PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a new feature that was not in the backlog. The team estimates it will take one week. The project is on schedule and budget. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the sprint review's purpose of gathering feedback with the authority to immediately add or implement new features, overlooking the need for formal change control in a hybrid approach.
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 the change control board for evaluation and approval.
In a hybrid project, the sprint review is a feedback session, not a change implementation point. The product owner's request is a change to the project scope, and the correct first step is to submit a formal change request to the change control board (CCB) for evaluation and approval, ensuring alignment with the project's governance and baseline.
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 because the project is already on schedule and budget.
Why it's wrong here
Refusing a stakeholder request outright without proper evaluation is not a proactive project management approach. It bypasses the established change control process, which is designed to assess the impact of all proposed changes on project baselines, resources, and objectives. A project manager should facilitate the evaluation of changes, not unilaterally reject them, to maintain stakeholder engagement and project flexibility.
- ✗
Add the feature to the product backlog and prioritize it in the next sprint planning.
Why it's wrong here
While adding features to a product backlog is common in agile methodologies, simply prioritizing it in the next sprint planning bypasses formal change control. In a hybrid project, significant scope changes often require a more structured review and approval process, especially if they impact the project's contractual obligations, overall budget, or strategic objectives. This approach risks uncontrolled scope creep if not formally assessed against established baselines and governance requirements.
- ✗
Instruct the team to start working on the feature immediately to maintain stakeholder satisfaction.
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to immediately implement a new feature without formal approval is a critical violation of integrated change control. This action directly leads to uncontrolled scope creep, jeopardizes the project's approved baselines for scope, schedule, and cost, and introduces unmanaged risks. Maintaining stakeholder satisfaction should be achieved through a structured change management process, not by bypassing essential project governance.
- ✓
Submit a change request to the change control board for evaluation and approval.
Why this is correct
Submitting a change request to the change control board (CCB) is the correct and most professional action in a hybrid project environment. This ensures that the proposed feature is formally evaluated for its impact on all project baselines, including scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks. The CCB's approval process ensures that changes are strategically aligned, properly resourced, and formally documented, maintaining project integrity and control.
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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.