PM Exam

Question 1

Project team members are concerned that a new resource does not seem suitable for an assigned task. How should the project manager respond to this concern?

Answer 1

Schedule time to chat with the new resource to assess their skills and understand their strength level.

Question 2

The project manager schedules an iteration review and learns that a few key stakeholders do not approve of how a feature has been developed. What should the project manager do first in order to address this issue?

Answer 2

Address the issue only after evaluating why these stakeholders are concerned.

Question 3

A Project Manager realizes that sponsor expectations are not being met, specifically regarding project deliverables. To address this issue, what action should the Project Manager take?

Answer 3

Update the risk register

Question 4

During a meeting, a Project Manager learns that a business result needs to be delivered in four weeks, although the original plan was sixteen weeks. The Project Manager also hears that there is no available technical resource who might be able to join the team. The Project Manager knows the technical resource manager because they worked together on a previous project. What is the first thing the Project Manager should do?

Answer 4

Check with the technical resource manager to see if there is an available technical resource

Question 5

A team decides that an agile approach fits the needs of the next phase in their project. Unfortunately, there are team members who have not had the appropriate agile training. How should the project manager respond to the lack of agile training?

Answer 5

Identify and implement the most cost-effective agile training for the team members.

Question 6

A new Project Manager joins the projects daily standups only to find that the project team spends too much time discussing ways to deal with obstructions in the project. Because of these discussions, standups often last well over two hours. What process should be used to deal with this issue?

Answer 6

Refer to the team charter if it includes ground rules on how the daily stand up will be conducted

Question 7

A customer is not satisfied with the delivered product, saying that it was not what they expected. The project manager is surprised, because the agile development team delivered the product several iterations early. What is one way that the project manager could have avoided this result?

Answer 7

Made sure that the customer was aware of the value of demos

Question 8

A project team is small and the team members have known each other for a long time. The team’s project is in the execution phase. Recently, a team member told the new project manager that another team member has been complaining about how the project is being managed. How should this new project manager respond?

Answer 8

Schedule a mandatory team meeting which will lead to the creation of a new social contract.

Question 9

A project manager has multiple projects. One project has new team members and is in its early stages. Unfortunately, the project manager will be very busy executing other projects over the next few weeks. How can the project manager develop the new project team over the next few weeks?

Answer 9

Help the team create a social contract that will encourage team cohesion.

Question 10

A Project Manager needs to ensure that the team delivers business value within the required timelines. The manager recently learned that key stakeholders are worried that the current release plan will not meet urgent business needs. What can the Project Manager do to effectively respond to the stakeholder concerns?

Answer 10

Renegotiate scope with the project sponsor after examining the work breakdown structure (WBS)

Question 11

A key stakeholder voices a concern during the planning stage about whether the available resources are sufficient to meet the objectives of the project. The Project Manager believes that the stakeholder is right. How should the Project Manager handle this stakeholder’s concern?

Answer 11

Ensure that the impact of the unavailability of required resources is fully documented

Question 12

A project manager notices that one team member seems increasingly unhappy during team meetings. The team member is not making progress on a key work package, and this lack of progress is now impacting the critical path. The team member feels that they are not in the correct role within the project team. What should the project manager do?

Answer 12

Meet with the team member to discuss where they can contribute, based on their strengths.

Question 13

A project owner repeatedly complains, saying that a function developed by the development team does not seem to align with the original design. What will help to solve this issue?

Answer 13

Schedule time during the next retrospective session to discuss all corrective actions and ask the project owner to participate in the session.

Question 14

A Project Manager realizes during the third iteration of product development that the template used for the project management plan is not showing updates. Which action should the project manager take?

Answer 14

Document the issue as a new project risk and propose a solution

Question 15

During work on a government project, stakeholders pressure the project manager to submit to their preferred actions. While the project manager must coordinate and plan with multiple stakeholders, the project manager must also deal with complex relations and frequently changing scenarios. What should the project manager consider doing? (Choose two.)

Answer 15

Use the Prioritization method of categorization.
Use the Salience model of categorization.

Question 16

A project manager is working on a small project that is critical for a larger program milestone. A new resource has been assigned to replace a key resource who had to leave the project. Unfortunately, an outside stakeholder claims that the person who assigned the new resource sent their weakest team member. How should the project manager approach this rumor?

