PMI PMP - Scope & Stakeholders

A new project manager has been assigned to a project during its execution stage. During a review of the work breakdown structure (WBS), the project manager discovers that some deliverables were overlooked. The project manager needs to ensure that no work is left out of the project scope and no extra work is performed.

What should the project manager do next?

• Add the work to the WBS and recalculate the project metrics.

• Ask the stakeholders if these deliverables need to be added to the WBS.

• Roll up the lower-level deliverables into higher-level work already accounted for in the WBS

• 1. Initiate a Change Control Request with the project management office (PMO).

Answer explanation

A. Add the work to the WBS and recalculate the project metrics

The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team in order to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. The WBS organizes and defines the total scope of the project and represents the work specified in the currently approved project scope statement. This must always reflect the complete and accurate scope of work.

There is no need to go to the stakeholders as the scope was agreed and not changed.

The WBS needs to reflect the reality without "rolling up" to existing items.

The original scope needs to be delivered, therefore there is no change and no role for the PMO.

Common problems during project scope definition are internal and external dependencies. Which of the following is a dependency that can add complexity to the project?

• Non-dependency between a project and the overall program.

• Underfunded projects that are dependent upon external resources.

• Non-dependency of the project upon an environment in which it is designed to be functional.

• 1. Over-staffed project with extra capacity.

Answer explanation

B. Underfunded projects that are dependent upon external resources

More resources than estimated need can be a risk mitigation strategy. It is neither internal or external dependency related to scope.

The sponsor of a hybrid project wants to see a more detailed breakdown in the project charter, not just the milestones. The project manager informs the sponsor that preparing the breakdown will require two more iterations.

Why is this additional time required?

• The milestone schedule was prepared based on the project manager's experience only.

• The steering committee has to review and approve the schedule first.

• Scope in the charter should be approved before detail planning with the team can occur.

• Schedule details are only planned one iteration in advance in a hybrid approach.

Answer explanation

C. Scope in the charter should be approved before detail planning with the team can occur.

Project Charter scope needs to be agreed on by the sponsor before the team starts detailed planning.

The other answer choices are incorrect because they are not relevant as the ask is about detail planning and not on a milestone schedule.

During acceptance testing of a deliverable, some senior stakeholders complain that a feature essential to their department was not included. What should the project manager have done to prevent this?

• Consulted lessons learned from similar projects to adapt processes

• Prepared a change management plan and logged changes during project implementation

• Analyzed the project charter and developed a scope management plan

• 1. Prepared a prototype and conducted a product demo with stakeholders

Answer explanation

C. Analyzed the project charter and developed a scope management plan

Analyzed the project charter and developed a scope management plan is correct, because the question is about what Project Manager should have done to prevent this situation. The scope management plan is a component of the project or program management plan that describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and verified.

The remaining options are not correct for the reasons explained below

• Consulted ... appears to be close but it is a distractor because lessons learned provides an insight of how other projects were executed in general

• Prepared a change.... is the next step but not what should have been done to prevent this situation

• Prepared a Prototype.... is on the basis of Scope and Requirements which is part of Scope Management plan

A project manager is working on a new software development project and has met with the customer to discuss their requirements. The customer has provided the project manager with a list of requirements, but did not differentiate the technical requirements from the customer requirements.

Which of the following requirements should the project manager classify as a customer requirement?

• The software should be able to process 1000 transactions per second.

• The software should use a secure database encryption algorithm.

• 1. The software should be able to run on a variety of operating systems.

• The software should be easy to use and navigate

Answer explanation

D. The software should be easy to use and navigate.

Customer requirements refer to the specifications or features of a product or service deemed necessary by customers that must be completed (developed and tested) for the project to be completed. They are more general and describe what the customer wants the product or service to do. They are typically expressed in the customer's own words and may not be specific enough to be implemented and tested. It is important to note that customer requirements are the starting point for technical requirements. The project team needs to work with the customer to understand their requirements and then translate those requirements into more specific technical requirements that can be implemented.

The other answer choices are incorrect because they are classified as technical requirements. They are specific enough to be implemented and tested. They describe what the software should do, how it should behave, and the desired quality attributes it should have.

While executing a project that is nearly behind schedule, a project manager must commission a new piece of equipment. Two local parties who will be impacted by this commission ask that the project be stopped immediately because they were not given an opportunity to provide project approval.

How would implementing a stakeholder engagement plan have helped the project manager avoid this situation?

