PMP Practice Questions #83
During the execution phase of a residential construction project, you, as the project manager, discover that the recently installed plumbing does not meet the specified quality standards. This issue could lead to leaks and long-term damage to the property. Faced with this quality failure, which of the following actions would you choose to address the situation?
a) Immediately replace the substandard plumbing installations.
b) Organize a training session for the construction team to prevent future quality lapses.
c) Conduct an audit of all suppliers to ensure that only high-quality materials are used in the future.
d) Implement more frequent quality inspections for the remainder of the project.
Analysis:
In this residential construction project scenario, the project manager has identified a quality issue with the plumbing that could lead to serious future problems. The task at hand is to determine the best course of action to address this quality failure, considering the current situation and future implications.
Analysis of Options:
Option A: Immediately replace the substandard plumbing installations. This option represents a prompt and decisive response to the identified quality issue. It confronts the problem directly but without preceding steps of acknowledging and thoroughly analyzing the issue. Nonetheless, this straightforward action effectively resolves the immediate concern, ensuring the quality failure is promptly addressed. Considering the potential risk of leaks and damage, this option emphasizes swift corrective measures. If other options had involved acknowledging and analyzing the issue before acting, they might have been more suitable
Option B: Organize a training session for the construction team to prevent future quality lapses. This option shifts focus towards preventive measures rather than immediate corrective action. Organizing a training session, aims to enhance the team’s skills and knowledge to prevent similar quality issues in the future. However, it does not directly address the current problem of substandard plumbing installations. While this approach is beneficial for long-term quality management and improvement, it falls short in resolving the immediate quality failure.
Option C: Conduct an audit of all suppliers to ensure that only high-quality materials are used in the future. Like Option B, this option also leans towards prevention, emphasizing the long-term assurance of quality materials. By auditing suppliers, the project aims to establish a higher standard for future materials. However, this strategy does not provide an immediate solution to the existing substandard plumbing. It is an essential step for future quality control but does not rectify the current quality issue.
Option D: Implement more frequent quality inspections for the remainder of the project. It focuses on identifying and preventing future quality failures, ensuring more rigorous oversight for the remainder of the project. However, similar to Options B and C, it does not offer a direct solution to the existing problem of substandard plumbing. While it helps in mitigating future risks, it overlooks the need for immediate corrective action regarding the current quality failure.
Conclusion: In this scenario, the most effective course of action to address the identified quality failure is Option A: Immediately replacing the substandard plumbing installations. This option takes direct and immediate action to rectify the current quality issue, ensuring that the potential risks of leaks and long-term damage are promptly addressed. While Options B, C, and D focus on preventive measures and future quality assurance, they do not offer immediate solutions to the existing problem. In the context of this project, where a quick response is crucial to mitigate immediate risks, Option A emerges as the most suitable choice, despite its approach of acting directly without prior detailed acknowledgment and analysis of the issue. This choice aligns with the priority of addressing the current quality failure efficiently and effectively, ensuring the project’s integrity and client satisfaction.
PMP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
|---|---|
| Process | Task 7: Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables |
| Process | Task 15: Manage project issues |
Topics Covered
- Corrective and Preventive Actions
- Issue Management
