PMP Practice Question: Business Environment: strategy and project benefits
You are the project manager for a government IT project. Midway through, a new regulation is enacted that requires additional data privacy controls. The team estimates this will add 4 weeks to the schedule and increase costs by 10%. What should you do FIRST?
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 to incorporate the required changes
When a new regulation impacts a project, the project manager should follow the formal change control process. The first step is to assess the impact and submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) for review and approval. This ensures compliance while maintaining proper governance. Option A is wrong because implementing changes without approval bypasses change control. Option B is wrong because ignoring regulations exposes the organization to legal risk. Option C is wrong because stopping the project is an extreme measure that should only be considered after evaluating alternatives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Instruct the team to start implementing the new controls immediately
Why it's wrong here
As a project manager, instructing the team to implement new controls immediately without formal approval constitutes an unauthorized change. This action bypasses established change control processes and project governance, potentially impacting project baselines (scope, schedule, cost) without proper assessment or stakeholder consensus. Such unilateral decisions can lead to scope creep, rework, and non-compliance with organizational policies.
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Ignore the regulation until the project is complete to avoid delays
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a newly issued government regulation until project completion is a severe breach of professional responsibility and ethical conduct. Regulatory compliance is mandatory, and failing to address it exposes the organization to significant legal penalties, financial fines, reputational damage, and potential project cancellation. The project manager has a fiduciary duty to ensure the project adheres to all applicable laws and regulations.
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Recommend stopping the project until the regulation is clarified
Why it's wrong here
Recommending to stop the project entirely due to a new regulation is an extreme and premature response. Before resorting to such a drastic measure, the project manager should first assess the regulation's specific impact, explore potential solutions, and propose a path forward. A temporary pause or re-scoping through formal change control is a more appropriate initial step than outright cessation, which incurs significant costs and delays.
- ✓
Submit a change request to the change control board to incorporate the required changes
Why this is correct
Submitting a change request to the Change Control Board (CCB) is the correct and most professional course of action. This formal process ensures that the mandatory regulatory changes are properly assessed for their impact on project baselines, resources, and risks. The CCB then reviews, approves, or rejects the proposed changes, ensuring integrated change control and maintaining project governance and stakeholder alignment.
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.