Pass the PMI Project-Management-Professional PMP Questions and answers with CertsForce

The laissez-faire leadership style is characterized by allowing the team to make their own decisions and work independently. This style is suitable for teams that are mature, competent, and motivated, which seems to be the case with the project manager’s team, as they have previously worked together on construction projects. The laissez-faire approach trusts the team’s abilities and encourages autonomy and self-organization, which can lead to increased innovation and creativity.

The Project Management Professional (PMP)® Guide emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement and the need for project managers to ensure supportive involvement from all stakeholders. When a stakeholder exhibits low participation and believes the project will not yield benefits, it is crucial to address their concerns and work towards increasing their engagement level. This can be achieved by involving them in the planning, design, and evaluation stages, soliciting their feedback, and acknowledging their contributions and value. By doing so, the project manager can build trust and rapport, which are essential for the success of the project12.

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:

1.Stakeholder Identification:

oIdentifying stakeholders is a critical step in project management.

oStakeholders include anyone who has an interest in or can be affected by the project.

oThe vice president’s involvement in the project, even if not previously engaged, makes them a relevant stakeholder.

2.Benefits of Identifying Stakeholders:

oRecognizing the vice president as a stakeholder allows the project manager to consider their concerns and priorities.

oIt facilitates effective communication and collaboration throughout the project lifecycle.

oStakeholder engagement ensures that all relevant perspectives are considered.

3.Risk Mitigation:

oBy identifying the vice president as a stakeholder early on, the project manager could have addressed their concerns proactively.

oRecording the concerns in the risk register (Option B) is also valuable, but stakeholder identification comes first.

4.Project Boundaries and Scope:

oSharing project boundaries and scope (Option D) is essential, but it doesn’t directly address the vice president’s concerns.

oEscalating dissent to top management (Option C) should be a last resort after attempting to resolve issues at lower levels.

In summary, identifying the vice president as a stakeholder would have allowed the project manager to engage them effectively, address their concerns, and prevent delays in the product release.

According to the PMBOK Guide, an issue log is a project document that records problems in a project and how they are resolved. A resource management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how resources will be estimated, acquired, developed, managed, and controlled. When a team member leaves the company, the project manager should update the issue log with the details of the problem and the impact on the project. Then, the project manager should refer to the resource management plan to find out how to deal with the resource gap, such as reassigning tasks, hiring a new team member, or requesting additional resources from the sponsor or other stakeholders.

When interpersonal conflict affects team performance, the first step is to understand the perspectives of the involved parties. Active listening and empathizing help the project manager identify the root cause of the conflict, which is essential before attempting resolution or escalation.

The PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition and PMI’s guidelines for conflict management emphasize that a project manager must act as a facilitator to resolve issues constructively. Addressing conflict early improves morale, performance, and collaboration.

Option B may help team cohesion but doesn't directly address the interpersonal issue.

Option C is reactive and doesn’t address the cause of conflict.

Option D risks exposing sensitive conflict in an open forum.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

In a hybrid environment, the best way to manage dependencies is to align timelines across projects at a high level. This ensures coordinated handoffs while respecting each team’s methodology. Collaboration and integration planning are key to managing cross-project dependencies.

Option A is inappropriate; each project may use the best-fit methodology.

Option B imposes predictive structure on an agile team.

Option C may help but is time-consuming and over-involved.

To address prior tensions and focus the retrospective on constructive improvements, the project manager should set clear expectations for behavior and objectives. A well-structured agenda helps keep the discussion process-oriented and prevents blame. This approach aligns with Agile principles and effective facilitation practices.

Option A prevents open communication and collaboration.

Option B focuses only on leadership, not the whole team.

Option D introduces unnecessary escalation and shifts focus from improvement to contract management.

 In an agile project facing a new impediment that affects the timeline and costs, the product owner should focus on maximizing value and minimizing costs. Reprioritizing the backlog based on the value of each item and the cost of delay divided by duration is a strategic approach that aligns with agile principles. This method ensures that the most valuable and time-sensitive work is prioritized, which is crucial when dealing with extended support for an older platform at a higher cost. It allows for a more informed decision-making process that considers the impact of delays on the project’s value123.

