PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
An organization is preparing to launch a project that will replace its aging payroll system. Executive leadership has assigned a sponsor, and the sponsor has asked the project manager to produce the document that formally authorizes the project and gives the project manager authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Which document should the project manager produce?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse artifacts that justify or plan the project, such as the business case or project management plan, with the document that actually authorizes it and grants resource authority.
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
✓
Project charter
The document that formally authorizes a project and empowers the project manager to commit organizational resources is the project charter. It is issued by the sponsor or another authority outside the project team and captures high-level scope, objectives, and stakeholder information. Since leadership has assigned a sponsor and requested the authorizing artifact, the project charter is the correct deliverable at this point.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
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. It is issued by the sponsor or another authority outside the project and typically records the high-level scope, objectives, and identified stakeholders. Because leadership has already assigned a sponsor and the request is for formal authorization and resource authority, this is the document the project manager must produce.
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Business case
Why it's wrong here
The business case presents the economic justification for the project, comparing expected benefits against costs and risks, and it often precedes formal authorization. It supports the decision to invest but does not authorize the project or confer authority to apply resources. The sponsor here has already decided to proceed and wants the authorizing document, so the business case has served its purpose and is not the requested artifact.
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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, integrating subsidiary plans such as scope, schedule, and cost management. It is developed after the project is authorized and does not itself grant the project manager authority over organizational resources. Producing it now would put planning detail ahead of the authorizing document that leadership has requested.
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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, including benefit owners and metrics. It is a strategic planning artifact that guides benefit realization and does not authorize project work or grant resource authority. The scenario asks for the document that formally authorizes the project, which the benefits management plan does not do.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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