Free PMP Practice Exam

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.).

Section 6.5.2.5, Schedule Compression: Defines fast-tracking as a technique where "activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel." The scenario directly calls for this technique.

Section 2.4.4.3, Project Governance: States that governance provides the framework for decision-making. Starting a new phase, especially under fast-tracking conditions, is a key decision that requires adherence to this framework, meaning approval must be sought.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.).

Section 2.5, Planning Performance Domain: Notes that project life cycles can have "overlapping phases" to "shorten the project life cycle (i.e., fast tracking)." This validates the approach.

Section 2.1, Stakeholder Performance Domain: Emphasizes that effective stakeholder engagement, which includes seeking approvals for key decisions, is critical for project success. Proceeding without approval (Option A) would be poor stakeholder engagement.

3. Shenhar, A. J., & Dvir, D. (2007). Reinventing Project Management: The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation. Harvard Business School Press.

This academic text discusses the importance of adapting project management style to the project's context. In time-critical projects, overlapping phases is a common strategy, but it must be a conscious, approved decision made within the project's governance structure to manage the associated risks. This supports seeking approval as the correct professional action.

1. The Scrum Guide (2020): The purpose of the Daily Scrum is "to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work." This supports the concept of ongoing monitoring and adaptation (Option D) rather than an immediate, major change to the backlog based on an early trend. Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org. p. 10.

2. Agile Practice Guide (PMI): This guide describes burndown charts as a key tool for monitoring iteration progress. "Teams use this chart to track their progress and to see if they are on track to complete the work by the end of the iteration." A deviation from the ideal line is an indicator that requires the team's attention and continued monitoring to understand the trend before taking corrective or adaptive action. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Section 5.2.4, "Measurements in Agile Projects," pp. 63-64.

3. University Courseware: In courses on Agile Development, it is taught that burndown charts are informational radiators that provide a forecast. A team's response to the data should be contextual. An early lead might not be sustainable, and the prudent action is to observe the trend over several days before altering the sprint commitment. This prevents thrashing and maintains focus on the original sprint goal. (e.g., concepts taught in courses like MIT's 6.893, "Engineering Interactive Technologies").

In the Scrum framework, roles are defined by their core responsibilities. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and manages the Product Backlog, which includes making the final decision on what constitutes a releasable product version. The Development Team (referred to as Developers in the 2020 Scrum Guide) is a self-managing unit that has the autonomy to decide how to convert Product Backlog items into a finished increment. The Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader whose duties include removing impediments or "blockers" that hinder the Development Team's progress, thereby protecting their productivity.

Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org.

Product Owner: "The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team... For Product Owners to succeed, the entire organization must respect their decisions." (p. 6)

Development Team (Developers): "They are self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how." (p. 7)

Scrum Master: "The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including: ... Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress." (p. 8)

Sutherland, J., & Schwaber, K. (2013). The Scrum Papers: Nuts, Bolts, and Origins of an Agile Process. The Agile Software Development Series.

This collection reinforces the foundational roles, stating the ScrumMaster is "responsible for removing impediments to the team’s progress" and the Development Team is "self-organizing" and determines how to accomplish work.

MIT OpenCourseWare. (2013). 6.170 Software Studio, Lecture 5: Development Methods. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The course materials on Agile and Scrum outline these distinct roles, describing the Product Owner's responsibility for the product backlog and release decisions, the team's ownership of the implementation plan, and the Scrum Master's role in resolving obstacles.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.8.4, Planning Performance Domain, p. 99: "In adaptive approaches, the scope is defined and redefined throughout the project. The overall scope is decomposed into a set of requirements and work to be performed, which is sometimes referred to as a product backlog." This establishes the backlog as the primary tool for managing and adjusting scope.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.3, The Iron Triangle in Agile Projects, p. 19: This section explains that in agile projects, cost and schedule are often fixed, while scope is variable. The guide states, "The team decides what can be done in the given time box... The scope is variable." This directly supports adjusting scope (the backlog) when a constraint like budget is hit.

