PMP Practice Questions PDF

Q41: A project manager was recently assigned to an investigation project. Due to the complexity of the project, the project manager is unsure if any regulation applies.\ \ How should the project manager determine which regulations apply to the project? A\) Consult with a senior manager who has a hi...

Q41: A project manager was recently assigned to an investigation project. Due to the complexity of the project, the project manager is unsure if any regulation applies.\ \ How should the project manager determine which regulations apply to the project? A\) Consult with a senior manager who has a higher level of authority for regulatory decision making. B\) Contact the project management office (PMO) manager as they are in charge of determining the regulations required. C\) Schedule a meeting with key stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), and the project team to better understand if any regulations are applicable. D\) Request a signed letter from the client to confirm if any regulations apply to any project deliverables. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Meet with key stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), and the project team to better understand if any regulations are applicable.\ The best option is to consult the experts available (SMEs), the project team, and any related stakeholders with expertise on the topic (expert judgment). SMEs provide vision and expertise in specific topics and can be related to internal or external people or organizations.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. A PMO provides guidance on the methodology to be used and not if any regulation needs to be applied. A high-level manager and the client may not be knowledgeable about regulations and may not have a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Q42: During a kickoff meeting with the project sponsor and various project members, it became clear that it was not necessary for some participants to be present. In addition, one required expert was not aware of the meeting and was not present.\ \ What should the project manager have done to prevent this from happening? A\) Established a fixed communication platform to provide updates on the project to all stakeholders. B\) Managed stakeholder engagement by involving the stakeholders in the appropriate activities and stages C\) Developed the project charter including the roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders. D\) Created a responsibility matrix to notify stakeholders of the meetings they are required to attend. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Managed stakeholder engagement by involving the stakeholders in the appropriate activities and stages.\ Managing stakeholder engagement is the correct answer choice because it brings awareness to stakeholders so they know when their participation is required or optional. A kickoff meeting is an event to align team members and stakeholders. So, this is a critical stage for engaging stakeholders.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not address the engagement of the stakeholders, which would have prevented the unawareness of the required stakeholder\'s attendance. A project charter is not a document used to manage the details about the stakeholders\' needs and meeting requirements. Q43: An agile team is developing a product with strict budget constraints. The customer is requesting a new independent feature be added to the solution in development. The project manager is concerned that adding the new feature will exceed the budget.\ \ What should the project manager do next? A\) Evaluate the new feature with the customer. B\) Reject adding the new feature. C\) Add the new feature to the product backlog. D\) Reprioritize the product backlog. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Evaluate the new feature with the customer.\ The project manager should first evaluate the new feature with the customer to determine if it is feasible and meets the customer\'s needs within the budget. This approach ensures that the project manager has a clear understanding of the feature\'s implications before making a decision. If the new feature is not feasible, the project manager should explain this to the customer and offer alternative solutions. If the new feature is feasible, the project manager can work with the customer to prioritize the feature and determine when it can be implemented. This evaluation allows for an informed decision-making process and ensures that customer needs are considered, which is a fundamental aspect of agile development.\ The other options are incorrect. Reprioritizing or adding to the backlog is not the project manager\'s responsibility beyond supporting these decisions with the proper analysis.\ Rejecting the new feature outright without evaluating it with the customer is incorrect because it is important to communicate with the customer and understand their needs. Agile encourages flexibility and collaboration with stakeholders, including the customer. By rejecting the feature without discussion, the project manager may miss valuable insights and potentially risk customer satisfaction.\ Adding the new feature to the product backlog without evaluating it first is incorrect because it assumes that the feature will definitely be implemented, even without considering budget constraints or customer priorities.\ Reprioritizing the product backlog is incorrect because the project has a strict budget, and adding the new feature may not be feasible. Blindly reprioritizing the backlog without evaluating the new feature\'s value, impact, and alignment with the customer\'s needs and budget constraints could lead to poor decision-making and potential budget overruns. Q44: During a weekly team meeting, the project manager reviewed task progress and found that a senior team member did not follow the plan. They performed tasks by personal preference, without communicating with the project manager. The senior team member is an expert and a critical resource for the project.\ \ How should the project manager address this? A\) Discuss this with the resource personally, then update the resource management plan if necessary. B\) Discuss this with the functional manager, then update the resource management plan if necessary. C\) Discuss this with the functional manager, then update the team charter if necessary. D\) Discuss this with the resource personally, then update the team charter if necessary. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Discuss this with the resource personally, then update the team charter if necessary.