A project team is facing challenges understanding how to deliver a project's scope. A senior subject matter expert (SME) from the organization's global office is in town for 1 week.
What should the project manager do to benefit from the SME's presence?
Correct Answer:
B
The project manager should organize a mentoring session with the team and the SME to benefit from the SME’s presence. This way, the project manager can facilitate knowledge transfer, skill development, and problem-solving among the team members. The project manager can also use this opportunity to clarify any doubts or issues related to the project scope and requirements. A mentoring session can also enhance the team’s motivation, confidence, and performance. References: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 349, Top 60+ PMP Exam Questions and Answers for 2023 - KnowledgeHut
A project manager is appointed to manage an infrastructure project that spans across several countries, including different time zones withina subregion. It is likely thatmost of the project team members will never meet, but they will have to collaborate to ensure deliverables are met.
What should the project manager do to ensure good collaboration between the remote project team members?
Correct Answer:
C
= According to the PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, communication is one of the key enablers of project performance, and it should be planned, managed, and monitored throughout the project life cycle1. For remote project teams, communication is evenmore critical, as they face challenges such as cultural differences, time zone differences, lack of face-to-face interactions, and potential misunderstandings2. Therefore, the project manager should plan a communication method that suits the needs and preferences of the remote project team members, such as email, phone, video conferencing, instant messaging, or collaboration tools3. The project manager should also allow the project team members to virtually interact with each other, to build trust, rapport, and teamwork4. This will help to ensure good collaboration and coordination among the remote project team members, and to achieve the project deliverables. References:
✑ 1: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 4: Plan and Manage Communications, p.69-70
✑ 2: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 4: Plan and Manage Communications, p.72
✑ 3: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 4: Plan and Manage Communications, p.74-75
✑ 4: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, Chapter 4: Plan and Manage Communications, p.76
A project manager has noticed that a critical team member is consistently arguing with a client. This has started to have a negative effect on the meetings.
How should the project manager address this?
Correct Answer:
D
= According to the PMBOK Guide, conflict management is the process of identifying and addressing differences that affect the performance of the project team or the project outcomes. Conflict management involves using appropriate techniques to resolve or prevent conflicts, such as collaborating, compromising, avoiding, forcing, or smoothing. In this scenario, the project manager should explain the impact of the scenario to the project team member, as this can help to raise the awareness of the team member about the negative consequences of the argument, such as damaging the relationship with the client, disrupting the meeting productivity, or affecting the project quality. The project manager should also try to understand the root causeof the conflict, and work with the team member and the client to find a mutually acceptable solution. Talking to the client privately, removing the project team member from the meetings, or recommending a performance improvement plan are not the best options, as they may not address the underlying issue, or may create more resentment, distrust, or isolation among the team member or the client. References: = PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, pages 64-65, 68-69.
A bank is considering building another branch in one of three neighboring cities. The project manager has been tasked with demonstrating the benefits of building a new branch, renting an existing building, ornot expanding at all.
How should the project manager proceed?
Correct Answer:
B
According to the PMBOK® Guide, net present value (NPV) is a financial analysis technique that calculates the present value of future cash flows, discounted at a specified rate. NPV helps to evaluate the profitability and feasibility of a project or an investment by comparing the present value of the expected benefits with the present value of the required costs. A positive NPV indicates that the project is profitable and worth pursuing, while a negative NPV indicates that the project is not profitable and should be rejected. NPV can also be used to compare different project options and select the one that has the highest NPV, as it represents the most value for the organization.
In this question, the project manager has to demonstrate the benefits of three possible options: building a new branch, renting an existing building, or not expanding at all. To do that, the project manager should use NPV as a decision-making tool. The project manager should calculate the costs for each option in each location, including the initial investment, the operating expenses, and the opportunity costs. The project manager should also estimate the future cash flows for each option, based on the expected revenue, market share, and growth potential. Then, the project manager should apply a discount rate to the future cash flows to obtain their present value. The discount rate reflects the time value of money, the inflation rate, and the risk associated with the project. Finally, the project manager should subtract the present value of the costs from the present value of the benefits to obtain the NPV for each option. The option that has the highest NPV should be recommended as the most beneficial one.
The other options are not correct because they do not provide a valid way to demonstrate the benefits of the three options. Option A is wrong because it only focuses on one option (renting) and does not consider the other two (building or not expanding). Moreover, a gap analysis is a technique to identify the difference between the current state and the desired state of a project or a process, not to evaluate the benefits of different options. Option C is wrong because it uses an inappropriate technique for this situation. A Kano analysis is a tool to classify customer requirements into different categories based on their impact on customer satisfaction. It is not a tool to compare the benefits of different project options.
Option D is wrong because it uses an incomplete technique for this situation. A payback period is a financial analysis technique that calculates the time required to recover the initial investment of a project. It does not consider the cash flows after the payback period, the time value of money, or theprofitability of the project. It is not a sufficient tool to demonstrate the benefits of different options. References:
✑ PMBOK® Guide, 6th edition, pages 333-334, 440-441
✑ Net Present Value Formula PMP®
✑ What Is Net Present Value (NPV) in Project Management?
✑ PMP Exam Prep: Present Value vs Future Value
An organization is using a hybrid delivery approach for a complex project. In the iteration review, a senior manager is asking for a complete redesign of the functionality presented.This may require a significantchange in the technical architecture and an additional release.
What should the project lead do first?
Correct Answer:
C
The project lead should first discuss with the product owner, who is responsible for defining and prioritizing the product requirements and ensuring that they deliver value to the customer and the organization. The project lead should understand the rationale behind the senior manager’s request and the impact it would have on the product vision, scope, and schedule. The project lead should also collaborate with the product owner to assess the feasibility and desirability of the proposed redesign and determine the best way to handle it in the hybrid delivery approach. This approach is consistent with the principles of stakeholder engagement, communication management, and agile project management. References:
✑ PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, pages 51-52, 513-514, 686-687.
✑ PMP Exam Content Outline, June 2019, pages 6-7, 10-11, 16-17.
✑ Agile Practice Guide, pages 19-20, 27-28, 35-36.
