C_ARSUM Ariba Supplier Management Practice Question
A supplier management team is troubleshooting why a supplier who completed a qualification questionnaire has not advanced to the next lifecycle phase. The qualification project shows the questionnaire as submitted, but the supplier's status remains unchanged. The team has confirmed the questionnaire was received. Which configuration issue is most likely preventing the status change?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating questionnaire submission with qualification completion, when a template can include additional tasks such as approvals that must finish before the lifecycle phase advances.
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
✓
The qualification template's lifecycle transition is gated on an approval task that has not yet been completed
In SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance, a lifecycle phase change occurs only after all tasks defined in the qualification template are completed. A submitted questionnaire satisfies the questionnaire task, but if the template also includes an approval task, the transition waits on that approval. The symptom of a received questionnaire with an unchanged status therefore points to an outstanding approval or similar gating task.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The supplier's registration template is missing a mandatory diversity question
Why it's wrong here
A missing diversity question on the registration template would affect the registration process, not the qualification project's ability to advance the lifecycle phase. The scenario states the supplier already completed registration and is now in qualification. This issue would not block a submitted qualification questionnaire from triggering a status change.
- ✗
The supplier's commodity assignments do not include the qualification template's target commodity
Why it's wrong here
Commodity assignments influence which qualification templates apply and how qualification is scoped, but they do not hold back a lifecycle transition once the correct template has been issued and its questionnaire submitted. If the template had been issued, the commodity mapping was already satisfied at that point. This would prevent issuance, not completion of the transition.
- ✗
The supplier's preferred status flag was cleared during the last performance review
Why it's wrong here
Preferred status is an outcome that may result from qualification or performance, not a gate that blocks a lifecycle transition when a questionnaire is submitted. Clearing it would affect how the supplier is treated in sourcing, not whether an in-progress qualification project advances. It is unrelated to the symptom described.
- ✓
The qualification template's lifecycle transition is gated on an approval task that has not yet been completed
Why this is correct
Lifecycle phase changes are driven by completion of the template's defined tasks, and an approval task is a common gate. If the questionnaire is submitted but the approval task remains open, the supplier cannot advance even though their response is complete. This precisely matches the symptom of a submitted questionnaire with no status change, making the pending approval the likely cause.
About these practice questions
One of 250 original C_ARSUM practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official SAP exam blueprint
This C_ARSUM practice question is part of Courseiva's free SAP 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 C_ARSUM exam.