\ The project manager should take a proactive approach to address the issue and ensure that all team members are following the plan and contributing to the project\'s success. Updating the team charter may be necessary to clarify roles and responsibilities and ensure that everyone is aligned with the project goals.\ The other options are incorrect because the primary focus should be on addressing the specific instance of the senior team member deviating from the plan, which requires a direct discussion with the resource. Updating documents may be necessary, but should not be done before addressing the issue.\ A team charter records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, as well as establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.\ A resource management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. Q45: A new project manager is assigned to an ongoing agile project. The project is now starting its second 4-week iteration cycle. The project manager finds there are significant differences of opinion within the project team, leading to major setbacks for the project.\ \ What should the project manager do in order to help overcome differences and bring the project back on track? A\) Promote conversation among team members in upcoming retrospective meetings to help solve the problem. B\) Schedule a team-building activity to allow people to get to know each other better and feel comfortable talking. C\) Allow the team to self-organize before the next iteration to solve the problem. D\) Reach out to their functional managers so they can talk to the team members and solve the problem. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Promote conversation among team members in upcoming retrospective meetings to help solve the problem.\ Conflict is an inevitable consequence of team interaction. The project manager should take a proactive approach to resolve this conflict. Servant leaders promote collaboration and conversation within the team and between teams.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not fully address the problem and suggest a project manager is not proactively involved in conflict resolution and promoting cohesion. The project manager needs to ensure that they work with the team to promote understanding, facilitate conflict resolution, and address the issues to address the project setbacks. Scheduling a team-building activity is not necessary as the agile process encourages retrospective events to address these situations. Q46: During the execution phase of a project, the project manager is reassigned to another project. A new project manager takes over and quickly realizes that the project is facing issues with the quality and scheduling of some deliverables.\ \ Which of the following should the new project manager do first? A\) Update the project plan to reflect the new schedule and quality requirements. B\) Review the project schedule and focus on delivering the project on time and within budget. C\) Meet with the project team to assess the situation and develop a plan to address the issues. D\) Evaluate the project team\'s skills and ask the project sponsor for additional resources. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Meet with the project team to assess the situation and develop a plan to address the issues.\ The project team is responsible for the execution of the project and has the most knowledge about the issues that are being faced. By meeting with the team, the new project manager can gain a better understanding of the issues and work with the team to develop a plan to address them.\ The project manager should not make any decisions without a clear understanding of the problems. The other options should only be considered after the new project manager has assessed the situation and developed a plan to address the root cause of the issues. Updating the project plan or requesting additional resources may not be necessary. Reviewing the project schedule and focusing on delivering the project on time and within budget does not directly address the issues with the quality and scheduling of some deliverables. Q47: A newly launched product prototype is receiving a number of customer complaints. To reduce negative feedback, the team comes up with an action plan. At the end of the quarter, however, the project manager found there was no significant reduction in complaints.\ \ What should the project manager do next? A\) Identify the key performers on the team and recognize them appropriately. B\) Identify the team members who lack the required skills and train them. C\) Revisit and reevaluate the project’s key performance indicators (KPIs). D\) Report the status to the executive management team and seek help. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Revisit and reevaluate the project’s key performance indicators (KPIs).\ In an agile project, the project manager should revisit and reevaluate KPIs frequently to check the effectiveness of the action plan. This is an important agile practice, as it allows the team to quickly identify and address any issues that may be preventing them from achieving their goals. This will help to ensure that the team is aligned on the goals and objectives of the project and that they are empowered to take action to resolve the issue of customer complaints.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not effectively address the issue of customer complaints.\ Recognizing the key performers on the team does not directly address the problem of customer complaints.\ Identifying the team members who lack the required skills doesn\'t immediately address the issue of customer complaints. While skills development is important, there is no indication that the team members lack skills.\ Reporting to management may be necessary if the team is unable to resolve the issue on its own, but it should be a last resort. Agile teams are encouraged to take ownership of their projects and problem-solving. Q48: During a retrospective meeting, some team members expressed that they strongly disagree with how the product owner and scrum master handled some issues related to the scope of the last cycle.\ \ What should the project manager do first? A\) Review the backlog with the product owner to ensure the scope is appropriate. B\) Collect all available information from the team and address the problem. C\) Schedule a meeting with the specific team members to discuss the issue. D\) Discuss the team\'s concerns with the product owner and the scrum master. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Collect all available information from the team and address the problem.