PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time, which will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to 'communicate immediately' (Option A) or 'fix the problem' (Option B) without first analyzing the impact, confusing proactive communication with the correct first step of analysis and evaluation.
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
✓
Analyze the schedule impact and evaluate options such as crashing or fast-tracking
In a predictive project, the first step when a critical path delay is identified is to analyze the schedule impact and evaluate recovery options like crashing or fast-tracking. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Plan Schedule Management' and 'Control Schedule' processes, where you assess the variance and determine corrective actions before escalating. Immediately notifying stakeholders or switching vendors without understanding the impact could lead to unnecessary panic or premature decisions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Immediately notify the project sponsor and stakeholders about the delay
Why it's wrong here
Immediately notifying stakeholders without a comprehensive understanding of the delay's root cause, full impact, or potential solutions is premature and can lead to unnecessary alarm or misinformed decisions. Effective communication requires a clear message, an action plan, and an understanding of stakeholder information needs, which can only be developed after thorough analysis. This approach bypasses the critical steps of impact assessment and response planning, potentially eroding stakeholder confidence.
- ✗
Instruct the procurement team to find a new vendor
Why it's wrong here
Directing the procurement team to immediately seek a new vendor is a reactive and potentially costly decision that bypasses critical analysis of the current situation. This action does not consider the possibility of negotiating with the existing vendor, assessing their recovery plan, or evaluating the time and cost implications of onboarding a new supplier. Such a hasty move could introduce further delays and financial penalties without first exploring more efficient mitigation strategies.
- ✗
Update the risk register and move on
Why it's wrong here
Merely updating the risk register and taking no further action is an insufficient response to an identified project delay. While documenting the risk status is a crucial part of risk monitoring and control, it does not address the actual impact on the project objectives. A proactive project manager must move beyond identification and documentation to implement specific risk response strategies designed to mitigate or resolve the issue.
- ✓
Analyze the schedule impact and evaluate options such as crashing or fast-tracking
Why this is correct
The most appropriate initial response is to conduct a thorough schedule impact analysis to quantify the delay's effect on project milestones and the overall completion date. Following this assessment, evaluating specific schedule compression techniques like crashing, which involves adding resources to critical path activities, or fast-tracking, which means performing activities in parallel, allows for informed decision-making. This systematic approach ensures that any chosen mitigation strategy is data-driven and directly addresses the identified schedule variance.
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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.