Section 4.2.2, Backlog Refinement, p. 52: "The product owner is responsible for prioritizing the backlog to maximize the value of the product... This includes adding, removing, and reprioritizing items." This confirms that re-prioritizing the backlog is the correct mechanism for managing the work.

3. Serrador, P., & Pinto, J. K. (2015). Does Agile work?—A quantitative analysis of agile project success. International Journal of Project Management, 33(5), 1040-1051.

p. 1048: The study finds that agile planning, which includes iterative scope adjustment and prioritization, is a significant predictor of project success, particularly in managing budget and stakeholder satisfaction. This reinforces the idea that flexible scope management is a key control for budget adherence. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.01.006)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.8, Project Work Performance Domain: This domain addresses "managing impediments, obstacles, and blockers." The guide states, "The project manager and project team facilitate the proactive management of impediments, risks, and issues to keep the project on track." (p. 91). Meeting the supplier is a proactive action to manage an impediment.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.4, Servant Leadership Empowers the Team: This section emphasizes the leader's role in problem-solving. "Servant leaders facilitate problem-solving... by opening up communication channels and by helping people to collaborate... They remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers." (p. 35). The lack of data is a blocker, and engaging the supplier is a direct attempt to remove it.

3. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.3, Stakeholder Performance Domain: This domain covers working with stakeholders to maintain alignment. Data suppliers are key stakeholders. The guide notes, "Effective stakeholder engagement involves implementing strategies and actions to promote the productive involvement of stakeholders." (p. 67). Meeting with the suppliers is a direct engagement strategy.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.4, Planning Performance Domain. This domain addresses the activities needed to organize and coordinate the project work. It includes developing a schedule, which can be optimized using techniques like schedule compression to meet time constraints.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). The Standard for Project Management (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2021). Section 3.5, Tailoring. This section explains that the project manager must tailor the project approach based on various factors, including "compliance requirements." The standard emphasizes that projects operate within internal and external environments, and compliance with regulations is a key external factor that cannot be ignored.

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 12, "Scheduling," discusses schedule compression techniques such as crashing and fast-tracking as standard methods for shortening a project schedule when faced with time constraints, while still adhering to project scope and quality requirements.

1. PMI – Agile Practice Guide, 1st ed., 2017:

• §3.4.1 “Product Roadmap”, p. 44 – defines roadmap as a high-level time-based view replacing traditional schedules.

• §3.4.3 “Iteration (Sprint) Plan”, p. 45 – identifies sprint plan as the short-term scheduling mechanism.

2. PMI – PMBOK® Guide, 7th ed., 2021:

• §4.3 “Planning Performance Domain”, p. 59 – notes that agile teams use roadmaps and iteration plans instead of detailed schedules.

3. Rubin, K. S., “Essential Scrum”, Addison-Wesley, 2012:

• Ch. 14 “The Product Roadmap”, pp. 273-275 – describes roadmap as Scrum’s long-range schedule.

• Ch. 17 “Sprint Planning”, p. 320 – positions the sprint plan as the detailed schedule for a single iteration.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 2.4, Team Performance Domain (p. 72): This section emphasizes that for virtual teams, "establishing regular and effective communication is critical." It highlights that leadership activities, including facilitating team development and communication, are key to creating a cohesive and high-performing team. Option B directly implements this principle.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 10.1.2.4, Communication Methods (p. 374): This section distinguishes between interactive communication (like meetings), push communication (like reports), and pull communication. It states that interactive communication is the most effective way to ensure a common understanding, which is fundamental to team commitment. Option B uses an interactive method, whereas Option D uses a less effective push method.

3. Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U. (2005). Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69-95.

Section 3.1, Communication (p. 79): This peer-reviewed article synthesizes research on virtual teams and concludes that the frequency and quality of communication are significant predictors of team performance and cohesion. Regular meetings (Option B) directly increase the frequency and potential quality of team interaction. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2005.01.007)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.4, Team Performance Domain, p. 43: This domain emphasizes that "Project team development is the process of improving the competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance." Directly meeting with the specialist is a core activity in team development.

