Integrate - Questions

For an upcoming project, a needs assessment and business case have been completed, and the project management office (PMO) is reviewing a draft of the benefits management plan. The PMO highlights an element of the benefits management plan and requests that the element be removed before the document is finalized. Which of the following was most likely the element the PMO requested to remove? -Expected tangible and intangible value to be gained by the implementation of the project -A set of options to be considered for addressing the business opportunity -A timeframe for realizing the benefits of the project -Measures to be used to show benefits realized

A set of options to be considered for addressing the business opportunity The key elements of a benefits management plan include target benefits, strategic alignment, a timeframe for realizing benefits, benefits owner, metrics, assumptions, and risks. Identification of a set of options to be considered for addressing the business problem or opportunity is a key element of the project business case and should not be included in the benefits management plan. This element is most likely what was marked for removal by the PMO.

A company has authorized a dedicated change control board (CCB) to review and evaluate all change requests that are submitted for any project. If the project sponsor is a member of the CCB, which of the following best describes an individual or group that can request a change on a project? -Project manager -Project sponsor -Project team -Any stakeholder

Any stakeholder Changes may be requested by any stakeholder involved with the project and may occur at any time throughout the project life cycle. The project manager, the project sponsor, and the project team are all project stakeholders and therefore, can request changes. All of the answer choices are technically correct, but the option of 'any stakeholder' provides a complete answer and is, therefore, the best answer to the question. Additionally, the fact that the company authorizes a change control board (CCB) and the project sponsor is its member is irrelevant to the question asked. It is essential to discern the relevant information of a question to select the best answer of the choices given.

You meet with your team to determine the life cycle for your project. After analyzing the best way to define and manage requirements, develop deliverables, handle changes, control risk and cost, and engage key stakeholders, the decision is made to select a hybrid life cycle. With the project life cycle selected, how will the product be delivered? As subsets of the overall product As a single final product at the end of the project As work packages of the WBS As product increments based on customer's value

As subsets of the overall product Predictive and agile project life cycles differ from one another in several aspects. One of them is the way the project product, service, or result is delivered. Predictive projects develop plans up-front and deliver only a single final product (service or result) at the end of the project. Agile projects, on the other hand, deliver working product increments as frequently as possible based on the highest value to the customer. Everything in between is defined as a hybrid delivery. With hybrid project life cycles, the product can be divided into subsets, which are delivered at either pre-defined intervals or as soon as the subsets are completed. Therefore, of the choices provided, with the hybrid life cycle selected, delivering the result of the project as subsets of the final product constitutes the best answer to the question asked.

The organization?s leadership wants projects to include more agile methodologies. Before mandating any agile methods to be used in a project, what should be done first? -Pause current projects to align them to the new agile cadence -Ask employees to vote on who wants to take part in agile projects -Assess organizational culture and readiness for the transformation -Provide agile training to those who will be part of the pilot project team

Assess organizational culture and readiness for the transformation Organizations seeking to blend a traditional plan-driven project management approach with certain agile methodologies should first assess their organizational culture and readiness to undertake such an initiative. Evolving the organization from carrying out its projects using one project management approach to another takes time and is recommended to undertake gradually and incrementally. In the scenario, senior leadership within the organization is promoting the inclusion of more agile practices into the current project methodologies. Such an organizational change to hybrid modalities may or may not be difficult. To know the extent of the difficulty an organization may endure, assessments of the organization?s readiness for learning, adapting, and applying new methods must be done first.

A project team is using the Stacey Complexity Model to map the degree of uncertainty in the project and select the appropriate project life cycle. As the meeting progresses, it becomes evident that while the requirements are well-known, the team is unfamiliar with the technology required to implement them. As a result, the team selects an adaptive project life cycle. Where on the Stacey Complexity Model did the team most likely map the project? A) Simple B) Complicated C) Complex D) Chaos

C) Complex The technical degree of uncertainty is mapped on the horizontal axis, and the uncertainty of requirements is on the vertical axis. According to the model, as project uncertainty increases along any of those dimensions, so too does the risk of rework and the need to use a different project management approach. When project requirements, as well as the technology to implement these requirements, are clear, the predictive project life cycle is typically the way to go. As the degree of uncertainty increases, the likelihood of changes, risk, and rework increases as well. Such projects would benefit from either iterative, incremental, adaptive, or hybrid life cycles. When both the technical degree of uncertainty and the degree of uncertainty in project requirements is very high, a project is considered chaos (or anarchy). Managing such a project is very hard to impossible. In the scenario, the project requirements are well-known, meaning the degree of uncertainty in requirements is low. However, the team is unfamiliar with the technology required to implement them, implying the technical degree of uncertainty is high. Based on these findings, the team selects an adaptive project life cycle, implying the project has been mapped within area C.