\ Project managers realize that conflicts are inevitable, but that good procedures or techniques can help resolve them. Once a conflict occurs, the project manager must first collect all available information from the team, study and address the problem, develop a situational approach or methodology, and set the appropriate atmosphere or climate.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they are not the first thing the project manager should do. The project manager needs to first understand the root cause of the conflict before they can start to develop a solution. It is important to include the entire team and make sure that everyone involved in the conflict feels comfortable and respected. The project manager is key in establishing and maintaining a safe, respectful, nonjudgmental environment that allows the project team to communicate openly. Q49: A project manager is working on an internal project and notes that the visions and goals of other department leaders are not clear. This creates confusion and ambiguity within the project team, and it is becoming difficult to distinguish between the wish list and scope items.\ \ Which document should the project manager review to clarify this situation? A\) Project Charter B\) Communications Management Plan C\) Stakeholder Register D\) Stakeholder Engagement Plan Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Project Charter\ The project manager should review the project charter. The project charter can help the project manager clarify the visions and goals of other department leaders and ensure that the project team is aligned with the organization\'s objectives. The project is likely to fail if the documented vision and goal are not clear. The reason the project exists is because it was signed off by the project sponsor and it has been in line with business strategies.\ The other options are incorrect because they relate to different artifacts that are not directly associated with the issue. Q51: One day before starting a task, the technical lead proposed a new implementation approach that could reduce the schedule by one week. However, if the approach does not work, the task will be delayed by three days.\ \ What should the project manager do ? A\) Initiate a change request to reduce the schedule by one week. B\) Tell the technical lead that the new approach is not feasible. C\) Refer to the network diagram to determine the float for this task. D\) Communicate the possible three-day delay to the sponsor. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Refer to the network diagram to determine the float for this task.\ The project manager should refer to the network diagram to determine the float for this task. This allows the project manager to assess the flexibility in the schedule and make an informed decision. Float is the amount of time that a task can be delayed without delaying the entire project. By determining the float for this task, the project manager can determine if there is enough time to test the new implementation approach without delaying the project. If there is enough float, the project manager can allow the technical lead to proceed with the new approach.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Initiating a change request to reduce the schedule is premature and assumes that the new implementation approach is feasible and beneficial.\ Communicating the possible three-day delay to the sponsor or telling the technical lead that the new approach is not feasible are not the best options because the project manager needs to determine if there is enough float to test the new implementation approach without delaying the project. Q54: During sprint planning, an agile team and product owner identified that the team should be able to finish five user stories. However, during the sprint, the team worked on more than five stories but did not complete any stories at all.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Clarify priorities with the team. B\) Create smaller stories in the future. C\) Review the definition of done (DoD). D\) Update the product release plan. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Clarify priorities with the team.\ In this situation, the project manager should clarify priorities with the team. Prioritizing stories is important because it helps the team focus on delivering the most valuable features first. The team expected to have the capacity to complete five user stories, but they took on extra stories and failed to complete any stories at all. There is always some risk that user stories may fail to be completed within a sprint, but this situation indicates a misalignment between the team\'s understanding of priorities and the true priorities for the sprint.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Creating smaller stories and updating the release plan may be necessary, but doing so without clarifying priorities does not address nor resolve the root cause of the issue.\ Reviewing the DoD does not address the core issue. The DoD is a checklist of all the criteria required to be met so that a deliverable can be considered ready for customer use. The main issue is the selection and prioritization of user stories rather than a problem with the criteria for completing them. Q59: Due to economic implications, a company announces imminent layoffs. A project is nearing delivery, and the team is worried about losing their jobs. Team morale is very low, and the project manager is experiencing increased delivery delays from the team.\ \ What should the project manager do to address team morale? A\) Replace team members who are not delivering optimally to improve overall productivity. B\) Provide regular updates on the layoff situation and discuss its impact on the team and the project. C\) Keep all information about the layoffs confidential to avoid causing further anxiety. D\) Meet with the project team to assure them that they will not be laid off and their jobs are safe. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Provide regular updates on the layoff situation and discuss its impact on the team and the project.\ The project manager should address the team\'s concerns by being transparent and supportive. Support can be demonstrated by providing encouragement, showing empathy, and engaging in active listening. Even if the team members are not laid off, the way they were treated during a time of high anxiety will continue to impact their morale and motivation. Addressing the situation inappropriately can lead to dissatisfaction, lack of trust, and reduced morale and motivation.\ The other opinions are potentially misleading, inappropriate, and unethical.