What to Do When Planned Risk Mitigation Fails on the Critical Path
During a complex construction project, a key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component for another 4 weeks. This component is on the critical path and has no float. You have identified this risk in the risk register with a planned response of 'mitigate' by having a backup vendor. However, the backup vendor also cannot deliver on time. What should you do first?
Quick Answer
The correct first step is to evaluate alternative options such as fast-tracking other activities or sourcing from a different vendor, and then communicate the impact to stakeholders. This is because when a planned risk mitigation fails on the critical path, the project manager must immediately move to implement a contingency or fallback plan, not simply accept the delay. The technical concept here is that the risk response failure triggers a secondary response from the risk register, and since the critical path has zero float, any delay directly extends the project duration unless alternative schedule compression techniques are applied. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to prioritize proactive problem-solving over reactive blame or documentation; a common trap is choosing to “update the risk register” first, but the correct sequence is to evaluate options before formally logging the failure. Remember the mnemonic “Eval then Comms” — evaluate alternatives first, then communicate the impact to stakeholders.
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to escalation (A) or acceptance (B) without first exhausting the project manager's authority to evaluate and implement alternative responses, confusing a failed risk response with an immediate need for a change request.
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
✓
Evaluate alternative options such as fast-tracking other activities or sourcing from a different vendor, and then communicate the impact to stakeholders
As the project manager, your first duty is to analyze the situation and identify feasible alternatives (e.g., sourcing from a different vendor, fast-tracking other critical path activities) before escalating or accepting the delay. The risk response (mitigate via backup vendor) has failed, so you must reassess options and then communicate the impact to stakeholders, as per the iterative risk management process in the PMBOK Guide.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request a schedule extension
Why it's wrong here
Escalation transfers the decision upward, but the stem asks what to do first; the risk register's mitigation has already failed, so the response should be re-assessed and a workaround implemented before seeking sponsor authority for a baseline change. Escalation suits issues exceeding the project manager's authority.
- ✗
Accept the delay and update the project schedule accordingly
Why it's wrong here
Accepting the delay abandons the critical path with zero float, so the schedule slips without evaluating alternatives. It tempts as a fallback when mitigation fails, but it would be correct only after other responses are assessed or when the risk is genuinely unavoidable.
- ✓
Evaluate alternative options such as fast-tracking other activities or sourcing from a different vendor, and then communicate the impact to stakeholders
Why this is correct
With both primary and backup vendors failing, the mitigation is exhausted, so the project manager must first evaluate alternatives such as fast-tracking or another source before communicating. Assessing options precedes stakeholder notification, giving accurate impact data for the critical-path delay.
- ✗
Immediately crash the schedule by adding resources to other activities to compress time
Why it's wrong here
Crashing compresses activities already in progress; it cannot manufacture a component that no vendor can supply, so the critical path stays blocked. It tempts because crashing is a legitimate schedule-compression technique when duration estimates can be shortened by adding resources to tasks that are actually workable.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PMP
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 a construction project, a key vendor informs you that a critical component will be delayed by three weeks due to a raw material shortage. The component is on the project's critical path. What should you do FIRST?
medium- ✓ A.Check the risk register for the pre-planned risk response and implement it
- B.Immediately inform the sponsor and ask for more budget to expedite the component
- C.Negotiate with the vendor to shorten the delay without additional cost
- D.Update the project schedule and inform stakeholders of the delay
Why A: The correct first action is to check the risk register for a pre-planned risk response. Since the component is on the critical path, any delay directly impacts the project completion date. A well-managed project would have identified this risk (raw material shortage) during planning and documented a response strategy (e.g., alternative sourcing, buffer stock). Implementing that pre-planned response is the most efficient and proactive step, aligning with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on executing risk responses.
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.