PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
You are managing a construction project. During a quality audit, you find that the concrete used in the foundation does not meet the specified strength requirements. The team has already poured the concrete. The project is on a tight schedule, and rework will delay the project by three weeks. What should you do NEXT?
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
✓
Submit a change request to perform rework and update the project management plan accordingly.
Since the non-conformance has been identified, the next step is to create a corrective action request and follow the change control process to address the issue properly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Submit a change request to perform rework and update the project management plan accordingly.
Why this is correct
This option correctly follows the PMP-recommended process for addressing quality non-conformance. Identifying a quality issue during an audit necessitates a formal "change request" to authorize "rework," ensuring the defect is properly addressed. This action triggers the "Perform Integrated Change Control" process, allowing for systematic evaluation of the impact, obtaining necessary approvals, and updating the project management plan to reflect the revised scope, schedule, or cost implications of the corrective action.
- ✗
Reinforce the concrete to meet strength requirements without removing it.
Why it's wrong here
This approach is problematic because it bypasses the formal quality control and change management processes. While it might seem like a solution, reinforcing concrete without removing it may not be technically feasible or meet the original design specifications, potentially leading to long-term structural integrity issues. Crucially, it fails to formally document the non-conformance, evaluate alternative solutions systematically, or obtain the necessary approvals for such a significant deviation from the quality plan, thereby losing control and traceability.
- ✗
Instruct the team to continue work and document the deviation as a lesson learned.
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to continue work while merely documenting the deviation as a lesson learned is a severe dereliction of quality management responsibilities. This action deliberately ignores a critical quality non-conformance, which could lead to project failure, safety hazards, and significant stakeholder dissatisfaction. The purpose of quality control is to identify and correct defects, not to simply acknowledge them and proceed, violating the fundamental principle of ensuring deliverables meet specified requirements.
- ✗
Replace the project manager responsible for quality control.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the project manager responsible for quality control is a punitive and often ineffective response to a quality issue. PMI's approach to quality management emphasizes identifying and addressing systemic process deficiencies rather than assigning individual blame. Without a thorough root cause analysis, replacing personnel fails to resolve the underlying issues that contributed to the non-conformance, making recurrence highly probable and hindering continuous process improvement within the project.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Change Control Process
A formal, structured procedure used to manage any changes to a project's scope, schedule, budget, or requirements, ensuring every modification is reviewed, approved, tested, and documented before implementation.
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