 Before initiating a project, especially one involving new technology, it is crucial to identify potential risks. This aligns with the PMBOK® Guide’s emphasis on risk management as a key project management process. The process involves identifying, analyzing, and responding to project risks to increase the likelihood of project success. In the context of new technology, risks could include technical feasibility, integration with current systems, or potential cost overruns due to unforeseen technical issues.

 In the event of a data loss during a software deployment, it is crucial for the project manager to take immediate action to prevent further loss and to understand the root cause of the issue. Inviting a consultant to review the process allows for an expert assessment of the situation, which can help in identifying the problem quickly and preventing recurrence. This approach aligns with the best practices in project management and business analysis, which advocate for prompt and effective response to project issues to mitigate risks and ensure project success123.

The delivery acceptance document is crucial for the project manager as it signifies formal recognition of the project’s completion by the project sponsor or customer. It is a key component of the project closing process, which includes finalizing all activities across all of the project process groups to formally complete the project or phase. This document helps in the formal closure of the project, ensuring that all deliverables are accepted and that the project has met its objectives1.

When a customer requests additional functionality that risks the delivery date and conflicts with the agreed scope, the project manager should engage with the team to assess the effort required and then raise a change request. This process involves analyzing the impact of the change on project constraints and documenting the change request for further review by the Change Control Board (CCB). It is a structured approach that ensures any alterations to the project scope are carefully considered and approved before implementation, thus maintaining control over project outcomes.

The described behavior—agreeing externally while internally opposing—matches the accommodative (also known as smoothing or yielding) conflict resolution style. This approach involves one party giving in to maintain harmony, even at the cost of their own interests.

According to the PMI’s conflict resolution techniques:

Accommodating (or smoothing): One party gives in to maintain harmony.

Avoiding: Withdrawing from conflict and not addressing it.

Collaborating: Working together to find a win-win solution.

Competing (Combative): Pursuing one's own concerns at the other’s expense.

The team members in the scenario were not withdrawing (so not Avoidant), and certainly not arguing (so not Combative). They weren't actively resolving either, which rules out Collaborative. Thus, the correct resolution style is Accommodative.

To estimate the savings using in-house resources, the project manager would apply the PERT formula to calculate the expected duration of the project. The PERT formula is ( TE = \frac{(O + 4M + P)}{6} ), where TE is the expected time, O is the optimistic time, M is the most likely time, and P is the pessimistic time1.

Given the optimistic term of 4 months, the most expected term of 5 months, and the pessimistic term of 6 months, the expected duration (TE) would be ( TE = \frac{(4 + (4 \times 5) + 6)}{6} = \frac{(4 + 20 + 6)}{6} = \frac{30}{6} = 5 ) months.

The total cost for in-house resources for 5 months would be:

Two engineers: ( 2 \times US$700 \times 5 = US$7,000 )

One project manager: ( US$1,600 \times 5 = US$8,000 )

Additional expenses: ( US$2,000 \times 5 = US$10,000 )

Total in-house cost: ( US$7,000 + US$8,000 + US$10,000 = US$25,000 )

The company paid US$60,000 to an external subcontractor last year. Therefore, the estimated savings would be: ( US$60,000 - US$25,000 = US$35,000 )

However, since the options provided do not include US$35,000, and the closest option to the calculated savings is US$40,000, the answer would be C. US$40,000. This discrepancy might be due to additional factors not accounted for in the question’s details, such as indirect costs or a margin of error in the estimates.

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The project manager’s primary responsibility during team conflict is to engage directly with the team to facilitate resolution and restore team performance. This includes using interpersonal and leadership skills such as active listening, emotional intelligence, and coaching. When there’s confusion about change requirements, the project manager should first clarify with the team before escalating or deferring.

The PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition emphasizes that project managers should foster open communication, resolve conflict early, and clarify ambiguity through engagement.

Option A undermines collaboration and may create resentment.

Option C (HR) is inappropriate for technical disagreements.

Option D escalates too early before using team-level conflict resolution.