• By using the conflict management techniques described in the plan, the project manager could have gotten approval from the local parties.

• 1. B.Including the local parties in the plan would have ensured their sign-off and approval of the project charter.

• By understanding the local parties' expectations, the project manager could have used appropriate negotiating techniques to engage them.

• By identifying the local parties as stakeholders, they would have been included in relevant communications.

Answer explanation

D. By identifying the local parties as stakeholders, they would have been included in relevant communications

By identifying the local parties as stakeholders, they would have been included in relevant communications is the correct answer as stakeholder identification should include all parties affected by the project including local, external and internal. The project charter formally authorizes the project,

Conflict management and negotiations are soft skills used after stakeholders are identified

A new project stakeholder is identified who has interest in, but little authority or influence on, the project. How should the project manager handle this stakeholder?

• Provide information to the stakeholder as needed.

• Work closely with the stakeholder to proactively address their concerns.

• Keep track of the stakeholder and respond to their needs.

• Include the stakeholder on standard updates and keep them satisfied.

Answer explanation

A. Provide information to the stakeholder as needed

Since the stakeholder has little authority or influence, the project manager does not need to work closely with them to address their concerns, or to keep track of them and their needs. The stakeholder does not need standard updates, either. The project manager should determine the stakeholder's needs and provide information to them to meet their needs.

High power, high-interest stakeholders should be closely managed.

Stakeholders with high power and low interest should be kept satisfied.

Those with low interest and low power shall be only monitored with minimum effort.

A stakeholder with low power and high interest in a project should be kept informed.

A project stakeholder has been missing scheduled facilitation workshops and has delegated assigned tasks to another member of the stakeholder community. What should the project manager do to engage this stakeholder?

• Review with the stakeholder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter.

• Explain to the stakeholder the differences among the tasks assigned to each project team member.

• Ask the program manager to brief this stakeholder and to require the stakeholder's attendance at all relevant meetings.

• 1. D.Pair the stakeholder with a more experienced team member who can act as a mentor.

Answer explanation

A. Review with the stakeholder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter

The first version of the stakeholder engagement plan is developed after the initial stakeholder community has been identified by the Identify Stakeholder process. The stakeholder engagement plan is updated regularly to reflect changes to the stakeholder community.

Review the stake holder the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved as specified in the project charter will help us to engage the project stake holder

Explaining the stakeholder the differences among the tasks assigned to each project team member will not help us the stake holder to understand the roles and responsibilities

Asking the program manager to brief this stake holder job can be done by project manager also by explaining the roles and responsibilities. There is no need of Program manager involvement required here

Pairing the stake holder with a more experienced team member will not be accepted by the stake holder and it may decrease the engagement level of stake holder

A project manager compiling a list of project stakeholders discovers an interested stakeholder with little to no authority. How should they manage this stakeholder?

• Keep satisfied.

• Manage closely.

• Monitor.

• Keep informed.

Answer explanation

D. Keep informed

Managing a stakeholder is the issue here. The correct answer is: "Keep Informed". This stakeholder needs to be kept informed at this stage. As the project progresses the situation changes cannot be predicted.

A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project. Project stakeholders may be internal or external to the project, they may be actively involved, passively involved, or unaware of the project. Project stakeholders may have a positive or negative impact on the project or be positively or negatively impacted by the project

Stakeholder involvement may range from occasional contributions in surveys and focus groups to full project sponsorship that includes the provision of financial, political, or other types of support. The type and level of project involvement can change over the course of the project's life cycle. Therefore, successfully identifying, analyzing, and engaging stakeholders and effectively managing their project expectations and participation throughout the project life cycle is critical to project success"

A new project manager joins a project during the delivery of a critical milestone. This project has multiple stakeholders, and each has a different level of interest. The project manager needs to determine how much detail to provide to the stakeholders about the delivery.

Which document should the project manager refer to?

• Communications management plan

• Stakeholder register

• Stakeholder engagement plan

• Project management plan

Answer explanation

C. Stakeholder engagement plan

The stakeholder engagement plan outlines the communication strategy for each stakeholder group. It considers factors like stakeholder interest level, communication preferences, and information needs.

The other answer choices are incorrect. The communications management plan outlines the project's overall communication strategy but might not delve deep into specific stakeholder communication details. The stakeholder register lists stakeholders and their basic information, not communication specifics. The project management plan defines the overall project scope, timeline, and resources, but doesn't necessarily detail stakeholder communication strategies.