PMP Practice Questions

You're managing a hybrid project to modernize a legacy system. Phase 1 (months 1-4) uses predictive approach for infrastructure and data architecture, while Phase 2 (months 5-10) uses Scrum for application development. You're now in month 3, and the infrastructure team has encountered unexpected complexity that will delay their completion by 6 weeks, pushing into month 5.5. The development team's sprint 0 is scheduled for month 5, and team members are already assigned. Waiting would idle 8 developers for 6 weeks at $180K cost. The development team suggests they could begin working on independent modules using simulated infrastructure. What factors should most heavily influence your decision?

October 6, 2026

Your hybrid project combines predictive hardware development with agile firmware iterations. The hardware team has completed their design phase and moved into manufacturing (month 8 of 14), while the firmware team is in sprint 12 of 20. During sprint 12, the firmware team discovers that achieving optimal performance requires a minor hardware modification that would cost $45K and delay manufacturing by 3 weeks. Without this change, the product will meet minimum specifications but perform 25% slower than competitors. The product owner wants to make the change, but the hardware lead argues the decision should follow the formal change control process with steering committee approval, which meets monthly. What should you do?

October 6, 2026

You're leading a digital transformation project using a hybrid approach where compliance and regulatory work follows predictive planning, while customer-facing features are developed iteratively. During the fifth sprint review, the product owner and development team demonstrate working features, but the compliance officer identifies that three completed user stories don't meet regulatory requirements that were documented in the initial project charter. The team claims they followed the acceptance criteria in the user stories. The compliance deliverables are managed separately and weren't scheduled for integration testing until next month. What is the root cause you should address?

October 6, 2026

Your organization is implementing a new ERP system using a hybrid approach: data migration and infrastructure use waterfall phases, while business process configuration uses iterative cycles. After the second iteration, stakeholders from finance request significant changes to the chart of accounts structure, which impacts both the completed data migration design and upcoming infrastructure specifications. The change would add substantial business value but requires rework across both predictive and adaptive streams. The project is at 40% completion with moderate schedule pressure. How should you proceed?

October 6, 2026

You are managing a hybrid project where the infrastructure team works in predictive mode with a 6-month timeline, while the application development team uses 2-week Scrum sprints. During sprint planning, the development team commits to features that depend on infrastructure components scheduled for delivery in month 5. The infrastructure team is currently on track but has no buffer. The development team argues they need these features in sprint 8 (month 4) to meet a critical market window. What should you do first?

October 6, 2026

Your organization is executing a hybrid project to implement a new financial system. The software configuration follows an adaptive approach with two-week iterations, while data migration and cutover activities are planned predictively due to strict regulatory windows. You're currently in iteration 5 of 10. During a governance review, the CFO requests a detailed status report showing percentage complete for the entire project and exact completion dates for all remaining work. Your adaptive team tracks progress using velocity and burndown charts. How should you respond to this request?

September 30, 2026

You're managing a product development project using a hybrid approach where research and design follow a stage-gate process, while development and testing use Scrum. The design team has just completed the design phase and handed off detailed specifications to the development team. During sprint planning, the development team identifies several design elements that are technically infeasible with current technology and proposes alternative approaches that would require design changes. The design lead is resistant, stating that the design was approved through the formal gate review and shouldn't change without going back through governance. What should you do?

September 30, 2026

You are leading a hybrid project where marketing campaigns follow a waterfall approach with fixed launch dates, while the supporting digital platform is developed using Kanban. The platform team has adopted a continuous flow model and deploys features as they're completed. The marketing director is frustrated because features are being released without coordination with campaign timelines, resulting in promotional materials that don't match current functionality. The platform team argues that continuous delivery provides faster value. What is the best way to resolve this conflict?

September 30, 2026

Your hybrid project uses iterative development for customer-facing features and predictive planning for regulatory compliance activities. During a retrospective, the development team reports that compliance reviews are causing significant delays because compliance work is scheduled in sequential phases without team input. The compliance manager insists on following the approved plan to ensure audit readiness. Team morale is declining as they feel the rigid compliance process contradicts the adaptive approach they use for features. How should you address this situation?

September 30, 2026

You are managing a hybrid project where the development team uses Scrum for software components while infrastructure deployment follows a predictive approach. The software team has completed three sprints successfully, but the infrastructure team is two weeks behind schedule due to unexpected vendor delays. Stakeholders are concerned about integration timelines. The next sprint planning meeting is in two days, and the infrastructure team's delay will impact the planned software features that depend on the new servers. What should you do first?

September 30, 2026

You are facilitating a sprint retrospective for a team that has just completed a challenging sprint where they missed their sprint goal. During the retrospective, two team members begin blaming each other for technical decisions that led to delays. Other team members become defensive, and the conversation is deteriorating into personal criticism rather than focusing on process improvement. The team has worked well together in the past, but the pressure of the missed goal is creating tension. As the facilitator, what should you do?