Section 2.4.3, Leadership Skills, p. 45: Effective leaders "look for opportunities to serve others" and "demonstrate empathy." Assessing the situation in a one-to-one meeting is a direct application of these servant leadership skills.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.1.1, Servant Leadership, p. 34: Servant leaders "help the team with problem identification and problem solving." The project manager should first seek to understand the problem by speaking with the specialist before taking other actions.

3. Müller, R., & Turner, J. R. (2010). Leadership competency profiles of successful project managers. International Journal of Project Management, 28(5), 437-448.

p. 443: The study identifies "engaging communication" and "developing others" as key competencies for successful project managers. Coordinating a one-to-one meeting to assess a situation and help an employee improve is a direct application of these competencies. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.09.003)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.7, Measurement Performance Domain: This domain emphasizes assessing project performance and taking appropriate actions. It states, "Effective execution of this performance domain includes the continual evaluation of project performance for cost..." (p. 99). This supports the need for regular review as described in option A.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition.

Section 7.4, Control Costs: This process is defined as "monitoring the status of the project to update the project costs and managing changes to the cost baseline." A key benefit is that it "provides the means to recognize variance from the plan in order to take corrective action and minimize risk." This directly aligns with the preventative action in option A.

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.

Chapter 15, Cost Control: This chapter details that a primary objective of a cost control system is the "early identification of problems" (p. 535). It emphasizes that cost control is a continuous process of comparing actual costs with planned costs and reporting variances in a timely manner to allow for corrective action. This principle directly supports the regular review mentioned in option A.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 2.7, "The Uncertainty Performance Domain," discusses the need to implement agreed-upon risk responses when a risk occurs.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 11.6, "Implement Risk Responses," states, "Implement Risk Responses is the process of implementing agreed-upon risk response plans." The key input for this process is the risk response plan, and it is triggered when a risk event occurs.

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 18 on Risk Management details that the execution of risk handling plans is the critical step following risk monitoring and control when a trigger event happens.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Section 4.3, Servant Leadership, pp. 33-35. This section details the servant-leader's role in facilitating, coaching, and removing impediments for the team.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.7.2, Project Team. This section emphasizes the project team's accountability and the project manager's role in fostering a collaborative environment for problem-solving.

3. Hoda, R., & Noble, J. (2017). Becoming a good scrum master: A reflective practice perspective. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering, 1-10. This paper highlights the scrum master's (an agile project manager role) function as a facilitator who guides the team through challenges. https://doi.org/10.1145/3054257.3054258

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.4, Delivery Performance Domain: This domain addresses the activities and functions associated with delivering the project's scope and quality. Section 2.4.2 on Quality states, "Acceptance criteria can be used to ensure the project deliverables meet stakeholders' requirements." This directly links acceptance criteria to meeting stakeholder quality expectations.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 4.2.3, Backlog Refinement: This section explains that during backlog refinement, "The team clarifies requirements and defines acceptance criteria." It emphasizes that these criteria are essential for understanding and completing the work correctly.

Section 5.2.3, Work in Progress: This section describes the flow of work. A key concept is that a story is not considered "done" until it meets all of its acceptance criteria and is formally accepted by the product owner. This acceptance step is the critical quality gate that was missed in the scenario.

3. Serrador, P., & Pinto, J. K. (2015). Does Agile work? — A quantitative analysis of agile project success. International Journal of Project Management, 33(5), 1040-1051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.01.006

This study highlights that a key success factor in agile projects is a clear definition of requirements and a shared understanding of "done." The paper implicitly supports the idea that well-defined and verified acceptance criteria (a core agile practice) are crucial for meeting stakeholder expectations and achieving project success, thereby avoiding situations like the one described.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 2.2, Project Team Performance Domain: This section emphasizes that "A project team is a group of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal." It further explains that developing a team culture involves creating an environment of "trust, respect, and transparency." Organizing networking sessions is a direct method for fostering such an environment.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Project Management Institute.

