Question 857 of 892

Process — Managing Technical Aspects →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

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.

You are managing a software development project using an Agile approach. The team consists of 8 developers and 2 testers. During the last three sprints, the team has consistently delivered about 70% of planned story points. The product owner is frustrated because key features are being delayed. The team reports that they are spending too much time fixing defects found during testing, and that the testers are a bottleneck. Upon reviewing the definition of done, you notice that unit tests are required but not always written, and integration tests are done only at the end of the sprint. What is the BEST course of action to address the root cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "always"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.

A
Reduce the sprint backlog size to 50% of current capacity to allow more time for testing.
Why wrong: This does not address the root cause of defects found late; it only reduces throughput.
B
Require that all code have unit tests before being merged, and implement continuous integration to run automated tests every few hours.
This addresses the root cause of late defect discovery by shifting quality left.
C
Ask the product owner to defer non-critical features to later releases.
Why wrong: This does not improve the development process; it only reprioritizes work.
D
Add two more testers to the team to increase testing capacity.
Why wrong: Adding testers does not prevent defects; it only increases capacity to test, but the bottleneck may shift.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Require that all code have unit tests before being merged, and implement continuous integration to run automated tests every few hours.

Option B directly addresses the root cause: the team is spending too much time fixing defects because unit tests are not always written and integration tests are deferred to the end of the sprint. By requiring unit tests before merging and implementing continuous integration (CI) with automated tests running every few hours, defects are caught earlier, reducing rework and eliminating the tester bottleneck. This aligns with Agile principles of built-in quality and early feedback, which improves velocity and predictability.

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.

✗
Reduce the sprint backlog size to 50% of current capacity to allow more time for testing.
Why it's wrong here
This does not address the root cause of defects found late; it only reduces throughput.
✓
Require that all code have unit tests before being merged, and implement continuous integration to run automated tests every few hours.
Why this is correct
This addresses the root cause of late defect discovery by shifting quality left.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Ask the product owner to defer non-critical features to later releases.
Why it's wrong here
This does not improve the development process; it only reprioritizes work.
✗
Add two more testers to the team to increase testing capacity.
Why it's wrong here
Adding testers does not prevent defects; it only increases capacity to test, but the bottleneck may shift.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often choose to add resources (Option D) or reduce scope (Option A/C) instead of addressing the process and technical practice gap—specifically, the lack of automated testing and continuous integration, which is the true root cause of the bottleneck and low velocity.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Continuous integration (CI) with automated unit tests ensures that every code commit is validated immediately, preventing integration hell and reducing the feedback loop from days to minutes. In Agile, the definition of done should include passing all unit tests and integration tests; without this, technical debt accumulates, and the team's velocity becomes unreliable. Real-world scenarios show that teams adopting CI with test automation often see a 30-50% reduction in defect escape rates and improved sprint predictability.

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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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: Require that all code have unit tests before being merged, and implement continuous integration to run automated tests every few hours. — Option B directly addresses the root cause: the team is spending too much time fixing defects because unit tests are not always written and integration tests are deferred to the end of the sprint. By requiring unit tests before merging and implementing continuous integration (CI) with automated tests running every few hours, defects are caught earlier, reducing rework and eliminating the tester bottleneck. This aligns with Agile principles of built-in quality and early feedback, which improves velocity and predictability.

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: "always". Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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