×

Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

PMI PMP Exam Questions

Page 1 of 56

1.

As the project leader, you are considering ordering parts from abroad to minimize costs while formulating the project's budget. However, the country you plan to order from has recently announced changes in its economic policy to boost its economy. What should be your primary action in response to this development?

  • Capture the changes in the exchange rates

  • Capture the changes in the issue log

  • Capture the changes in the lessons learned

  • Capture the changes in the risk register

Correct answer: Capture the changes in the exchange rates

In response to the announced economic policy changes in the country from which the parts are to be ordered, the project manager should focus on capturing potential changes in exchange rates. Economic policy alterations in a country can significantly impact exchange rates, which in turn can affect the cost of procuring materials from that country. Therefore, it is crucial for the project manager to closely monitor these fluctuations and incorporate any changes in exchange rates into the project's budget development process. This approach ensures that the budget remains accurate and reflective of the current economic realities, thereby mitigating financial risks associated with currency exchange rate volatility.

Capturing the changes in the issue log or lessons learned is not as relevant in this situation, as they are typically used to track and document issues and lessons learned during the course of the project.

Capturing the changes in the risk register is not the best action since this is not a risk but a soon-to-materialize change.

2.

As a project manager, you are leading a team of developers on a software development project. One of your team members consistently misses deadlines and does not communicate effectively with the rest of the team. What leadership style would be MOST appropriate to address this situation and improve the team member's performance?

  • Servant leadership

  • Charismatic

  • Autocratic

  • Interactional

Correct answer: Servant leadership

This style of leadership focuses on understanding and addressing the needs and development of project team members to enable the highest possible project team performance. Servant leaders emphasize developing project team members to their highest potential.

Charismatic leaders are more focused on inspiring the team as a whole rather than addressing individual team member needs.

Autocratic leaders may be more focused on enforcing rules and regulations rather than addressing individual team member needs.

Interactional leaders may be more focused on adapting to the needs of the team as a whole rather than addressing individual team member needs.

3.

Tim is managing a project where there are teams in different locations around the world to obtain cost savings for the company. An organizational guideline requires that at least 35 percent of the work should be done from a remote location. What is this an example of?

  • A constraint

  • A choice

  • An assumption

  • An organizational asset

Correct answer: A constraint

Constraints are factors that limit the execution of a project or process.

A guideline is an instruction that needs to be followed by people working in an organization.

An assumption is an idea considered as true without proof. It doesn't apply to this situation.

An organizational asset is a broad term that refers to any plans, processes, procedures, knowledge bases, etc. of an organization.

4.

You are working on an Agile project where half of your team is located in New York and the other half is in Brazil. What is one of the techniques that can be used to bridge the gap of physical distance for Agile teams working from multiple locations with overlapping time zones?

  • Fishbowl windows

  • Team collaboration

  • Continuous integration

  • Pair programming

Correct answer: Fishbowl windows

Adaptive and Agile practices promote co-located teams, where, at times, you will come across teams that are geographically distributed. To bridge a gap, fishbowl window techniques can be adapted by setting up video conferencing links between geographically distributed teams.

Team collaboration is a broad approach that is accomplished using a variety of techniques.

Continuous integration is a practice where team member's work products are frequently evaluated by each other. This practice does not address distributed team issues.

Pair programming is a programming-specific pairing technique that can be established in both distributed and colocated teams.

5.

For a long-term IT infrastructure upgrade project with evolving technology and uncertain requirements, which contract type should the project manager choose to allow for financial flexibility?

  • Cost-reimbursable contract

  • Fixed-price contract

  • Lump-sum contract

  • Incentive fee contract

Correct answer: Cost-reimbursable contract

In a project with evolving technology and uncertain requirements, a cost-reimbursable contract is most appropriate. It offers the flexibility needed to accommodate changes and advancements in scope and technology, adjusting costs accordingly.

A fixed-price contract locks in costs and does not provide the necessary financial flexibility for evolving requirements. 

A lump-sum contract also sets a fixed total price, limiting adaptability to changes. 

An incentive fee contract may encourage performance but does not inherently offer the financial flexibility needed to manage evolving technology and uncertain requirements​​​​.

6.