Answer 16

Evaluate the skills of the new resource to see how the resource can provide value to the project.

Question 17

All team members on a new project want to gain the customer’s trust by delivering value as quickly as possible. The project manager learns that one resource has worked with the sponsor on other projects. The resource seems to be using personal influence, working with a project sponsor to increase the project’s benefits realization. At which stage in the project should the project manager address this concern to optimize cost effectiveness?

Answer 17

During the next retrospective ceremony

Question 18

A key team member is unhappy with the overall approach documented in a project management plan. The member surprises the Project Manager with negative comments about the approach during a weekly status meeting during the execution phase of the project. How should the Project Manager address the team members concerns?

Answer 18

Make a short comment to acknowledge the team members concerns, continue with the meeting, and meet with the member in private to discuss their concerns.

Question 19

A Project Manager for a construction firm meets with stakeholders. All stakeholders agree on a 20 month lifecycle for a project. After work has begun, the Project Manager learns that stakeholders would like project completion within no more than 16 months. What should be the first step in the Project Managers response?

Answer 19

Meet with key stakeholders to discuss ways to reduce some project requirements

Question 20

During an iteration, a project team encounters problems that may cause a delay in task completion. Another team within the same project needs the task to be completed on time in order to meet their schedule. What can the project manager do to resolve this problem?

Answer 20

Work with the product owner to reprioritize the iteration backlog, so that it does not delay work by other teams.

Question 21

A Project Manager is faced with an updated schedule that requires delivering a business result under a far more aggressive timeline. The projects technical resource manager has worked with the Project Manager on previous projects. Still, a team member indicates that the company does not have technical resources that could be added to the project to meet the new timeline. What should be the Project Manager’s next step?

Answer 21

Ask the technical resource manager about the availability of technical resources

Question 22

A project manager has been asked to conduct a risk analysis that is based on a high-level scope. As part of the analysis, the project manager must use expert judgment to prepare a document. Which document-based action is being performed?

Answer 22

Creating the project charter

Question 23

A project manager receives complaints from a project sponsor because of a delay in developing a prototype. The project manager responds that the delay was due to a lack of knowledge in a specific skill that was needed by the cross-functional project team. How could the project manager avoid this type of situation in the future?

Answer 23

List required skills for the project, and organize the project team based on those skills.

Question 24

A team member could not be reached by email or phone during the week that they were absent. The team member had not notified anyone on the team prior to their absence. Due to the absence, several successor activities are behind schedule, impacting the projects critical path. How should the project manager respond to this situation?

Answer 24

Discuss the situation with the team member, and work with them to identify a workable solution.

Question 25

A project that should have been 90 percent complete by now is only 65 percent complete. The total project budget is US$120,000 and the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) is US$80,000. What is the scheduled performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI) of this project?

Answer 25

The SPI is 0.72, and the CPI is 0.98.
EV = % complete * budget: 65% * $120,000 = $78,000, AC = $80,000. CPI = EV/AC = $78,000/80,000 = 0.975 or 0.98 A CPI less than 1 means the project is over budget. PV = % complete * budget: 90% * $120,000 = $108,000, SPI = EV/PV = $78,000/108,000 = 0.72 A SPI less than 1 means the project is behind schedule.

Question 26

A project manager is working with a customer who repeatedly submits new feature requests for an existing software product. The project manager has already provided the completed scope definition for the product’s next version release to stakeholders. Which step is appropriate for the project manager to take next?

Answer 26

Analyze the scope management plan and iterate it through the scope definition process.

Question 27

A project manager joins a project that has the following features: -Globally distributed team -Budget that is fixed -Very tight deadlines During planning, what should the project manager do to avoid any scope creep and keep the team focused on delivering a product that meets requirements?

Answer 27

Put any changes to scope through the formal approval process.

Question 28

A project sponsor asks the Project Manager to change production materials because these materials could cause health problems to consumers. What is an appropriate step for the Project Manager to take?

Answer 28

Follow the project change control process and thoroughly investigate the matter

Question 29

A project is in the execution phase. Three necessary changes are brought to the attention of the team. The team members all have differing opinions regarding how to implement the changes. What should the project manager do?

