Practice Free PMP Exam Online Questions
A project team is implementing a new solution that will be distributed worldwide. Due to a new issue that has a global impact, several government agencies are implementing new regulations that will affect the solution. The project manager must assess and prioritize the impact of these changes on the project scope/backlog.
Which analytical tool can be used by the project manager to define this scenario?
- A . Political, economic social, technological legal, and environmental (PESTLE)
- B . Strengths, weaknesses opportunities, and threats (SWOT)
- C . Valuable rare, inimitable resources, and organization (VRIO)
- D . Net present value (NPV)
A
Explanation:
The PESTLE analysis is a tool that can help project managers identify and understand the broader external factors that they might need to consider when planning a project. In this scenario, the project manager is dealing with new regulations from several government agencies that will affect the solution. These regulations can be considered as legal factors in a PESTLE analysis. By using PESTLE, the project manager can assess and prioritize the impact of these changes on the project scope/backlog.
Reference: Professional in Business Analysis Reference Materials source and documents
During a project kick-off meeting the project manager tells team members that they can attend a weekly progress meeting either from home or the office.
Which intangible stakeholder engagement quality is the project manager embracing to manage relationships?
- A . Asking and listening
- B . Being collaborative
- C . Managing expectations
- D . Building trust
D
Explanation:
According to the PMBOK Guide, building trust is one of the intangible stakeholder engagement qualities that project managers should embrace to manage relationships with stakeholders. Building trust means establishing and maintaining a positive and respectful relationship with stakeholders based on honesty, transparency, reliability, and mutual understanding. By allowing team members to attend the weekly progress meeting either from home or the office, the project manager is demonstrating trust in their ability to work effectively and communicate clearly regardless of their location. This can also enhance the team members’ trust in the project manager and their commitment to the project objectives.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, page 273; 10 Principles Of Stakeholder Engagement
During a project kick-off meeting the project manager tells team members that they can attend a weekly progress meeting either from home or the office.
Which intangible stakeholder engagement quality is the project manager embracing to manage relationships?
- A . Asking and listening
- B . Being collaborative
- C . Managing expectations
- D . Building trust
D
Explanation:
According to the PMBOK Guide, building trust is one of the intangible stakeholder engagement qualities that project managers should embrace to manage relationships with stakeholders. Building trust means establishing and maintaining a positive and respectful relationship with stakeholders based on honesty, transparency, reliability, and mutual understanding. By allowing team members to attend the weekly progress meeting either from home or the office, the project manager is demonstrating trust in their ability to work effectively and communicate clearly regardless of their location. This can also enhance the team members’ trust in the project manager and their commitment to the project objectives.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, page 273; 10 Principles Of Stakeholder Engagement
A multicultural team is working on a project. After a few months of observation, the project manager realizes that two team members are not responding to the construction manager properly. The project manager spoke to the team members individually and found that both had cultural differences with the construction manager.
What should the project manager do to improve the situation?
- A . Ask the team members to tolerate the cultural differences as they have a different cultural background.
- B . Ask the construction manager to meet with the two team members to resolve the situation.
- C . Provide the construction manager with instructions on how to resolve the situation.
- D . Discuss the team members’ concern with the construction manager and seek solutions.
D
Explanation:
The best approach in this situation is for the project manager to facilitate a discussion between the team members and the construction manager to address the cultural differences and seek solutions. This aligns with conflict resolution strategies that emphasize communication, understanding, and collaboration to resolve conflicts in a multicultural team setting12. By discussing the concerns openly, the project manager can help foster mutual understanding and respect among team members, which is crucial for team coordination and performance1.
Reference: Conflict Management, Team Coordination, and Performance within Multicultural Temporary Projects1.
5 Conflict Resolution Techniques in Project Management – PM Study Circle2.
A project team is having difficulties understanding technical details regarding requirements. The information was not initially provided by the customer, but the information is critical in the current iteration for clarification on how tasks need to be accomplished.
How should the project manager approach this situation?
- A . Request that the customer reviews and clarifies feature definitions for the current sprint
- B . Send a burndown chart of the current sprint to the customer and seek clarifications.
