PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
Your project is 60% complete. The cost performance index (CPI) is 1.1, and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.85. The project sponsor is concerned about the schedule delay. Which of the following is the BEST action to take?
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
✓
Analyze the schedule and evaluate options such as fast-tracking or crashing with the cost savings
Since the project is under budget but behind schedule, the best action is to analyze the schedule to determine if schedule compression techniques can be applied, using the cost savings to fund crashing or fast-tracking.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduce scope to meet the schedule deadline
Why it's wrong here
Reducing project scope unilaterally to meet a schedule deadline is an inappropriate action for a project manager. All scope changes, regardless of their nature, must follow the formal integrated change control process, involving stakeholders and obtaining approved change requests. Bypassing this critical process undermines project governance, can lead to stakeholder dissatisfaction, and may result in delivering a product that does not meet original requirements.
- ✓
Analyze the schedule and evaluate options such as fast-tracking or crashing with the cost savings
Why this is correct
Analyzing the schedule to evaluate compression techniques like fast-tracking or crashing is the most appropriate and professional response when facing schedule pressure. Fast-tracking involves performing activities in parallel that would normally be done in sequence, while crashing adds resources to critical path activities to shorten durations, often incurring additional cost. This approach demonstrates proactive schedule management, leveraging available cost savings or reserves to strategically address schedule variances and maintain project objectives.
- ✗
Immediately add more resources to the critical path to speed up work
Why it's wrong here
Immediately adding more resources to the critical path without prior analysis is a reactive and potentially ineffective strategy. Such an action risks increasing project costs unnecessarily without guaranteeing schedule improvement, as adding resources may introduce diseconomies of scale, require additional training, or lead to communication overhead. A thorough analysis is essential to determine if additional resources are truly beneficial, where they are most effective, and if the cost-benefit justifies the intervention.
- ✗
Update the schedule baseline to reflect the current actuals
Why it's wrong here
Updating the schedule baseline to reflect current actuals without a formal change request is a critical violation of project management principles. Baselines serve as the approved reference point for measuring project performance against planned objectives, and arbitrarily altering them distorts true performance indicators. Any modification to an approved baseline must undergo the formal integrated change control process, ensuring all impacts are assessed and stakeholder approval is secured.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PMP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your project is 40% complete and the earned value metrics show: PV = $500,000, EV = $450,000, AC = $520,000. What is the most accurate interpretation of the project's performance?
medium- A.Project is on schedule and over budget
- B.Project is ahead of schedule and under budget
- ✓ C.Project is behind schedule and over budget
- D.Project is behind schedule and under budget
Why C: The project is behind schedule because the Earned Value (EV) of $450,000 is less than the Planned Value (PV) of $500,000, resulting in a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 0.90. It is over budget because the Actual Cost (AC) of $520,000 exceeds the EV, yielding a Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.865. This combination of SPI < 1 and CPI < 1 indicates the project is both behind schedule and over budget.
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.