\ Replacing team members may not be possible, is irresponsible, and will likely lead to increased anxiety and worsening morale.\ Keeping all information about layoffs confidential is not transparent and may lead to mistrust and increased apprehension.\ The project manager may not know who will be laid off and should not make assurances that are unfounded. Q60: The research and development team is planning to build a new facility that will focus on improving existing products the organization has developed. It will be a multi-year initiative.\ \ What should the project manager do first? A\) Develop a scope management plan that will focus on the expected objectives of the initiative. B\) Develop a business case document that covers the return on investment (ROI) of the initiative. C\) Develop a resource management plan to cover resources and contingency planning. D\) Develop a communications management plan to address stakeholder needs. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Develop a scope management plan that will focus on the expected objectives of the initiative.\ The first step in planning for any project is to develop a scope management plan. This plan will define the project\'s goals, objectives, and deliverables. It will also identify the project\'s boundaries and constraints.\ The other answer choices are important, but they are not the first step that the project manager should take. The business case document is important for justifying the project and securing funding, but it is not the first step in the planning process. The resource management plan is important for ensuring that the project has the resources it needs to be successful, but it is not the first step in the planning process. The communications management plan is important for keeping stakeholders informed of the project\'s progress and managing their expectations, but it is not the first step in the planning process. By developing a scope management plan first, the project manager can ensure that the project is well-defined and that everyone involved in the project has a clear understanding of its goals and objectives. Q61: The project manager of an agile project notices that many stakeholders are skipping iteration planning and review meetings. Some stakeholders admit that they do not see the value of the meetings and prefer not to participate. The project is in danger of falling behind schedule due to the lack of stakeholder participation.\ \ What should the project manager do first to address this issue? A\) Review and update the communications management plan. B\) Identify gaps and mentor stakeholders on the iterative approach. C\) Record the iteration review and share it with stakeholders. D\) Build a RACI matrix and develop a training plan for stakeholders. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Identify gaps and mentor stakeholders on the iterative approach.\ The stakeholders admit that they do not see the value of attending the meetings, which indicates that they do not have a comprehensive understanding of the iterative approach and the importance of attending iteration planning and review meetings. The project manager should identify the gaps in understanding and address those gaps through mentoring. The project is in danger of falling behind schedule, so the project manager must take a proactive approach to encourage active participation and improve the effectiveness of the project.\ The other answer choices don\'t directly address the immediate issue of stakeholders\' lack of participation which is impeding the project\'s progress.\ Updating the communications management plan, recording and sharing iteration reviews, building a RACI matrix, and developing a training plan may be good long-term solutions, but it is not the best way to address the immediate issue. Q62: The project manager needs to survey the necessary parties to reach a consensus and build a common vision for the project. To achieve better results, who should be engaged in the development of a common vision strategy? A\) The client and the delivery team B\) The delivery team and the project sponsor C\) The project team and the stakeholders D\) The project owner and the client Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. The project team and the stakeholders.\ The project manager should engage the project team and the stakeholders when developing a common vision strategy because the team members must carry out the tasks that impact the stakeholders. The project manager must balance the conflicting and competing goals of the project stakeholders in order to achieve consensus. In this context, consensus means that the relevant stakeholders support the project decisions and actions taken by the team members.\ Also, involving stakeholders during initiation creates a shared understanding of success criteria. It also increases the likelihood of accepting the deliverables of the project. Q63: A project manager realizes that an email intended for a specific team member has been mistakenly sent to the entire global project team. This email contains critical feedback regarding a recent incident. What should the project manager do next? A\) Ignore the mistake and assume that team members will understand the situation. B\) Acknowledge the mistake and apologize for any unintended consequences. C\) Request that the unintended email recipients delete the message without reading it. D\) Send a private message to the team member apologizing for the critical feedback. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Acknowledge the mistake and apologize for any unintended consequences.\ The project manager should take responsibility for the mistake, acknowledge it to the global project team, and apologize for any unintended consequences. Openly addressing the error helps maintain transparency and trust within the team. Effective leaders seek to be role models in areas of honesty, integrity, and ethical conduct. Effective leaders focus on being transparent, behave unselfishly, and are able to ask for help. Effective leaders understand that project team members scrutinize and emulate the values, ethics, and behaviors that leaders exhibit. Therefore, leaders have an additional responsibility to demonstrate expected behaviors through their actions.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Ignoring the mistake is not a responsible approach because it can lead to confusion and misunderstanding among the team members. Addressing the issue promptly is essential.\ Requesting that unintended email recipients delete the message without reading it may not be effective, as once the email is sent, you can\'t control what others do with it. It\'s better to take responsibility and communicate openly about the mistake.