Kohen is in the project execution of an electrical project. During the planning phase, a risk that would cause project delays was identified as heavy rain. Throughout the project, an unaccounted amount of heavy rain has exhausted the schedule reserves. Kohen will now need to update the schedule baseline.

What is his NEXT best action?

  • Submit a change request

  • Crash the schedule

  • Fast track the schedule

  • Cancel the project

Correct answer: Submit a change request

A change request is needed to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline. The situation dictates that the schedule baseline will need an update. The project manager will need to submit a change request for this to occur.

Any change to the schedule should first be requested for approval using a change request.

Canceling the project is the last resource. Only project sponsors or upper management have the power to cancel a project.

7.

You are managing a team, and it has come to your attention that senior management would like to release a software update to the market earlier than planned. You believe this could work with some revisions to the plans laid out two months ago at the start of the project. To speed up the launch, you decide to fast-track a project phase currently being worked on by three developers and another phase planned to start in a couple of weeks with another three developers. You know that communication has been a challenge with several of these developers in the past, and you understand it is your responsibility to remove obstacles for the team. Which of the following BEST describes what you should do first?

  • Revise the structure of the team by delegating tasks so that an effective flow of communication remains intact across a combined team

  • Confirm that the exit criteria of the previous phase have been satisfied and consult the project charter

  • Hold a phase gate meeting so that technical performance can be evaluated

  • Hold a retrospective meeting

Correct answer: Revise the structure of the team by delegating tasks so that an effective flow of communication remains intact across a combined team

Since communication has been a challenge with this team in the past, it is now even more important to maintain good communication among the team members, since fast-tracked phases require more coordinated efforts.

It may be tempting to review project and activity-based details like exit criteria first, but communication will affect all aspects of the fast-tracked phases, and effective communication can mitigate potential risks.

All other options are incorrect because they do not remove the obstacle of ineffective communication.

8.

During project planning, Evalyn documents the need for cheaper equipment in the risk register. At the end of a long workday, she hears that a competitor is going bankrupt and is selling the company's equipment. Evalyn acts quickly and contacts the competitor. What did Evalyn do?

  • Responded to a contingency plan

  • Responded to a mitigation plan

  • Transferred the risk

  • Market research

Correct Answer: Responded to a contingency plan

The situation dictates that acquiring cheaper equipment is noted in the risk register. The project manager realized the benefits of another company's equipment when she heard the news of their bankruptcy. Some risk responses are created to respond to an event occurrence.

"Respond to a mitigation plan" is incorrect. Mitigation plans are put in place to reduce the likelihood or impact of the risk. Contingency plans are set up to respond to the risk.

"Transfer the risk" is incorrect. Evalyn is taking ownership of the risk.

"Market research" is incorrect. Evalyn is not analyzing competitors or the market environment.

9.

While developing the project charter, expert judgment is often used to review and analyze the technical and management details. These experts have specialized knowledge or training that qualifies them to provide input. Which of the following is NOT an example of an expert judgment source for the Develop Project Charter process?

  • Policies and processes

  • Consultants

  • Stakeholders

  • Industry groups

Correct answer: Policies and processes

While developing the project charter, expert judgment may come from other units within the organization, consultants, stakeholders such as customers, professional or technical associations, industry groups, subject matter experts, and the project management office (PMO).

Policies and processes are examples of organizational process assets (OPAs).

10.

Aydena is a seasoned project manager who receives news that a new law has been passed that requires tougher protocols to be adhered to. She needs to get familiar with the new law to figure out how it may affect her projects. What technique will Aydena BEST use in this situation?

  • Expert judgment

  • Risk mitigation

  • Decomposition

  • Servant leadership

Correct answer: Expert judgment

Gaining understanding and expertise with the newly passed law will provide the project manager with insight into how it may affect the project. Expert judgment is often performed within the Direct and Manage Project work process.

"Risk mitigation" is incorrect. This technique involves developing strategies to reduce the likelihood or impact of identified risks. It is not directly related to Aydena's need to understand the new law and its potential impact on her projects.

"Decomposition" is incorrect. This technique involves breaking down the project scope into smaller, more manageable components.

"Servant leadership" is incorrect. This is a leadership style that emphasizes serving the needs of others and empowering team members to achieve their goals.

11.

You are working on an Agile project and your team is constantly coming up with inaccurate estimates. Which of the following tactics can you suggest your team use to alleviate this problem?