To ensure early delivery of business value, especially in a digital transformation project, the project manager should break down the deliverables into sprints and deliver value incrementally. This approach is supported by agile methodologies, which emphasize the importance of delivering working products in short cycles to provide quick wins and early value to the business. By doing so, the project can adapt to changes more effectively and maintain a focus on delivering the most critical features first. This strategy aligns with the principles of cross-functional teams, which are designed to work collaboratively and efficiently, reducing delays and hand-offs, and enabling a focus on delivering customer value as soon as possible12. References: PMBOK® Guide and Standards12.

Since the final product has already been delivered, the next step is the formal closure of the project. A key activity in project closure includes developing a transition or handover plan to operations, archiving project documents, and completing administrative closure tasks.

According to the PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition, transition planning and documentation are integral to the Close Project or Phase process.

Option A skips the necessary transition step.

Option B is unnecessary unless there are incomplete deliverables.

Option D is useful but not the primary next step.

Waiting until the product is nearly launched before involving customer validation is a known anti-pattern. To avoid late-stage surprises, validation should be integrated continuously throughout the lifecycle. This aligns with the Agile principle of customer collaboration and feedback loops.

According to PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition, early and continuous engagement of stakeholders (especially customers) helps in detecting issues early. Frequent validation allows incremental improvements and reduces risk of rework at later stages.

Option A is reactive and not preventive.

Option C is helpful but not sufficient without continuous validation.

Option D focuses on internal quality but not customer-centric validation.

This option is most aligned with the principles of project management as outlined in the PMBOK® Guide, which emphasizes the importance of collaborative planning and goal setting. Engaging the team in defining the overall objective ensures that all members are on the same page and committed to the project’s success. This approach leverages the expertise of the team members and fosters a sense of ownership and accountability.

 When a stakeholder expresses concerns about the project not delivering the expected business value, it is important for the project manager to review the business benefits realization plan. This plan outlines the activities necessary for achieving the planned benefits and identifies the timeline, tools, and resources required to ensure these benefits are fully realized over time. It also includes metrics and procedures to measure progress against benefits, roles and responsibilities, and processes for determining the extent to which each project benefit is achieved prior to formal closure. By reviewing this plan with the stakeholders, the project manager can address concerns by showing how the benefits are expected to be realized and making any necessary adjustments to ensure those benefits are achieved.

When a team member starts missing deadlines, it is important for the project manager to understand the root cause of the issue. Meeting with the team member provides an opportunity to discuss any concerns or obstacles they may be facing, which could be affecting their performance. This approach is in line with the PMBOK guide’s emphasis on project managers being proactive in identifying and resolving issues that can impact project timelines1. It also aligns with the principles of business analysis, which include understanding team dynamics and addressing individual team member’s challenges to improve overall performance2.

To implement Agile practices effectively, the project lead should:

A: Introduce sprints and sprint reviews to support iterative planning and frequent inspection.

B: Establish team working agreements (ground rules) to improve self-management.

E: Foster full participation in daily stand-ups to promote collaboration and team accountability.

Option C is too restrictive; valuable issues can be parked and discussed after.

Option D goes against Agile principles, where the team self-manages and Scrum Master facilitates rather than delegates meeting leadership.

 In a situation where the project delivery is based on a fixed price in cryptocurrency, and there is an agreement to adjust the scope according to the value of the cryptocurrency at the end of each iteration, an incremental approach with a minimum viable product (MVP) is most suitable. This approach allows for the delivery of increments of value in alignment with the agreed price and enables both parties to assess and adjust the scope iteratively. It accommodates the volatility of cryptocurrency by allowing scope adjustments that reflect the currency’s value at regular intervals, ensuring that the project does not exceed the financial constraints while still delivering value12.

In a highly regulated market, where compliance and predictability are paramount, a hybrid approach offers the flexibility of agile methodologies while still adhering to the necessary regulatory standards. This approach allows the company to become more responsive to market changes and customer needs without completely abandoning the structured processes that are crucial in a regulated environment. By integrating the planning and documentation strengths of a predictive approach with the adaptability and speed of agile practices, a hybrid model can help shorten the product life cycle and improve profitability.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

When managing stakeholder conflict, the most effective method is collaboration—bringing the parties together to jointly explore options and find mutually agreeable solutions. Option A supports this by fostering creative problem solving and collaboration.

