PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
A project manager is preparing the resource management plan for a project that requires a scarce cybersecurity specialist for only three weeks of a nine-month schedule. The functional manager has warned that the specialist may be pulled onto a higher-priority incident at any time. Which action should the PM take to protect the schedule?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating a not-yet-occurred resource threat as an issue or as something solved by over-allocating the scarce specialist.
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
✓
Identify an alternate resource and build a contingency reserve into the schedule for the specialist's tasks.
A scarce resource needed for a short, critical window creates a known risk that merits both a contingency reserve and an alternate resource. Reserving the specialist full-time wastes capacity, deferring the work concentrates risk at the end of the schedule, and recording it as an issue skips risk analysis. The proactive combination of backup and reserve protects the schedule without inflating the whole plan.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Move the specialist's tasks to the end of the schedule so reassignment risk is deferred.
Why it's wrong here
Deferring the work does not eliminate the risk and may create a hard constraint at the end of the project where no float remains. If the specialist is unavailable then, the project finishes late with no recovery options. The tasks should be scheduled where they logically belong, with contingency and an alternate resource in place, rather than pushed to a point of maximum exposure.
- ✓
Identify an alternate resource and build a contingency reserve into the schedule for the specialist's tasks.
Why this is correct
Because the specialist is scarce and the demand is short but critical, the PM should plan a backup and protect the schedule with reserve. A contingency reserve covers known risks such as the specialist being reassigned. Identifying an alternate reduces the impact if the primary becomes unavailable. Together these actions address both the probability and the impact of the resource risk without inflating the entire plan.
- ✗
Assign the specialist full-time for the entire project to prevent reassignment.
Why it's wrong here
Reserving a scarce specialist for nine months when only three weeks of work exists wastes organizational capacity and is unlikely to be approved by the functional manager. It also does not prevent reassignment if a higher-priority incident occurs, since priority decisions rest outside the PM's control. This approach inflates cost and may create schedule padding without addressing the actual risk.
- ✗
Document the resource risk in the issue log and proceed with the current plan.
Why it's wrong here
The specialist has not yet been reassigned, so this is a risk, not an issue. Logging it as an issue would skip probability and impact analysis and the planning of a response. Simply documenting and proceeding leaves the schedule unprotected; the PM should instead plan a contingency and identify an alternate resource to reduce the chance of a late-project crisis.
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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
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