PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
Your project is using a hybrid approach with a fixed-price contract for the predictive portion and a time-and-materials contract for the agile portion. A change request from a stakeholder would affect both portions. The change control board (CCB) has approved the change for the predictive portion but deferred the agile portion to the product owner. How should you proceed?
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
✓
Update the predictive baseline as approved, and coordinate with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion in the product backlog
The correct approach is option A. The CCB approved the change for the predictive portion, so you should update the predictive baseline accordingly. For the agile portion, the CCB deferred to the product owner, so you should coordinate with the product owner to prioritize the change in the product backlog. This aligns with the hybrid approach where the CCB oversees the predictive part and the product owner manages the agile part.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Update the predictive baseline as approved, and coordinate with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion in the product backlog
Why this is correct
This option correctly applies distinct change management processes to each project component. For the predictive portion, the CCB's approval necessitates a formal update to the project baselines, ensuring adherence to the established change control process. For the agile portion, the CCB's deferral indicates that its management falls under the Product Owner's purview, allowing them to integrate and prioritize it within the product backlog according to agile principles of adaptability and continuous value delivery. This approach respects both formal governance and agile flexibility.
- ✗
Implement the change for both portions since the CCB approved the overall change
Why it's wrong here
Implementing the change for both portions would be a critical deviation from the approved change request. The CCB explicitly deferred the agile portion, which is not an approval. Proceeding with an unapproved change, especially one that was specifically put on hold, bypasses the established change control process for that component and could lead to unauthorized scope changes, resource misallocation, or misalignment with stakeholder expectations.
- ✗
Request the CCB to also approve the agile portion before taking any action
Why it's wrong here
Requesting the CCB to approve the agile portion after they have already deferred it misinterprets the nature of their decision and the role of agile management. In a hybrid context, deferring an agile item typically means it is returned to the Product Owner for prioritization and management within the dynamic product backlog, not that it requires further formal CCB approval. The Product Owner is empowered to manage the backlog, and involving the CCB for every backlog item would negate agile flexibility and create unnecessary bureaucracy.
- ✗
Reject the change entirely because it was not fully approved
Why it's wrong here
Rejecting the entire change because it was not fully approved disregards the CCB's explicit decision to approve the predictive portion. A partial approval means that the approved component is valid and actionable, and the project team is obligated to implement it. Failing to proceed with the approved part would lead to delays, potentially violate the change management plan, and ignore a legitimate directive from the governing body.
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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.