- A
Meet with the team member to discuss the issue and explain that only approved scope should be worked on.
The PM should address the behavior directly, educating the team member on the importance of scope control.
- B
Praise the team member for going above and beyond to satisfy the customer.
Why wrong: Gold-plating is not acceptable as it adds unnecessary cost and risk.
- C
Submit a change request to formally approve the extra features.
Why wrong: While a change request could be submitted, the immediate action is to stop the unauthorized work and discuss with the team member.
- D
Ignore it because it might improve customer satisfaction.
Why wrong: Ignoring gold-plating sets a bad precedent and can lead to scope creep and budget overruns.
Question 659 of 892
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 is using a predictive approach. The project manager discovers that a team member has been gold-plating by adding extra features to a deliverable without authorization. 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.
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
✓
Meet with the team member to discuss the issue and explain that only approved scope should be worked on.
In a predictive (waterfall) project, scope is strictly controlled through a formal change control process. Gold-plating—adding unauthorized features—violates this control and introduces risks like scope creep, budget overruns, and schedule delays. The project manager's first action must be to address the behavior directly with the team member, reinforcing that only approved scope should be worked on, before any further steps like change requests are considered.
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.
- ✓
Meet with the team member to discuss the issue and explain that only approved scope should be worked on.
Why this is correct
The PM should address the behavior directly, educating the team member on the importance of scope control.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Praise the team member for going above and beyond to satisfy the customer.
Why it's wrong here
Gold-plating is not acceptable as it adds unnecessary cost and risk.
- ✗
Submit a change request to formally approve the extra features.
Why it's wrong here
While a change request could be submitted, the immediate action is to stop the unauthorized work and discuss with the team member.
- ✗
Ignore it because it might improve customer satisfaction.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring gold-plating sets a bad precedent and can lead to scope creep and budget overruns.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'going above and beyond' with good performance, but the PMP exam strictly penalizes any unauthorized scope additions, regardless of intent, because they violate the predictive methodology's core principle of controlled scope.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Gold-plating is a form of scope creep that often arises from a team member's desire to 'delight' the customer, but in predictive projects, it bypasses the integrated change control system (ICCS) defined in the project management plan. The ICCS requires all changes to be evaluated for impact on the triple constraint (scope, time, cost) and formally approved. A real-world scenario might involve a developer adding a custom reporting module without a change request, which later causes integration failures and rework, costing the project weeks of delay.
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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Process — Managing Technical Aspects practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PMP questions
892 questions across all exam domains
- →
Project Management Professional PMP study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PMP practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PMP practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
People — Leading Projects practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to People — Leading Projects.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Process — Managing Technical Aspects.
Business Environment — Strategy and Value practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Business Environment — Strategy and Value.
Business Environment: strategy and project benefits practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Business Environment: strategy and project benefits.
PMP fundamentals practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP fundamentals.
PMP scenario practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP scenario.
PMP troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PMP practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
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: Meet with the team member to discuss the issue and explain that only approved scope should be worked on. — In a predictive (waterfall) project, scope is strictly controlled through a formal change control process. Gold-plating—adding unauthorized features—violates this control and introduces risks like scope creep, budget overruns, and schedule delays. The project manager's first action must be to address the behavior directly with the team member, reinforcing that only approved scope should be worked on, before any further steps like change requests are considered.
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.
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 →
Keep practising
More PMP practice questions
- During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a completed user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteri…
- During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked by a dependency from another team. The issue was not previou…
- A project manager is leading a digital transformation initiative. Midway through the project, a new regulation is introd…
- Your project is a large infrastructure build. You have completed the planning phase, but the sponsor has put pressure on…
- You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner reque…
- Your agile project has been experiencing declining velocity over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, the t…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.