PMP Practice Questions #121
Upon assuming responsibility for an ongoing project, a project manager conducts a thorough review of the project’s documentation and outcomes. This review reveals that the project has not been adhering to the established organizational standards. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that a compliance audit, which could have identified these discrepancies early on, has never been conducted for this project. In light of this situation, what is the most appropriate initial action for the project manager to take?
A. Reach out to the Project Management Office (PMO) to inquire about the reasons behind the project’s deviation from compliance standards.
B. Engage with the project team and key stakeholders to strategize on realigning the project with the organizational standards.
C. Notify the Compliance Group to initiate an audit of the project, focusing on assessing its adherence to compliance requirements.
D. Arrange a meeting with the previous project manager to discuss the lapses in compliance during their tenure.
Analysis:
Upon taking over an ongoing project, the project manager discovers a lack of adherence to organizational standards and identifies that a compliance audit, crucial for early discrepancy detection, was never conducted. This scenario highlights the need for immediate action to rectify the compliance issues and realign the project with organizational standards.
Analysis of Options:
Option A: Reach out to the Project Management Office (PMO) to inquire about the reasons behind the project’s deviation from compliance standards. This suggests reaching out to the Project Management Office (PMO) for insights into the project’s non-compliance with organizational standards. This approach aims to uncover the rationale or circumstances leading to the deviation, potentially revealing systemic issues, misunderstandings, or intentional tailoring of standards. While this could provide valuable context and help prevent future deviations, it might not directly contribute to the immediate correction of current compliance issues. The effectiveness of this action hinges on the PMO’s awareness and understanding of the specific project’s challenges. It represents a more investigatory initial step rather than an immediate corrective action, emphasizing understanding the problem’s root cause without necessarily addressing the urgency of realigning the project with required standards.
Option B: Engage with the project team and key stakeholders to strategize on realigning the project with the organizational standards. proposes proactively engaging with both the project team and key stakeholders to collaboratively address and correct the project’s deviation from organizational standards. This approach is centered around the idea of facing the issue head-on, using a collective effort to understand, strategize, and implement necessary adjustments to align with compliance requirements. By involving those directly associated with the project, including potentially PMO representatives, this strategy ensures a comprehensive understanding of the project’s current state, facilitates shared responsibility, and leverages diverse insights to develop practical solutions. The emphasis here is on open communication, mutual agreement on corrective actions, and a unified approach to realignment, making it a robust method for effectively addressing compliance deviations while fostering team cohesion and stakeholder commitment.
Option C: Notify the Compliance Group to initiate an audit of the project, focusing on assessing its adherence to compliance requirements. involves notifying the compliance group to conduct an audit, aiming to assess the project’s adherence to compliance standards. While this action could bring formal recognition to the discrepancies and ensure an official evaluation, it essentially delegates the responsibility of addressing the issue to another entity. This approach does not tackle the problem directly but seeks external validation of the compliance gaps. Although initiating an audit might be seen as a step towards resolution, it primarily focuses on identifying and documenting the deviations rather than engaging in immediate corrective actions. Consequently, this option might delay the process of realignment with organizational standards, as it places the emphasis on external assessment rather than internal action and collaborative problem-solving with the project team and stakeholders.
Option D: Arrange a meeting with the previous project manager to discuss the lapses in compliance during their tenure. This approach might lead to a retrospective understanding but does not directly contribute to the realignment of the project with organizational standards. Moreover, focusing on past management could inadvertently delay addressing the compliance gaps by shifting focus to understanding history rather than taking action. In scenarios where project leadership changes, it’s crucial to prioritize forward-looking strategies that involve current team members and stakeholders in solutions, rather than dwelling on past oversights. Thus, while gaining historical context is valuable, it’s more effective to focus on current actions and strategies for compliance alignment. This ensures that the project moves towards meeting organizational standards without being hindered by past practices.
Conclusion: The most appropriate initial action for the project manager is Option B: Engage with the project team and key stakeholders to strategize on realigning the project with the organizational standards. This option directly addresses the need to correct the project’s course and ensures a collaborative approach to achieving compliance, making it the most effective and comprehensive response to the situation. It leverages the collective knowledge and authority of the team and stakeholders to develop and implement a plan that realigns the project with organizational standards, while also fostering a culture of transparency and collective responsibility.
PMP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
|---|---|
| Business | Task 1: Plan and manage project compliance |
Topics Covered
- Project Compliance
- Compliance Audit
