This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your project is using a hybrid approach. A key stakeholder requests a significant scope change that would affect the critical path. The change request has been submitted and approved. What should the project manager do next?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Update the project management plan and baselines to reflect the approved change
In a hybrid project, once a scope change is approved, the project manager must update the project management plan and baselines (scope, schedule, cost) to formally integrate the change. This ensures all future work aligns with the new approved scope and maintains traceability. Option D is correct because it follows the Perform Integrated Change Control process, which requires updating the plan and baselines before implementation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Wait until the next sprint planning to introduce the change to the team
Why it's wrong here
Delaying the update can cause confusion and misalignment.
✗
Notify the sponsor and update the risk register
Why it's wrong here
Updating the risk register is good, but the primary action is to update the project management plan.
✗
Inform the team about the change and ask them to adjust their work accordingly
Why it's wrong here
While communication is important, the PM must first formally update the project management plan and baselines.
✓
Update the project management plan and baselines to reflect the approved change
Why this is correct
After change approval, the PM must update all relevant project documents to maintain a single source of truth.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'informing the team' (Option C) as the immediate next step, but PMI emphasizes that updating the plan and baselines is the formal, required action before any implementation or communication to the team.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Delaying the update can cause confusion and misalignment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Perform Integrated Change Control process (PMBOK Guide 4.6) requires that all approved changes be reflected in the project management plan and project documents before execution. In a hybrid model, this often involves updating the product backlog, sprint backlog, and the project schedule baseline to account for the critical path impact. A real-world scenario: if a stakeholder approves adding a new feature that extends the critical path by 2 weeks, the project manager must update the schedule baseline and communicate the new timeline to the team before any work begins.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Update the project management plan and baselines to reflect the approved change — In a hybrid project, once a scope change is approved, the project manager must update the project management plan and baselines (scope, schedule, cost) to formally integrate the change. This ensures all future work aligns with the new approved scope and maintains traceability. Option D is correct because it follows the Perform Integrated Change Control process, which requires updating the plan and baselines before implementation.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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