CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
A project team is experiencing frequent changes in requirements. The project manager wants to minimize disruptions. Which approach is best to manage changes effectively?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose 'freeze requirements' (Option A) thinking it prevents disruption, but the CAPM exam tests the understanding that a formal change control process—not rigidity—is the correct way to manage changes in an adaptive environment.
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
✓
Establish a change control board and process.
A formal change control board (CCB) and a documented change control process provide a structured, consistent method for evaluating, approving, and implementing changes. This minimizes disruptions by ensuring that only approved, impact-assessed changes are introduced, preventing ad-hoc modifications that can destabilize the project scope, schedule, and budget.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Freeze requirements after initial sign-off.
Why it's wrong here
Freezing requirements after sign-off ignores the change control process, so approved changes cannot be evaluated or incorporated, and the team either violates the freeze or delivers obsolete scope. It is tempting because it appears to eliminate disruption, and would work where scope is genuinely fixed, such as a firm-fixed-price contract with stable requirements.
- ✓
Establish a change control board and process.
Why this is correct
A formal change control board evaluates, approves or rejects each requirements change before work proceeds, directly containing the frequent changes disrupting the team. This structured governance gate prevents uncontrolled scope creep, satisfying the project manager's need to minimise disruption through documented impact assessment and prioritisation.
- ✗
Let the team implement changes as they come.
Why it's wrong here
Implementing changes as they arrive bypasses the integrated change control process, so scope, schedule and cost baselines drift without assessment, which increases rather than minimises disruption. It is tempting because it appears responsive and agile, and would suit a team deliberately practising continuous adaptive development without formal baselines.
- ✗
Communicate changes to stakeholders after implementation.
Why it's wrong here
Communicating changes only after implementation removes stakeholder review and approval, so unapproved scope enters the baseline and rework or rejection follows. It is tempting because it avoids lengthy approval cycles, and would suit a low-risk internal team empowered to adapt scope without formal governance.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 CAPM exam.