PMP Practice Test

Validate acceptance criteria with stakeholders prior to backlog refinement

Explanation

The product owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog, which contains the features and requirements that the project team will deliver in each iteration. To ensure that the product backlog reflects the needs and expectations of the stakeholders, the product owner should validate the acceptance criteria with them before refining the backlog. Acceptance criteria are the conditions that a product feature or requirement must meet to be accepted by the stakeholders. By validating the acceptance criteria with the stakeholders, the product owner can ensure that they are clear, measurable, testable, and aligned with the project vision and goals. This will also help to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and rework during the iteration demos, as the stakeholders will have agreed on what constitutes a satisfactory product feature or requirement.

References: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, section 5.1.3.2; Agile Practice Guide, section 4.2.1

Ensure that both managers understand the requirements and search for a solution that best satisfies this deliverable

Explanation

The project manager should use a collaborative or problem-solving strategy to resolve this conflict in the meeting. This strategy involves finding a solution that fully satisfies the concerns of both parties and results in a win-win outcome. The project manager should ensure that both managers understand the requirements and the impact of their contradiction on the project scope, quality, and schedule. The project manager should also facilitate a constructive dialogue between the managers and help them identify and evaluate alternative solutions that can meet the project objectives and satisfy the stakeholders. The project manager should avoid imposing a decision or favoring one side over the other, as this may lead to resentment, resistance, or further conflict.

Option A is not a good choice, because it does not address the root cause of the conflict or seek a resolution. It may also create confusion, ambiguity, or inconsistency in the project deliverable, as well as increase the project risk and complexity.

Option B is not a good choice, because it does not involve the managers in finding a solution or consider their interests and needs. It may also create dissatisfaction, frustration, or hostility among the managers, as well as affect the project quality and stakeholder satisfaction.

Option D is not a good choice, because it does not foster a cooperative or integrative approach to resolving the conflict. It may also create a competitive or adversarial atmosphere in the meeting, as well as ignore the

non-monetary or intangible factors that may influence the managers’ preferences and expectations.

References: 1: Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification 2: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition

Daily standup meetings were not held or enforced

Explanation:
Daily standup meetings are an essential practice of Scrum, which aim to facilitate communication, collaboration, and coordination among the project team members1. Daily standup meetings are short, time-boxed, and focused sessions where each team member answers three questions: what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and what impediments they face2. Daily standup meetings help the team to:

• Align their work with the sprint goal and the definition of done.
• Identify and resolve any issues or dependencies that may affect the sprint progress.
• Share information, feedback, and ideas with each other.
• Foster a sense of accountability, transparency, and trust If daily standup meetings are not held or enforced, the team may experience communication gaps, which can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, delays, or poor quality of work3. Therefore, the project manager or the Scrum master should ensure that daily standup meetings are conducted regularly, effectively, and efficiently, and that all team members participate actively and respectfully4. 

References:

• Daily Stand-up Meeting - Scrum Inc Daily Scrum - Scrum Guide
• Scrum & the challenge of effective communication - Medium
• 7 ways the Scrum Master can improve Scrum Team Communication

Let the team self-organize and determine the best means to prevent the issues from occurring again.

According to the PMBOK guide, one of the principles of agile project management is to empower the team to self-organize and make decisions about how to best accomplish their work. Self-organizing teams are more likely to be motivated, creative, and productive, as they have a sense of ownership and autonomy over their work. Self-organizing teams also have the ability to inspect and adapt their processes and practices based on feedback and learning. Therefore, when a team faces recurring issues, the project lead should not intervene or impose solutions, but rather facilitate the team’s reflection and improvement. The project lead can use techniques such as retrospectives, which are meetings where the team reviews their performance and identifies what went well, what did not go well, and what actions they can take to improve. The project lead can also help the team to update their team working agreement, which is a document that defines the team’s norms, values, and expectations. A team working agreement can help the team to align on their goals, roles, responsibilities, and communication methods, as well as to resolve conflicts and issues. The project lead should not notify senior management, challenge the team, or post the agreements, as these actions may undermine the team’s trust, autonomy, and accountability.

References:

• PMBOK guide, page 18, section 1.2.3, Agile Considerations in Project Management
• PMBOK guide, page 437, section 11.2.2.3, Meetings
• Creating a Team Working Agreement

Update the communications management plan to include informal requests

Explanation:

According to the PMBOK Guide, the communications management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project communications will be planned, structured, implemented, and monitored for effectiveness. It also defines the communication methods, formats, frequency, and escalation process for different types of communication. In this scenario, the project manager should update the communications management plan to include informal requests from the executive, such as the dashboard, and specify how they will be handled by the project team. This way, the project manager can ensure that the communication expectations of the executive are met, and the project team is aware of their roles and responsibilities in providing the requested information. Updating the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix, asking the team member to develop a dashboard, or telling the team member to route the request through the project manager are not effective options, as they do not address the root cause of the communication issue, which is the lack of a clear and comprehensive communications management plan.

References: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, pages 123-124, 127-128.