PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Direct the team to immediately implement the changes required by the regulation to avoid shutdown

  Why it's wrong here

  While the urgency of avoiding a shutdown is critical, directing immediate implementation without formal process is a critical governance failure. All changes, especially those with significant project impact, must follow the integrated change control process to assess scope, schedule, cost, and risk implications. Bypassing this process undermines project control, potentially leading to unmanaged scope creep, budget overruns, and unapproved deviations from the project baseline. This approach lacks proper documentation and stakeholder alignment.

• ✗

  Inform the sponsor that the project will need to be cancelled due to the new regulation

  Why it's wrong here

  Recommending project cancellation as an initial response to a new regulation is premature and demonstrates a lack of proactive problem-solving. A project manager's responsibility includes analyzing new constraints, assessing their impact, and developing potential mitigation strategies or alternative approaches to achieve project objectives. Only after a thorough analysis reveals no viable path to compliance, or if the cost/schedule impact is prohibitive, should cancellation be considered and presented with supporting data to the sponsor.

• ✗

  Ignore the regulation and continue as planned because it is not yet enforced

  Why it's wrong here

  Ignoring a newly announced regulation, even if not immediately enforced, is a severe breach of project governance and risk management principles. Project managers are ethically and legally obligated to ensure project compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. Failing to proactively address this mandatory requirement exposes the project to significant legal penalties, reputational damage, and potentially costly rework or project shutdown once enforcement begins. Proactive assessment and planning are essential to mitigate such risks.

• ✓

  Analyze the impact on the project and submit a change request to incorporate the new requirements

  Why this is correct

  This is the correct and most professional approach. The project manager must first conduct a thorough impact analysis to understand how the new regulation affects the project's scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risks. Subsequently, a formal change request must be submitted through the integrated change control process, detailing the proposed adjustments and their implications. This ensures that all changes are properly reviewed, approved by the Change Control Board (CCB), documented, and incorporated into the project baselines in a controlled manner, maintaining project governance and stakeholder alignment.

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