The answer is to ask the product owner to prioritize the change and add it to the product backlog for a future sprint. This is correct because the sprint backlog represents a commitment to a fixed scope for the current iteration, and introducing a significant scope change mid-sprint would disrupt the team’s velocity and undermine the sprint goal. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of agile principles, specifically how to handle a scope change request without destabilizing the current sprint. A common trap is choosing to negotiate the change into the current sprint or simply rejecting it outright, but the correct agile response is to capture the change in the product backlog and let the product owner reprioritize it for a future sprint. Remember the memory tip: “Don’t break the sprint—backlog it for later.”
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A project team is developing a new software feature. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a change that would increase the scope significantly. The team has already committed to the current sprint backlog. What is the BEST course of action for the project manager?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ask the product owner to prioritize the change and add it to the product backlog for a future sprint.
In agile, the sprint backlog is a commitment for the current iteration. Adding a significant scope change mid-sprint violates the sprint goal and destabilizes the team's velocity. The correct action is to capture the change in the product backlog and prioritize it for a future sprint, preserving the integrity of the current sprint and allowing the product owner to manage the product backlog as the single source of truth for requirements.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Add the change to the current sprint to satisfy the product owner.
Why it's wrong here
Adding work mid-sprint violates the sprint commitment and can cause delays.
✓
Ask the product owner to prioritize the change and add it to the product backlog for a future sprint.
Why this is correct
This allows the team to finish the current sprint and evaluate the change properly.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Proceed with the change but extend the sprint duration.
Why it's wrong here
Extending sprints undermines agile principles; changes should be handled through backlog prioritization.
✗
Ignore the request until the next project phase.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring stakeholder input is poor practice; changes should be evaluated.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
PMI often tests the misconception that the product owner's request must be immediately accommodated to maintain stakeholder satisfaction, leading candidates to choose Option A, but the correct agile practice is to protect the sprint commitment and funnel all changes through the product backlog for future prioritization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The product backlog is an emergent, ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product, and it is the sole responsibility of the product owner to manage its prioritization. The sprint backlog, by contrast, is a forecast of the work the team plans to complete during the sprint, and it is frozen once the sprint begins. This separation ensures that the team can focus on delivering a potentially releasable increment without disruption, while the product owner can continuously reorder the product backlog based on value and feedback. In practice, if the change is truly urgent, the product owner may choose to cancel the current sprint (a rare and costly action) and start a new one, but the default and best practice is to defer the change to a future sprint.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Ask the product owner to prioritize the change and add it to the product backlog for a future sprint. — In agile, the sprint backlog is a commitment for the current iteration. Adding a significant scope change mid-sprint violates the sprint goal and destabilizes the team's velocity. The correct action is to capture the change in the product backlog and prioritize it for a future sprint, preserving the integrity of the current sprint and allowing the product owner to manage the product backlog as the single source of truth for requirements.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.