving an accurate record of what was authorized. Unilateral baseline edits or simply logging the event as a risk would leave the project ungoverned.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Document the divestiture in the risk register and continue executing the original migration plan unchanged
Why it's wrong here
Recording the divestiture as a risk and proceeding with the original plan ignores that the business need itself has changed, not merely a threat to the plan. Continuing to migrate systems that will no longer be needed wastes budget and delays the compressed deadline. The risk register is not the right vehicle for a confirmed scope and schedule change; that belongs in a change request and revised baselines.
- ✗
Immediately stop all migration work and release the project team until new direction is provided
Why it's wrong here
Halting all work and releasing the team is a drastic reaction that ignores the remaining scope, which is still needed by the divested unit or the acquiring organization. It also risks losing skilled resources and demoralizing the team without an authorized decision. The project manager should analyze the impact and route a change request rather than unilaterally suspending execution before the sponsor approves a new direction.
- ✓
Submit a change request to reduce scope and compress the schedule, then update the project management plan once approved
Why this is correct
A divestiture that eliminates the business need for part of the scope and moves the deadline is a significant change to the project's baseline. The disciplined first response is to document and submit a change request describing the scope reduction and schedule compression, obtain approval, and only then update the affected baselines and subsidiary plans. This preserves traceability between the changed business need and the revised project documents.
- ✗
Update the scope statement, schedule baseline, and work breakdown structure directly to reflect the reduced scope and new deadline
Why it's wrong here
Editing baselines directly bypasses the change control process and destroys the audit trail that shows what was originally approved and why it changed. Even when the sponsor verbally requests the reduction, the change must be documented and formally authorized before baselines are modified. Directly revising the scope statement, schedule baseline, and work breakdown structure would put the project out of compliance with its own governance.
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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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