PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. Midway through, the customer requests a new feature that was not in the original scope. The team estimates it will add two weeks to the schedule. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse the agile practice of adding features to a backlog with the hybrid requirement for formal change control, leading them to pick Option C without recognizing the need for prior impact analysis.
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 and conduct an impact analysis
In a hybrid project, changes to scope must follow a formal change control process. Option D is correct because submitting a change request and conducting an impact analysis ensures the feature's effect on cost, schedule, and quality is evaluated before any action is taken, aligning with both predictive and agile governance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Refuse the request, as the scope was already finalized
Why it's wrong here
Refusing a customer's request outright, even if the scope was previously finalized, is not aligned with effective stakeholder management or the PMP principle of continuous engagement. While scope is baselined, it is not immutable; project management processes, specifically Integrated Change Control, exist to evaluate and manage requested changes rather than simply dismissing them without assessment, which can damage customer relationships and miss potential value.
- ✗
Ask the team to start working on the feature to keep the customer happy
Why it's wrong here
Directing the team to immediately implement a new feature without formal approval constitutes unauthorized scope creep and violates the Integrated Change Control process. This approach bypasses essential impact analysis on cost, schedule, resources, and risks, potentially destabilizing the project baselines and leading to project failure, despite the intention to satisfy the customer.
- ✗
Add the feature to the product backlog and prioritize it for the next release
Why it's wrong here
While adding a feature to the product backlog is a common agile practice, in a hybrid project, significant changes that impact the project's baselined scope, schedule, or budget still require formal change control. Simply adding it to the backlog without a preceding change request and impact analysis circumvents the necessary governance to assess its overall project implications and gain formal approval, especially if it alters the agreed-upon project deliverables or objectives.
- ✓
Submit a change request and conduct an impact analysis
Why this is correct
Submitting a formal change request and conducting a thorough impact analysis is the correct first step in the Integrated Change Control process. This ensures that the proposed feature's effects on the project's scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, and risks are fully understood before a decision is made. This systematic approach allows for informed decision-making by the Change Control Board (CCB) and maintains project control and governance.
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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JA
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.