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PK0-005 A project manager for a construction project Practice Question
You are a project manager for a construction project. During the monitoring and controlling phase, you review the project performance and find that the earned value (EV) is $50,000, the actual cost (AC) is $60,000, and the planned value (PV) is $55,000. The project is behind schedule and over budget. The project team is demotivated due to the delays. The customer has expressed concerns about project progress. The project contract includes a penalty clause for missed milestones. Which of the following actions should you take 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
✓
Conduct a root cause analysis to identify reasons for variances
Root cause analysis is the first step in addressing performance variances. Once the causes are known, the project manager can develop an appropriate corrective action 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.
- ✗
Implement additional quality control measures
Why it's wrong here
Quality control addresses defect rates, not the schedule and cost variances shown by EV, AC and PV; schedule compression or cost control is needed. It tempts because quality problems can cause rework and delay, but no quality data is given here.
- ✗
Request a change order to increase the budget
Why it's wrong here
Requesting a budget increase addresses the cost overrun but leaves the schedule slippage and penalty exposure untouched; corrective action on the critical path is required first. It tempts because AC exceeds EV, yet a change order needs approval and does not recover lost time.
- ✓
Conduct a root cause analysis to identify reasons for variances
Why this is correct
Before correcting variances, the underlying causes must be established; EV, AC and PV only quantify the deviation. Root cause analysis addresses the schedule and cost overruns plus demotivation, informing corrective action that protects milestone penalties.
- ✗
Immediately notify the customer about the delays
Why it's wrong here
Notifying the customer addresses communication, not the schedule and cost variances the earned value figures expose; the penalty clause makes recovery the priority. It is tempting because stakeholder engagement is genuine project management work, and it would be right once a corrective action plan and revised forecast exist to share.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PK0-005
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During the monitoring and controlling phase, a project manager receives a status report indicating the CPI is 0.8 and SPI is 0.9. Which action should the project manager take next?
medium- A.Celebrate because both indices are above 0.7
- B.Update the project management plan to reflect the variances
- ✓ C.Analyze the variances and determine corrective actions
- D.Immediately request more budget from the sponsor
Why C: CPI of 0.8 and SPI of 0.9 indicate the project is over budget and behind schedule. The project manager should analyze the root causes of these variances and determine appropriate corrective actions to bring performance back in line with the plan. This is a core responsibility during Monitoring and Controlling.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.