Section 4.2, Servant Leadership Empowers the Team: This section highlights the project manager's role in "building a safety net" and "creating an environment of trust." Facilitating activities that allow team members to get to know each other is a core component of building this trust.

3. Salas, E., Shuffler, M. L., Thayer, A. L., Bedwell, W. L., & Lazzara, E. H. (2015). Understanding and improving teamwork in organizations: a scientifically based practical guide. Human Resource Management, 54(4), 599–622.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21628

This article (p. 607) discusses the importance of "interpersonal processes" for effective teamwork, which include conflict management, motivation, and confidence building. Networking and social events are practical tools for improving these interpersonal dynamics, which are currently lacking in the described team.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 4.2.4, Backlog: "The backlog is an ordered list of all the work, presented in story form, for a team... The backlog is a living artifact. It is dynamic and is constantly updated with new items." This supports its use for managing changing requirements and constraints.

Section 5.2.4, Backlog Refinement: This section describes the process of adding detail, estimates, and order to backlog items, highlighting its role in adapting to new information and maintaining flexibility.

2. Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide.

Page 6, Product Backlog: "The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team." This establishes the backlog as the central, visible repository for all work, including compliance and regulatory items.

3. Layton, M. C., & Ostermiller, S. J. (2017). Agile Project Management For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 6, The Product Backlog: This chapter explains that the product backlog contains all requirements and that its prioritized and dynamic nature allows project teams to respond to changes, including those from external factors like regulations, providing both visibility and flexibility.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Section 2.5, Stakeholder Performance Domain: This domain emphasizes that effective stakeholder interaction is critical for project success. It states, "Stakeholder engagement includes implementing strategies and actions to promote productive involvement of stakeholders." When a key stakeholder changes, this necessitates a re-evaluation and adjustment of engagement strategies.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Section 13.1, Identify Stakeholders: This process is not a one-time activity. The guide states, "It is important to identify stakeholders... and to analyze and document relevant information... This process is performed periodically throughout the project as needed." The arrival of a new sponsor is a critical trigger to re-perform this process.

Section 13.2, Plan Stakeholder Engagement: The key benefit of this process is providing "an actionable plan to interact effectively with stakeholders." This plan is based on the analysis of stakeholder needs and expectations.

3. Aaltonen, K., & Kujala, J. (2010). A project lifecycle perspective on stakeholder influence strategies in global projects. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 26(4), 381-397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2010.09.001

This publication underscores that stakeholder analysis and engagement strategies must be adapted throughout the project lifecycle as the stakeholder environment changes, which includes the replacement of key individuals like a project sponsor.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 2.5.3, "The Delivery Approach and Life Cycle Relationship," explains that the choice of a delivery approach depends on the project's characteristics. A hybrid approach is suitable for projects with elements of uncertainty (like requirements) combined with constraints (like schedule or budget).

2. Project Management Institute & Agile Alliance. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 3.3, "Characteristics of Hybrid Life Cycles," states that hybrid life cycles are a combination of predictive and adaptive approaches. This is useful when there is uncertainty, but also a need for formal tracking against a plan, which is essential for meeting a regulatory deadline.

3. Shenhar, A. J., & Dvir, D. (2007). Reinventing Project Management: The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation. Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 4 discusses tailoring project management approaches based on novelty, technology, complexity, and pace. The principles support combining structured, goal-oriented planning (for the deadline) with flexible, iterative execution (for the unclear requirements).

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 4.5.2, Methods: This section discusses common methods, including iterative and incremental approaches. The MVP is a key concept within these methods, used to deliver value in small increments and obtain feedback, which is crucial when uncertainty is high, as in new product development.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Project Management Institute.

Section 5.2.5, Minimum Viable Product (MVP): This section explicitly defines the MVP as a strategy to "learn with the least amount of effort." It emphasizes releasing a minimal version to test a business hypothesis, directly countering the problem of undertaking an excessively large initial expenditure.

3. Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Crown Business.

While a business book, its principles are foundational to modern project management and are referenced in PMI materials. The concept of the MVP is central, defined as the version of a new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort (Chapter 6). This directly addresses the scenario's problem.