A project manager is leading a process improvement project for a factory operation. Currently, the project manager and the team are performing the Monitor and Control Project Work process. Which of the following activities might be carried out during this process? -Comparing actual project performance against the project management plan -Implementing approved change requests to achieve the project's objectives -Analyzing change requests and either approving or rejecting them -Gaining formal acceptance of the deliverables by the customer or sponsor

Comparing actual project performance against the project management plan Monitor and Control Project Work is the process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting overall progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan. Of the available choices, only comparing actual project performance against the project management plan is performed during the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

A technician has just tested a piece of equipment and found a defect. The technician has informed the project manager and submitted a change request to repair the defect, indicating that the repair will require significant rework. What should the project manager do first? -Approve the change request -Consult the change management plan -Instruct the team to repair the defect -Reject the change request due to significant rework

Consult the change management plan During the Perform Integrated Change Control process, change requests may be submitted for review and have a decision made based on the merits of the request. A defect repair requires an approved change request, but the project manager may or may not have the authority to approve the change request. The change management plan provides direction for managing the change control process and documents the roles and responsibilities. The project manager should check the change management plan first to know which individual or group is responsible for reviewing and making decisions on change requests.

A plan-driven project has many deliverables planned to be released at the end of the phase. The project manager wants to ensure that the deliverables are completed as expected. Which agile practices can the project manager recommend to the team to make certain that the deliverables are completed and delivered as expected? -Definition of ready and iteration reviews -User stories and confidence votes -Definition of done and demonstrations -Backlog refinement and retrospectives

Definition of done and demonstrations To properly close a project phase or project, appropriate stakeholders sign off that work has been delivered. Techniques in agile project management methodologies such as "definition of done" and "demonstrations" can also be applied in a plan-driven project. This approach helps ensure that stakeholders agree at the start of the project that the work is not only completed, but a shared understanding of done and the criteria to accept the work are exactly defined. Demonstrations serve as checkpoints throughout the project to demonstrate product increments to the relevant stakeholders, get feedback, and adjust as needed. By utilizing those two agile practices, project teams can better determine whether or not the project or phase can be successfully closed.

A project manager is wrapping up the hardware development phase of a product development project. The project will now transition to the software development phase. How might the project manager's role change with respect to integration management? -Act as a servant leader by determining the relative size of the story points of the items in the product backlog -Delegate the control of the detailed project work planning and product delivery to the project team members -Ensure that the project team members each have specific tasks assigned to them and recorded in a Gantt chart -Strengthen the change management controls to ensure that scoop creep is minimized or entirely eliminated

Delegate the control of the detailed project work planning and product delivery to the project team members The question indicates that a hybrid project is moving from a predictive phase to an agile phase. A project manager's role will change along with the change in the project management approach. The project manager's role with a predictive phase is typically more directive and controlling, whereas agile leadership requires servant leadership. Agile teams are considered self-organizing, such that the project manager would assign work to the project team, and the team would then collaborate to achieve the project goals. Thus, detailed product planning and delivery will be delegated to the project team. The incorrect answer choices represent actions that would be considered anti-patterns for agile methodologies.

Projects in a program are using various project management approaches, such as plan-driven, agile, hybrid. The project teams are complaining that because of that, the team members must enter the same work, hours, risks, and other data in multiple tools. The redundant work is impeding on their productivity time. What is the best course of action for the program manager? -Direct the teams to continue entering the data in the various systems -Determine what tools and data provide the appropriate oversight -Switch all projects in the program to the agile project management approach -Pause all data entry until a valuable solution can be determined

Determine what tools and data provide the appropriate oversight Data and metrics are very important to track, monitor, and control any project. This is true regardless of which project management approach is used. When teams and organizations shift from one approach to another or use various approaches for different projects with a program, it is common for multiple tools and software to be used. The intent of these tools is to assist the teams, stakeholders, and project organizations in managing their data and methodology. However, too many or divergent tools may cause more administration and maintenance. Therefore, project and program governance must determine which data is most relevant and worth the teams' time. The balance between collecting and communicating project data with the resource load to enter and upkeep the data can be difficult, but needed decision.