* B might escalate tension by involving unrelated parties.

* C and D focus on history and personal matters rather than resolution.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) guidelines emphasize the importance of a cost-benefit analysis as a systemic approach to evaluate and compare the costs and benefits of different project proposals. This process is crucial when considering changes that can impact project costs and benefits. It involves determining all direct and indirect cost estimates, defining and calculating all tangible and intangible benefits, and using an appropriate Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) algorithm to analyze the cost and benefit streams12. Additionally, the PMBOK Guide’s change management process outlines the need for an impact analysis of change requests, which is a key component of the cost-benefit analysis, before presenting the change to the Change Control Board (CCB)3.

The best approach when dealing with stakeholders who have a preference for traditional communication methods is to align and agree on a communication approach that suits their preferences. This is supported by the PMBOK® Guide, which emphasizes the importance of tailoring communication to stakeholder needs and preferences. It is essential to respect the stakeholder’s working style and adapt the communication strategy accordingly to ensure effective engagement and project success23. References:

“8 Techniques to Communicate Effectively with Project Stakeholders” from PMI2.

"STAKEHOLDERS COMMUNICATION APPROACH: A NEW ERA

 The project manager should review the list of team members’ skills and understand how they will work together to deliver the project outcomes to build a cohesive, high-performing team. According to the PMBOK® Guide, a high-performing team is a team that exhibits a high level of collaboration, trust, commitment, and performance1. To build a high-performing team, the project manager should apply team development techniques that enhance the team’s ability to work effectively and efficiently1. One of the team development techniques is skill assessment, which involves identifying and evaluating the skills and competencies of the team members, and aligning them with the project objectives and requirements1. By reviewing the list of team members’ skills, the project manager can understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and determine the best way to assign roles and responsibilities. The project manager can also identify any skill gaps or overlaps that may affect the team performance, and plan for training or coaching to address them. Additionally, by understanding how the team members will work together, the project manager can facilitate communication and collaboration among the team members and other stakeholders, and foster a positive team culture that supports the project goals. This way, the project manager can build a cohesive, high-performing team that can deliver the project outcomes. The other options are not the best ways to build a cohesive, high-performing team, as they do not address the need to assess and align the team skills and competencies.

Organizing the team members into several kick-off sessions based on technology type is a possible action that the project manager can take, but it is not the main activity that the project manager should do to build a cohesive, high-performing team. Kick-off sessions are meetings that introduce the project and the team to the team members and other stakeholders, and establish the project vision, scope, and expectations1. While kick-off sessions can help the team members to get to know each other and the project, they do not necessarily help the project manager to review and evaluate the team skills and competencies, and align them with the project objectives and requirements. Moreover, organizing the team members into several kick-off sessions based on technology type may create silos and barriers among the team members, and reduce the team cohesion and collaboration.

Asking the human resources (HR) department to arrange interview meetings to select the team is a wrong way to build a cohesive, high-performing team, as it delegates the responsibility of the project manager to the HR department, and ignores the input and involvement of the team members and other stakeholders. The project manager is the person who is accountable for the team performance and satisfaction, and who has the best knowledge and understanding of the project objectives and requirements1. Therefore, the project manager should take the lead in selecting and developing the team, and consult and collaborate with the team members and other stakeholders to ensure the team is aligned and engaged with the project goals.

Asking prospective team members to write a short biography explaining how they can contribute to the team’s success is an unnecessary and ineffective activity that does not help the project manager to build a cohesive, high-performing team. Writing a short biography is a one-way and subjective way of presenting the team members’ skills and competencies, and it does not provide the project manager with a comprehensive and objective assessment of the team skills and competencies. Furthermore, writing a short biography does not help the project manager to understand how the team members will work together, and facilitate communication and collaboration among the team members and other stakeholders.

