PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A project manager is leading a hybrid project. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a significant scope change that would increase the product's value. The change does not affect the project's critical path. What should the PM do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a value-adding change with no critical path impact can be handled informally via the backlog, but the PMP exam requires formal change control for any scope change, regardless of perceived benefit or schedule impact.
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 and evaluate the impact on cost, schedule, and resources
In a hybrid project, any scope change—even one that adds value and doesn't affect the critical path—must go through a formal change control process. The project manager should submit a change request to evaluate the full impact on cost, schedule, and resources before approval. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's integrated change control and ensures that trade-offs are understood and documented.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Submit a change request and evaluate the impact on cost, schedule, and resources
Why this is correct
In a hybrid project, even during a sprint, significant changes require formal change control. Submitting a change request initiates a structured process to evaluate the potential impacts on the project's baselines, including cost, schedule, and resource allocation. This ensures that stakeholders are informed, risks are mitigated, and the change is approved through the appropriate governance mechanism before implementation, maintaining project integrity.
- ✗
Refuse the change because the scope was already agreed upon
Why it's wrong here
Refusing a change outright without any evaluation is an inflexible and suboptimal approach in project management. While scope is baselined, projects operate in dynamic environments where legitimate and valuable changes may arise. A project manager's role includes managing stakeholder expectations and evaluating potential benefits, rather than simply rejecting requests, as proper change control allows for accommodating necessary adjustments.
- ✗
Ask the team to implement the change immediately since it adds value
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to implement a change immediately, even if it appears to add value, bypasses the critical integrated change control process. This action risks uncontrolled scope creep, potential budget overruns, and schedule delays, as the full implications on project baselines are not assessed or formally approved. Such an approach undermines project governance and can lead to unmanaged risks and stakeholder dissatisfaction.
- ✗
Add the change to the product backlog for future prioritization without formal approval
Why it's wrong here
While adding items to a product backlog is common in agile, for changes that significantly impact the project's baselined scope, simply adding it without formal approval is insufficient. This approach neglects the necessary evaluation of impacts on cost, schedule, and resources, which is crucial in a hybrid environment where formal change control processes are still applicable for major deviations. It risks introducing unapproved work that could destabilize the project.
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.
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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