September 29, 2026

Your Kanban team has been tracking their flow metrics, and you notice the average cycle time has increased from 4 days to 7 days over the past month. The team's WIP limits haven't changed, and the work item types are consistent with previous months. During a team discussion, you discover that items are spending significantly more time in the 'Code Review' column, often waiting 2-3 days before being reviewed. Team members mention they're focused on completing their own work before reviewing others' contributions. What should the team do to address this issue?

September 29, 2026

Your agile team is three sprints into developing a mobile application. During the latest sprint review, stakeholders provide feedback that the user interface doesn't match their expectations, even though the implemented features match the acceptance criteria in the user stories. The Product Owner explains they wrote the acceptance criteria based on their understanding but didn't include UI specifications. The team is frustrated because they'll need to rework completed features. How should this situation be addressed going forward?

September 29, 2026

During sprint planning, your development team is struggling to break down a large user story estimated at 21 story points. The Product Owner insists this story must be completed in the upcoming two-week sprint because it's critical for an upcoming trade show demonstration. The team expresses concern that they typically complete 25-30 story points per sprint, but this single story would consume most of their capacity and carries significant technical risk. The story cannot be demonstrated partially. What is the best approach?

September 29, 2026

Your Scrum team has completed their third sprint, and the Product Owner notices that the team's velocity has been inconsistent: 21 story points in Sprint 1, 15 in Sprint 2, and 18 in Sprint 3. The Product Owner is concerned about meeting the release deadline and asks you, as the Scrum Master, to commit to a specific velocity for the remaining sprints so stakeholders can plan accordingly. The team is still learning to work together and refining their estimation practices. What should you do?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a pharmaceutical research project following a stage-gate predictive methodology. Your project has just completed the design phase, and you are preparing for the gate review before entering the development phase. During preparation, you discover that one of the key assumptions documented in the project charter—that a specific research facility would be available—is no longer valid due to facility renovations. The next available equivalent facility is in a different location and would increase project costs by 8%. What should you do BEFORE the gate review?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a large infrastructure project with multiple subcontractors. One of your key vendors has completed their deliverable, and you are conducting procurement closure activities. While reviewing the final deliverable, you notice it meets all technical specifications in the contract, but the vendor failed to submit three required progress reports during execution as stipulated in the contract terms. The vendor is requesting final payment and contract closure. What is the MOST appropriate action?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a software implementation project for a financial institution using a waterfall approach. During quality testing, the QA team discovers that 12% of test cases are failing, primarily related to security authentication features. The quality management plan specified that no more than 5% of test cases should fail at this stage. The development team believes they can fix the issues within one week, but this will delay the scheduled user acceptance testing. What should you do?

September 29, 2026

Your manufacturing project is in the planning phase, and you are developing the cost baseline. You have completed bottom-up estimating for all work packages and have aggregated these costs. The finance department requires a 10% management reserve for organizational risks, and historical data shows similar projects typically experience 15% cost variance. Your project sponsor asks what the final project budget should include. What is the MOST appropriate approach?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a construction project using a predictive approach. During the execution phase, a key supplier informs you that critical materials will be delayed by three weeks due to manufacturing issues. The delay will impact the critical path and push the project completion date beyond the contractually agreed deadline. Several team members suggest crashing the schedule by adding overtime resources, while the sponsor wants to explore fast-tracking options. What should you do FIRST?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a bridge construction project and have just completed developing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) with your team. Each work package has been defined and assigned a unique identifier. A team member asks what the lowest level of the WBS represents. How should you respond?

September 24, 2026

Your manufacturing project has a budget of $500,000 and is scheduled to last 10 months. You are currently at the end of month 4. According to the project management plan, you should have spent $200,000 by now, but you have actually spent $180,000. The value of the work completed is $190,000. What is the Cost Variance (CV) for this project?

September 24, 2026

You are managing a government infrastructure project with strict documentation requirements. During a planning meeting, a stakeholder questions why you need to document lessons learned throughout the project rather than just at the end. The stakeholder is concerned about the additional administrative burden. What is the primary benefit of documenting lessons learned throughout the project lifecycle?

September 24, 2026

You are leading a software development project using a predictive approach. The project sponsor has approved the project charter, and you are now ready to begin detailed planning. Your next step is to gather requirements from stakeholders to understand what the software must accomplish. Which process group are you currently working in?

September 24, 2026

You are managing a construction project to build a new office facility. During project planning, you identify that concrete foundation work cannot begin until the excavation is complete and inspected. The concrete must cure for 7 days before framing can start. You need to document these relationships in your project schedule. What type of dependency exists between excavation and foundation work?

September 24, 2026