PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
During the Initiating phase of a construction project, the project manager learns that the sponsoring organization will not commit funding until the document that formally authorizes the project and names the project manager exists. Which document should the project manager produce?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the business case, which justifies the investment, with the project charter, which formally authorizes the project and names 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
✓
Project charter
A project charter formally authorizes the project and designates the project manager with the authority to apply resources. The sponsoring organization's condition ties funding to that authorization, so the charter is the required deliverable in Initiating. The project management plan and WBS come later in Planning, while the business case justifies investment but does not authorize the project.
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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Work breakdown structure
Why it's wrong here
The work breakdown structure decomposes project scope into manageable deliverables and work packages. It is a Planning artifact created after the charter exists and after scope has been defined. A WBS cannot authorize a project or assign a project manager, so it does not address the sponsor's funding precondition. Creating it before authorization would also lack the scope foundation it requires.
- ✓
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. CompTIA Project+ places charter creation in the Initiating phase. Because the sponsor requires a document that both authorizes the project and names the project manager before releasing funding, the charter is exactly the artifact needed to satisfy that condition.
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Business case
Why it's wrong here
The business case justifies why the project is worth doing and supports the decision to invest, but it is typically created before the project is formally initiated. It documents the value proposition, not the authorization itself. A sponsor may use the business case to approve funding conceptually, yet the charter is the document that formally names the project manager and confers authority to apply resources.
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Project management plan
Why it's wrong here
The project management plan is a comprehensive document describing how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled, and closed. It is developed during Planning, after the project has already been authorized. Producing it before authorization would be premature because the plan depends on an approved charter, budget, and assigned project manager. It does not formally authorize the project or grant the project manager authority.
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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
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.