Which Three Actions Should You Take When Sponsor Asks to Skip Testing in Hybrid Project?
Your project is using a hybrid approach. Mid-project, the sponsor asks you to skip the testing phase to save time and meet the deadline. The team is concerned about quality. Which THREE actions should you take?
Quick Answer
Proposing an alternative such as reducing the scope of testing or applying risk-based testing is the right response because it reframes a demand to cut a quality safeguard entirely into a negotiation over how testing effort gets allocated, which preserves the sponsor's goal of saving time without abandoning quality altogether. Risk-based testing works by concentrating testing effort on the highest-risk or highest-value areas of the deliverable, so the team still catches the defects most likely to cause serious problems even though they're not testing everything with equal depth. This is a meaningfully different response than simply agreeing to skip testing outright, which would satisfy the schedule pressure but expose the project to defects that testing exists to catch, or than flatly refusing the sponsor's request, which ignores the legitimate deadline pressure the sponsor is under. By consulting the team to identify which tests matter most, the project manager turns a binary yes-or-no decision into a scoped, defensible compromise that both sides can live with. Whenever a sponsor or stakeholder pushes to cut a process step entirely for the sake of schedule, the strongest response on these exams is rarely full compliance or flat refusal; it's proposing a scaled-down or risk-prioritized version of that step that protects the intent behind it while still respecting the real-world constraint driving the request.
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose to escalate immediately (Option B) thinking it's a formal risk response, but the hybrid approach requires first engaging the sponsor and team to find a negotiated solution before escalating.
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
✓
Consult with the team to identify the most critical tests that can be performed within the remaining time
Option A is correct because consulting the team to identify the most critical tests allows the project to prioritize high-risk, high-impact areas within the remaining time, preserving essential quality checks despite the schedule pressure. Option D is correct because the project manager must transparently communicate the consequences of skipping testing—such as increased defects, rework, warranty costs, and reputational damage—so the sponsor can make an informed risk-based decision. Option E is correct because proposing alternatives like reducing test scope or applying risk-based testing offers a constructive compromise that balances the sponsor's deadline with the team's quality concerns. Option B is not appropriate because escalating to the PMO or steering committee without first discussing the issue with the sponsor bypasses proper stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution. Option C is incorrect because simply agreeing to skip testing ignores the team's quality concerns and the project manager's responsibility to manage risks and protect deliverable integrity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Consult with the team to identify the most critical tests that can be performed within the remaining time
Why this is correct
Risk-based test prioritisation identifies the highest-impact tests achievable in the remaining schedule, addressing the sponsor's deadline constraint without abandoning quality assurance entirely. Consulting the team leverages their technical knowledge to select the critical tests that mitigate the greatest delivery risk.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the PMO or steering committee without further discussion
Why it's wrong here
Should first discuss with the sponsor directly.
- ✗
Agree to skip testing to meet the sponsor's request
Why it's wrong here
Skipping testing removes the verification controls that hybrid delivery retains for the predictive components, directly exposing the project to undetected defects and rework. Agreeing suits scenarios where the sponsor formally accepts the residual risk in writing after impact analysis, not a verbal deadline-driven request.
- ✓
Explain to the sponsor the risks of skipping testing, including potential rework and quality issues
Why this is correct
The sponsor owns the deadline constraint, so surfacing the trade-off is a professional duty. Skipping testing raises defect escape risk, rework cost and reputational damage. Documenting these risks lets the sponsor make an informed decision rather than an uninformed one.
- ✓
Propose an alternative, such as reducing the scope of testing or using risk-based testing
Why this is correct
Risk-based testing prioritises test cases by likelihood and impact of failure, preserving coverage of critical functionality when the schedule is compressed. Reducing testing scope, agreed with the sponsor, satisfies the deadline constraint while retaining quality assurance on high-risk items — a pragmatic alternative to skipping testing outright.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Stakeholder Engagement and Vision Alignment
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
Key term
Project Team Management
Project Team Management is the process of leading, coordinating, and supporting a group of people to complete project tasks and achieve project objectives.
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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. You are managing a construction project using a traditional approach. The sponsor asks you to skip the quality inspection phase to save two weeks and meet an aggressive deadline. What should you do FIRST?
medium- A.Agree to skip the inspections to satisfy the sponsor's request
- B.Refuse outright because quality cannot be compromised
- ✓ C.Explain the risks of skipping quality inspections and discuss alternatives to meet the deadline
- D.Proceed with inspections but report that they were completed
Why C: As a project manager, your first responsibility is to address the sponsor's request professionally by communicating the risks of skipping quality inspections—such as potential rework, safety failures, and cost overruns—and then collaboratively exploring alternatives (e.g., parallel testing, reduced sampling) to meet the deadline without compromising quality. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and proactive risk management, not blind compliance or refusal.
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.