TOPIC: Free PMP® Exam Sample Question

To develop project deliverables, the project management plan specifies that an analyst should provide data sets to the project team at the beginning of each iteration. At the daily standup meeting, a developer reports that no data sets have been provided for the last two iterations. Turns out, the analyst left the company over a month ago and her role has not been backfilled.

Of the following, which actions would be appropriate to take? (Choose three.)

A. Submit a change request to update the cost and schedule baselines
B. Record a description of the problem in the issue log and assign a responsible person
C. Revise the work breakdown structure (WBS) to reflect the change in scope
D. Check the risk register to see if there is an applicable risk response
E. Update the lessons learned register with suggestions that might prevent the problem from recurring
F. Terminate the project as there is no path forward until a new analyst is named.

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HINT: Updates to which project documents are an output of the Monitor Risks process?

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Answer and Explanation:
The correct answers are B, D and E.

A daily standup meeting is a common practice when employing agile methodologies. Since the project is operating under the auspices of a project management plan, this project would be a hybrid.

One of the objectives of a daily standup meeting is to uncover impediments. The developer reports that the data sets have not been provided for the last two iterations. While it's unclear how this situation could have happened without anyone noticing or mentioning it earlier (implying a breakdown in communication), the idea behind this question is not to determine the root cause of the issue, but rather to decide what to do next.

Impediments/issues should be assigned and documented in the issue log so that they can be tracked and monitored. Checking the risk register may identify a previously approved risk response to address the situation (assuming this risk was identified in the first place during project planning).

Additionally, the project manager should document the problem in the lessons learned register along with a possible solution to prevent the issue from recurring.

Details for each option:

A. Incorrect. Although the issue described by the scenario may cause the project to run behind schedule and over budget, there is no indication that the project baselines are no longer attainable. Therefore, requesting a change to the baselines is premature.

B. Correct. The situation described in the scenario is an issue. Issues are documented in the issue log along with the assigned owner. Once in the log, the issue can be monitored and tracked until resolved. Updates to the issue log are one of the outputs from the Monitor Risks process.

C. Incorrect. There is no information presented by the question to suggest that the project scope is changing as a result of the impediment. Additionally, an approved change request would be required before the project scope can be changed.

D. Correct. It is possible that the risk of the analyst leaving was identified during project planning, along with a risk response. For example, the risk response plan might include the name of someone else that can provide the necessary data set.

E. Correct. The fact that over a month went by before the project team realized that the person responsible for providing the data set had left the company may indicate, for example, a breakdown in communication. The lessons learned register should be updated with suggestions on how to avoid similar issues from occurring further in the project.

F. Incorrect. Terminating the project based on the information provided is premature and an overreaction. The project manager first needs to address the problem as quickly as possible and take any necessary actions to get the project back on track.

Reference: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) – Seventh Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2021, The Standard for Project Management:
3.10 OPTIMIZE RISK RESPONSES
2.8.5 RISK
2.8.5.4 Risk Review

Agile Practice Guide - First Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017,
5.2.3 BACKLOG REFINEMENT
5.2.4 DAILY STANDUPS

Process Groups: A Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2023,
7.10 Monitor Risks
9 Inputs and Outputs