Practice Free PMP Exam Online Questions
A project manager is having difficulty acquiring final acceptance of some deliverables from a stakeholder for reasons that seem to be outside of the project acceptance criteri a.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Persuade this stakeholder using emotional intelligence skills to obtain acceptance.
- B . Obtain final acceptance from another stakeholder who is also familiar with the project
- C . Escalate this issue to the project sponsor and ask for support in obtaining final stakeholder acceptance.
- D . Create a project acceptance waiver noting the stakeholder’s concerns so they can be addressed later
A
Explanation:
According to the PMBOK guide, one of the tools and techniques for managing stakeholder engagement is interpersonal and team skills, which include emotional intelligence, influencing, and negotiation skills (p. 529). Emotional intelligence is “the ability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself and other people, as well as the collective emotions of groups of people” (p. 529). Influencing is “the ability to change the opinions, attitudes, or behaviors of others to achieve a desired outcome” (p. 530). Negotiation is “a process of conferring with others to come to terms with them or to reach an agreement” (p. 530). Therefore, the project manager should use these skills to persuade the stakeholder to accept the deliverables based on the project acceptance criteria, and to resolve any conflicts or issues that may arise. The other options are not as effective as persuading the stakeholder, because they either bypass the stakeholder’s authority, create more dependency on the project sponsor, or postpone the problem without solving it.
Reference: (Professional in Business Analysis Reference Materials source and documents) PMBOK guide, pages 529-530
PMI-PBA guide, pages 39-40
A project with a hard timeline is starting its first iteration out of six. The project team is lacking the necessary skills to execute.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Allow the team to proceed as they attempt to meet the timeline.
- B . Add a subject matter expert (SME) to the project team.
- C . Invite stakeholders to discuss a mitigation plan to finish on time.
- D . Fill the skill gap personally to execute the project.
B
Explanation:
When a project team lacks the necessary skills to execute, it is essential to address this gap to ensure the project’s success. Adding a subject matter expert (SME) can provide the specialized knowledge and skills required to meet the project’s objectives. This aligns with the PMBOK® Guide’s emphasis on acquiring the necessary team to achieve project objectives and the PMP’s focus on the importance of human resources in project management. The SME can assist the team in understanding and performing the tasks correctly, thus contributing to the project’s success within its hard timeline.
Reference: The answer is verified as per the PMP Examination Content Outline, which emphasizes the importance of project human resource management, including acquiring, developing, and managing the project team (1). The detailed explanation is supported by the PMI Guide to Business Analysis, which highlights the importance of ensuring that the project team has the appropriate competencies and skills to perform the work (6).
In a project, one core team member tends to do all the work and ensures all tasks are completed.
This core team member is soon leaving the project, which may make the project vulnerable.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Ensure the activities of this team member are distributed across the project team.
- B . Assess a mechanism for knowledge transfer among the team members.
- C . Motivate the team member to stay by providing them with incentives.
- D . Ask human resources (HR) to counsel the team member to balance the workload.
B
Explanation:
When a core team member who is responsible for a significant amount of work is leaving, it creates a risk for the project due to the potential loss of critical knowledge and skills. The Project Management Professional (PMP) guidelines emphasize the importance of knowledge transfer to mitigate such risks. This involves creating a structured approach to ensure that the departing team member’s knowledge is captured and shared with the remaining team members. This can include documentation, training sessions, and hands-on collaboration before the team member’s departure1.
Reference: “How to facilitate the knowledge transfer” from Project Management Institute1.
“Measuring success and sustainability of knowledge transfer in IT rollouts” from PMI2.
“Project management collaboration: Knowledge sharing among project managers” from PMI3.
“Knowledge transfer in a dynamic project environment” from PMI4.
A business improvement opportunity to reduce energy usage has been identified.
The project manager has assembled a team that includes site engineers to deliver this project. However, due to production imperatives, the site engineers may not be fully focused on the project.
How should the project manager manage the team?
- A . Develop an approved responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) to confirm internal and external resource requirements.
- B . Commit each team member’s time and deliverables and aim for overall project completion.
- C . Continue the project implementation without the site engineers to ensure the schedule is maintained.
