Determine Appropriate Project Methodology/methods and Practices
A project manager is managing a project where requirements are not fully known and high level of uncertainty exists. Which methodology should be used for this project? A. Agile B. Hybrid C. Predictive D. Waterfall
Solution: A. Agile Project life cycles can range along a continuum from predictive approaches at one end to adaptive or agile approaches at the other. In a predictive life cycle, the project deliverables are defined at the beginning of the project and any changes to the scope are progressively managed. In an adaptive or agile life cycle, the deliverables are developed over multiple iterations where a detailed scope is defined and approved for each iteration when it begins This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) /PMI// [Item] | PMI.org Article (November 2017) /PMI/PMI (2017). Deliver Projects Better with any Approach.// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/series/achieving-greater-agility/deliver-projects-better-with-any-approach]
A project manager is managing an agile project. The PMO manager is not familiar with agile delivery. Which of the following statements describe the agile approach? A. Responding to change over following a plan B. Customer collaboration over following a plan C. Responding to change over processes and tools D. Customer collaboration over comprehensive testing
Solution: A. Responding to change over following a plan The main characteristic of Agile delivery is that embrace change over strictly following a detailed plan. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper (24 February 2010) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/select-fitting-project-management-approach-6915]
A project manager is managing an agile project. In order to make sure there is enough funding available for the project, the project sponsor is asking the project manager for an estimate when the project will be completed. How should the project manager respond to the sponsor? A. Inform the sponsor that an estimate is not necessary, as agile supports responding to change over following a plan. B. Remind the sponsor that agile projects are not judged based on budget and schedule. C. Provide the estimate to the sponsor, as agile supports estimating. D. Influence the sponsor to add a contingency buffer to the cost in case of a cost overrun.
Solution: C. Provide the estimate to the sponsor, as agile supports estimating. Provide the estimate to the sponsor, as agile supports estimating. The other answer choices are incorrect. It is a myth that estimation is not necessary in agile, but there are foundational steps to ensure project success. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: Article (August 2012) /PM Network/Fewell, J. (2012). True agility. PM Network, 26(8), 28./Fewell, Jesse/ [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-project-managertrue-agility-2305]
A project team lead meets with the project manager before a scheduled kick-off meeting. The team lead is worried that expectations regarding project deliverables might not be realistic. What should the project manager do? A. Review the project business case and the results of the feasibility study. B. Facilitate a meeting between the project sponsor and the team lead to discuss the concerns. C. Meet with the stakeholders to discuss the concerns and record their conclusions in the stakeholder engagement plan. D. Identify the risks and agreed-upon risk responses and modify the risk register accordingly.
Solution: A. Review the project business case and the results of the feasibility study To ensure that the deliverables are realistic, the project manager needs to review the feasibility study and then evaluate the results. The objectives of the project will be determined in the business case, along with the feasibility study to determine the validity of the project. This may result in a go/no-do decision to initiate the project. None of the other choices will ensure this Meeting with the project sponsor or stakeholders will not be helpful before you know how feasible the project is. The risk register can be updated after the the validity of the project is determined. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: Fundamentals of Technology Project Management, 2nd Ed (2015) Colleen Garton, Erika McCulloch/Mc Press/3/59 [Item] | PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2018) ///1.2.6.1 PROJECT BUSINESS CASE [Item] | The Project Management Tool Kit: 100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right (No Date) /Amacom/57/140 [Item]
A project manager recently joined a new organization. The project sponsor is a subject matter expert and wants to manage scope by delivering in small increments and changing the scope based on feedback. Which of the following approaches should be the recommended option? A. Scrum B. Waterfall C. Kanban D. Predictive
Solution: A. Scrum This is the perfect situation for a delivery using Scrum. The sponsor has the authority and knowledge to manage the product backlog and wants the flexibility to change the scope based on feedback on small increments delivered to users, Waterfall and predictive won't be as effective as agile. Kanban is focused on flow and doesn't offer the possibility to change the scope based on feedback. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper (24 February 2010) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/select-fitting-project-management-approach-6915]
A project team has been tasked to build a new product. The team builds the demo first and add features to the initial product. This is an example of what technical practice? A. Test-Driven Development (TDD) B. Continuous Delivery C. Behavior-Driven Development D. Spikes
Solution: B. Continuous Delivery Continous delivery technique allow the team to create a demo and continously make improvements until the product is complete and the client is satisfied. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: O'Reilly Platform (No Date) //Agile for Project Managers, Chapter 4 Agile Tools/ [Item] | The Agile Practice Guide (No Date) PMI/PMI//56 [Item]
A project manager is helping their organization transition from using predictive methods to agile methods. The leadership team complains to the project manager that less work is being done after the agile approaches were implemented. How should the project manager respond to the leadership team? A. Ask all team leads to explain why less work has been done since the agile implementation began. B. Explain a decrease in productivity is expected in the beginning as teams try to understand and adjust to agile approaches. C. Enforce 2-week sprints across the organization so all teams deliver at the same agile cadence. D. Stop implementing agile if the organization is not making any improvements and people are becoming frustrated.