- C . Educate the customer and have them participate in daily standup meetings.
- D . Schedule weekly meetings and product reviews with the customer to clarify requirements
A
Explanation:
The project manager should approach this situation by requesting that the customer reviews and clarifies feature definitions for the current sprint. This is because the customer is the primary source of the requirements and the best person to provide the technical details that the project team needs. By reviewing and clarifying the feature definitions, the customer can ensure that the project team understands the requirements correctly and can deliver the expected value in the current iteration. This will also help to avoid rework, scope creep, and customer dissatisfaction in the future.
The other options are not the best ways to approach this situation. Sending a burndown chart of the current sprint to the customer and seeking clarifications may not be effective, as the burndown chart only shows the progress of the work done, not the quality or accuracy of the work. The customer may not be able to provide the technical details based on the burndown chart alone. Educating the customer and having them participate in daily standup meetings may not be feasible, as the customer may not have the time, interest, or expertise to attend the daily meetings and learn about the project details. This may also create unnecessary dependencies and interruptions for the project team. Scheduling weekly meetings and product reviews with the customer to clarify requirements may be too late, as the project team needs the technical details in the current iteration, not in the next week. This may also delay the feedback and validation process and increase the risk of delivering the wrong product.
Reference:
What is Sprint Planning? | Scrum.org
A 6-step guide to requirements gathering for project success – Asana Chapter 3: Identifying Customers’ Requirements | GlobalSpec 9 Questions To Clarify Your Business Goals & Customer Needs
According to the project contract the delivery date is approaching However one important material is still not on site. The construction work will have to stop and wait for this special material, delaying the project.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Record it in the risk register
- B . Ask the client to help solve the problem
- C . Start procuring this material from another supplier.
- D . Engage the project team to look for alternatives to find a solution
D
Explanation:
According to the PMBOK Guide, the project manager is responsible for managing the project resources, including materials, and ensuring that they are available and delivered on time. The project manager should also monitor and control the project risks, and implement appropriate responses when they occur. If one important material is still not on site and the delivery date is approaching, the project manager should engage the project team to look for alternatives to find a solution. This means that the project manager should involve the team members who have the relevant expertise, knowledge, and skills to identify and evaluate possible options to overcome the problem, such as using a substitute material, changing the design or scope, or negotiating with the supplier or the client. Engaging the project team to look for alternatives to find a solution will help the project manager to leverage the collective intelligence and creativity of the team, and to find the best solution that meets the project objectives and satisfies the stakeholders. Recording it in the risk register is not a sufficient action, as it does not address the problem or prevent the delay. The project manager should have identified and recorded this risk earlier, and developed a contingency plan to deal with it. Asking the client to help solve the problem is not a good option, as it may damage the relationship and trust between the project manager and the client, and imply that the project manager is not capable of managing the project. The project manager should communicate the problem to the client, but not rely on the client to solve it. Starting procuring this material from another supplier is a risky and costly option, as it may not guarantee the quality, availability, or delivery of the material, and it may incur additional expenses and contractual issues. The project manager should consider this option only after exhausting other alternatives, and with the approval of the relevant stakeholders.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, pages 355-356, 441-442, 456-457.
A sponsor and project manager found out that a vendor in a different time zone has delayed the delivery of its products and needs close supervision until the project gets back on track. The only option is to relocate three key members of the project team to spend 6 months abroad.
What should the project manager do next?
- A . Communicate to the whole team the decision to relocate team members abroad and the implications of doing so in the next project status meeting
- B . Communicate individually with the affected team members to negotiate the decision and confirm their willingness to relocate
- C . Communicate the decision to the human resources (HR) department so they can direct the project team members to be sent abroad
- D . Communicate to the affected team members’ manager and schedule a meeting to discuss the details of this assignment
B
Explanation:
The project manager should communicate individually with the affected team members to negotiate the decision and confirm their willingness to relocate, as this is the most respectful and ethical way to handle the situation. Relocating team members abroad for six months is a major change that will affect their personal and professional lives, and the project manager should consider their needs, pReference, and concerns before making any final decisions. The project manager should also explain the rationale and benefits of the relocation, and offer any support or incentives that may facilitate the transition. Communicating to the whole team, the HR department, or the team members’ manager may not be appropriate or sufficient, as the project manager should first consult with the team members directly and obtain their consent. These other communication options may also create unnecessary confusion, resentment, or resistance among the team members or other stakeholders.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, pages 111, 112, 113, 114.