4. Lenarduzzi, V., & Taibi, D. (2016). MVP Explained: A Systematic Mapping Study. 2016 42th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA), pp. 112-119.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/SEAA.2016.56

This academic paper analyzes the MVP concept, confirming its purpose is to reduce waste and test business hypotheses early in the development cycle, which aligns with solving the problem of excessive initial project expenditure.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.8, Project Work Performance Domain, p. 103: "Agile approaches use short feedback loops, adaptation, and frequent delivery... Daily standups are used to communicate progress, identify impediments, and coordinate the day’s work." This reference establishes the daily standup as the correct forum for identifying impediments.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.3, Daily Standups, p. 54: "The purpose of the daily standup is to inspect progress toward the iteration goal and to adapt... The team can discuss... any impediments to progress." This explicitly states that impediments are a key topic for the daily standup.

Section 4.3.1, Servant Leadership Empowers the Team, p. 34: "Servant leaders... facilitate the removal of impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team." Encouraging the use of the proper forum (the daily meeting) is a key facilitation activity.

3. Stray, V., Sjøberg, D. I., & Dybå, T. (2016). The daily stand-up meeting: A grounded theory study. Journal of Systems and Software, 114, 101-124.

Section 4.1, Core activities in the meeting, p. 107: The study identifies "Raising impediments" as a core activity of the daily stand-up meeting, where team members are expected to voice problems so the team or scrum master can address them. This academic source confirms the meeting's function in impediment management. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2016.01.004)

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Section 6.5, Develop Schedule. The guide states that the schedule is developed after activities are defined, sequenced, and their durations are estimated, all of which are part of the Planning Process Group. The inputs listed for the Develop Schedule process (e.g., Scope Baseline, Activity List, Activity Duration Estimates) are outputs from other planning processes.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.4, Planning Performance Domain. This section explains that planning involves the "elaboration of information to the extent necessary to establish a consolidated approach to the project." It explicitly includes activities like estimating durations and developing a schedule (p. 71).

3. Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Mantel, Jr., S. J., & Sutton, M. M. (2017). Project Management: A Managerial Approach (10th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 6, "Project Planning," details that the creation of a detailed schedule and the identification of milestones are fundamental components of the planning phase, following the initial project launch or initiation.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Section 11.2, Identify Risks. This section describes "Identify Risks" as an iterative process, stating, "New risks may be identified as the project progresses through its life cycle." The primary output is the risk register, which is continuously updated.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Section 2.8, Uncertainty Performance Domain. This section emphasizes that "New risks can be identified at any time during the project," necessitating a continuous process of identification, evaluation, and response planning.

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 18 discusses the risk management process, highlighting that risk identification is not a one-time event but a continuous activity, requiring the risk register (or risk log) to be updated whenever new risks are discovered.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 3.1, Characteristics of Project Life Cycles, p. 19: "Iterative and incremental life cycles are the preferred approach when there is a high degree of change and a need to see at least a partial solution in a functional state." This directly supports using iterations to manage high-change environments.

Section 5.2.5, Retrospective, p. 50: Iterative approaches use retrospectives to "review and improve the process," which includes how changes and new requirements are handled in subsequent iterations.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.5, Project Management Principles, "Embrace adaptability and resiliency," p. 32: "An overall approach that is adaptable and resilient helps the project accommodate impacts and thrive. This is often accomplished through iterative or incremental approaches..." This principle advocates for the approach described in option C for uncertain projects.

Section 4.3, Models, Methods, and Artifacts, "Commonly Used Development Approaches," p. 175: This section describes how iterative development involves repeating activities in cycles to add functionality, which is a mechanism for incorporating the frequent changes expected in an innovative project.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.8, Stakeholder Performance Domain, p. 67: This section emphasizes that "Effective stakeholder engagement requires a collaborative approach... Engagement is an ongoing activity that supports alignment among stakeholders and the project team." Engaging the customer directly is a primary example of this principle.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.4, Understand and Act, p. 52: This section states, "In agile approaches, the team expects requirements to change... The team works closely with the business representative (e.g., product owner) to understand the new or changed requirement and to adjust the work." The customer's complaint is a form of feedback that requires understanding and action.