- D . Contract external resources to fulfill the role of the site engineers who cannot support the project.
A
Explanation:
A RAM is a tool that maps the project work packages or activities to the project team members or roles. It helps to define and assign the responsibilities, accountabilities, and authorities of each team member for each project task. It also helps to identify and resolve any gaps, overlaps, or conflicts in the resource allocation. A RAM can be presented in various formats, such as a RACI chart, a RASCI chart, or a linear responsibility chart12.
Developing an approved RAM can help the project manager to manage the team effectively, especially when some team members, such as the site engineers, may not be fully focused on the project due to other priorities or constraints. A RAM can help the project manager to communicate and clarify the expectations and deliverables of each team member, and to monitor and control their performance and progress. A RAM can also help the project manager to coordinate and collaborate with the other stakeholders, such as the production managers, to ensure that the project and the production imperatives are aligned and balanced34.
The other options are not as effective or relevant for managing the team:
B. Commit each team member’s time and deliverables and aim for overall project completion: Committing each team member’s time and deliverables is important, but it may not be sufficient or realistic to manage the team, especially when some team members, such as the site engineers, may have competing or conflicting demands on their time and attention. Aiming for overall project completion is a desirable goal, but it may not be achievable or sustainable without proper planning, communication, and coordination among the team members and the other stakeholders.
C. Continue the project implementation without the site engineers to ensure the schedule is maintained: Continuing the project implementation without the site engineers may not be feasible or advisable, as the site engineers may have critical skills, knowledge, or experience that are essential for the project success. Excluding the site engineers from the project may also create risks, issues, or gaps in the project quality, scope, or integration. Moreover, it may damage the relationship and trust between the project manager and the site engineers, and reduce their motivation and commitment to the project.
D. Contract external resources to fulfill the role of the site engineers who cannot sup-port the project: Contracting external resources may be an option to supplement or replace the internal resources, such as the site engineers, who cannot support the project. However, this option may not be the best or the first choice, as it may involve additional costs, time, or risks for the project.
Contracting external resources may also require approval, negotiation, or procurement processes that may delay or complicate the project. Furthermore, it may affect the morale, loyalty, or performance of the internal resources, who may feel threatened, replaced, or undervalued by the external resources.
Reference: 1: Responsibility Assignment Matrix – Project Management Knowledge 2:
What is a Responsibility
Assignment Matrix (RAM) in Project Management? 3:
How to Create a Responsibility Assignment
Matrix (RAM) for Your Project 4:
How to Use a RACI Matrix to Manage Project Resources: [Project
Team Management:
How to Manage Your Team Effectively]: [How to Manage Project Team Conflicts]
: [Project Procurement Management: The Ultimate Guide]
During a monthly review meeting, a high-performing team member raised a concern about the quality feedback mechanism. The team member expressed that they are not able to deliver high-quality output.
What should the project manager do first?
- A . Assign the work based on the skill sets of team members.
- B . Request feedback from stakeholders about the quality delivery.
- C . Assign the work in consultation with the functional manager.
- D . Discuss this with the team and review the quality process.
D
Explanation:
The first step should be to engage the team in a discussion to understand the challenges and concerns regarding the quality feedback mechanism. This collaborative approach allows for a comprehensive review of the quality process and identification of areas for improvement. It ensures that all team members, including those who are high-performing and those facing difficulties, have a voice in the process and can contribute to enhancing the quality of output. This aligns with PMI’s principles of continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement in quality management12.
Reference: The approach is supported by PMI’s guidelines on quality management, which advocate for involving the team in quality discussions and using feedback to improve
processes12. Additionally, the PMI Professional in Business Analysis emphasizes the importance of engaging stakeholders and team members in continuous improvement practices34.
