PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
A project manager is performing quality control on a software development project. The team has completed coding and is now testing the software. The project manager wants to identify the root cause of defects that are being found during testing. Which TWO tools or techniques should the project manager use? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting control charts or scatter diagrams, which monitor or show relationships but do not directly identify root causes.
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
✓
Pareto chart
The cause-and-effect diagram and Pareto chart are both quality control tools used for root cause analysis. The cause-and-effect diagram helps brainstorm potential causes, while the Pareto chart helps prioritize the most significant causes. Together, they enable the project manager to identify and focus on the root causes of defects.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Pareto chart
Why this is correct
A Pareto chart is a histogram ordered by frequency that helps identify the most significant factors contributing to a problem. In quality control, it is used to prioritize defects by frequency or impact, often following the 80/20 rule. In this scenario, it helps the project manager focus on the few defect types that cause the majority of issues, enabling efficient root cause analysis and corrective action.
- ✓
Cause-and-effect diagram
Why this is correct
A cause-and-effect diagram, also known as a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram, is used to identify potential root causes of a problem. In this scenario, it helps the team explore why defects are occurring by categorizing causes into areas such as people, process, technology, and environment. It is a quality control tool that facilitates root cause analysis and is appropriate for identifying the source of defects.
- ✗
Flowchart
Why it's wrong here
A flowchart depicts the steps of a process and can help identify where problems might occur, but it is not primarily a root cause analysis tool. It is more useful for understanding process flow and identifying bottlenecks or unnecessary steps. In this scenario, the project manager needs to dig into why defects are happening, which is better served by cause-and-effect and Pareto analysis.
- ✗
Scatter diagram
Why it's wrong here
A scatter diagram shows the relationship between two variables, such as testing time and number of defects. While useful for identifying correlations, it does not directly identify root causes. In this scenario, the project manager wants to find the root cause of defects, so a scatter diagram would be less direct than a cause-and-effect diagram or Pareto chart.
- ✗
Control chart
Why it's wrong here
A control chart is used to monitor process stability over time and determine whether a process is in control. It helps detect variations but does not directly identify root causes of defects. While it can signal when a process is out of control, it does not provide the causal analysis needed. In this scenario, the project manager needs tools that specifically aid root cause analysis.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PK0-005 question is part of Courseiva's 954-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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
This PK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PK0-005 exam.