Solution: B. Explain a decrease in productivity is expected in the beginning as teams try to understand and adjust to agile approaches. Agile is a disruptive transformation, resistance is normal and benefits are not visible immediately. A, C, and D are recommendations that will impact further the agile adoption and delay the productivity improvements. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper - Transitioning to agile methods (23 October 2012) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/transitioning-agile-methods-5989]
A project manager is helping their organization transition from utilizing predictive methods to agile methods. One team member asks when high-level requirements definition and solution design activities should be done in an agile methodology.How should the project manager respond? A.In agile, these activities must start as soon as the project team is assembled, preferably in sprint one. B.In agile, the team should plan to perform some of these activities as part of sprint zero before starting development. C.In agile, the team should avoid waste, so these activities must be done as part of development. D.In agile, the team follows the last responsible moment strategy and should defer those activities as much as possible.
Solution: B. In agile, the team should plan to perform some of these activities as part of sprint zero, before starting development. Agile doesn't prescribe lack of design documentation or requirements definition. Because the time to develop them, inclusive the initial Product Backlog, those activities are not timeboxed to the length of a standard Sprint and are done before in Sprint 0 that can have a different duration than the other Sprints This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper - Transitioning to agile methods (23 October 2012) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/transitioning-agile-methods-5989]
A project manager is managing a project that has a component using agile. The project sponsor asks the project manager to add a new component to this project which is government regulated with new complex tax-rules with enough time provided to implement these rules. The sponsor suggests implementing this new component using predictive non-agile approach due to its complexity. Which methodology will the project manager use for this new component? A. Inform the project sponsor that you will manage the new component using agile methodology as agile supports one-size-fits-all. B. Use hybrid approach by continuing to manage the existing component using agile, and the new component using predictive. C. Manage the existing component as well as the new component using predictive plan-based approach. D. Seek guidance from project sponsor for which methodology will suit best for new component.
Solution: B. Use hybrid approach by continuing to manage the existing component using agile, and the new component using predictive. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: apress, 1st edition (Nov 2020) Shawn Belling/apress/1/ [Item] | PMI.org Article (November 2017) /PMI/PMI (2017). Deliver Projects Better with any Approach.// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/series/achieving-greater-agility/deliver-projects-better-with-any-approach https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/achieving-greater-agility-series/deliver-projects-better-any-approach.pdf?v=8bbebb3f-b8d1-4796-aac3-c616f9cc6b36&sc_lang_temp=en]
An agile coach is counseling a large software organization that has been using waterfall methodology and now plans to start using agile or hybrid methodology. What would be a project manager's suggestion? A. Continue using waterfall, since hybrid does not fit with the organizational structure. B. Start with agile and then move to hybrid, although agile takes time to implement. C. Start using hybrid methodologies because waterfall knowledge is transferable. D. Start using hybrid, the more appropriate methodology for software organizations.