The product team is progressing with a prototyping approach to deliver a multiyear business initiative A few user stones are taking longer to be delivered.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Determine the risks and identify a resolution during the retrospective meeting
- B . Inform stakeholders about the delay during project updates
- C . Determine cross-dependencies and plan a spike in the next spont
- D . Discover the gaps in the communications management plan and address them accordingly
C
Explanation:
A prototyping approach is a way of developing a product incrementally by creating and testing different versions of the product until it meets the customer’s needs and expectations. Prototyping is often used in agile project management, where user stories are the smallest unit of work that deliver value to the end user. However, sometimes user stories may be too complex or uncertain to be estimated or completed within a sprint. In such cases, the project manager may use a spike to gain more knowledge or clarity about the user story. A spike is a time-boxed investigation or experiment that helps the team reduce the risk or increase the reliability of a user story. A spike may also help the team identify and resolve any cross-dependencies or technical challenges that may affect the user story. Therefore, the best option for the project manager in this scenario is to determine cross-dependencies and plan a spike in the next sprint. This will allow the team to learn more about the user stories that are taking longer to be delivered and find a feasible solution. The other options are not as effective as option C.
Option A is not proactive, as it waits until the retrospective meeting to address the risks and issues.
Option B is not sufficient, as it only informs the stakeholders about the delay, but does not offer any action plan to overcome it.
Option D is not relevant, as the problem is not related to the communications management plan, but to the user stories themselves.
Reference: (Professional in Business Analysis Reference Materials source and documents)
PMBOK® Guide C Sixth Edition, Chapter 5: Project Scope Management, Section 5.4.2.2: Product Analysis1
PMBOK® Guide C Sixth Edition, Chapter 6: Project Schedule Management, Section 6.5.2.1: Agile Release Planning2
What is Spike in Scrum? – Visual Paradigm3
User Stories | Examples and Template | Atlassian4
At the daily project meeting, team members are complaining about receiving emails from their functional managers to support other nonproject-related tasks. This is having a negative impact on the team’s productivity.
What should the project manager do next?
- A . Ask the product owner to speak with the functional managers to ensure future requirements come through the product owner.
- B . Log this as a risk in the risk register and continue to monitor the issue at subsequent meetings.
- C . Address this concern with the functional managers to ensure there will be no further delays.
- D . Schedule a meeting with all of the functional managers to resolve the resource conflicts.
C
Explanation:
The project manager should address this concern with the functional managers to ensure there will be no further delays in the project. The functional managers are the managers who have authority over the team members in their respective functional areas, such as engineering, marketing, finance, etc. The functional managers are responsible for assigning and releasing the team members to the project, as well as providing them with the necessary training, support, and feedback. The project manager should communicate and coordinate with the functional managers to ensure that the team members are available and committed to the project, and that they are not distracted or overloaded by other nonproject-related tasks. The project manager should also explain to the functional managers the impact of their emails on the team’s productivity and morale, and request them to respect the team’s priorities and schedules. The project manager should also seek the support and intervention of the project sponsor or the senior management, if needed, to resolve any resource conflicts or issues.
The other options are not the best actions for the project manager to take in this situation. Asking the product owner to speak with the functional managers to ensure future requirements come through the product owner is not relevant or effective, as it does not address the current problem of the team members receiving emails from their functional managers to support other nonproject-related tasks. The product owner is the person who represents the customer’s voice and defines and prioritizes the product backlog, which is a list of features and requirements that the customer wants to have in the product. The product owner is not involved in the resource management or allocation of the project, and may not have the authority or influence to negotiate with the functional managers. Logging this as a risk in the risk register and continuing to monitor the issue at subsequent meetings is not proactive or sufficient, as it does not prevent or mitigate the negative impact of the team members receiving emails from their functional managers to support other nonproject-related tasks. The risk register is a document that records the identified risks, their causes, impacts, probabilities, responses, and owners. The project manager should not just document and monitor the issue, but also take action to resolve it as soon as possible. Scheduling a meeting with all of the functional managers to resolve the resource conflicts may be too time-consuming and complicated, as it may involve multiple parties and perspectives. The project manager should not wait for a meeting to address the issue, but rather contact the functional managers individually and directly,
and seek their cooperation and understanding.
