PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A new regulatory requirement has been discovered that affects your project's deliverables. The project is halfway through its schedule. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think a regulatory requirement is mandatory and must be implemented immediately, but the PMP exam tests that even mandatory changes must go through the formal change control process to assess and manage impacts properly.
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
✓
Submit a change request to assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost
D is correct because the PMBOK Guide mandates that any change, including a new regulatory requirement, must first be processed through a formal change request to evaluate its impact on scope, schedule, and cost. Since the project is already halfway through its schedule, the project manager must follow the integrated change control process to ensure the change is assessed before any action is taken. This prevents unauthorized changes that could disrupt project baselines.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ignore the requirement because the project is already underway
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a new regulatory requirement, regardless of the project's current phase, is a severe breach of project governance and ethical responsibility. This action exposes the organization to significant legal penalties, substantial fines, reputational damage, and potential project failure due to non-compliance. Project managers are professionally obligated to proactively address all applicable regulations to ensure product viability and organizational integrity.
- ✗
Inform the team to start incorporating the new requirement immediately
Why it's wrong here
Directing the team to immediately incorporate a new requirement without formal assessment and approval bypasses the critical integrated change control process. This impulsive action can lead to uncontrolled scope creep, unbudgeted costs, schedule delays, and rework, as the full impact on project baselines has not been properly evaluated or sanctioned by the Change Control Board (CCB). Such unauthorized implementation undermines project control and predictability.
- ✗
Update the project management plan directly to include the change
Why it's wrong here
Updating the project management plan directly without following the formal change control process is incorrect and undermines project integrity. The project management plan, including its subsidiary plans and baselines, serves as an approved, controlled document that can only be modified after a change request has been formally submitted, assessed for impact, and approved by the relevant stakeholders or the Change Control Board (CCB). Unauthorized direct updates compromise the plan's validity and the project's baselines.
- ✓
Submit a change request to assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost
Why this is correct
Submitting a change request is the correct and most appropriate action when a new requirement is discovered that impacts the project. This formal process initiates the integrated change control procedure, allowing for a thorough assessment of the requirement's potential impact on the project's scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risks. This ensures that all changes are evaluated, approved, and managed systematically, maintaining project integrity and baselines through informed decision-making.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Change Control Process
A formal, structured procedure used to manage any changes to a project's scope, schedule, budget, or requirements, ensuring every modification is reviewed, approved, tested, and documented before implementation.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PMP question from scratch — 800 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP 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 PMP exam.