PMP Practice Questions PDF

Q88: Regular check-ins with the delivery team reveal low morale and a lack of efficiency. What should the project manager do to address these concerns? A\) Perform a skill assessment. B\) Conduct teambuilding exercises. C\) Remove all project roadblocks. D\) Conduct a satisfaction evaluation. C...

Q88: Regular check-ins with the delivery team reveal low morale and a lack of efficiency. What should the project manager do to address these concerns? A\) Perform a skill assessment. B\) Conduct teambuilding exercises. C\) Remove all project roadblocks. D\) Conduct a satisfaction evaluation. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Conduct a satisfaction evaluation.\ Before implementing a solution, the project manager should further assess the problem and the source. There is no indication as to the source of the low morale and lack of efficiency. It could result from conflicts, unachievable expectations, low motivation, etc. Before implementing a strategy to address these issues, the project manager must identify the root cause. A survey can be used to assess the degree of satisfaction and help identify the sources.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. A skills assessment should have been performed before the team is formed and is not an effective way of managing this situation.\ Team building is incorrect because it may not fully address the situation. Teambuilding exercises may not address the source of the morale and efficiency issues.\ Removing roadblocks is incorrect because it is not clear that there are roadblocks in the execution of the project. Q89: A project manager works in a matrix organization. Following a reorganization, several key project resources are reassigned to another project. The project no longer has the resources needed to successfully deliver the project.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Refuse to release the newly reassigned resources. B\) Review the communications management plan. C\) Review resource allocation and utilization plans. D\) Review resource needs with the functional manager. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Review resource needs with the functional manager.\ In a matrix environment, the project resources are typically shared between multiple projects. The project manager should review the project\'s resource needs with the functional manager because the resources report to their functional managers. The project manager should explain the impact of reassigning the resources and work with the functional manager to minimize the impact of the resource reassignment.\ The other answer choices are incorrect.\ Refusing to release the reassigned resources is not feasible and is beyond the project manager\'s authority.\ Reviewing the communications management plan is not relevant to the situation.\ Reviewing resource allocation and utilization plans does not address the current resource shortage. Q90: During a final inspection of a new product, the project team discovers a significant defect in one of the key deliverables. This defect poses a security risk to the client, who expects to start using the deliverable in two weeks.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Conduct a quality investigation and initiate corrective action. B\) Use the contingency reserve to cover the cost of the defect. C\) Meet with the client to explain the cause of the defect. D\) Send the client a letter apologizing for the inconvenience. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Conduct a quality investigation and initiate corrective action.\ The most appropriate approach is to assess the situation to identify the root cause of the defect and take corrective action. In this case, key deliverables fail to reach quality standards, pose a security risk to the client, and were discovered late in the product lifecycle, so the initial response should be to assess and resolve the issue quickly. In doing so, the project manager prioritizes the client\'s interests, safety, and project success.\ The other options are incorrect because they are less effective and should not be the project manager\'s first step.\ Using the contingency reserve is premature because the project manager should not determine a response strategy without first understanding the root cause of the defect.\ Holding a meeting with the client should come after the issue has been investigated and corrective actions have been taken.\ Sending a letter of apology to the client is premature and addressing the issue should be the immediate action. Q91: An experienced project manager joins an ongoing project and wants to estimate the amount of time required to tackle several complex tasks. The team uses a kanban board but is open to new approaches. The project manager suggests using story points.\ \ What is the first thing the team should do before implementing this new approach? A\) Calculate the story points only for new backlog items. B\) Estimate the story points required for the entire task board. C\) Convert all work in progress (WIP) items to story points. D\) Measure and track story points over several sprints. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Convert all work in progress (WIP) items to story points.\ The first thing the team should do before adopting the new approach of using story points is to convert all work in progress limits to story points. A WIP item is any task or activity that is currently being worked on by a team or individual. WIP items can be converted to story points in order to help the team better understand the scale used to quantify effort. By converting WIP items to story points, the team can estimate how many story points they can complete in a sprint and determine how many sprints it will take to complete all work.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Calculating story points only for new backlog items does not account for the work that is already in progress.\ Estimating story points required for the entire task board would include completed work and does not focus on the work that is currently in progress.\ Measuring story points over several sprints is not the first thing the team should do before adopting the new approach of using story points. Q92: During the last five daily standups, one team member on a hybrid (predictive-agile) project has been vague about what they have accomplished and what they are planning to accomplish.