PMP Practice Questions #127
During a series of Agile project meetings, you’ve observed that project stakeholders consistently reference the product’s roadmap, detailing high-level objectives and timelines for the next two years. Any deviation from this roadmap seems to make them uncomfortable. As a Project Manager in this Agile environment, how should you address this situation to better align stakeholder expectations?
A) Insist that the team strictly adhere to the original roadmap to maintain stakeholder confidence.
B) Update the roadmap to be more detailed and add contingencies into it, ensuring predictability with flexibility since you added the buffers.
C) Create a joint meeting with stakeholders and the team to revisit the roadmap and make it clear and detailed so it can be followed without deviation in the coming months.
D) Organize a session with stakeholders to reiterate the Agile philosophy, emphasizing adaptability and the importance of responding to change over following a fixed plan.
Analysis
In an Agile project environment, navigating stakeholder expectations, especially when they are closely tied to a rigid product roadmap, presents a nuanced challenge. This scenario reflects a tension between Agile’s adaptability and stakeholders’ desire for predictability over a two-year horizon. The key is to find a balance that reassures stakeholders without compromising Agile’s core values of flexibility and responsiveness.
Analysis of Options
Option A: Insist that the team strictly adhere to the original roadmap to maintain stakeholder confidence. This approach conflicts with Agile principles, which prioritize adaptability and responding to change. While it might temporarily satisfy stakeholders looking for predictability, it undermines the Agile team’s ability to respond to emerging requirements or changes in the market or technology.
Option B: Update the roadmap to be more detailed and add contingencies into it, ensuring predictability with flexibility since you added the buffers. This solution attempts to bridge the gap between predictability and flexibility. However, overly detailed roadmaps with added contingencies may still limit the team’s agility and could lead to a false sense of security about the project’s direction and outcomes.
Option C: Create a joint meeting with stakeholders and the team to revisit the roadmap and make it clear and detailed so it can be followed without deviation in the coming months. This option, while collaborative, suggests a move towards a more prescriptive plan that may not be feasible in a truly Agile setting. It risks setting unrealistic expectations about the level of adherence possible to a detailed roadmap in a dynamic project environment.
Option D: Organize a session with stakeholders to reiterate the Agile philosophy, emphasizing adaptability and the importance of responding to change over following a fixed plan. This option directly addresses the root of the issue—stakeholders’ discomfort with deviation from the plan. By realigning their expectations with Agile values, it fosters a common understanding that the roadmap is a guide, not a contract, and that flexibility is a strength, not a weakness.
Conclusion : Option D is the most appropriate action for a Project Manager in this Agile environment. It acknowledges stakeholders’ need for security and predictability while educating them on the benefits of Agile methodologies—specifically, the value of adaptability and responding to change. This approach enhances stakeholder buy-in for Agile processes and facilitates a more flexible and collaborative approach to meeting the project’s goals.
PMP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
|---|---|
| People | Task 9: Collaborate with stakeholders |
| People | Task 10: Build shared understanding |
Topics Covered
- Agile
- Progressive Elaboration
- Product Roadmap
