PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
During project execution, a team member reports that a deliverable may not meet the quality standards due to a shortcut taken earlier. What should the project manager do?
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
✓
Review the quality management plan and perform a quality audit to identify process gaps
Quality assurance ensures processes are followed. The PM should investigate the issue and take corrective action to prevent nonconformance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Accept the deliverable as is and document the deviation
Why it's wrong here
Accepting a non-conforming deliverable without proper analysis of its impact on scope, schedule, cost, or subsequent project phases is a significant lapse in quality control. This action bypasses the "Perform Quality Control" process, failing to verify that deliverables meet specified quality requirements. Documenting a deviation without understanding its root cause or potential consequences merely records a problem, rather than addressing it proactively to prevent future occurrences or mitigate current risks.
- ✓
Review the quality management plan and perform a quality audit to identify process gaps
Why this is correct
When a deliverable fails to meet quality standards, the project manager's immediate action should involve reviewing the quality management plan to understand the defined standards and processes. Performing a quality audit is a proactive "Manage Quality" process that systematically examines project activities to determine if they comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures. This audit aims to identify process inefficiencies or gaps that led to the non-conformance, thereby preventing recurrence and improving overall project quality.
- ✗
Escalate to the sponsor for a decision on quality acceptance
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a quality issue directly to the project sponsor for a decision on acceptance is premature and bypasses the project manager's primary responsibility for quality management. The project manager is accountable for ensuring deliverables meet quality standards and should first utilize established project processes, such as quality control and quality assurance, to address the non-conformance. Escalation is typically reserved for issues beyond the project manager's authority or those with significant strategic implications after internal resolution attempts have failed.
- ✗
Instruct the team member to redo the work to meet standards
Why it's wrong here
While rework might ultimately be necessary to correct the non-conforming deliverable, simply instructing the team member to redo the work without investigating the underlying cause is a reactive approach. This action fails to address potential systemic issues or process deficiencies that led to the initial quality failure. A PMP-certified project manager should prioritize root cause analysis to prevent similar defects in the future, aligning with the principle of "prevention over inspection" in quality management.
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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 project execution, the quality manager reports that a deliverable does not meet the quality requirements. The project manager needs to take corrective action. Which TWO actions should the PM take?
medium- ✓ A.Issue a change request to correct the defect
- ✓ B.Rework the deliverable to meet the requirements
- C.Add the issue to the lessons learned for future projects
- D.Escalate the issue to the sponsor
- E.Update the quality management plan
Why A: Issuing a change request is the formal process to document and authorize corrective action for a defect that fails to meet quality requirements. This aligns with the Perform Integrated Change Control process, ensuring the defect is tracked, evaluated, and approved before any rework is performed. The change request triggers the necessary updates to the project management plan, scope, or schedule, maintaining control over project baselines.
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.