\ Sending a private message to the team member apologizing for the critical feedback is a good step to take in addition to acknowledging and apologizing for the mistake, but should not be the only action the project manager takes. Q64: A new agile team is forming and the project manager notices that the team is struggling in many areas. The team is experiencing both the inability to meet iteration commitments and team member conflicts.\ \ What should the project manager do next? A\) Involve management to help resolve the conflicts. B\) Inform management that commitments will not be met. C\) Raise the issues in the retrospective and propose solutions. D\) Coach the team both as a whole and individually. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Coach the team both as a whole and individually\ The project manager should coach the team both as a whole and individually because coaching helps the team’s performance get better, in a series of steps.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. Involving management is not going to help the team to meet the iteration commitment not resolve the conflicts. Informing management that commitments will not be met is not the best choice because as a project manager it is required to inform the management about missing the commitment, but in agile teams, coaching is the best thing to do instead of directly informing to the management. Raising the issues is not the best choice as waiting until the retrospective is too late. Q65: A colocated project team is facing communication and collaboration issues. Some team members have roles that require them to work different hours, some arriving early, others leaving later. At a recent weekly meeting, several team members were absent.\ \ What is the best way for the project manager to ensure the team can attend all necessary meetings? A\) Encourage team members to work the same hours. B\) Discuss the meeting with the missing team members. C\) Create an information radiator for public display. D\) Schedule team meetings during overlapping core hours. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Schedule team meetings during overlapping core hours.\ The project manager should schedule team meetings during overlapping core hours to allow team members to attend and receive the same message. The team is colocated, but some members arrive and leave at different hours, so the best option would be to schedule meetings at a time that works for all team members.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. Encouraging team members to work the same hours does not ensure that they will be available for the meeting. It may also be impossible for the team members to change their schedules. Creating an information radiator will provide details, but the focus is at the summary level only and does not help to address the absentees. Discussing the meeting with the missing team members is incorrect because it is redundant, inefficient, and does not address the issue. Q66: As part of the project sprint review, stakeholders appear uninformed and are unable to agree on how to move the project forward. What should the project manager do first to ensure stakeholders are able to approve the project deliverables? A\) Check the communications management plan. B\) Perform a systemic stakeholder analysis. C\) Include the stakeholders in daily standup meetings. D\) Colocate the team to guarantee better teamwork. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Check the communications management plan.\ The stakeholders appear uninformed, indicating that their needs are not being met or are not fully understood. The project manager should review the project communication plan first to determine why the needs of the stakeholders are not being met. Since the communication plan is developed at the beginning of the project and is based on the needs of the stakeholders, during the course of the project it would be important to first review the plan to ensure it is sound and adjust as needed.\ Colocating the team may not be feasible and does not address the communication gap.\ Including the stakeholders in daily meetings is not the correct choice because the stakeholders may not be able to attend the meetings, it may not be necessary, and does not resolve the core issues at hand.\ Performing another stakeholder analysis may be necessary, but the project manager would not know that until they first review the communications plan. Q67: A project is halfway complete, and despite a good schedule performance index (SPI), the customer has identified several minor issues. Most of the issues could be resolved quickly and easily if the customer could directly communicate with the development team. The project manager agrees, but some team members feel unsure about their ability to adequately engage the customer.\ \ How can the project manager support successful customer engagement? A\) Assess members\' communication styles and provide feedback as needed to mentor the team. B\) Ensure that all project team members understand their specific roles and responsibilities. C\) Assess the project team\'s technical skills and provide additional product development training. D\) Update the schedule performance index (SPI) and review all project team communications. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Assess members\' communication styles and provide feedback as needed to mentor the team.\ The project manager should assess members\' communication styles and provide feedback as needed to mentor the team for successful customer engagement. This can help to ensure that team members can effectively engage with customers and address any issues that may arise. Providing feedback on communication skills will help the team identify areas where they can improve and help them develop more effective communication strategies for engaging with customers.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Assessing the team\'s technical skills and ensuring that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities is important, but does not address the issue in this situation. There are issues, but there is no evidence that the team is lacking technical skills or understanding. The issues can be addressed quickly and easily if the team can effectively communicate with the customer. The best way to address the apprehension of the team is to mentor the team for successful customer engagement.\ Updating the SPI may not be necessary and does not directly relate to the issue of customer engagement proficiency.