Project Management Scenarios

A project team working in an adaptive approach is facing delays due to unforeseen risks. The project manager wants to ensure that risks are identified as early as possible and documented properly. During a risk review meeting, a team member suggests using daily stand-up meetings to capture new risks.What should the project manager do?

• Use the call to verbally summarize the work status and move forward.

• Use an electronic task board to give a visual representation of risks and mitigation actions.

• Ask for a change in the project's budget to provide additional funding for risk resolution.

• Tailor the project to use a method to make the risk identification process more formal.

During a progress meeting, the project team learns about an emerging risk that could cause major delays. The project manager realizes that the risk was not documented in the risk register. What should the project manager do next?

• Ask the project sponsor to apply the management reserve to cover the impact of the risk.

• Ask the project sponsor to provide additional contingency funds.

• Issue a change request to modify the scope, cost, and schedule accordingly.

• Use the contingency reserve and assess options for risk response.

During the execution of repair work, the root cause of the problem is found to be a defect in materials provided by the seller. The contract was fixed-price with no provisions for cost-sharing on defects. The seller refuses to cover the costs of repair, citing contract terms. What should the project manager do?

• Negotiate with the contractor to cancel the repair work.

• Negotiate the repair work with the contractor and explore cost-sharing options.

• Proceed with the contractor without mentioning the defect.

• Proceed with the contractor and subtract the additional repair cost from the seller’s payment.

In order to reduce procurement time during a bidding process, a project manager is evaluating different contracting approaches. The objective is to select a contract that ensures fairness for both the buyer and the seller. What should the project manager do?

• Invite all potential bidders to a meeting.

• Award the contract without negotiation.

• Follow the company's bidding procedure.

• Share the project objectives with all bidders.

A project manager is working on a deployment project that affects multiple departments. Some stakeholders have not been actively involved, and the project manager is concerned that their input is lacking. What should the project manager do?

• Analyze the business impact in order to reprioritize the stakeholder engagement strategy.

• Request to negotiate with the vendors for a lower cost solution to increase engagement.

• Ask to order new equipment immediately so there are no further delays.

• Acknowledge these constraints and take them into consideration when making decisions.

A project team is facing communication issues with a key stakeholder who does not actively participate in meetings. The stakeholder’s input is crucial to the success of the project. What should the project manager do?

• Continue to send meeting invites and assume the stakeholder will eventually join.

• Schedule one-on-one discussions with the stakeholder to understand their concerns.

• Escalate the issue to the sponsor and request stakeholder replacement.

• Assign another team member to handle all communications with the stakeholder.

A project manager is leading an international project with stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds. Some stakeholders struggle to understand the technical jargon used in project meetings. What should the project manager do?

• Continue using technical language as it is necessary for project accuracy.

• Provide simplified summaries and visuals tailored to each stakeholder’s needs.

• Ask the stakeholders to take additional training to understand the technical details.

• Limit stakeholder involvement to only those with technical expertise.

A senior executive has limited time to attend project meetings but wants to be kept informed about key project milestones. The project manager needs to ensure effective communication with the executive. What should the project manager do?

• Send detailed weekly reports with all project updates.

• Schedule short, focused meetings tailored to the executive’s availability.

• Assign an assistant to summarize project updates for the executive.

• Assume the executive will request updates when necessary.

During a project review, a key stakeholder expresses concern that they are receiving too many technical updates that are difficult to interpret. The stakeholder prefers high-level summaries. What should the project manager do?

• Continue sending detailed reports, assuming the stakeholder will adjust over time.

• Provide a summary dashboard with key performance indicators and highlights.

• Reduce communication frequency to avoid overwhelming the stakeholder.

• Assign another team member to filter out unnecessary details.

A project manager is working with a diverse team, including stakeholders who prefer face-to-face interactions and others who prefer email updates. What should the project manager do?

• Use a single communication method for all stakeholders to maintain consistency.

• Tailor communication methods to meet the preferences of each stakeholder group.

• Default to email communication to ensure documentation.

• Hold mandatory in-person meetings for all stakeholders.