PMP Practice Question: Business Environment: strategy and project benefits
You are the project manager for a marketing campaign project using a hybrid approach. Mid-sprint, the product owner asks the team to add a new feature that increases customer engagement. The team has capacity, but the new feature was not in the approved business case. 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 evaluate the impact on the business case and obtain approval
Any change that impacts the business case must go through the change control process. Option A bypasses approval, option B is premature without analysis, option D escalates without proper documentation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask the sponsor for permission to proceed
Why it's wrong here
Asking only the sponsor for permission bypasses the formal Integrated Change Control process, which requires a comprehensive impact analysis across all project baselines, risks, and resources. The sponsor, while a key stakeholder, may not possess the detailed project context or technical understanding to fully assess the implications of a change without a formal evaluation, potentially leading to unforeseen negative consequences for the project.
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Allow the team to add the feature since they have capacity
Why it's wrong here
Allowing the team to add features simply due to available capacity constitutes unauthorized scope creep, directly violating the project's established change control procedures and undermining baseline integrity. Implementing unapproved changes, even with good intentions, can divert resources from approved work, introduce new risks, and ultimately jeopardize the project's original business justification and objectives.
- ✓
Submit a change request to evaluate the impact on the business case and obtain approval
Why this is correct
Submitting a formal change request is the correct project management practice, initiating a structured process to evaluate the proposed feature's comprehensive impact on the project's scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks. This ensures that any potential changes to the project baselines are thoroughly assessed against the business case and formally approved by the appropriate authority, such as a Change Control Board, before implementation.
- ✗
Refuse to add the feature because it was not in the business case
Why it's wrong here
Refusing to add a feature solely because it was not in the initial business case demonstrates a lack of proactive project management and stakeholder engagement. While the original business case is foundational, a project manager should always evaluate proposed changes through the formal change control process to assess their potential value, feasibility, and impact before making a definitive decision, rather than an arbitrary rejection.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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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