- A
Praise the team for their initiative and innovation
Why wrong: Gold-plating is negative; praising it encourages more waste.
- B
Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features
Understanding the root cause can prevent recurrence.
- C
Review the work completed and remove any unapproved features
Unapproved features should be removed to maintain scope integrity.
- D
Update the scope baseline to include the extra features
Why wrong: Approval is required before baselining; gold-plating should not be retroactively approved.
- E
Remind the team to only work on approved requirements
Reinforcing scope discipline is essential.
Question 840 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.
Your project is using a hybrid approach. During a mid-project review, you discover that the team has been gold-plating deliverables—adding extra features not requested by the customer. Which THREE actions should you take?
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
✓
Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features
Option B is correct because investigating why the team gold-plated helps identify root causes such as unclear requirements, pressure to innovate, or lack of scope control. In a hybrid approach, this investigation supports both agile principles of continuous improvement and predictive governance of scope. Understanding the 'why' prevents recurrence and aligns team behavior with the approved backlog and work packages.
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.
- ✗
Praise the team for their initiative and innovation
Why it's wrong here
Gold-plating is negative; praising it encourages more waste.
- ✓
Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features
Why this is correct
Understanding the root cause can prevent recurrence.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Review the work completed and remove any unapproved features
Why this is correct
Unapproved features should be removed to maintain scope integrity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Update the scope baseline to include the extra features
Why it's wrong here
Approval is required before baselining; gold-plating should not be retroactively approved.
- ✓
Remind the team to only work on approved requirements
Why this is correct
Reinforcing scope discipline is essential.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates mistake gold-plating for 'innovation' or 'value-add' and select praise (Option A), failing to recognize that any unapproved scope change—even if well-intentioned—is a risk to project constraints and must be removed or formally approved.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Gold-plating often arises when the team confuses 'user stories' with 'technical spikes' or 'refactoring'—adding features that are not in the product backlog. In a hybrid model, the work breakdown structure (WBS) and the product backlog must remain aligned; unapproved features represent unauthorized work that consumes velocity and budget. A real-world scenario is a team adding a custom reporting module to a SaaS platform without a change request, which later causes integration failures and customer dissatisfaction.
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.
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.
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Process — Managing Technical Aspects — study guide chapter
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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: Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features — Option B is correct because investigating why the team gold-plated helps identify root causes such as unclear requirements, pressure to innovate, or lack of scope control. In a hybrid approach, this investigation supports both agile principles of continuous improvement and predictive governance of scope. Understanding the 'why' prevents recurrence and aligns team behavior with the approved backlog and work packages.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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