Appendix A3.1, User Stories, p. 101: This appendix highlights that a user story is a "reminder to have a conversation with the customer." When the story is unclear or fails to meet expectations, the necessary action is to have that conversation.

3. Lucassen, G., Dalpiaz, F., van der Werf, J. M. E., & Brinkkemper, S. (2016). The use and effectiveness of user stories in practice. 2016 IEEE 24th International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE), 205-214.

Section III-A, The Card, Conversation, Confirmation (3Cs), p. 207: This academic paper reinforces that the "Conversation" aspect of a user story is critical for clarifying details and ensuring a shared understanding between developers and stakeholders. The customer's complaint signals a breakdown in this conversation, which must be re-established. (DOI: 10.1109/RE.2016.29)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Section 2.8, Uncertainty Performance Domain: This section emphasizes that uncertainty has two dimensions: threat and opportunity. It states, "The project team can then choose the best response from a range of possible responses to address the risk... For opportunities, responses can include exploit, enhance, share, and accept." The chosen answer (A) aligns with the "exploit" strategy.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Section 11.5.2.5, Strategies for Opportunities: The "Exploit" strategy is recommended for high-priority opportunities. It involves taking action to ensure that the opportunity is realized. In this scenario, coordinating a January delivery to get the tax break is a clear example of exploiting an opportunity.

Section 11.2.3.1, Risk Register: The risk register is the primary output of the Identify Risks process. It is a living document that should be updated as new risks (both threats and opportunities) are identified and as response plans are developed.

3. Hillson, D. (2002). Extending the risk process to manage opportunities. PMI® Global Congress 2002—North America, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

This foundational paper argues that opportunities should be managed proactively with the same rigor as threats. It states that a mature risk management approach includes processes to "identify, assess, and manage opportunities." The scenario requires the project manager to move beyond a threat-centric view and actively manage the upside potential.

1. Agile Practice Guide. (2017). Project Management Institute.

Section 5.2.4, Product Backlog: "The product owner is responsible for the product backlog... The product owner collaborates with the team and other stakeholders to gather and define the items in the product backlog." This supports the collaborative nature of backlog management proposed in option C.

Section 4.2.5, Iteration Planning: This section explains that the team selects work from a prioritized backlog at the start of an iteration. Introducing mandatory work mid-iteration violates this principle.

2. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. (2021). Project Management Institute.

Section 2.4, Planning Performance Domain: In adaptive environments, "planning is an ongoing activity... The product owner maintains the backlog of work to be done." This highlights the PO's role and the backlog as the central planning artifact.

Section 4.6.3, The Product Owner: "The product owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product... This is done through the management and prioritization of the product backlog." This confirms that prioritization is the PO's accountability, making option D incorrect.

3. Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org.

Product Owner section: "The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes... Ordering Product Backlog items." This reinforces that the PO owns prioritization.

Sprint section: "No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal... The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers." Adding a mandatory feature mid-sprint jeopardizes the Sprint Goal and bypasses the established planning process.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 2.5.3, Development Approaches and Life Cycles, p. 32: The guide states, "An incremental approach is an adaptive development approach in which the deliverable is produced through a series of iterations that successively add functionality within a predetermined time frame. The deliverable contains a necessary and sufficient set of features to be considered complete only after the final iteration." This directly supports delivering the mobile module as a distinct, valuable piece of functionality quickly.

2. Project Management Institute & Agile Alliance. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Project Management Institute.

Section 3.1, Life Cycle Selection, p. 19-20: Figure 3-1 illustrates the characteristics of different life cycles. It defines an incremental life cycle by its "Frequent, smaller deliveries." This aligns with the need to release the mobile capability fast to the users to counter a competitor.

3. Shenhar, A. J., & Dvir, D. (2007). Reinventing Project Management: The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation. Harvard Business School Press.