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Meet with the team member to ensure that they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. B\) Review the issue in the next retrospective meeting and determine what corrective action should be implemented. C\) Raise the issue of task accountability with the team and stakeholders at the next iteration review meeting. D\) Facilitate a meeting with the entire team and stakeholders to review the risks and impediments faced by the project. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Meet with the team member to ensure that they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.\ In this case, the team member has been consistently vague, so the project manager needs to address this issue directly with the team member. Meeting with the team member can help clarify expectations, enforce the importance of clear communication, and expose any obstacles or challenges the team member might be facing. The meeting can also be an opportunity for the project manager to provide coaching and support to the team member.\ The other options are incorrect because they are not the most appropriate and effective approaches.\ Waiting until the retrospective allows the issue to continue for too long and it could get worse. It is important to address this issue early on before it becomes a major problem for the team and the project. Direct communication at an early stage is essential in agile methodologies.\ Raising the issue in a meeting with the team and stakeholders might seem confrontational and could create an uncomfortable environment. It is important to keep a safe environment where the team member does not feel singled out or embarrassed. Direct communication with the team member involved is a better approach.\ Reviewing the risks and impediments faced by the project is incorrect because this issue isn\'t necessarily about risks faced by the project but rather about an individual team member\'s engagement and accountability. Q93: An extremely talented and results-oriented team member is suddenly struggling with a personal problem. Due to this, there is a change in the team member\'s behavior, and it starts to affect the project deliverables as well as the morale of other team members.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Assign the team member to an activity that will not substantially impact deliverables. B\) Approach the team member privately and work together to develop a plan to address the issue. C\) Add the team member\'s problem to the project issue log and inform all key stakeholders. D\) Ask the human resources (HR) manager to handle the issue and continue working as planned. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Approach the team member privately and work together to develop a plan to address the issue.\ When a team member is struggling with a personal problem that is affecting their behavior and the project deliverables, the project manager should approach the team member privately and work together to develop a plan to address the issue. This approach shows concern for the team member\'s well-being and allows for a collaborative solution to be developed. It is important for the project manager to balance the needs of the individual team member with the needs of the project and the team as a whole. By addressing the issue in a compassionate and proactive manner, the project manager can help to maintain team morale and ensure that the project stays on track.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Assigning the team member to an activity or adding the team member\'s problem to the project issue log does not address the root cause of the issue and could potentially make the situation worse.\ Asking the HR manager to handle the issue may be necessary at some point, but the project manager should first attempt to communicate with the team member and handle the situation with empathy. Q94: As agreed at the start of a predictive project, all outgoing information should be shared beforehand with the project manager. During the project, one of the team leaders communicated directly with the sponsor, bypassing the project manager. As a result, unfiltered information was conveyed to the sponsor, and important information from the team was not being shared with the project manager.\ \ What should the project manager do ? A\) Remind the team leader to always inform the project manager before providing information to stakeholders. B\) Talk to the team leader to find out if they have any personal issues with the project manager. C\) Modify the team\'s agreements to obtain project manager approval prior to sending out any communication. D\) Talk to the sponsor to find out what the team leader has shared with the sponsor directly. Correct Answer: A Rationale: Solution: A. Remind the team leader to always inform the project manager before providing information to stakeholders.\ The project team\'s ground rules, which state that the project manager should receive all communication, had been agreed upon beforehand, so the best action for the project manager to take is to personally remind the team member who violated a ground rule. Effective and efficient engagement and communication include determining how, when, how often, and under what circumstances stakeholders want to beâ€"and should beâ€"engaged. Q95: A project manager is working on a virtual project with a global team for the first time and encounters an issue with stakeholder participation in team meetings. Some stakeholders do not participate, others complain about scheduling, and others do not acknowledge meeting invitations.\ \ What should the project manager do to address these issues and ensure smoother meetings? A\) Allow the stakeholders to participate in asynchronous meetings using written communication. B\) Inform the project sponsor of the situation and ask for support in enforcing meeting attendance. C\) Review the organizational culture and structure to properly coordinate meetings. D\) Reschedule meetings for different times and dates according to time zones. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Review the organizational culture and structure to properly coordinate meetings.\ The project manager should review the organizational culture and structure to properly coordinate the meetings and avoid team discomfort and rejection during work. By conducting a review, the project manager can better understand the needs and expectations of the stakeholders and develop a meeting schedule and format that is more likely to work for everyone.\ Asynchronous meetings do not address or solve issues related to stakeholder engagement, scheduling complaints, or unacknowledged invitations.