Solution: B. Start with agile and then move to hybrid, although agile takes time to implement. Transitioning from waterfall to agile or hybrid methodologies requires a shift in practices, mindset, and organizational culture. Starting with agile allows the organization to experience the benefits of iterative and collaborative approaches, learn from feedback, and continuously improve. It is a phased approach that allows the organization to adapt to the changes gradually. The other answer choices are incorrect. Continuing to use waterfall without considering agile or hybrid methodologies may limit the organization's ability to respond to changing market dynamics and embrace the benefits of more adaptive and flexible approaches. While there may be some transferable knowledge from waterfall to hybrid methodologies, it is important to recognize that transitioning to agile or hybrid requires learning new practices, roles, and ways of working. Simply relying on waterfall knowledge may not fully prepare the organization for the challenges and opportunities of agile or hybrid approaches. Declaring hybrid as the more appropriate methodology for all software organizations oversimplifies the decision. The choice of methodology should be based on various factors, including project characteristics, organizational culture, team capabilities, and customer requirements
Project manager is helping an organization transition from traditional methods to agile. The infrastructure, data warehousing, and enterprise architecture teams operate very differently than the application development teams. How should the project manager implement agile in this organization? A. Ask every team in the organization to implement the same agile methodology so that a one-size-fits-all solution can provide consistency across all teams. B. Tailor the implementation by deliberately adapting the approach to make it more suitable for the given environment and work at hand. C. Force the top-down transition approach by asking the CEO to provide support for implementing agile in every team in the organization. D. Ask one team to implement scrum as a pilot so that all other teams in the organization can also implement scrum by learning from this team.
Solution: B. Tailor the implementation by deliberately adapting the approach to make it more suitable for the given environment and work at hand. Tailoring is the deliberate adaptation of approach, governance, and processes to make them more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand. The teams will be required to assume an agile methodology across the organization and adopt a system of processes, governance, methods, and templates that provide guidance on how to run the project. While this provides a degree of consistency to projects within an organization, the methodology itself may still need tailoring to suit each project team. Tailoring decisions can be an implicit action of accepting an established methodology or an explicit action of selecting and mixing specific elements to suit the unique characteristics of the project and the project environment. The project manager should take into account the specific needs, capabilities, and workflows and tailor the approach to accommodate for those discrepancies, allowing the teams to continue to deliver value and operate efficiently.The other options are incorrect because they do not recognize the fundamental differences between the departments and teams across the organization. It could be counterproductive to force change and/or force teams to work within a one-size-fits-all framework and it does not address the issue at hand. Asking one team to implement scrum as a pilot does not address the lingering issues that may inhibit team functionality if the approach is not tailored appropriately. These incorrect options are also ineffective ways to bring about organizational change. Change management should be a comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups, and organizations from a current state to a future state with inte
A project manager is leading an agile project. The product owner complains that the project team is constantly completing less story points than the Scrum team working on another project. What should the project manager do to address this issue? A. Ask the team to address this issue as part of the retrospective to improve their velocity in the next sprint. B. Tell the product owner that it is incorrect to compare velocity across teams because story points are specific to each team. C. Get the approval from the product owner to add a contingency buffer to the sprint, and change the duration to increase velocity. D. Take full responsibility of the team's low performance as compared to the other team and apologize.