Answer 29

Confirm that all team members and stakeholders understand and follow the change management plan.

Question 30

After a project ends, the project manager and project team members are still being asked to do the following: -Evaluate new requirements -Make minor modifications -Solve technical issues The project manager wants to ensure the product or service developed by the project now has operational support. What should the project manager do?

Answer 30

Complete the handover of the project.

Question 31

The initial draft of a project management plan is completed. The project manager plans to show the draft to stakeholders who are located around the globe for approval. The project manager has limited time to gain approval, and the project management plan is lengthy. The project manager needs to ensure that the review of the plan is completed on time. Which action should the project manager take?

Answer 31

Send the plan for the stakeholders to review, and then meet with the all of them to discuss it.

Question 32

Schedule performance issues are occurring on a project. After assessing the issue, the project manager determines that the cause is the expertise levels of project resources. Specifically, a few of the senior-level resources check irrelevant details, and some inexperienced resources take too much time to complete tasks. The project manager needs to enhance team performance. Which action is appropriate to take?

Answer 32

Implement training where necessary and create a checklist for all team members.

Question 33

Multiple new members are added to an ongoing project. Although all original team members received basic training on the specifics of the business operation that the project supports, the new members do not have the same basic understanding. This lack of understanding results in decreased productivity. How should the project manager respond to this issue?

Answer 33

Ask the original team members to provide support and training, and schedule a second kick-off meeting for new team members.

Question 34

A projects single sponsor has been replaced by a steering committee due to a significant increase in project size. How should the project manager approach this change?

Answer 34

Tailor communications to the new steering committee, recognizing that there has been a change in stakeholder structure.

Question 35

A week prior to the project kick-off call, a project manager meets with a key project resource to gain a deeper understanding of how complex the project deliverables are. The resource expresses concern and worry regarding the deliverables. What should the project manager do to ensure that the deliverables are realistic?

Answer 35

Perform a feasibility study, and then assess the results.

Question 36

Although the sponsor and project team say that the new project has an adequate budget and realistic schedule, the project manager worries that unplanned events could threaten the projects success. What should the project manager do first?

Answer 36

Engage in identification of project risks, then assess those risks.

Question 37

A large project includes functional groups in four countries. It is close to completion, so the Project Manager must prepare the closeout documents. How should the Project Manager obtain appropriate signoff on the acceptance of the project deliverables?

Answer 37

The project sponsor should be asked to sign off the project deliverables.

Question 38

Three parts of a single project are being completed by three project teams. The three parts are highly dependent on each other. The team leader worries that this might create conflicts when the outputs from the three teams are combined and asks for advice. What advice should the Project Manager provide?

Answer 38

Identify potential conflicts. Then, arrange for a weekly joint meeting with the members of the three teams to review each others work.

Question 39

In response to slippage on some scheduled tasks, the project manager reprioritized a number of subsequent tasks in order to fix the problem. The reprioritization did not put the project back on track, and now the project manager needs to escalate the issue to project stakeholders. To escalate the issue, what should the project manager do first?

Answer 39

Refer to the communications management plan.

Question 40

A project is in the execution phase. Based on the originally approved blueprint, 1,000 products were developed. The project team randomly chooses 100 products to evaluate against the quality plan. What is the project team undertaking?

Answer 40

Statistical sampling

Question 41

Because a deliverable does not meet the agreed-upon quality specifications, it is rejected by the customer. Team members find that the deliverable does not meet expectations because there is a problem with vendor-provided parts. The vendor says that they will not correct the problem. Before deciding on next steps, what should the project manager do?

Answer 41

Review the procurement management plan and contract agreements.

Question 42

Several team members have been transferred to another project, so the project manager needs additional resource support from a new supplier. The project manager is concerned about the cost risk of using a new supplier at this stage of the project. Now, the project manager needs to work with the procurement team to establish specifications and type of contract to be used. What should be done?

Answer 42

Recommend a fixed price incentive fee (FPIF) contract.

Question 43

The project manager receives a progress report during a demo and review meeting. The report shows that the agile project is not on track. Since all work was purposely selected and sequenced to meet higher-level objectives, the project manager is surprised by the report. In the future, how can the project manager prevent this type of miscommunication in an agile project?

Answer 43

Support self organization for the project team and help them provide buy-in for the project.