  • Split larger user stories into smaller ones that are more manageable in a single iteration

  • Ask the team facilitator to hold a planning meeting to discuss the product requirements

  • Ask the product owner to provide better explanations of the requirements for the team

  • Try to get more senior members to the team who have experience with Agile projects

Correct answer: Split larger user stories into smaller ones that are more manageable in a single iteration

The most common reason for inaccurate estimates is the size of the user story. If this is happening, it is recommended that larger user stories be split into several smaller user stories that can be estimated easily.

Asking the team facilitator to hold a planning meeting and asking the product owner to provide better explanations may help to clarify the requirements, but won't lead to more accurate estimates.

Trying to get more senior members on the team who have experience with Agile projects may help to improve the team's overall knowledge and skills, but it won't address the specific problem of inaccurate estimates.

12.

The project manager is very self-confident and enthusiastic; he easily inspires his team. Which leadership style does this best represent?

  • Charismatic

  • Interactional

  • Transactional

  • Transformational

Correct answer: Charismatic

The most common examples of leadership styles include, but are not limited to:

  1. Laissez-faire: Allows the team to make their own decisions and establish their own goals; hands-off style.
  2. Transactional: Focuses on goals, feedback, and accomplishments to determine rewards; management by exception.
  3. Servant leader: Demonstrates commitment to serve and put other people first. They focus on other people's growth, learning, development, autonomy, and well-being and concentrate on relationships, community, and collaboration. Leadership is secondary to service.
  4. Transformational: Empowers followers through idealized attributes and behaviors, inspirational motivation, encouragement for innovation and creativity, and individual consideration.
  5. Charismatic: Able to inspire, is high-energy, enthusiastic, self-confident, and holds strong convictions.
  6. Interactional: A combination of transactional, transformational, and charismatic.

13.

Becky is coordinating a meeting that involves the formal approval of the project management plan. Before the meeting is even scheduled, the organization releases an immediate leadership restructuring that will affect the project and key stakeholders who are involved. What is Becky's BEST course of action now?

  • Update the stakeholder register.

  • Postpone the meeting to a later date.

  • Divert the project into Agile methodology.

  • Capture the information in the lessons learned repository.

Correct answer: Update the stakeholder register.

The project manager needs to update the stakeholder register to update the new organizational structure. This will provide the correct information when coordinating meetings with stakeholders. The stakeholder register doesn't need a change request for updates.

"Postpone the meeting to a later date" is incorrect. Although this is a possibility, the question states the meeting is not scheduled yet.

"Divert the project into Agile methodology" is incorrect. The main issue in this case is the leadership restructuring, not the methodology that is being used.

"Capture the information in the lessons learned repository" is incorrect. The lessons learned from this restructuring can be recorded at the end of the planning phase alongside the project team.

14.

You have just been reassigned to a new project. After receiving an update from the contractor indicating a projected two-day delay due to a scheduling issue, what would be your FIRST course of action in response to this situation?

  • Perform resource smoothing

  • Perform resource leveling

  • Perform what-if scenario analysis

  • Estimate activity durations

Correct answer: Perform resource smoothing

The initial action that a project manager should undertake is to proactively address any potential delays, aiming to mitigate them whenever feasible. A valuable technique in this context is resource smoothing. The advantage of resource smoothing lies in its ability to optimize resource allocation without altering the critical path, thereby preventing project delays from occurring.

"Perform resource leveling" is incorrect. This technique can often cause the critical path to change.

"Perform what-if scenario analysis" is incorrect. The delay is now a materialized issue.

"Estimate activity durations" is incorrect. Estimating activity durations is a process that occurs during project planning and is used to develop the project schedule.

15.

Lenna is finalizing the project she has been working on for the past 6 months. Before the process starts, she needs to understand the project's approval process and requirements along with the individual who will formally sign off on the project. Where does Leena look to get this information?

  • Project charter

  • Business case

  • Project proposal

  • Communications plan

Correct answer: Project charter

The project charter is an input to the close project or phase process. The project charter contains the necessary project approval requirements and the individual responsible for signing off on the project.

The business case is an overview of the project requirements and expected outcomes. It does not include approval processes.

The project proposal is incorrect because it is a broad term that doesn't define a specific project artifact.

