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?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is thinking that because the change is mandatory (due to regulation), you can skip the change control process and just implement it. Candidates might choose to start implementing immediately to save time, but PMP emphasizes that all changes must go through the change control board. Another trap is choosing to stop the project, which is rarely the first step; the project manager should first evaluate the impact and follow the process.
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 requires additional data privacy controls, it constitutes a change to the project scope, schedule, and cost. According to PMBOK, any change to the project baseline must go through the Perform Integrated Change Control process. The first step is to submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) to evaluate the impact and decide whether to approve, reject, or defer the change. This ensures that the change is properly assessed and documented before implementation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
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.
- ✗
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.
- ✗
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.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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.