This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. 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.
During a sprint review, the product owner requests a significant change to a feature that was just completed. The change would improve user experience but would require reworking two sprints' worth of work. The project is already behind schedule. What should the project manager do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Agree to the change since it improves user experience and ask the team to start rework
Why wrong: Implementing changes without formal approval bypasses change control.
B
Document the change request and assess its impact on the project constraints before submitting for approval
This follows the Integrated Change Control process.
C
Reject the change because the project is already behind schedule
Why wrong: Rejecting without proper evaluation is not the PMI approach.
D
Add the change to the product backlog for a future release without adjusting the current sprint
Why wrong: Adding to backlog without formal change control may be acceptable in agile, but the PM should still document and assess impact before prioritizing.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Document the change request and assess its impact on the project constraints before submitting for approval
Option B is correct because the project manager must first follow the formal change control process by documenting the change request and assessing its impact on the triple constraints (scope, schedule, cost) before any approval or rejection. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's Integrated Change Control process, which ensures that changes are evaluated systematically to avoid uncontrolled scope creep, especially when the project is already behind schedule.
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.
✗
Agree to the change since it improves user experience and ask the team to start rework
Why it's wrong here
Implementing changes without formal approval bypasses change control.
✓
Document the change request and assess its impact on the project constraints before submitting for approval
Why this is correct
This follows the Integrated Change Control process.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Reject the change because the project is already behind schedule
Why it's wrong here
Rejecting without proper evaluation is not the PMI approach.
✗
Add the change to the product backlog for a future release without adjusting the current sprint
Why it's wrong here
Adding to backlog without formal change control may be acceptable in agile, but the PM should still document and assess impact before prioritizing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think the product owner's request should be immediately accommodated or rejected based on schedule pressure, but the PMP exam emphasizes that the first step is always to document and assess the change through the formal change control process, regardless of the project's status.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Agile frameworks, the product owner can request changes at any time, but the project manager (or Scrum Master) must ensure that changes are evaluated through the product backlog refinement process. The change control board (CCB) or product owner, depending on the governance model, reviews the impact analysis before approving changes. In this scenario, the project manager should perform a cost-benefit analysis and schedule impact assessment, potentially using earned value management (EVM) metrics like schedule performance index (SPI) to quantify the delay before deciding to rework or defer.
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.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Document the change request and assess its impact on the project constraints before submitting for approval — Option B is correct because the project manager must first follow the formal change control process by documenting the change request and assessing its impact on the triple constraints (scope, schedule, cost) before any approval or rejection. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's Integrated Change Control process, which ensures that changes are evaluated systematically to avoid uncontrolled scope creep, especially when the project is already behind schedule.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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