Reference: PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition, Chapter 9, Section 9.2, “Plan Resource Management” PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition, Chapter 9, Section 9.3, “Acquire Resources” PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition, Chapter 9, Section 9.5, “Control Resources” PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition, Chapter 11, Section 11.4, “Plan Risk Responses”
PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide: 2021 Exam Update, 10th Edition, Chapter 8, Section 8.2, “Planning Resources” 1
A new marketing vice president just joined a software startup and is concerned that the agile model does not provide the needed accountability for their role.
What should the responsible project manager do to ensure the vice president is comfortable with the project meeting its agreements?
- A . Require proper approval of all requirements from the marketing vice president and formally document the agreements.
- B . Foster an environment of open communication where all parties can discuss issues and agree on objectives.
- C . Establish an executive review board where all stakeholders discuss and approve features and requirements.
- D . Leverage the use of the review/demo sessions with the vice president to acknowledge that the agreements were met.
B
Explanation:
In an agile environment, accountability is achieved through transparency, collaboration, and shared understanding of the project’s goals and objectives. The agile model emphasizes the importance of open communication and collective responsibility among team members. By fostering an environment where the marketing vice president and other stakeholders can openly discuss issues and agree on objectives, the project manager ensures that everyone is aligned and accountable for the project’s success. This approach aligns with the principles of both Agile and Business Analysis, which advocate for stakeholder engagement and collaborative decision-making to deliver value and meet business needs.
Reference: (Agile Methodology in Project Management as a Licensed PMP1, Accountability is a Quality of Agile2, Professional in Business Analysis Certification | PMI3,.
What is Personal accountability? C. The Functional BA4)
During the development of a product, the project manager observes conflicts between project stakeholders, resulting in deliverable and output approval delays.
On which area should the project manager focus?
- A . Revisiting the project management plan to ensure deliverables are on time
- B . Increasing the frequency of project update meetings to keep stakeholders informed
- C . Revisiting the stakeholder engagement plan, focusing on specific overlooked stakeholders
- D . Reviewing the business case and identifying gaps within scope
C
Explanation:
According to the PMBOK Guide, a stakeholder engagement plan is a document that identifies the current and desired levels of stakeholder engagement, and the strategies and actions to increase or maintain stakeholder support throughout the project. A stakeholder engagement plan is an essential tool for managing stakeholder expectations, addressing stakeholder concerns, and resolving stakeholder conflicts. Conflicts between project stakeholders can result in delays, rework, scope changes, or even project failure. Therefore, the project manager should focus on revisiting the stakeholder engagement plan, focusing on specific overlooked stakeholders, to identify the root causes of the conflicts and the best ways to engage them. By doing so, the project manager can improve the stakeholder relationships, align the stakeholder interests, and facilitate the deliverable and output approval process.
Reference: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 8: Communications, Section 8.3: Manage Communications, pp. 126-1271
PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 9: Stakeholders, Section 9.2: Plan Stakeholder Engagement, pp. 141-1431
PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 9: Stakeholders, Section 9.3: Engage Stakeholders, pp. 144-1451 Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Handbook, Section 5: Exam Content Outline, Domain 2: Planning, Task 2.4: Develop a stakeholder engagement plan, pp. 22-232
A geographically distributed project team working on an iterative project adopts a new mode of communication following changes in health protocols. The colocated team members are finding themselves challenged with understanding verbal communication and collaboration methods.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Allow collaboration to smooth out communication between team members.
- B . Add collaboration tools to the communications management plan.
- C . Escalate these communication challenges to the project sponsor.
- D . Organize a team meeting to resolve the communication challenges.
B
Explanation:
When a geographically distributed team faces challenges with verbal communication and collaboration due to new health protocols, it is essential to adapt the communication methods to ensure effective collaboration. Adding collaboration tools to the communications management plan can provide alternative ways to facilitate communication and collaboration. These tools can range from messaging apps, video conferencing, to project management software that supports asynchronous communication, allowing team members to collaborate effectively despite being in different locations or time zones. This approach aligns with the PMBOK® Guide’s emphasis on tailoring communication plans to project needs and the iterative nature of Agile project management, which encourages continuous improvement and adaptation123.
Reference: Communications management plan – Lovepmp1; Understanding the iterative process, with examples – Asana2; A Guide to Understanding the Iterative Process |. The Workstream – Atlassian3.