PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
Your project is using a hybrid approach. During a mid-project review, you discover that the team has been gold-plating deliverables—adding extra features not requested by the customer. Which THREE actions should you take?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates mistake gold-plating for 'innovation' or 'value-add' and select praise (Option A), failing to recognize that any unapproved scope change—even if well-intentioned—is a risk to project constraints and must be removed or formally approved.
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
✓
Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features
Option B is correct because gold-plating signals a root-cause issue—such as unclear requirements, pressure to over-deliver, or misunderstanding of scope—so the project manager must investigate why the team added unrequested features before correcting the behavior. Option C is correct because any work not authorized in the scope baseline is scope creep and must be identified and removed or reverted to bring deliverables back into alignment with approved requirements. Option E is correct because reinforcing that the team should only perform work tied to approved requirements prevents recurrence and protects the scope, schedule, and cost baselines. Option A is not appropriate because praising gold-plating rewards unauthorized work that consumes budget and time without customer approval. Option D is wrong because updating the scope baseline to legitimize unapproved features bypasses the integrated change control process and effectively ratifies scope creep.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Praise the team for their initiative and innovation
Why it's wrong here
Praising the team for adding unauthorized features, known as gold-plating, is detrimental to project success. This action undermines the principles of scope control and encourages further deviation from the approved scope baseline, potentially leading to wasted resources, increased costs, and schedule delays. It sends a message that unauthorized work is acceptable, which contradicts effective project governance.
- ✓
Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features
Why this is correct
Investigating the underlying reasons why the team felt compelled to add extra features is a critical step in effective project management. This root cause analysis helps identify issues such as unclear requirements, communication gaps, or a misunderstanding of project priorities. Addressing these systemic issues is essential to prevent recurrence of gold-plating and foster a culture of scope discipline within the team.
- ✓
Review the work completed and remove any unapproved features
Why this is correct
Maintaining scope integrity is paramount, and unapproved features represent a deviation from the agreed-upon project scope. The project manager must promptly review the completed work, identify any unauthorized additions, and ensure their removal. This action prevents unnecessary resource expenditure, keeps the project aligned with its baseline, and ensures that only approved value is delivered to stakeholders.
- ✗
Update the scope baseline to include the extra features
Why it's wrong here
Updating the scope baseline to retroactively include unapproved extra features is an inappropriate response to gold-plating. The scope baseline represents the formally approved project scope, and any changes must undergo a formal change control process, including stakeholder review and approval. Legitimizing unauthorized work bypasses governance, encourages future gold-plating, and can lead to uncontrolled scope creep becoming an accepted practice.
- ✓
Remind the team to only work on approved requirements
Why this is correct
Reinforcing scope discipline is a fundamental responsibility of the project manager to prevent gold-plating and scope creep. Clearly communicating and reminding the team to focus solely on approved requirements helps ensure all efforts contribute directly to delivering the agreed-upon value. This action reiterates the importance of adhering to the project scope statement and baseline, preventing the expenditure of resources on unauthorized or unnecessary features.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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