A project team consists of eight resources working on a complex project. The chief technical designer prefers to work alone and seldom talks in meetings, but produces good designs. The technical lead is always energetic, has lots of opinions about the project, and constantly clarifies their thoughts in discussions.
What should the project manager do to improve overall team performance?
Correct Answer:
C
this question is related to the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam, which is a credential that validates the knowledge and skills of project managers. The PMP exam is based on the PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, which is a standard that provides a framework and best practices for managing projects. The question describes a situation where a project team consists of eight resources working on a complex project. The chief technical designer prefers to work alone and seldom talks in meetings, but produces good designs. The technical lead is always energetic, has lots of opinions about the project, and constantly clarifies their thoughts in discussions. The question asks what the project manager should do to improve overall team performance. Based on this information, the best answer is option C, which is to encourage the chief technical designer to engage more with the team. This is because encouraging the chief technical designer to engage more with the team is a team management practice that can help the project manager to enhance the team cohesion, collaboration, and communication. The chief technical designer is a key resource who has valuable expertise and insights on the project. Encouraging the chief technical designer to engage more with the team can help the project manager to leverage the chief technical designer’s knowledge and skills, as well as to foster a positive and productive team culture. Encouraging the chief technical designer to engage more with the team can also help the project manager to address the potential issues or risks that may arise from the chief technical designer’s isolation or detachment, such as misunderstandings, conflicts, or missed opportunities.
Option A, which is to ask the chief technical designer to provide their feedback by email, is not a good answer. This is because asking the chief technical designer to provide their feedback by email may not be enough or effective to improve overall team performance. Email is a tool that can facilitate asynchronous communication, but it may not be suitable or sufficient for complex or interactive discussions. Asking the chief technical designer to provide their feedback by email may not help the project manager to fully utilize the chief technical designer’s potential, as well as to integrate the chief technical designer with the rest of the team. Asking the chief technical designer to provide their feedback by email may also reinforce the chief technical designer’spreference to work alone, which may not be conducive to the team dynamics or the project success.
Option B, which is to let the team dynamics continue as is since the current team mix works well, is not a good answer. This is because letting the team dynamics continue as is may not be optimal or sustainable to improve overall team performance. The team dynamics are the interactions and relationships among the team members that affect the team behavior and outcomes. Letting the team dynamics continue as is may not help the project manager to identify and address the gaps or issues that may exist or emerge in the team, such as the lack of involvement or contribution from the chief technical designer, or the dominance or disruption from the technical lead. Letting the team dynamics continue as is may also prevent the project manager from enhancing and developing the team performance, as well as from adapting to the changing needs and expectations of the project and the stakeholders.
Option D, which is to ask the technical lead to drive the project’s technical discussions, is not a good answer. This is because asking the technical lead to drive the project’s technical discussions may not be appropriate or beneficial to improve overall team performance. The technical lead is a resource who has a high level of energy, opinions, and clarity on the project. Asking the technical lead to drive the project’s technical discussions may not help the project manager to balance the participation and input of all team members, as well as to respect and value the diversity and perspectives of the team. Asking the technical lead to drive the project’s technical discussions may also create or exacerbate the problems or challenges that may affect the team performance, such as the marginalization or alienation of the chief technical designer, or the conflict or resentment among the other team members. References: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition; PMP Exam Content Outline; PMP Sample Test Questions.
A project manager has been approached by the project sponsor about adding fo the project scope. How should the project manager accommodate this request?
Correct Answer:
B
According to the PMBOK® Guide, a change request is a formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline1. A change request can be initiated by any stakeholder, including the project sponsor, and should be processed through the perform integrated change control process2. The change control board (CCB) is a formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, approving, rejecting, or delaying changes on the project3. The project manager should create a change request for the CCB to review and evaluate the impact of the proposed scope change on the project objectives, constraints, and other knowledge areas. The project manager should not disregard the request, update the team, or adjust the schedule without following the change management plan and obtaining the CCB’s approval. References: 1:PMBOK® Guide, 6th edition, p. 112 2: PMBOK® Guide, 6th edition, p. 123 3: PMBOK® Guide, 6th edition, p. 125 : PMBOK® Guide, 6th edition, p. 128
A project manager is transitioning from a predictive life cycle project to a new agile project. How should the project manager manage and control the scope for the new project?
Correct Answer:
D
The project manager should spend a short amount of time defining the scope and building prototypes to refine the requirements for the new agile project. This way, the project manager can embrace the agile principle of delivering value early and often, and responding to changes in customer needs and expectations. The project manager can also use the prototypes to solicit feedback from the stakeholders and incorporate them into the next iteration of the product. The project manager should not create a scope baseline, estimate the work and story sizes, or develop a plan to complete more work in less time, as these are more suitable for predictive projects thathave fixed scope and requirements. References: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 177, Top 20 PMP Sample Question and Answer For 2023 | StarAgile
A project manager at a large corporation has been assigned to oversee a customer experience project. Within the project,customer satisfaction is a bigissue and there are many unresolved customer queries on a daily basis. The project manager has been informed that the customer service team isoverwhelmed with these unresolved queries.
Which two actions should the project manager take to correct this problem? (Choose 2)
Correct Answer:
BC
According to the PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 385, the project manager is responsible for managing stakeholder expectations and ensuring customer satisfaction. One of the tools and techniques for managing stakeholder engagement is communication skills, which include informing, persuading, and resolving conflicts. By contacting the customers in batches and informing them that the issues are being worked on currently, the project manager can demonstrate transparency, honesty, and empathy, and can maintain a positive relationship with the customers. Another tool and technique for managing stakeholder engagement is issue management, which involves identifying, analyzing, and resolving issues that may affect the project performance or stakeholder satisfaction. By deploying solutions that will track, prioritize, and resolve queries as soon as possible, the project manager can address the root causes of the issues, prevent them from escalating, and ensure timely and effective resolution. References:
✑ PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, page 385
✑ Free PMP Practice Exam Questions - 120 Sample Test Questions
A project is in the final stages, and a key stakeholder demands a change to a product feature that will add 2 weeks to the critical path. What should the project manager do?
Correct Answer:
B
According to the PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, a change request is any request to modify the agreed-upon project scope, schedule, cost, quality, or other project baselines. A change request can be initiated by any stakeholder at any stage of the project, and it should be evaluated for its impact on the project objectives and constraints. Therefore, the project manager should perform a detailed assessment to analyze the impact of the change request on the product feature, the critical path, and other project aspects, such as risk, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction. This will help the project manager to determine the feasibility, desirability, and priority of the change request, and to propose the best course of action to the change control board. Rejecting the change request, using schedule compression methods, or initiating a risk response strategy are not appropriate actions, as they do not address the root cause of the change request, the needs and expectations of the key stakeholder, or the potential benefits or drawbacks of the change request for the project outcome. References: PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, page 141-142.