PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects 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.

• ✗

  Reduce project scope by eliminating non-essential deliverables

  Why it's wrong here

  Reducing project scope by eliminating non-essential deliverables is a valid schedule compression technique, but it requires a formal change request process and stakeholder approval. This approach alters the project's baseline scope, potentially impacting the value delivered to the customer. It is generally considered a last resort or a strategic decision rather than an immediate tactical response to an unexpected delay, as the primary goal is often to meet the original scope and schedule if possible.

• ✗

  Update the risk register and inform stakeholders of the delay without taking action

  Why it's wrong here

  Merely updating the risk register and informing stakeholders without implementing corrective actions represents a passive acceptance strategy, which is generally not an appropriate response to a project being behind schedule. While communication is crucial, a project manager is is expected to proactively identify and implement schedule compression techniques to mitigate the delay. This approach fails to address the negative schedule variance and could lead to further deterioration of the project's performance objectives.

• ✗

  Immediately apply fast tracking to overlap activities on the critical path

  Why it's wrong here

  Fast tracking involves performing activities in parallel that would normally be done in sequence, which can compress the schedule. However, this technique inherently increases project risk due to potential rework, quality issues, and increased communication complexity, as subsequent activities may begin before predecessors are fully complete. While a valid option, it is often less direct than crashing when resources are available and the primary concern is reducing duration without significantly increasing risk.

• ✓

  Crash the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities

  Why this is correct

  Crashing the schedule involves adding or reallocating resources to critical path activities to shorten their duration, thereby reducing the overall project completion time. This is a direct and effective schedule compression technique specifically designed to address negative schedule variance by focusing efforts on the activities that determine the project's earliest completion date. While it typically increases project costs due to additional resources, it directly targets the schedule delay without altering scope or significantly increasing risk compared to other methods.

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