\ Asking the sponsor to help enforce meeting attendance should be a last resort and should only be considered if the project manager tries to address the issues and is not successful.\ Rescheduling meetings for different times and dates according to time zones does not guarantee stakeholder attendance and can be disruptive and time-consuming. Q96: An agile project manager is overseeing a Kanban project and wants to assess task completion roadblocks for an upcoming major milestone. What should the project manager do? A\) Create a performance metric using the work in progress limit. B\) Ask a trusted team member about the issues the team is facing. C\) Review the blocked items with the team during standup meetings. D\) Host a stakeholder meeting to discuss task completion roadblocks. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Review the blocked items with the team during standup meetings.\ A kanban board shows work in progress to help identify bottlenecks and overcommitments, thereby allowing the team to optimize the workflow. The project manager should engage with the team during standup meetings to review progress and highlight any obstacles encountered or anticipated. Daily standup meetings are helpful in identifying blockers and impediments that could become threats if they continue to delay progress.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they are not as effective.\ Creating a performance metric using the WIP limit will not reveal specific roadblocks or their underlying causes.\ Asking an individual team member may not identify all potential roadblocks and excludes input from the rest of the team.\ Meeting with stakeholders is less effective than reviewing blocked items with the team. Fact-finding should begin with the team before involving more stakeholders. Q97: The night before a standup meeting, a project manager realizes that they will be unable to attend the daily standup meeting in person but will join via phone. The project manager sent an email to the project team letting them know. One of the team members is upset that, despite having the longest commute, they are expected to attend the meeting in person.\ \ How should the project manager address this situation? A\) Amend the current attendance policy to allow all team members to attend standup meetings remotely. B\) Rotate the location of the standup meetings to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to attend in person. C\) Review the guidelines for meeting attendance including when remote attendance is allowed and under what circumstances. D\) Communicate the reasons for attending standup meetings in person and the benefits of doing so. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Review the guidelines for meeting attendance including when remote attendance is allowed and under what circumstances.\ By reviewing guidelines and expectations, the project manager can address the team member\'s concerns and ensure that everyone feels valued and included in the project. This will help ensure that everyone is aware of the expectations and guidelines for attending meetings, and can help prevent misunderstandings or hurt feelings.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Amending the attendance policy to allow all team members to attend standup meetings remotely or rotating the location of meetings may not be feasible or practical, and may not address the underlying issue.\ Communicating the reasons for attending standup meetings in person may help team members understand the importance of attending in person but it should be done by reviewing meeting guidelines and expectations. Q98: During a multidisciplinary project, a project manager learns that there are many conflicts about design among team members from different disciplines. What should the project manager do to ensure the smooth delivery of the project? A\) Identify the matter as a risk and check available budget reserves. B\) Ensure that the project sponsor is aware of the current situation. C\) Escalate to functional managers and seek resolution. D\) Facilitate team discussions to achieve the desired results. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Facilitate team discussions to achieve the desired results\ The project manager must be proactive and facilitate the resolution of any conflict within the multi-disciplinary project team. The project manager should work to achieve a consistent view of the project vision and its expected results, and use this to bridge any differences and bring the team together. A common goal that everyone understands and considers meaningful is essential to a smoothly working team.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. Identifying the matter as a risk or notifying the sponsor does not solve the problem; escalating the matter to functional managers is not correct, as it is the project manager\'s responsibility to facilitate problem-solving among team members. Q99: During the testing phase of a technical project, the project manager discovers some issues with the final product and subsequently learns that after negotiations, important product features were excluded from the contract\'s scope in an effort to minimize costs for the client.\ \ What should the project manager do to resolve the issue? A\) Escalate the issue to the sponsor to make a decision to redefine the scope and solve the problem. B\) Work with the client to negotiate and ensure the inclusion of the missing crucial features in the project. C\) Continue with the project as planned and register the contract scope issue in the issue log. D\) Review the lessons learned to find a solution for contract negotiation and scope issues. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Work with the client to negotiate and ensure the inclusion of the missing crucial features in the project.\ In this case, the project manager has discovered a deficiency in the scope and needs to remedy it, which includes informing the client and negotiating a strategy for the client to deliver the product with the important features. Negotiating with the client to include the missing features is a proactive and collaborative approach to resolving the problem.\ The other answer choices are incorrect.\ Escalating the issue to the sponsor is not the best course of action at this stage, as the project manager should take a more proactive approach before escalating the issue.