Helping Hand Questions for PMP

 The project manager should review the list of team members’ skills and understand how they will work together to deliver the project outcomes to build a cohesive, high-performing team. According to the PMBOK® Guide, a high-performing team is a team that exhibits a high level of collaboration, trust, commitment, andperformance1. To build a high-performing team, the project manager should apply team development techniques that enhance the team’s ability to work effectively and efficiently1. One of the team development techniques is skill assessment, which involves identifying and evaluating the skills and competencies of the team members, and aligning them with the project objectives and requirements1. By reviewing the list of team members’ skills, the project manager can understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and determine the best way to assign roles and responsibilities. The project manager can also identify any skill gaps or overlaps that may affect the team performance, and plan for training or coaching to address them. Additionally, by understanding how the team members will work together, the project manager can facilitate communication and collaboration among the team members and other stakeholders, and foster a positive team culture that supports the project goals. This way, the project manager can build a cohesive, high-performing team that can deliver the project outcomes. The other options are not the best ways to build a cohesive, high-performing team, as they do not address the need to assess and align the team skills and competencies.

• Organizing the team members into several kick-off sessions based on technology type is a possible action that the project manager can take, but it is not the main activity that the project manager should do to build a cohesive, high-performing team. Kick-off sessions are meetings that introduce the project and the team to the team members and other stakeholders, and establish the project vision, scope, and expectations1. While kick-off sessions can help the team members to get to know each other and the project, they do not necessarily help the project manager to review and evaluate the team skills and competencies, and align them with the project objectives and requirements. Moreover, organizing the team members into several kick-off sessions based on technology type may create silos and barriers among the team members, and reduce the team cohesion and collaboration.
• Asking the human resources (HR) department to arrange interview meetings to select the team is a wrong way to build a cohesive, high-performing team, as it delegates the responsibility of the project manager to the HR department, and ignores the input and involvement of the team members and other stakeholders. The project manager is the person who is accountable for the team performance and satisfaction, and who has the best knowledge and understanding of the project objectives and requirements1. Therefore, the project manager should take the lead in selecting and developing the team, and consult and collaborate with the team members and other stakeholders to ensure the team is aligned and engaged with the project goals.
• Asking prospective team members to write a short biography explaining how they can contribute to the team’s success is an unnecessary and ineffective activity that does not help the project manager to build a cohesive, high-performing team. Writing a short biography is a one-way and subjective way of presenting the team members’ skills and competencies, and it does not provide the project manager with a comprehensive and objective assessment of the team skills and competencies. Furthermore, writing a short biography does not help the projectmanager to understand how the team members will work together, and facilitate communication and collaboration among the team members and other stakeholders.

References: 1: PMBOK® Guide, 7th edition, pages 96-97.

According to the PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition, the project manager should monitor and control the project schedule by identifying and analyzing any variances, and by implementing corrective or preventive actions to ensure the timely completion of the project. The project manager should also consider the project environment and the stakeholder needs when managing the schedule, and use appropriate tools and techniques to optimize the schedule performance. Therefore, the project manager should update the schedule to reflect the holidays and share the workload among offices to mitigate schedule slippage. This would help to respect the cultural differences and the work-life balance of the team members, and to leverage the resources and the capabilities of the different offices. Option A is incorrect because it implies that the project manager is increasing the project cost and the complexity by hiring additional personnel on a temporary basis, which may not be feasible or effective. Option B is incorrect because it suggests that the project manager is imposing an unrealistic and unfair expectation on the offices in overseas locations, which may affect their motivation and productivity. Option C is incorrect because it indicates that the project manager is accepting the schedule delay without exploring any alternatives or solutions, which may compromise the project value and the stakeholder satisfaction. References: PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition, Chapter 4: Keeping the Team on Track, Section 4.1: Monitoring and Controlling the Project, p. 69-70.

According to the PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 123, the project manager is responsible for managing the project scope and ensuring that the project deliverables meet the agreed requirements and expectations of the customer and other stakeholders. If the project manager receives a request for a change in the project scope, such as the parking lot size, the project manager should follow the change management process, which involves assessing the impact of the change on the project objectives, constraints, and assumptions, and consulting with the executive sponsors and other key stakeholders to determine the best course of action. The project manager should not reject, accept, or implement the change without following the changemanagement process, as this may lead to scope creep, rework, waste, or poor quality. References:

• PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 123
• Free PMP Practice Exam Questions - 120 Sample Test Questions

According to the PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, an agile project is a project that uses an adaptive, iterative, incremental, or agile approach to deliver value to the customer in a fast and flexible way. An agile project typically consists of several iterations, which are short cycles of work that produce a potentially releasable product increment. An agile project also uses key indicators, such as velocity, burnup, burndown, or cumulative flow, to measure and monitor the progress and performance of the project by iteration. Therefore, the project lead should explain to the stakeholder that the key indicators are by iteration, and provide the stakeholder with the relevant information that shows the current status and trends of the project. This will help to communicate the project information clearly and transparently, to align the stakeholder expectations and feedback, and to demonstrate the value delivered by the project. Telling the stakeholder that a new report will be produced, asking the product owner to develop the new report, or developing the requested report are not the best actions, as they may not suit the preferences, availability, or influence of the stakeholder, and they may not reflect the agile principles and practices of the project. References: PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, page 19-20.