PMP Leak Questions

According to the PMBOK Guide, the project manager is responsible for developing the project team by improving their competencies, interactions, and overall performance. One of the tools and techniques for developing the project team is training, which involves providing learning opportunities to acquire new skills or enhance existing ones. Training can be formal or informal, and can be delivered by internal or external sources. In this scenario, the agile project team received an assignment to develop an industrial system that interfaces with robots, which is a new type of work for them. The team members are interested in acquiring such expertise, but it may result in a project delay. The best way to handle this situation is to add an experienced professional to the team to reinforce knowledge sharing and help grow team expertise in the new product. This option provides an informal and internal source of training for the team, as well as a mentor who can guide them through the challenges and complexities of the newtechnology. This can help the team learn faster, improve their performance, and deliver a high-quality product. Creating a separate team, using a robotics vendor company, or hiring a consulting company are not the best options, as they do not address the team’s interest in acquiring new expertise, or the project manager’s responsibility to develop the team. These options may also introduce additional risks, costs, or coordination issues to the project. References: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, pages 215-216, 9.5 Develop Team.

This answer is based on the common ground principle, which states that effective communication requires that the parties involved share a mutual understanding of the meaning and intent of the information exchanged. To achieve common ground, the project lead should invite the participants to the workshop with sufficient lead time to prepare, so that they can review the scope statement, the project charter, and any other relevant documents. This will also allow them to raise any questions, concerns, or clarifications before the workshop. By doing so, the project lead can ensure that the workshop is productive, collaborative, and focused on achieving a common understanding of the scope among the distributed project team. References: (Project Management Professional (PMP) Reference Materials source and documents)

• A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition, Chapter 3: The Project Environment, Section 3.2: Project Stakeholders and Governance, page 57.
• The Standard for Project Management, Part 2: Value Delivery System, Section 2.2: Project Planning, page 45.

 The project manager should discuss the issue with the virtual team members and revise the communications management plan as an immediate corrective action. This is because the project manager needs to understand the reasons why the virtual team members are unable to join the regular project update meetings and find a solution that works for them. The project manager should also update the communications management plan to reflect the changes in the communication requirements, methods, frequency, and tools for the virtual team members. The project manager should ensure that the communication plan is aligned with the project objectives, stakeholder expectations, and organizational culture.

• Option B is not a good action, as escalating this issue to the virtual team members’ supervisors may not be appropriate or effective. It may also create conflict, resentment, and distrust among the team members. The project manager should try to resolve the issue directly with the virtual team members and not involve their supervisors without their consent or agreement.
• Option C is not a good action, as adding this issue to the risk management plan and taking action if it persists is a passive and delayed approach. The project manager should try to prevent or mitigate the issue as soon as possible and not wait until it becomes a risk that affects the project performance. The project manager should also not treat the issue as a risk, but as a problem that needs to be solved.
• Option D is not a good action, as discussing the issue with the project sponsors and adding this as an issue in the issue log is a reactive and formal approach. The project manager should try to solve the issue informally and collaboratively with the virtual team members and not escalate it to the project sponsors unless necessary. The project manager should also not document the issue in the issue log, but in the communication plan. References:
• [PMBOK Guide], 6th edition, page 368, section 10.1
• [PMP Exam Content Outline], page 10, task 5 under domain 2

According to the PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 123, the project manager is responsible for managing the project schedule and ensuring that the project deliverables are completed within the agreed time frame. If the project manager observes that an approaching deadline is likely to be missed because of some delays on the project due to a lack of resources, the project manager should follow the schedule management process, which involves monitoring and controlling the project progress, identifying and analyzing any variances or issues, and implementing corrective or preventive actions as needed. The project manager should organize a team meeting to discuss the next course of action, as this is a tool and technique for schedule control, which involves engaging the project team members and other stakeholders to review the project status, identify the root causes of the delays, evaluate the impact on the project objectives and constraints, and propose and agree on the best solutions to recover the schedule. The project manager should not escalate the issue to the sponsor, as this may imply that the project manager is unable to handle the situation. The project manager should not review the risk management plan, as this may not address the current issue of the schedule delay. The project manager should not review the milestone list, as this may not provide enough information or guidance on how to resolve the issue. References:

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