Not all team members are properly checking out resources used in the project. What is the best option for the project manager? -Wait until there is a need or the team is impacted -Escalate the issue to the functional managers -Discuss the checkout rationale with the team -Remove the process of checking out resources

Discuss the checkout rationale with the team There is not enough information in the question to determine what resources exactly the scenario is talking about, and what does this checkout procedure mean. Prospective PMP aspirants have to keep in mind that questions on the real PMP exam may be short and vague. This question is a good example of what you may encounter on your exam. Regardless of how ambiguous the scenario is, always try to select the best answer to the question asked even if none of the choices looks like a perfect/ideal answer. During the Direct and Manage Project Work process, the project manager is guiding, directing, and facilitating the plans of the project. Based on the scenario, it appears that the plans require the resources to be checked out. Those plans need to be better communicated and understood. There are many actions the project manager could take to direct and manage the project team to follow through with those plans. The answer choice that best aligns to that need is to discuss the purpose and rationale for the resource checkout and why the team should follow those plans.

Team members are frequently changing during the long timeline of a multi-phase project. The project manager is questioning whether to include agile practices to accommodate the changes. What should the project manager do prior to moving to a hybrid approach? -Ensure project finances are secured for the next project phase -Reduce the team size to nine people, plus or minus two -Target a smaller project as a proof of concept to test the feasibility -Evaluate the benefits of incorporating agile practices

Evaluate the benefits of incorporating agile practices Shifting the management of a project to a hybrid approach is a decision that identifies and evaluates the potential benefits and value, along with any impediments, detriments, and consequences. Weighing the pros and cons of a hybrid approach enables the project manager to understand and appreciate the reason for the new approach. This evaluation also ensures other stakeholders beyond the project team members are on board with the decision and its rationale.

A three-phase project to build a prototype is underway. The first phase entails design. In the second phase, the manufacturing team would produce the parts from the design specifications. In the third phase, the production team would assemble the parts to construct the prototype. The project is now at the end of the first phase. What should be done with the phase's deliverables? -Verified by the testing team for quality compliance -Transferred to the production team -Transitioned to the project management office (PMO) -Handed over to the manufacturing team

Handed over to the manufacturing team The question states that the project is at the end of the first phase, implying the Close Project or Phase process is being carried out. An output of the Close Project or Phase is the transition of the final product, service, or result to a different group or organization that will operate, maintain, or support it throughout its life cycle. Officially transferring the ownership of deliverables to the assigned stakeholders facilitates project (or phase) closure. In this case, the project manager would transfer ownership of the design to the manufacturing team since they are responsible for the second phase of the project.

A project is nearing its end when the project manager receives an approved change request to replace a defective unit. What should the project manager do next? -Capture the problem in the issue log -Meet with the change control board -Have the defective unit repaired -Have the defective unit replaced

Have the defective unit replaced The question suggests that the Direct and Manage Project Work process is being carried out. Approved change requests are one of the inputs to that process. The project manager has received an approved change request. It is now her responsibility to ensure the approved change request is implemented as specified. Since the change request calls for the replacement of the defective unit, the next step for the project manager is to have the defective unit replaced.

An organization is to undertake a multi-phased project. The sponsor wants to pursue the project objectives as they have been planned but also wants to accommodate and adjust to new information and changes in the environment as the project progresses. Which project management approach should the project manager select for this project? -Waterfall -Agile -Hybrid -Phased

Hybrid Determining the most appropriate methodology to manage a project can be difficult. Fortunately, project managers have plenty of tools in their toolbox. One option available to project managers is the ability to blend or utilize various aspects, approaches, and methods from various project management methodologies. This is referred to as a hybrid approach. In the scenario described, going forward with the upfront-developed plans and be agile to incoming data and changing environmental conditions is ripe for a hybrid approach.

You are managing a project to build five bridges. The project consists of five sequential phases with each phase delivering one bridge. After the first phase of the project is complete, which process group of the second phase should follow? -Initiating -Planning -Executing -Closing

Initiating The Initiating Process Group is made up of two processes, Develop Project Charter and Identify Stakeholders. The Initiating Process Group is performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase. The purpose of this Process Group is to align the stakeholders' expectations and the project purpose, inform stakeholders of the scope and objectives, and discuss how their participation in the project and its associated phases can help to ensure their expectations are met. In the scenario described, you are about to start a new project phase. Therefore, you should start with the Develop Project Charter process. It does not necessarily mean you would develop a new project charter for each consecutive project phase, but it means that you will perform the processes of the Initiating Process Group starting with the Develop Project Charter process. You will review the project charter to see if the high-level assumptions and constraints made during project initiation are still valid, and whether or not the market conditions are still favorable for the project. Performing this process may result in an update of the charter or an addendum to the project charter. In an extreme scenario, this process may result in project termination.