Solution: B. Tell the product owner that it is incorrect to compare velocity across teams because story points are specific to each team Story points are a relative measure defined by each Scrum team. Because of that it can't be and should not be used to compare teams. There is no need to add contingency or take any responsibility as it is not at all an issue. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper - Transitioning to agile Ten Success Strategies (29 October 2013) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/transitioning-agile-ten-success-strategies-5841]
A project manager is leading an agile project. For iterations one through five, the team's velocity chart displays 18 story points, 30 story points, 22 story points, 23 story points, and 22 story points. What does this information demonstrate about the team's performance? A. The team is not following agile practices properly. B. The team's velocity is stabilizing over time. C. The team is lagging behind as per the schedule. D. The team needs to change their agile methodology
Solution: B. The team's velocity is stabilizing over time. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper - Transitioning to agile Ten Success Strategies (29 October 2013) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/transitioning-agile-ten-success-strategies-5841]
A project manager is managing an agile project. A new team member, who has never worked in an agile team, joins the project. The new member asks the project manager to explain why an agile approach is used. What should the project manager's response be? A. To eliminate the risk and increase the predictability and visibility B. To deliver value faster and change the scope based on feedback C. To reduce the costs and increase the quality of the end deliverables D. To eliminate the need for documentation by delivering working products
Solution: B. To deliver value faster and change the scope based on feedback Agile doesn't reduce costs due to iterative delivery but will deliver business value by delivering faster what the business needs. Agile doesn't reduce risk even increasing the positive risk (opportunities) and doesn't exclude documentation. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper (24 February 2010) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/select-fitting-project-management-approach-6915]
In an innovative project, the sponsor wants to deliver a creative and large data processing platform to better serve the customers. However, the functionality of the platform cannot be described clearly in the project's requirements. In order to obtain continuous investment, every project output that shows progress will be demonstrated to management. What kind of project approach should the project manager recommend? A. Predictive B. Waterfall C. Agile D. Hybrid
Solution: C. Agile An agile (incremental and incremental) approach is applied to projects with dynamic requirements and multiple iterations. Agile focuses on frequent deliveries and regular feedback, so the project manager can show continuous progress to management to obtain continuous investment. Agile is the best option because there is an emphasis on delivering value on a regular basis. The other answer choices are incorrect.A predictive approach is incorrect because it is a development approach in which the project scope, time, and cost are determined in the early phases of the life cycle. A predictive approach is useful when the project and product requirements can be defined, collected, and analyzed at the start of the project. This may also be referred to as a waterfall approach, making the waterfall option incorrect as well. The functionality of the platform cannot be described clearly in the project's requirements, so a predictive/waterfall life cycle is not the best option. The hybrid approach combines the use of the predictive methodology for known scope/requirements and agile for dynamic scope/requirements. A hybrid approach is not the best option because it is a combination of two or more agile and nonagile elements, having a nonagile end result.
A project manager is managing an agile project. The project sponsor asks the project manager whether agile supports entering a fixed-price contract with the customer instead of a time-and-materials contract. The customer needs a fixed-price contract to support their concrete business goals. What should the project manager's response to the sponsor be? A. Inform the customer that agile does not support fixed-price contracts, as it favors customer collaboration over contract negotiation. B. Inform the customer that agile supports only time-and-materials contracts, as scope is not fixed in agile. C. Agree with the customer to move forward with fixed-price contract, as there is no such restriction in agile. D. Influence the customer to use a time-and-materials contract, as the cost overrun of this contract lies with the customer.
Solution: C. Agree with the customer to move forward with fixed-price contract, as there is no such restriction in agile. In agile environments, specific sellers may be used to extend the team. This collaborative working relationship can lead to a shared risk procurement model where both the buyer and the seller share in the risk and rewards associated with a project. Larger projects may use an adaptive approach for some deliverables and a more stable approach for other parts. In these cases, a governing agreement such as a master services agreement (MSA) may be used for the overall engagement, with the adaptive work being placed in an appendix or supplement. This allows changes to occur on the adaptive scope without impacting the overall contract This question and rationale were developed in reference to: Article (August 2012) /PM Network/Fewell, J. (2012). True agility. PM Network, 26(8), 28./Fewell, Jesse/ [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-project-managertrue-agility-2305] | Article (August 2012) /PM Network/Fewell, J. (2012). True agility. PM Network, 26(8), 28./Fewell, Jesse/ [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-project-managertrue-agility-2305] | PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) /PMI// [Item Section 12]
A project manager is managing a project where requirements are fixed and the workflow is planned for the full development lifecycle. Additionally, the customer involvement is at specific milestones and testing happens post-build. Which methodology should a project manager use for this project? A. Agile B. Hybrid C. Predictive D. Continuous Improvement
Solution: C. Predictive Project life cycles can range along a continuum from predictive approaches at one end to adaptive or agile approaches at the other. In a predictive life cycle, the project deliverables are defined at the beginning of the project and any changes to the scope are progressively managed. In an adaptive or agile life cycle, the deliverables are developed over multiple iterations where a detailed scope is defined and approved for each iteration when it begins This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition (2017) /PMI// [Item] | PMI.org Article (November 2017) /PMI/PMI (2017). Deliver Projects Better with any Approach.// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/series/achieving-greater-agility/deliver-projects-better-with-any-approach]
The service provider and their client agree on about 80% of the scope of a project contract they are working on for the delivery of marketing content. The client has a fixed budget and target completion date and wants to get the most business value from the project as possible by increasing the scope based on a best-effort delivery close to the end of the project. What should the project manager do? A. Create the contract based on the agreed scope and plan addendum changes. B. Ensure that a change control process is documented in the contract. C. Propose a dynamic scope contract option and add a fixed number of iterations. D. Increase the number of resources in the contract to deliver the requirements.