The first step in addressing the concern of reducing labor costs without introducing risk to the project delivery is to perform a thorough analysis of the key cost drivers. This involves understanding the elements that contribute significantly to the project’s labor costs. By identifying these cost drivers, the project manager can explore various alternatives and strategies such as automation of repetitive tasks, outsourcing non-core activities, cross-training, and multi-skilling workers, or implementing lean production methods1. These alternatives can potentially reduce labor costs while maintaining the quality and timeline of the project delivery.

 In the context of project management, when a team member encounters an issue such as a non-working computer, it is essential for the project manager to take a proactive approach to resolve the issue promptly. This is to ensure that the project work is not delayed and the team member can continue contributing to the project. According to the PMBOK guide, the project manager should facilitate problem-solving and provide support to team members to address and resolve issues that can impact project progress1.

In a progress review meeting, the primary focus is typically on assessing the current status of the project, including task updates, schedule status, budget status, quality/scope status, and any current or anticipated issues. The first item on the agenda should be to review the project’s status, milestones achieved, and challenges faced, as this sets the stage for the rest of the discussion. Therefore, the most appropriate first agenda item from the given options would be:

D. Update resolution approaches and action assignments.

This choice aligns with the need to assess current project status and address any immediate actions that need to be taken to keep the project on track.

 In an agile project, communication is key, and it’s important to educate stakeholders on the agile process. The project manager should introduce the agile aspect to the director, explaining how agile projects differ from predictive ones, particularly in terms of reporting and project tracking. Agile projects typically use live reporting tools and methods like burn-down charts, backlogs, and user stories to track progress, rather than traditional status reports. By introducing these concepts to the director, the project manager can help them understand the agile environment and work together to find a reporting solution that fits within the agile framework and satisfies the director’s need for information.

Ensuring quality in a human resources–focused project such as this involves planning, evaluating, and continually improving based on measurable data and feedback. The project manager must:

A: Collect feedback and conduct surveys/questionnaires → Direct feedback provides qualitative insights into team effectiveness and training outcomes.

C: Document quality gaps and analyze them → This supports continuous improvement by identifying and addressing performance deficiencies.

D: Develop a proper quality management plan → A measurable quality plan ensures consistent standards, metrics, and reviews throughout the project.

Option B (hiring a certified expert) is not mandatory; the project manager can own quality responsibilities with proper planning and stakeholder engagement.

Option E (using an external framework) can support performance but is not essential or sufficient alone for managing quality.

Before the project manager can develop a communications plan or determine appropriate tools, the first step is to understand the stakeholders’ communication needs. According to the PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition, effective stakeholder engagement begins by identifying and analyzing stakeholder needs and expectations. Engaging stakeholders early allows the project manager to tailor communication effectively.

Option A comes after gathering information and is a planning activity.

Option C (RACI chart) is useful for defining roles and responsibilities, not specifically stakeholder communication needs.

Option D is a tactic that follows understanding needs, not a starting point.

The first step for a project manager taking over a troubled project is to understand the current project situation comprehensively. Meeting with the project team and stakeholders allows the project manager to identify the root causes of the issues, which is essential before any corrective actions can be planned. This approach aligns with best practices in project management, which emphasize the importance of stakeholder engagement and root cause analysis in resolving project conflicts and getting projects back on track123.

Organizing more frequent sprint reviews with a broader audience is a key practice in Agile methodologies to ensure that the increments meet the end users’ quality requirements. This approach allows for continuous feedback and collaboration, which are essential for Agile teams. It enables the team to present the increment to stakeholders, including end users, and receive immediate feedback that can be incorporated into the next sprint. This aligns with Agile principles of customer collaboration and responding to change123.

Facilitating knowledge sharing in a cross-functional and diverse team is essential for team integration and improved performance. Creating informal and structured opportunities like daily learning sessions, retrospectives for knowledge exchange, and shadowing enables team members to learn from one another and develop a shared understanding.

According to the PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition and the Agile Practice Guide, knowledge transfer is best facilitated through collaborative activities, peer learning, and continuous feedback loops.

Option C focuses more on gap assignment than active knowledge sharing.