A project manager presented the project schedule to the mam stakeholders They have requested that the project be completed two months earlier than the scheduled date.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Hold a stakeholder meeting to align timelines and scope expectations.
- B . Crash the schedule to shorten the timeline while keeping the scope unchanged
- C . Update the cost management plan to allocate more resources to the project to finish the scope earlier.
- D . Reduce the scope of the project by removing activities and shortening the timeline
A
Explanation:
The project manager should hold a stakeholder meeting to align timelines and scope expectations. This is because the project manager needs to manage the stakeholder’s expectations and ensure that they understand the implications of their request. The project manager should explain the current project schedule, the assumptions and constraints that were considered, and the risks and opportunities that are involved. The project manager should also discuss the possible alternatives to meet the stakeholder’s request, such as crashing, fast-tracking, or scope reduction, and their pros and cons. The project manager should seek the stakeholder’s input and feedback, and try to reach a mutually agreeable solution that satisfies the project objectives and the stakeholder’s needs. The project manager should also update the project documents, such as the project management plan, the schedule baseline, and the scope baseline, to reflect the agreed changes, and communicate them to the relevant stakeholders.
The other options are not correct because they do not address the issue of stakeholder alignment and communication, which is essential for project success. Crashing the schedule to shorten the timeline while keeping the scope unchanged might be a possible option, but it would increase the project cost and risk, and might not be acceptable to the stakeholder. Updating the cost management plan to allocate more resources to the project to finish the scope earlier might be another option, but it would also increase the project cost and complexity, and might not be feasible or effective. Reducing the scope of the project by removing activities and shortening the timeline might be another option, but it would compromise the project value and quality, and might not meet the stakeholder’s requirements.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, section 6.6, page 215, PMP Exam Prep, 10th edition, page 180
A company is transitioning their projects to utilize hybrid project management approaches While putting together their project team, the project manager discovers the requirements from the customer are unclear and also realizes that the team members are lacking critical technical stalls needed for project success. However the customer will not accept any changes to the requirements.
What should the project manager do to resolve this issue?
- A . Submit a change request to adapt the objectives of the project to the current situation
- B . Ask the scrum master to refine the user stones to improve the team members’ understanding
- C . Find and provide training to the project team members who do not have the required skills
- D . Extend the duration of standup meetings to include skill transference from trained to untrained members
C
Explanation:
In a situation where the project team members lack the necessary technical skills for project success,
it’s crucial for the project manager to take proactive steps to bridge this skill gap. This could involve finding and providing relevant training to the team members. This approach ensures that the team has the necessary competencies to deliver on the project’s objectives, even when the customer’s requirements are unclear or changing. It’s also aligned with the principles of hybrid project management, which emphasize flexibility, continuous learning, and adaptability in the face of change.
Reference: PMBOK® Guide C Sixth Edition, Section 9.4 Manage Project Team, pg. 349; Section 9.5 Control Resources, pg. 356.
During the development of a product, multiple identified risks have now become issues, which is hindering the team’s velocity.
What should the project manager do in this situation?
- A . Document the issues and extend the project delivery timeline.
- B . Convene the steering committee and inform them of the impact to the project.
- C . Prioritize the user stories with issues and have the team resolve them
- D . Update the project management plan and risk management plan.
C
Explanation:
During the development of a product, when multiple identified risks have now become issues, it is important to prioritize these issues and have the team resolve them. This approach aligns with the principles of agile project management, which emphasize the importance of addressing issues as they arise and adjusting plans accordingly. By prioritizing the user stories with issues, the project manager ensures that the most critical issues are addressed first, thereby minimizing their impact on the team’s velocity and the overall project timeline.
Reference: https://www.coursera.org/gb/articles/how-to-manage-project-risk https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/project-management-product-development-11194