Practice Free PMP Exam Online Questions
An organization is transitioning to an agile delivery approach. There is only one project that is being used as a pilot for the new approach. The project management office (PMO) manager has asked the project lead how communications with the project team and the stakeholders will be managed.
What should the project lead recommend?
- A . Send the weekly report to the PMO and the product owner, and use a kanban board for the project team.
- B . Send weekly reports to the PMO, and use a kanban board for the product owner and the project team.
- C . Invite the PMO manager to the daily standup with the project team and product owner.
- D . Send weekly reports to all stakeholders, including the project team and the product owner.
C
Explanation:
Agile methodologies emphasize direct, frequent, and transparent communication. Inviting the PMO manager to the daily standup meetings aligns with agile principles, fostering collaboration and ensuring that all parties are informed and engaged in the project’s progress. This approach allows for real-time updates and immediate feedback, which is essential for agile projects where adaptability and quick responses to change are critical. The daily standup is a key agile practice that helps the team synchronize activities and plan for the next 24 hours12.
Reference: Agile Communication: Techniques, Examples and Best Practices – PM-Training1 Unleashing the power of communication in agile transformations – McKinsey2
A project manager has an engineering team mostly comprised of new hires. The project manager has to carefully predict in which stage of the project they will need to spend most of their time to ensure the team is properly integrated and performing well.
In which stage of the project would the project manager need a greater effort to lead them?
- A . Performing
- B . Storming
- C . Norming
- D . Forming
A key project stakeholder recently joined the project and is questioning some of the previously made
decisions. This starts to impact project execution.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Reach out to the stakeholder via phone to explain that all decisions have been agreed upon with their predecessor.
- B . Provide the stakeholder with a link to a file-sharing site where the supporting documents for decisions are filed.
- C . Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to provide an overview of the project, including the agreed-upon decisions.
- D . Update the risk register with a new risk of potential project changes as a result of stakeholder misalignment.
A team member increased the estimated completion time for their activities on the critical path. This action, however, has caused friction among the team members. The project manager reviewed the key performance indicators (KPIs) that show the issue.
What should the project manager do first?
- A . Conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) and plan the correct actions to ensure completion of the tasks on time.
- B . Allocate another resource to help the team member to complete the tasks and meet the estimated activity time.
- C . Train the team member in the methodology to get the sufficient knowledge to meet the estimated activity time.
- D . Apply crashing to the strategic tasks to recover any time that was lost to bring the project on track.
A
Explanation:
Comprehensive and Detailed
Before taking corrective actions like adding resources (B) or applying schedule compression techniques (D), the project manager should first understand the root cause of the delay. RCA helps identify whether the issue is due to skill gaps, workload, ambiguity, or other factors. This step ensures that the right mitigation strategy is implemented.
Reference:
* PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Performance Domain: Planning, Section on Root Cause Analysis
* PMBOK® Guide C Risk and Schedule Management Concepts
A project has obtained all of the necessary legal requirements and policies from the local government. During the execution phase, the product owner is informed that a new law impacting the project deliverables will be published within two weeks.
What should the project lead do?
- A . Review the product backlog items to evaluate the impact on scope and prioritize accordingly.
- B . Develop a change request for more resources and update the project budget and schedule.
- C . Ask the internal legal department to evaluate if the regulatory law could be managed internally.
- D . Work with the team to develop an alternative solution with no additional effect on the project’s budget.
A
Explanation:
In an agile or iterative environment, when external changes such as legal or regulatory updates affect project deliverables, the appropriate action is to assess and reprioritize the product backlog. This ensures alignment with the latest compliance needs while balancing value delivery.
According to the Agile Practice Guide and PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, backlog refinement is used to review, adjust, and prioritize features based on changing business and legal contexts.
Option B assumes additional resources are needed without first evaluating impact.
Option C may be done, but the first step is impact analysis.
Option D assumes feasibility before performing analysis.
Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Chapter 5 C Iteration Planning and Backlog Refinement
PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Delivery and Planning Performance Domains
A project has obtained all of the necessary legal requirements and policies from the local government. During the execution phase, the product owner is informed that a new law impacting the project deliverables will be published within two weeks.
What should the project lead do?
- A . Review the product backlog items to evaluate the impact on scope and prioritize accordingly.
- B . Develop a change request for more resources and update the project budget and schedule.
- C . Ask the internal legal department to evaluate if the regulatory law could be managed internally.
- D . Work with the team to develop an alternative solution with no additional effect on the project’s budget.