\ Adding the issue to the issue log and reviewing the lessons learned will not solve the problem. Continuing with the project as planned will likely lead to dissatisfied customers and additional costs down the road. Q100: A project manager has been assigned to an existing agile team and is preparing for an upcoming project. The last project that the team worked on was so successful that a senior stakeholder requested that the team use the same governance structure for the new project.\ \ What should the project manager do ? A\) Consult with the project management office (PMO) to gain their insight on governance for the project. B\) Collaborate with the team and the senior stakeholder to discuss tailoring the existing governance. C\) Inform senior management that the same project governance can be used for the new project. D\) Request that the senior stakeholder discuss all governance-related concerns with the product owner. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Collaborate with the team and the senior stakeholder to discuss tailoring the existing governance.\ The project manager should collaborate with the project team and the senior stakeholder to discuss tailoring the existing governance. This will help ensure that the governance is tailored to the specific needs of the new project while still incorporating successful elements from the previous project. Tailoring involves the analysis, design, and deliberate modification of project governance to make it more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand. Collaboration with the senior stakeholder and the project team is important to ensure that the governance structure is appropriate and effective.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Meeting with the PMO might be helpful, but it may be premature to seek their insight before discussing it with the team and senior stakeholder.\ Informing senior management that the same project governance can be used for the new project may not be appropriate as the new project may have unique aspects that require a tailored governance structure.\ Requesting that the senior stakeholder discuss all governance-related concerns with the product owner is not an effective approach as the project manager should be involved in the governance discussions. Q102: The leadership team of a company asked a project manager for an ad-hoc status update on the latest iteration of a project. The project manager directed the leadership team to the project folder. The leadership team informed the project manager that some information was missing.\ \ What should the project manager have done to avoid this situation? A\) Told the team to review the folder before sharing it and add the missing information. B\) Scheduled a team meeting to discuss the missing information with the leadership team. C\) Inspected the project folder carefully before sharing it with the leadership team. D\) Updated the project folder regularly to ensure project artifacts were always current. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Updated the project folder regularly to ensure project artifacts were always current.\ The project manager can minimize the risk of missing information when providing status updates to the leadership team by consistently updating the project folder to ensure that all relevant information is up to date.\ The other answer choices are less effective or efficient in preventing missing information.\ Asking the team to add missing information before sharing the folder is not a reliable solution, as the team may not always be able to identify missing information.\ Scheduling a team meeting to discuss the missing information with the leadership team is reactive and does not directly address the issue of keeping project artifacts up to date.\ Inspecting the project folder before sharing it may be helpful, but it is not as effective or efficient as updating the folder in real time. Q103: Halfway through implementation, the project co-sponsor, who is contributing a significant amount of capital to the project, informs the project team of an additional feature to the project deliverable.\ \ What should the project manager do? A\) Assess the impact of the new requirement and update the risk register. B\) Complete the current project as planned and update it later with the new requirements. C\) Collect the co-sponsor\'s requirements and perform the integrated change control process. D\) Convince the co-sponsor to maintain the current scope and complete the project as planned. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Collect the co-sponsor\'s requirements and perform the integrated change control process.\ The co-sponsor is a key stakeholder in the project and their requirements should be prioritized. The project manager should collect the requirements and perform the integrated change control process.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. Updating the risk register happens after the change has been approved; completing the current project without the client\'s approval or convincing the client that their requirements are not worthwhile negatively impacts project success. Q104: In the middle of a project, the project manager realizes that a specific set of skills is needed to complete project development. Unfortunately, none of the team members possess the necessary skills.\ \ What should the project manager do to address this issue? A\) Reorganize the project team to include people with the necessary knowledge and skills. B\) Review the timeline and budget to consider training, outsourcing, or other alternatives. C\) Organize adequate training for the project team to close the knowledge gap. D\) Search for alternative ways to achieve project objectives without the required skills. Correct Answer: B Rationale: Solution: B. Review the timeline and budget to consider training, outsourcing, or other alternatives.\ Reviewing the timeline and budget to address the knowledge gap will help to ensure that the project stays on track and meets its objectives. This can help prevent delays, cost overruns, and other issues that may arise due to a lack of necessary knowledge and skills. Reviewing the timeline and budget can help determine the best approach for addressing the knowledge gap, whether it be through training, outsourcing, or other alternatives.\ The other options are incorrect.\ Reorganizing the project team to include people with the necessary knowledge and skills may not be feasible or practical\ Searching for a way to achieve project objectives without the required skills may compromise the quality of the project.