You are managing a software development project using a waterfall approach. During the design phase, your technical lead discovers that a third-party component you planned to integrate has been discontinued by the vendor. This component was included in the approved project scope and budget. The technical lead suggests two alternatives: building the component in-house or using a different vendor's solution with similar functionality but different technical specifications. What is the best course of action?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A. When faced with a change that impacts approved baselines, the project manager should perform a thorough impact analysis of all viable alternatives before making decisions or submitting changes through integrated change control. This ensures informed decision-making based on cost, schedule, quality, and risk factors. Immediately selecting an alternative (option B) or directing a specific solution (option C) without analysis could lead to suboptimal outcomes or unforeseen impacts. While sponsor involvement may be needed, simply escalating without analysis (option D) abdicates the project manager's responsibility to provide recommendations based on data and proper evaluation.

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