A
Explanation:
In an agile or iterative environment, when external changes such as legal or regulatory updates affect project deliverables, the appropriate action is to assess and reprioritize the product backlog. This ensures alignment with the latest compliance needs while balancing value delivery.
According to the Agile Practice Guide and PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, backlog refinement is used to review, adjust, and prioritize features based on changing business and legal contexts.
Option B assumes additional resources are needed without first evaluating impact.
Option C may be done, but the first step is impact analysis.
Option D assumes feasibility before performing analysis.
Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Chapter 5 C Iteration Planning and Backlog Refinement
PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Delivery and Planning Performance Domains
Two project team members are updating the schedule but cannot reach an agreement on when two milestones are due. Each team member believes they are correct based on the documents they have available.
What should the project manager do first to finalize the schedule?
- A . Engage the two team members to investigate the reasons each believes that their documents are correct.
- B . Update the schedule so it is available for team members to continue the work and figure out the discrepancy later.
- C . Ask the two team members to meet to work the discrepancy out and let the project manager know the outcome.
- D . Ask the team members to send the documents and apply expert judgment to update the schedule.
A
Explanation:
The project manager should engage the team members and guide them to investigate why they hold differing views. Understanding the rationale behind each interpretation promotes root cause analysis and leads to an informed decision.
According to the PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, problem-solving and facilitating collaborative discussions are key leadership competencies. By engaging the individuals first, the project manager avoids making unilateral decisions and promotes team responsibility.
Option B risks propagating incorrect information.
Option C delegates decision-making without proper facilitation.
Option D is premature without understanding the discrepancy sources.
Reference: PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Planning and Team Performance Domains
PMI’s Conflict Resolution and Decision-Making Techniques ―
A project manager leads a regulatory initiative with tight, non-negotiable timelines. During a status meeting, a key stakeholder asks if a critical milestone associated with the reporting functionality can be moved up by 4 weeks.
What should the project manager do first?
- A . Gather additional information and ask the team to perform a root cause analysis.
- B . Update the master schedule to reflect the reprioritized deliverables.
- C . Ask the team to work with the product owner to reprioritize the backlog.
- D . Request additional information and discuss the feasibility options and impacts with the team.
D
Explanation:
Before taking any action, the project manager should gather more context and engage the team to assess feasibility. This includes evaluating schedule impacts, resource constraints, regulatory implications, and whether scope trade-offs are required. This approach aligns with the PMBOK® Guide’s recommendation to evaluate change impacts before making decisions.
Option A is misaligned; root cause analysis is more appropriate for problem resolution, not for scope acceleration.
Option B assumes approval and feasibility without review.
Option C applies to Agile backlog reprioritization but this is a regulatory milestone, likely not in a product backlog.
Reference: PMBOK® Guide C Seventh Edition, Delivery and Planning Performance Domains
PMBOK® Guide C Sixth Edition, Section 4.6: Perform Integrated Change Control
In a daily standup meeting, a project manager notices that a team member’s reports include incomplete tasks with no impediments. A colleague informs the project manager that this team member is experiencing a personal issue.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Coach the team member on how to keep work and personal issues scjparate.
- B . Ask the human resources (HR) manager to speak with this team member.
- C . Reallocate this team member’s tasks to others for the immediate future.
- D . Understand the team member’s personal issue and offer them support.
D
Explanation:
When a team member is experiencing personal issues that affect their work, it is important for the project manager to show empathy and provide support. Understanding the team member’s situation can help in finding ways to assist them, whether it’s through offering flexible work arrangements, providing access to counseling services, or temporarily reallocating tasks. This approach not only helps the team member but also maintains the cohesion and productivity of the team.
: The PMBOK® Guide highlights the importance of project managers supporting team performance, which includes recognizing and addressing personal issues that may impact work1. Additionally, the Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) materials emphasize the role of the project manager in understanding and supporting team members to ensure that personal issues do not hinder project progress234.
An agile team is funded for a fixed 6-month period. The sponsor’s request will take at least 12 months to complete.
What should the project manager do?
- A . Inform the sponsor that the team is unable to complete the requests due to a lack of funding, and
defer the project. - B . Prioritize the scope items to determine the duration needed for a minimal viable product (MVP) and adjust the funding request.
- C . Have the team work on the list of requests from the sponsor without modification until the 6-month period ends.
- D . Request the team complete all scope items, with the assumption of securing additional funding within 6 months.