Option D is valid in some cases but leans toward external intervention rather than internal team collaboration.

When a project manager returns from an absence to find a nearly complete project schedule developed by the team, the priority should be to ensure that the schedule aligns with the project’s vision and objectives. This is crucial because the project scope statement, which includes the project’s vision, objectives, and work breakdown structure, guides all project activities. The project manager must review the developed schedule against the approved project scope statement to ensure that all project work aligns with the documented objectives and deliverables. If discrepancies are found, the project manager should work with the team to make necessary adjustments. This approach helps maintain the project’s integrity and ensures that the final deliverables will meet the stakeholders’ expectations.

The project manager should engage with the steering committee member to understand their information needs and preferences. This involves confirming what details are necessary for them to make informed decisions and taking action. By tailoring the report content to the committee’s requirements, the project manager can ensure that reports are concise, focused, and actionable, thus avoiding the issue of reports being too lengthy or filled with superfluous details12.

When a high-performing team member’s performance declines, it is important for the project manager to understand the underlying reasons. Engaging in a direct conversation with the team member can provide insights into potential personal or professional challenges they may be facing, which could be affecting their work. This approach aligns with the PMBOK Guide’s emphasis on project managers being actively involved in team management and performance assessment. It also reflects the principles of Professional in Business Analysis, which advocate for understanding the dynamics affecting team performance and addressing them through appropriate communication and problem-solving strategies.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

When stakeholders request additional scope during project execution, the project manager should not make unilateral changes. Instead, the proper course is to process the change request through the approved governance or change control process. This ensures alignment with scope, budget, and timeline.

When a project encounters financial concerns due to currency instability, it is essential for the project manager to communicate and escalate the issue to the project sponsor. This is because the sponsor has the authority to make decisions on how to proceed and can provide guidance on managing the risk. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders when risks arise1. Additionally, the PMI’s standards for risk management suggest that risks should be escalated to higher authorities when they are outside the project team’s control2.

In Agile frameworks such as Scrum, the Product Owner is responsible for maintaining and prioritizing the product backlog. If the team is unclear or in disagreement, the Project Manager (or Scrum Master) should facilitate a conversation between the team and the Product Owner to clarify the order based on business value and dependencies.

Per the Agile Practice Guide, backlog prioritization is a key responsibility of the Product Owner. This ensures the team is always working on the most valuable stories aligned with the project’s strategic goals.

Option A forces a choice without validating the business priority.

Option C risks prioritizing ease over value.

Option D may help with team conflict but does not address prioritization directly.

 The Stakeholder Register is a critical document in project management that lists all stakeholders involved in a project, including their roles, requirements, expectations, and influence on the project. The fact that the leader of a user party was not included in the requirements collection communications suggests that the Stakeholder Register was either missed or outdated. This document should have been used to identify all parties with a vested interest in the project, ensuring their needs and expectations are considered during the requirements collection phase. An up-to-date Stakeholder Register is essential for effective communication and project success12.

Maintaining focus during executive-level meetings is essential. Redirecting the conversation (C) ensures the meeting objectives are met. Managing stakeholder interactions by encouraging off-topic conversations to be handled offline (D) also respects participants' time and keeps discussions productive.

PMI recommends that project managers facilitate focused communication and effective stakeholder engagement. Setting agendas and facilitating discussions are key responsibilities.

Option A is internal and does not address deviation during the meeting.

Option B may waste time and reinforce poor meeting practices.

Option E is not a reasonable immediate solution for executives.

In an agile project, it is crucial to ensure that the deliverables meet the customer’s expectations and provide value. The project manager should have validated the iteration goals with the customer to ensure alignment with the customer’s vision and value requirements. This validation process is a key aspect of agile methodologies, which emphasize customer collaboration and iterative development to refine and deliver a product that meets the customer’s needs1234.

 Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. A project manager with high EI is more likely to be aware of and control their behavior, understand the impact of their actions on the team, and maintain positive relationships. The scenario described suggests a lack of such awareness and management, indicating a deficiency in EI rather than a lack of empathy, training, or being in the wrong role.