\ Organizing adequate training for the project team should only occur after reviewing the timeline and budget first will help determine the best approach for addressing the knowledge gap. Q105: The project manager of a software development project for a financial institution realizes that team members are unusually delayed on their assigned tasks. The project manager has not experienced this before on previous, similar projects. After further investigation, the project manager determined that the delays were linked to the recent resignation of an experienced team member.\ \ What should the project manager have done to avoid this situation? A\) Ensured there was a well-defined path to promotion. B\) Provided continuous guidance to project team members. C\) Identified competency risks and developed a mitigation plan. D\) Scheduled periodic training for all project team members. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Identified competency risks and developed a mitigation plan.\ The project manager can better prepare for circumstances like team members leaving by identifying risks in advance and having a mitigation plan prepared. This is a proactive approach to ensuring that the impact of a team member\'s departure is minimized.\ The other options are incorrect.\ A well-defined path to promotion is not directly related to the risk posed by the resignation of an experienced team member.\ Providing continuous guidance is not enough to mitigate the risk of losing a key team member.\ Periodic training may not be enough to ensure that team members have the necessary competencies to take on the responsibilities of a departing team member.\ These options may be included in the mitigation plan, but the project manager must first identify the competency risks and develop a plan to mitigate them. Q106: An agile project team has not completed the tasks within the current iteration. During a meeting, the project sponsor gives the team a final date for task completion.\ \ How should the project manager proceed? A\) Request that a functional manager becomes a team lead to ensure processes are followed. B\) Appoint a team leader to take responsibility for the team\'s iteration planning and completion. C\) Advise the project sponsor that the team is responsible for managing work within iterations. D\) Advise the team to comply with the new schedule provided by the project sponsor. Correct Answer: C Rationale: Solution: C. Advise the project sponsor that the team is responsible for managing work within iterations.\ Advising the project sponsor that the team is responsible for managing work within iterations is correct because, when taking an agile approach, the team takes responsibility for its work and process.\ Requesting that a functional manager become a team lead is incorrect. With agile, a cross-functional team is empowered to make decisions and the scrum master facilitates. A functional manager becoming a team lead does not come into play.\ Appointing a team leader to take responsibility for the team\'s iteration planning is incorrect. With agile, the concept of team lead does not come into play and iteration planning is the responsibility of the scrum team.\ Advising the team to comply with the new schedule provided by the project sponsor is incorrect. Agile teams complete planning based on the prioritized backlog and story sizing estimate. Based on the team\'s velocity and available capacity the team will decide how many stories they can take up and will not go by the schedule provided by the sponsor. Q107: A project manager has been engaged by a managing director to transform the project management office (PMO) from a waterfall structure focused on software development to an agile PMO. The manager of the PMO has been particularly resistant to the change. Upon investigation, the project manager realizes that the manager\'s resistance is due to a lack of agile knowledge may make them seem incompetent.\ \ How should the project manager proceed? A\) Ask the managing director to intervene with the PMO manager to explain why this is necessary. B\) Ask the project team to support the transformation regardless of the PMO manager\'s negativity. C\) Implement a change management strategy to ensure that the process meets governance requirements. D\) Implement a training program on agile for all teams to ensure there is congruency of learning for everyone. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Implement a training program on agile for all teams to ensure there is congruency of learning for everyone.\ Mentoring activities and agile training courses can help people transition to an agile mindset and upgrade their skills. The project manager should proceed by implementing a training program on agile for all staff, including the manager of the PMO, to ensure there is congruency of learning for everyone. Developing the manager\'s skills will help to eliminate their fear of seeming incompetent and build their support for the change.\ The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not address the lack of skills. The focus is to help staff transition from a waterfall to an agile mindset. It is not good practice to sideline a key stakeholder or defer responsibility by escalating the issue to the managing director. Q108: A project team member suddenly approaches the project manager and asks to resign from the project. The team member is upset because of poor treatment and consistent complaints from the technical leader. The team member explains that they are no longer willing to tolerate this treatment from the technical leader. The project manager has never had quality issues with the team member.\ \ How should the project manager handle this situation? A\) Allow the team member to resign and replace them since there are additional resources available. B\) Discuss the situation with the team member to determine why the technical leader is treating them poorly. C\) Talk to the technical leader to determine how the team member is poorly performing. D\) Speak with the team member and technical leader to analyze the conflict and resolve it through mediation. Correct Answer: D Rationale: Solution: D. Speak with the team member and technical leader to analyze the conflict and resolve it through mediation.\ The project manager should mediate between the technical leader and team member to ensure conflict resolution and collaboration. It is important to discuss with both parties to analyze and truly understand the issues they are facing.\ The other answer choices are incorrect. They propose a one-sided approach to conflict resolution, and allowing the team member to resign without assessing the issue with the technical leader may result in future issues between the technical leader and other team members.