You are in the process of establishing a knowledge management system for your project. Which of the following actions will be the least beneficial in this process? Reviewing the lesson learned register Monitoring stakeholder engagement Examining the resource breakdown structure Studying the project team assignments

Monitoring stakeholder engagement Central to knowledge management is having the right processes and people with the right knowledge. Having documents that identify the people and their capabilities are essential to identifying current knowledge and the gaps that may exist. Keep in mind that the question is asking for the action that will be 'least' beneficial in this process. Monitor Stakeholder Engagement is the process of monitoring stakeholder relationships and tailoring strategies for engaging stakeholders through the modification of engagement strategies and plans. This process helps maintain or increase the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement activities as the project evolves and its environment changes. The Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process belongs to the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, while according to the scenario, the project manager is carrying out the Manage Project knowledge process, which is part of the Executing Process Group. Monitoring stakeholder engagement does not help identify the people or processes needed to establish a knowledge management system for the project, whereas the other options, namely the lessons learned register, the resource breakdown structure, and project team assignments are useful in determining what is required for a knowledge management system. Therefore, of the available choices, monitoring stakeholder engagement would be the least beneficial for establishing a knowledge management system for the project and is, therefore, the best answer to the question asked.

A project manager is leading a daily standup meeting with a scrum team as part of the Direct and Manage Project Work process. A developer raises an impediment stating that he is struggling with the software code necessary to authenticate users on the sign-in page. The developer indicates that the impediment could result in a schedule delay to the current sprint. What is the project manager's best course of action? -Write the software code for the developer since it is the project manager's responsibility to remove impediments -Submit a change request to update the schedule baseline to reflect the delay caused by the impediment -Move the user authentication feature back into the project backlog and ask the product owner to reprioritize it -Recommend that the scrum team members use swarming as a technique to clear the impediment

Recommend that the scrum team members use swarming as a technique to clear the impediment The scenario describes a hybrid project that incorporates agile practices into a predictive project management framework. A developer raises an impediment during a daily standup meeting. Even though this issue represents a blocker for a particular developer and may result in a schedule delay, it might not be an impediment for the entire project team. Agile teams emphasize the use of generalizing specialists. Thus, it is possible that other team members might be able to assist in resolving this issue. The project team is responsible for producing the deliverables, collaborating on achieving the project's objectives. Swarming is a technique that is typically used when agile practices are incorporated into a project. With this technique, multiple team members focus collectively on resolving a specific impediment. Note, when all of the team members leave their current tasks to help one developer, it is reasonable to assume that their tasks may also be delayed. While this assumption makes the correct answer arguable, of the choices provided, suggesting swarming is the project manager's best course of action.

You are about to start planning for a large and complex project. Due to the size of the project along with the regulatory and environmental considerations, the development of a detailed project management plan will be critical. As a starting point for initial project planning, what is the first thing you should do? -Conduct a project kick-off meeting to inform and engage stakeholders and gain commitment -Review the project charter to understand the high-level information about the project -Begin the process of identifying stakeholders so they can be engaged as necessary for project planning -Share the project scope statement with the project team for a common understanding of project deliverables

Review the project charter to understand the high-level information about the project The question states that project planning is about to begin which suggests that project initiation has been completed. The project charter is created during the Develop Project Charter process as part of project initiation. The project team uses the project charter as a starting point for initial project planning. The type and amount of information in the project charter varies depending on the complexity of the project and the information known at the time of its creation. At a minimum, the project charter should define the high-level information about the project that will be elaborated in the various components of the project management plan.

You are managing a project to build a house for a private client. A few weeks before the project's planned completion date, the client calls and asks to add an outdoor sauna to the property. You analyze the project schedule and determine that this change would be fairly easy to implement without having an impact on the completion date. What should you do first? -Begin construction since the project completion date is not violated -Review the requested change against all project constraints -Have the sponsor verify if the change violates construction regulations -Consult with the change control board on how to handle the change

Review the requested change against all project constraints A project manager is responsible for overseeing the development of the product of the project. This includes managing changes that arise during execution by balancing competing constraints with the resources available. In the scenario presented, the project manager is faced with managing a change introduced late in the project life cycle. While it appears that an outdoor sauna will not be difficult to implement and that no negative schedule impacts are anticipated, the change request must still be examined in greater detail using the Perform Integrated Change Control process to assess the impact of the change on other project constraints, such as the the project schedule, costs, quality, resources, risks, etc., and communicate the impact of the change to the client. What if the cost of adding the sauna will exceed the budget the client had in mind for the project? What if the project does not have enough resources to implement the change? These and other questions should be asked when a change request is properly evaluated. Therefore, of the choices provided, reviewing the requested change against all project constraints is the best answer to the question asked.