Chapter 4, Adapting Project Management to the Project's Level of Novelty, Market, and Technology: The authors discuss how projects with high market uncertainty and a need to be first-to-market benefit from adaptive and incremental approaches that allow for rapid delivery of value to test the market and establish a foothold.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Page 65, Section 2.6, Risk Performance Domain: "Risk is addressed continually throughout the project. The project team seeks to identify, assess, and address risks proactively throughout the project." This supports the principle of continuous review.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Section 11.7, Monitor Risks: "Monitor Risks is the process of monitoring the implementation of agreed-upon risk response plans, tracking identified risks, identifying and analyzing new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project." This directly describes the activity in option A.

Section 11.7.3.1, Project Documents Updates - Risk Register: "The risk register is updated as a result of the Monitor Risks process. The risk register updates may include... outcomes of risk reassessments, risk audits, and periodic risk reviews."

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.

Chapter 18, Section 18.10, Risk Monitoring, Tracking, and Control: This section emphasizes that "Risk monitoring, tracking, and control is a continuous process that is performed throughout the life of the project." This aligns with the need for ongoing review during execution.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute.

Section 2.2, Team Performance Domain: This domain emphasizes that "projects are performed by people," and a key activity is developing the team. It states, "Project teams that work collaboratively can accomplish a shared objective more effectively and efficiently than individuals working on their own." (p. 40). Facilitating communication and team building are core to fostering this collaborative environment.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide. Project Management Institute.

Section 5.2.2, Servant Leadership Responsibilities: This section highlights the project manager's role in "Building a collaborative team environment where the team can be effective" and "Facilitating" team interactions. These actions are essential for overcoming the challenges of distributed teams. (p. 35).

3. Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U. (2005). Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69-95.

This academic review synthesizes research on virtual teams, concluding that success is highly dependent on socio-emotional processes. It highlights the importance of "interventions aimed at fostering team cohesion and trust (e.g., team-building)" and structured communication to overcome the lack of informal, face-to-face interaction. (pp. 79-81). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2005.01.002

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 2.7.3, Performance Measurement, p. 81. (This section discusses the use of EVM metrics like CPI to measure project performance against the baseline).

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. Section 7.4.2.2, Data Analysis, pp. 261-263. (This section explicitly defines CPI = EV/AC and states, "A CPI value less than 1.0 indicates a cost overrun for the work completed.").

3. Fleming, Q. W., & Koppelman, J. M. (2016). Earned Value Project Management (4th ed.). Project Management Institute. Chapter 4, "The Performance Indexes," p. 31. (This PMI-published standard explains that a CPI value below 1.0 indicates the project is getting less than one dollar's worth of work for each dollar spent).

4. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 13, "Cost Control," Section 13.11. (This academic textbook details EVM, defining CPI and explaining that a value less than 1 signifies a cost overrun).

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. See Section 2.8, "Project Work Performance Domain," which discusses the need for a process to manage project changes. It states, "A change control process can include (but is not limited to):...Evaluate the impact to the project..." (p. 107).

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc. The "Perform Integrated Change Control" process (Section 4.6) explicitly requires the assessment of impacts as a core activity. The process description emphasizes that "each change request has to be assessed for its impact on all project constraints" (p. 113).

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. In Chapter 14, "Project Control," the text outlines the configuration and change control process, highlighting that a critical step after a change is identified is the "evaluation of the change" to determine its impact on the project baselines before any approval or implementation.

1. Agile Practice Guide, Project Management Institute. (2017). Section 5.2.5, Iteration Planning, p. 54. This section explains that the team and the product owner establish the goal for the iteration. The product owner represents the customer's interests, and ensuring alignment on this goal is critical for delivering value. The guide states, "The team and the product owner establish the goal for the iteration."

2. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition, Project Management Institute. (2021). Section 2.2, Stakeholder Performance Domain, p. 31. This domain emphasizes that "Effective stakeholder engagement includes implementing strategies and actions to promote productive involvement of stakeholders." Validating iteration goals is a key action for engaging the customer to ensure alignment on value.

3. Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org. p. 9. The official Scrum Guide, heavily referenced by PMI, states, "The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint... The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint." This highlights the importance of aligning the iteration's objective with stakeholder-defined value.

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.2, Team Performance Domain: This domain emphasizes creating an environment that fosters team development and collaboration. It states, "For virtual teams, the project manager can foster a sense of community by ensuring there are opportunities for the team to get to know each other, and by using multiple communication technologies..." (p. 48). This supports the need to first examine the specific needs related to the virtual environment.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.2, Servant Leadership: This section describes the role of a servant leader in "understanding and addressing team member and stakeholder needs" (p. 34). Before taking any action, the project manager should first seek to understand the team's needs, which in this case are their virtual needs.

3. Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U. (2005). Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69-95.

Abstract & Section 3: The paper highlights that effective management of virtual teams requires addressing specific challenges related to communication, coordination, and social cohesion. This underscores the importance of examining the team's virtual needs (e.g., technology support, communication protocols) as a primary step in resolving collaboration issues. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2005.01.002)

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Section 9.4.2.2, Conflict Management. This section describes "Collaborate/problem solve" as a key technique, which involves "examining different viewpoints... to reach consensus and commitment." Communicating roles and responsibilities (Option D) is a direct application of this problem-solving approach.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Section 2.4, Team Performance Domain. This domain emphasizes the project manager's role in fostering a collaborative environment and managing conflict. It states, "Conflict is inevitable on projects. It can be constructive if it is managed well... Proactively addressing conflict with a willingness to have difficult conversations can help teams."

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. In Chapter 5, "Conflicts," Kerzner discusses that conflicts over project priorities, administration, and roles are common. The recommended approach is confrontation (problem-solving), which involves directly addressing the conflict's source, in this case, the role ambiguity.

4. Tjosvold, D. (2008). The conflict-positive organization: It depends upon us. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(1), 19-28. This article supports the idea that proactively confronting and discussing conflicts over roles and authority leads to more constructive outcomes and strengthens team relationships, rather than avoiding the issue. (https://doi.org/10.1002/job.473)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Section 2.3, Team Performance Domain, p. 43: This section emphasizes that creating a safe, trusting, and collaborative environment is a key element for a high-performing team. The activities to achieve this, such as building a culture of respect and managing conflict, are all rooted in strong interpersonal skills.

Section 2.3.3, Project Team Culture, p. 47: It is noted that "For virtual teams, it is important to foster the team environment intentionally," which directly points to the project manager's active role in using interpersonal skills to build team culture.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). The Standard for Project Management. Project Management Institute, Inc.

Section 3.2, Create a collaborative project team environment, p. 29: This principle states that project teams work most effectively in a collaborative environment. The project manager is responsible for fostering this environment, which relies heavily on interpersonal abilities like communication and relationship-building.

3. Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U. (2005). Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69-95.

p. 81: The review highlights the critical role of leadership in facilitating "socio-emotional processes" such as building trust and providing social support, which are essential for virtual team effectiveness and are components of interpersonal skill. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2005.01.002)

1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition.

Section 2.2, Team Performance Domain, p. 49: This section highlights servant leadership, which includes "removing impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team." The situation described is a classic blocker that the project manager is responsible for addressing.

Section 2.8, Project Work Performance Domain, p. 103: This domain involves managing physical resources and "ensuring that team members have the resources they need." When a resource becomes unavailable, the project manager must take action to resolve the issue.

2. Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile Practice Guide.

Section 5.2.2, Servant Leadership, p. 34: This section explicitly lists "Addressing and removing impediments" as a key practice for project leaders. The guide emphasizes that servant leaders "remove impediments that are blocking the team's progress."

3. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.

Chapter 5, Management Functions, Section 5.10, Controlling, pp. 204-205: This university-level textbook explains that a key project management function is taking corrective action. This includes negotiating with functional managers (like the head of IT) to resolve resource conflicts and ensure project priorities are met.