A project to renovate an old office building is underway when asbestos insulation is discovered covering some of the plumbing pipes. Given the age of the building, the possibility of finding asbestos was a known risk. The risk response calls for contracting with a remediation company specializing in asbestos removal. After the remediation company completes their work, the project team is unpleasantly surprised to discover corrosion among some of the plumbing pipes.

What should the project manager do first?

A. Request the remediation company make the repairs since the corrosion was detected during their work
B. Capture the information in the issue log and assign a responsible party to ensure the issue is tracked and resolved
C. Document to the risk register corrosion as a secondary or residual risk and implement the agreed-upon risk response plan
D. Update the lessons learned register to ensure that risk planning for similar future projects should be performed more thoroughly

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HINT: Where should information about problems encountered during a project be recorded and monitored?

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Answer and Explanation:
The correct answer is B.

The question implies that the Implement Risk Responses process was being performed when a problem with the plumbing was discovered. Updates to the issue log are one of the outputs of this process. When issues are identified as part of the Implement Risk Responses process, they are recorded in the issue log. The issue log is a project document where information about issues and their resolution is recorded and monitored. Of the available options, the first thing for the project manager to do in this situation is to capture the information in the issue log and assign a responsible party to ensure the issue is effectively tracked through resolution.

Details for each option:

A. Incorrect. There is not enough information in the question to determine if the contract with the remediation company includes a clause that obligates them to address issues that arise as a result of their work.

B. Correct. When issues are identified as part of the Implement Risk Responses process, they are recorded in the issue log, and a responsible party is assigned to ensure the issue is tracked and resolved.

C. Incorrect. A secondary risk is a risk that arises as a direct result of implementing a risk response. Residual risk is a risk that remains after risk responses have been implemented. Therefore, the corrosion can be considered either a secondary risk or a residual risk. The question implies the corrosion caught the project team by surprise suggesting the risk of corrosion was not identified during planning so a response plan would not yet exist.

D. Incorrect. The lessons learned register is a project document that includes the knowledge gained during a project so that it can be used in the current project and entered into the lessons learned repository where the knowledge can be used to improve the performance of the future projects. Based on the scenario described, corrosion has not been identified as a risk during project planning. Therefore, updating the lessons learned register to ensure that risk planning for similar future projects should be performed more thoroughly is a plausible answer choice. However, the question asks what the project manager should do 'first'? Another answer choice, capturing the issue in the issue log to make sure it's monitored and resolved, describes an action, which is more time-sensitive than documenting the situation in the lessons learned register, making this choice not the best answer to the question asked.

Reference: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) – Eighth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2025
2.7 Risk Performance Domain
2.7.1 Key Concepts
4 Inputs and Outputs

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) – Seventh Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2021,
2.8.5.3 Management and Contingency Reserve
2.8.5.4 Risk Review

Process Groups: A Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2023,
6.8 Implement Risk Responses
9 Inputs and Outputs