The communications plan only includes the who, how, and when of project communications across stakeholders.

16.

You are the project manager for a hotel lobby renovation. You updated the project funding according to what was relayed in the weekly sync meeting from key stakeholders. What did you do for this to get approved?

  • Submit a change request

  • Rewrite the project funding

  • Cancel and restart the project with new requirements

  • Talk to the program manager

Correct answer: Submit a change request

The funding (budget) is one of the unique characteristics of projects. Submitting a change request by working with the change control board and the change requestor will ensure that the updated funding will be reflected in the scope baseline (in the case it is approved).

"Rewrite the project funding" is not correct. The project manager doesn't have the authority to approve project changes.

"Cancel and restart the project with new requirements" is not correct. All change requests should be accompanied by a risk analysis for potential new risks. No decision should be made before evaluating these risks.

"Talk to the program manager" is not correct. Although the program manager should be informed, they may not be part of the change control board.

17.

Carla is creating the lessons learned register by capturing lessons learned activities that have occurred during an 8-month-long project life cycle. What is the performance domain that Carla can attribute the Project Work to?

  • Project Work

  • Delivery

  • Uncertainty

  • Stakeholders

Correct answer: Project Work

The lessons learned register falls into the Models, Methods, and Artifacts that are used throughout the project. Lessons learned are collected throughout the project, and the register is created at any point in time. Therefore, it falls under the Project Work performance domain.

18.

You are managing a project that is producing a new app and has just had a quality audit performed by internal auditors from another team. Several opportunities for improvement have been identified. A team member suggests some coding she used on an app build when she worked at her former organization that may help. Rather than taking her suggestion immediately, you prefer to evaluate potential improvement opportunities.

Which of the following are the MOST common quality improvement tools?

  • Plan-do-check and Six Sigma

  • Value stream mapping and swarming

  • Refactoring and plan-do-check-act

  • Six Sigma and quality control

Correct answer: Plan-do-check and Six Sigma

Plan-do-check and Six Sigma are the most common quality improvement tools people use when they are analyzing and evaluating possible opportunities for improvement.

Value stream mapping is a lean enterprise technique for documenting and analyzing the flow of information.

Swarming is a working technique where multiple team members focus on resolving an impediment together.

Refactoring is a quality technique to improve design without altering the expected result.

Quality control is a process, not a technique.

19.

A contractor responsible for producing a component critical to your project has informed you that a mechanical failure at their plant will delay shipment of the component by at least two weeks. Which option represents your first course of action upon receiving this information?

  • Update issue log

  • Update probability matrix

  • Update assumption log

  • Update lessons learned register

Correct answer: Update issue log

Throughout the life cycle of a project, the project manager will normally face problems, gaps, inconsistencies, or conflicts that occur unexpectedly and require action so they do not impact the project's performance. The issue log is a project document recording and tracking all the issues.

Data on issues may include the issue type, who raised the issue and when, description, priority, who is assigned to the issue, target resolution date, status, and the final solution.

The issue log will help the project manager track and manage issues, ensuring they are investigated and resolved. The issue log is created for the first time as an output of this process, although issues may happen at any time during the project. The issue log is updated as a result of the monitoring and control activities throughout the project's lifecycle.

"Update probability matrix" is not the answer. This is not a defined artifact in project management.

"Update assumption log" is not correct. An assumption log records all factors and constraints considered as true without proof.

"Update lessons learned register" is not correct. The lessons learned register is often updated in retrospective sessions by brainstorming with the team about what was learned from previous issues. To update the lessons learned register, the project manager can use the issue log as a starting point.

20.

Brit is leading a water treatment project and has just been notified that a new law has been passed regarding water treatment procedures. She needs to gather more information and understand the new law to get a better understanding of the impact it may have on her project. What is Brit's BEST course of action?

  • Utilize expert judgment

  • Update the risk register

  • Utilize decomposition

  • Update the scope baseline

Correct Answer: Utilize expert judgment

Expert judgment is used to provide expertise in a specific knowledge area. Gaining expert judgment on laws, legislation, and regulations pertaining to the project will provide better guidance and insight on how the project may be affected.

Updating the risk register, utilizing decomposition, or updating the scope baseline are not the best course of action in this specific situation as they do not directly address the need to understand the new law and its potential impact on the project.

×