Practice Free PMP Exam Online Questions
During the release of an important product, a vice president for a different product line brought a valid concern to the project team, which had to be completed before the release. The vice president has not participated in other product discussions until now. This additional work resulted in a delay of the product release.
How should the project manager have handled this situation earlier in the project?
- A . Identified the vice president as a stakeholder
- B . Recorded the vice president’s concerns in the risk register
- C . Escalated any dissent to top management right away
- D . Shared project boundaries so that everyone was aware of the scope
A
Explanation:
When faced with a situation where a vice president from a different product line brings a valid concern during the release of an important product, the project manager should have proactively identified the vice president as a stakeholder. Here’s why:
An agile project has completed several iterations. The project manager has been asked to participate in a meeting with the executive functional manager, who is a company leader and the product owner’s supervisor. The executive functional manager wants to know about the project deliverables.
What should the project manager focus on for the required meeting?
- A . Demonstrating the actual working product
- B . Analyzing the project performance of the sprints
- C . Reviewing the team’s performance metrics
- D . Reviewing the burndown chart and backlog
To ensure effective team communication and processes, a standard set of software including video conferencing is defined for a virtual scrum team. Several team members are reporting problems with their access and cannot adhere to team processes.
How should these issues be resolved?
- A . Individual team members should discuss solutions to resolve the issues after the Scrum is concluded.
- B . The scrum master should ensure the appropriate escalation to resolve the issues.
- C . The product owner owns the open issues until they are resolved.
- D . Individual team members need to submit service desk tickets to resolve the issues.
At the end of a project’s initiation phase, the budget was developed and sent to the approval board. During the approval meeting, one of the key stakeholders asked how the budget was developed for future uncertainties.
How should the project manager reply?
- A . Recurrent team meetings are planned to control the budget against future uncertainties.
- B . Probabilistic analysis was used to develop the budget to address future uncertainties.
- C . The budget was developed by using the lessons learned from previous project data.
- D . Feedback from stakeholders will be addressed at each board meeting to adapt the budget.
B
Explanation:
Probabilistic analysis is a technique that involves considering various possible scenarios and their associated probabilities to develop a budget that accounts for future uncertainties. This method is a common practice in project management to address the inherent risks and uncertainties in project budgets. It allows for a more comprehensive and realistic approach to budgeting, particularly in the face of uncertainties1.
Reference: PMI’s "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)"1
A project team has not been meeting its deliverables because they are not receiving adequate resources to do their job.
What should the project manager do for the team to meet the upcoming deliverables?
- A . Ask the team to adapt based on their current resources.
- B . Plan a meeting with the stakeholders to get more resources.
- C . Replan the upcoming deliverables based on the available tools.
- D . Ask the project sponsor to provide the needed resources.
A project is currently in the execution phase. Because of the complexity of the project and the large number of regulatory requirements involved, the project manager decides to hold a management review with senior executives to ensure the successful implementation of project deliverables.
What should the project manager review during the management review to ensure the meeting is effective?
- A . The deliverables that are performing well and those that need more work.
- B . Metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that objectively reflect the status of deliverables.
- C . Potential changes to the project’s strategy and the feedback from senior executives.
- D . Specialized reports created specifically for the meeting as per directions from the project sponsor.
B
Explanation:
During a management review in the execution phase of a project, it is most effective to review metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that objectively reflect the status of the project deliverables. This data-driven approach provides a clear and quantifiable assessment of how the project is performing against its planned objectives. It allows for an accurate understanding of the project’s progress and highlights areas that may require attention or improvement.
: = The PMBOK® Guide emphasizes the importance of monitoring and controlling project work through performance measurements to ensure that project objectives are met1. The use of KPIs and other metrics is a recognized best practice in project management for providing an objective status of project deliverables during management reviews1.
A project manager is leading a project in which the product requirements have not been fully met due to several uncertainties about customer acceptance.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Gather a reduced number of approved requirements and add some extra features to fulfill the product specifications.
- B . Ask team members to research and collect data about the best features offered by similar products in the market.
- C . Stop all project activities until all requirements are set up front by the project sponsor and the key stakeholders.
- D . Gather enough requirements to produce a minimum viable product (MVP) with which to evaluate customer acceptance.
D
Explanation:
In situations where there are uncertainties about customer acceptance, it is advisable to focus on creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). An MVP is a version of a product that includes just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development1. This approach allows the project manager to validate the product requirements with actual customer feedback, which is crucial when the full set of product requirements has not been established2. By focusing on an MVP, the project team can prioritize the core functionalities that meet customer needs and address uncertainties more effectively3.
Reference: PMI’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)4.
Disciplined Agile at PMI1.
Minimum Business Increments (MBIs) at PMI2.
Business Analyst Definitions – BABLOCKS.COM3.
A project feature from the development team was rejected due to low quality. Over the past few weeks, the testing team has become concerned because the development team has not yet responded to the rejection. As a result, the testing team has escalated the conflict to the project manager.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Remove the development team’s rejected feature from the backlog.
- B . Reassure all team members that the development team will fix the issue.
- C . Initiate an improvement plan for the development team to follow.
- D . Evaluate the context for the conflict with the development team.
D
Explanation:
Before taking action or implementing changes, the project manager should investigate the root cause of the issue. Evaluating the context means engaging the development team to understand delays, roadblocks, or miscommunication. This aligns with conflict resolution best practices, which recommend first gathering facts and context before responding.
The PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition emphasizes systems thinking, servant leadership, and collaborative problem-solving. This approach ensures fair assessment and avoids premature assumptions.
Option A is a decision that may bypass due diligence.
Option B is speculative and dismissive of current concern.
Option C might be appropriate after analysis but is premature.
Reference: PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Team and Delivery Performance Domains
PMBOK® Guide C Sixth Edition, Section 9.5: Conflict Resolution and Team Management
A project team is currently dispersed across multiple countries and time zones. Recent team feedback shows engagement levels are sub-optimal, and information flows are irregular and one-sided. There are also company travel restrictions in place, preventing physical colocation.
What improvements should the project manager implement to improve engagement?
- A . Upgrade each project team member’s internet connection to allow virtual video conferencing.
- B . Confirm with the team which approach works best for exchanging information.
- C . Schedule a regular cadence and duration for agile ceremonies and sprint planning.
- D . Submit a change request to the project sponsor for a travel exemption for the team to meet on-site.
Project progress meetings occur via virtual conference calls. In every project progress meeting, one team member continuously interrupts others during discussions. Other team members often have no opportunity to talk or complete their explanations.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Speak individually with the team members who do not participate in conversations.
- B . Manage time efficiently using the agenda and ask each participant to contribute.
- C . Speak individually with the team member who always disrupts the conversations.
- D . Start the meeting with a review of the ground rules, meeting objectives, and the agenda.
B
Explanation:
The PMBOK® Guide emphasizes the importance of effective communication and stakeholder engagement in project management. Managing time efficiently using the agenda and ensuring that each participant has the opportunity to contribute can help mitigate the issue of one team member dominating the conversation. This approach encourages equitable participation and allows all team members to provide input, which is essential for a collaborative project environment.
: The answer is supported by the principles found in the PMBOK® Guide and the Professional in Business Analysis Reference Materials provided by PMI12.