You have been asked to lead a product development project which will use an agile framework. Currently, you are in the process of drafting the project charter, and you want to bring together stakeholders and subject matter experts to discuss perceived project risk, success criteria, and other topics. What is the best way for you to accomplish this objective? Facilitate an iteration retrospective Invite the relevant participants to the daily scrum meetings Conduct interviews with the identified individuals Schedule a focus group

Schedule a focus group The question states that the project charter is being drafted which implies that the project is in the initiation stage. A focus group is a data-gathering technique which may be beneficial in the development of the project charter. Focus groups bring together stakeholders and subject matter experts to learn about the perceived project risk, success criteria, and other topics in a more conversational way than a one-on-one interview. The expectations of the project manager do not change in an adaptive (agile) environment, but control of the detailed product planning and delivery is delegated to the team who, in the scenario described, can be considered the subject matter experts. The incorrect answer choices represent meetings that would take place after project initiation has been completed or are not held in a group setting. Therefore, of the available choices, scheduling a focus group is the best answer.

An organization has a policy that a change control board (CCB) must review all change requests for every project in the organization, and that the CCB follows the recommended activities outlined in the PMBOK® Guide. Project managers and the project team do not serve as members of the CCB. Based on this scenario, which of the following activities might be performed by members of the CCB? -Submitting a change request -Implementing approved change requests -Initiating and closing a project -Monitoring implementation of approved changes

Submitting a change request The change control board (CCB) is a formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, deferring, or rejecting change requests. The CCB can include project stakeholders, and a change may be requested by any stakeholder involved with the project. Therefore, it is possible for a member of the CCB to submit a change request.

Senior leadership has returned from a conference where they have learned about the agile practice of retrospectives. Even though the organization does not manage any projects in an agile manner, they mandate that from now on this ceremony is included in all projects. How should the outputs from the retrospectives be stored and managed? Senior leadership determines the location of the outputs and who may access the contents -The project team stores the outputs in a location that the project manager can control and limit changes -The project team determines a location that is accessible for relevant -stakeholders to view and track -The project manager establishes the location and allows the customer to view and make recommendations

The project team determines a location that is accessible for relevant stakeholders to view and track Retrospectives are useful ceremonies whether in an agile project or a hybrid project such as the one(s) described in the scenario. Retrospectives can be conducted at a regular cadence throughout a project (regardless of whether the deliverables are produced using iterations or not) to gather lessons learned and identify ways for the project team to adapt and improve. The aims of retrospectives are to find ways for the team to acknowledge what they are doing well and improve where they can. The outputs generated from the findings are meant mainly for the project team to reflect on and take necessary actions. Visibility and easy accessibility is key to ensuring that the outputs are not discarded or forgotten but actioned upon.

A project to construct an assembly line is nearly complete. The project manager closes procurements, shares the final project report, updates the lessons learned repository, and obtains feedback from the relevant stakeholders. What should the project manager do next? -Provide final payment to the suppliers -Send a summary of how the final product achieved the business needs -Transfer the completed assembly line to operations -Send formal written notice to the vendors that the contracts have been completed

Transfer the completed assembly line to operations The question implies that the Close Project or Phase process is underway. Actions and activities necessary to transfer the project's products, services, or results to the next phase or production and/or operations is one aspect of project closure. Correctly answering this question is an exercise in the process of elimination. The incorrect answer choices represent activities that have already been completed by the project manager in this scenario. Among the available choices, only transferring the completed assembly line to operations represents a closing activity which has yet to be completed, making it the best response to the question asked.

At the end of a design project, a competitor has gained market share with a new technology that has rendered the project's deliverable obsolete. The project sponsor is pleased with the work of the project team who finished within budget and on time but thinks that the project should have been terminated much sooner. What might have the manager of the project done differently in this situation? -Used phases and phase gates -Established a change control board (CCB) to review and render decisions for all submitted change requests -Terminated the project when the new technology was introduced -Scheduled more frequent lessons learned meetings with the project team

Used phases and phase gates During project integration, a project manager needs to consider how to tailor the way that Project Integration Management processes are applied. Among these considerations is the project life cycle including the appropriate use of phases and phase gates. A phase gate is a review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification, or to end a project. During a phase gate, the business case should be examined to determine if it is still valid or needs to be modified. In some cases, for example, changes in the competitive landscape may lead to a decision to terminate the project as the business case has been invalidated. In this scenario, the business case is no longer valid due to new technology, which was introduced in the marketplace and rendered the current product in development obsolete. Of the available options, only using a phased approach with phase gates introduces a periodic structured review of the viability of the project, making this the best answer to the question asked.