During the initiating phase of a project, a key stakeholder requests frequent changes to the project scope. What should theproject manager do to improvethe stakeholder's engagement?
Correct Answer:
B
The project charter is a document that authorizes the project and defines the high-level scope, objectives, stakeholders, and constraints. It is created during the initiating phase of the project and provides the basis for stakeholder engagement. If a key stakeholder requests frequent changes to the project scope, the project manager should update the project charter accordingly and discuss it with the key stakeholder to ensure alignment and commitment. The other options are not appropriate in the initiating phase, as they involve more detailed planning or execution activities that should be done after the project charter is approved. References: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, page 30, 34, 80.
A senior employee with experience relevant to a highly complex project is seeking a promotion to be able to join the project. The employee has made arecommendation regarding the project. The project charter was recently approved.
How should the project manager address the employee's request?
Correct Answer:
B
According to the PMBOK Guide, a salience model is a stakeholder classification model that uses three attributes to categorize stakeholders: power, legitimacy, and urgency1. Power is the degree of influence or authority that a stakeholder has over the project or its outcomes. Legitimacy is the degree of involvement or interest that a stakeholder has in the project or its deliverables. Urgency is the degree of need or demand that a stakeholder has for the project or its results. The salience model helps the project manager to identify and prioritize the stakeholders based on their relative importance and impact on the project2.
In this scenario, a senior employee with experience relevant to a highly complex project is seeking a promotion to be able to join the project. The employee has made a recommendation regarding the project, which implies that the employee has some legitimacy and interest in the project. However, the project charter was recently approved, which means that the project scope, objectives, and key stakeholders have been defined and authorized. The project manager should create a salience model to determine if the employee will have influence on the project, which depends on the employee’s power and urgency. The project manager should assess the employee’s power by considering the employee’s position, role, relationship, and expertise in the organization and the project. The project manager should also assess the employee’s urgency by considering the employee’s needs, expectations, and deadlines for the project. The project manager should then compare the employee’s salience with the other stakeholders and decide whether the employee should be included in the project or not.
The project manager should not assess the influence and power of the employee to see if the employee will add value, as this is only one aspect of the salience model. The project manager should also consider the employee’s legitimacy and urgency, as well as the other stakeholders’ salience. The project manager should not evaluate the employee’s recommendation by reviewing the lessons learned from a similar project, as this is not relevant to the employee’s request. The project manager should focus on the employee’s salience, not the employee’s suggestion. The project manager should not ask the project sponsor to revisit the project charter to consider the employee’s recommendation, as this may cause unnecessary changes and delays in the project initiation. The project manager should first determine the employee’s salience and then communicate with the project sponsor and the other stakeholders about the employee’s request.
References: 1: Salience Model - BrainBOK 2: Salience Model to Analyze Project Stakeholders - PM Study Circle
A project manager finds a mistake with an important server acquisition. The acquisition was expected for a critical path activity but has not arrived yet, causing significant impacts on time and cost. The team member responsible for this activity argues that they sent several emails to the supplier but received no reply.
Which document should be used to help avoid this kind of situation?
Correct Answer:
C
According to the PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, the communications management plan is a document that describes how the project information will be planned, managed, monitored, and controlled. It includes information such as the communication requirements, methods, channels, frequency, roles, responsibilities, and escalation procedures for each stakeholder group. The communications management plan should be used to help avoid this kind of situation, as it would specify how the team member should communicate with the supplier, what mode and frequency of communication should be used, what information should be exchanged, and what actions should be taken if the communication fails or the response is delayed. The communications management plan would also define the escalation process for reporting andresolving issues that affect the project performance or stakeholder satisfaction. A statement of work, an escalation process, or a stakeholder register are not sufficient documents to help avoid this kind of situation, as they do not provide the comprehensive and detailed guidance on how to communicate effectively and efficiently with the supplier and other stakeholders involved in the server acquisition. References: PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, page 105-106.
A project manager has a team of shared resources from other projects who are working on a client project. Three days before the project is due, the team informs the project
manager that the project will be delayed because a component was not delivered on time.
Competing priorities of the shared resources are delaying delivery of the component.
What should the project manager have done to prevent this delay from happening?
Correct Answer:
B
According to the PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, the resource management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how the project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled. The resource management plan also includes the resource breakdown structure (RBS), which is a hierarchical representation of the project resources by category and type. The project manager should use the resource management plan and the RBSto identify the impacts of the other projects on the availability and utilization of the shared resources, and to plan accordingly. The project manager should also communicate with the resource managers and the project sponsors of the other projects to negotiate and resolve any resource conflicts or issues. Therefore, the best answer is B. References: PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, pages 15, 16, 57, 58, 59.
A project sponsor is promoting the use of a new technology that has not yet been approved. The technology guarantees cost savings and a delivery ahead of schedule. However, the operational support atproject completion is uncertain as the service organization expressed an inability to provide support without approval of the new technology.
What should the project manager do to resolve the conflict?
Correct Answer:
A
According to the Project Management Professional (PMP) Reference Materials, the project manager should acknowledge the lack of approval and focus on a resolution that will benefit the customer when a project sponsor is promoting the use of a new technology that has not yet been approved, and the operational support at project completion is uncertain. This is because the project manager needs to balance the interests and expectations of the project sponsor, the customer, and the service organization, and ensure that the project delivers value and quality to the customer. By acknowledging the lack of approval, the project manager can show respect and understanding to the service organization, and avoid further conflicts or risks. By focusing on a resolution that will benefit the customer, the project manager can work with the project sponsor and the service organization to find a way to implement the new technology without compromising the project scope, schedule, budget, or quality. The project manager can also seek the customer’s feedback and approval on the use of the new technology, and ensure that the customer’s needs and requirements are met. Acknowledging the lack of approval and focusing on a resolution that will benefit the customer can help the project manager to resolve the conflict in a constructive and collaborative way, and deliver a successful project outcome. References: Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Content Outline, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) - Seventh Edition, What Is a Project Sponsor? Roles & Responsibilities, Project sponsorship - Project Management Institute.