Solution: C. Propose a dynamic scope contract option and add a fixed number of iterations.Best-effort changes at the end of a project can be delivered at a fixed cost by specifying a fixed number of increments where additional scope can be prioritized. Strict change control or addendums would risk missing the completion date. Adding resources is not necessary if the scope is on a best-effort basis.The other answer choices are incorrect.Creating the contract based on the agreed-upon scope and planning an addendum is not flexible enough to accommodate the client's need to increase the scope of the project.Adding a change control process to the contract is not enough to address the client's need for a flexible scope.Increasing the number of resources may not be possible due to fixed budget constraints. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: O'Reilly Platform (No Date) //Agile for Project Managers, Denise Canty/Chapter - 14. Agile Contracts [Item The main idea is to build the contract around the end product rather than adding in a placeholder for unknown changes. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/agile-for-project/9781482244984/ch14.html] | The Agile Practice Guide (No Date) PMI/PMI/6.3/78 [Item]
A company is venturing into a new business but has no previous experience in that market. The project manager is having trouble visualizing project requirements. What should the project manager do next? A. Consult the project charter. B. Reevaluate the business venture's objectives. C. Seek potential customer input. D. Conduct a feasibility study.
Solution: C. Seek potential customer input. The project manager is having difficulty visualizing the project's requirements, and the best way to understand what the requirements are is to engage with the people who will be using the product or service that is being developed. Potential customers can provide valuable information about their needs and wants, which can help the project manager visualize the project's requirements. The other answer choices are incorrect. Referencing the project charter is not helpful if the project manager is having trouble visualizing the requirements. Reevaluating the business venture's goals is not the next step that the project manager should take. The project manager must first understand the customer's needs before they can reevaluate the business venture's goals. Conducting a feasibility study is not the most appropriate next step. The project manager should first seek potential customer input to get a better understanding of the requirements. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Fifth Edition (2015) PMI/PMI/5/106 [Item] | Determining Project Requirements (2008) Hans Jonasson/Auerbach Publications/7 way to gather requirement/13 prototyping [Item] | PMBOK Guide Sixth Edition, 6th edition (2017) PMI/PMI/5/147 [Item 5.2.2.8 Prototypes]
A project team is writing the lessons learned at the end of the sprint. They explicitly declare their willingness to improve their expertise using the retrospective approach. Based upon the agile manifesto, what should the team focus on? A.Competing B.Debating C.Defending D.Conversing
Solution: D. Conversing The Agile Manifesto focuses on individuals and interactions over processes and tools and collaboration. Conversation prevails over defending and debating in regards to improving their expertise. Team members should not compete with each other as this diminishes the motivation to collaborate and achieve goals together as a team. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI-ACP Exam Prep, 2nd Ed edition (Oct, 15) Mike Griffiths/RMC/7/395 [Item]
A project manager is leading an agile project that is in the execution phase. After a couple of sprints, the project manager realizes that the team's estimates are not realistic. What action should the project manager take to remove this impediment? A. Ask the team to address this issue at the next the retrospective to avoid impacting the sprint in progress. B. Obtain approval from project sponsor to add a contingency buffer to the sprint, and change the end date. C. Ask the team to address this issue at the next standup, and meet the commitment for the sprint in progress. D. Organize product backlog refinement sessions to better understand the scope and review estimations.
Solution: D. Organize product backlog refinement sessions to better understand the scope and review estimations. This is not a real impediment but part of the process improvement and a solution should not be imposed to the team. Sprint length can't be changed. Backlog refinement is the best way to improve the estimation process and people's estimation skills. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: PMI Conference Paper - Transitioning to agile Ten Success Strategies (29 October 2013) //// [Item https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/transitioning-agile-ten-success-strategies-5841]
